Best 12 gauge ammo for Pheasant?

[Rich M]

We used to shoot 7-1/2s and 6s for pheasants.

 

[Jvick23]

I used Federal 2 3/4 inch 5’s last year. It will fold them farther than you should shoot at them. Don’t ask me how I know.

 

[WCB]

kent fastlead no. 4!!! If you can find it buy it up!!! Absolutely cripples birds at distance

Not sure that is a good plug for the load....goal is to kill them not cripple them.

 

[Erussell01]

For wild birds on lands that allow it, I have found lead 5s to be the most useful and cost effective load for me. I snagged a couple cases of federal blue box 5s last year and I just find that with my gun and a Carlson mod I can nock birds down pretty darn well.

For game farm birds I run lead 6s or steel 4s and don't usually worry about it much.

For wild birds where I'm required to use non toxic and I dont want to spend the money on bismuth- steel works fine. A 1 1/8 load of 2s or 3s at 1550 typically does the job for me just fine. If I had to pick an all around cheaper option for ducks, geese In the decoys and pheasants it would be steel 2s.


My favorite all around load if cost is no issue- boss shorty 3's. Best I've shot for all winged things. At the ranges I shoot. I've stoned every goose duck and pheasant I put in the pattern with them. Choke them tight and watch the birds drop like a rock.

As you can tell, this meeting is going great and I've got hunting on the brain

 

[Jack321]

My favorite all around load if cost is no issue- boss shorty 3's. Best I've shot for all winged things. At the ranges I shoot. I've stoned every goose duck and pheasant I put in the pattern with them. Choke them tight and watch the birds drop like a rock.

As you can tell, this meeting is going great and I've got hunting on the brain

Two of my hunting buddies shoot 20 ga Boss loads at geese. (Don't know what # shot, but whatever shot it is it is apparently is just as heavy as BBs)

I've seen them hit geese and fall only for them to get up a run/fly away. I've seen more cripples with that 20 ga Boss load than I can shake a fist at. Several times last year they'd down a bird and the dog would go after it and it flies away.

Guys like yourself swear by it, but I'm not impressed with Boss at all....Sucks when you shoot 2 birds, cripple them and then you go home 2 short of your limits....Maybe they work better on upland game, but geese, not impressed.

 

[KurtR]

Two of my hunting buddies shoot 20 ga Boss loads at geese. (Don't know what # shot, but whatever shot it is it is apparently is just as heavy as BBs)

I've seen them hit geese and fall only for them to get up a run/fly away. I've seen more cripples with that 20 ga Boss load than I can shake a fist at. Several times last year they'd down a bird and the dog would go after it and it flies away.

Guys like yourself swear by it, but I'm not impressed with Boss at all....Sucks when you shoot 2 birds, cripple them and then you go home 2 short of your limits....Maybe they work better on upland game, but geese, not impressed.

The boss 12 gauge 3/5 blend crushes the giants up here. Less cripples but we shoot all our geese finishing over decoys. If it’s not boss it’s 2 shot black clouds or 3 shot heavy hammer.

 

[Jack321]

The boss 12 gauge 3/5 blend crushes the giants up here. Less cripples but we shoot all our geese finishing over decoys. If it’s not boss it’s 2 shot black clouds or 3 shot heavy hammer.

Yeah the 3/5 blend sounds right. I've just seen enough cripples out of my buddies 20 ga to pass.

And we're hunting the Mississippi flyway, so they're not lightweight Canadians.

I use 12 ga 3-1/2" BBs almost exclusively for waterfowl.

I always am telling my buddies they need 12 ga cuz the Boss 20s just don't have the punch.

I'm dead serious. I had never even heard of Boss loads before 3 seasons ago when my buddies switched to em and after 3 seasons, I'm just not impressed. I can count on my hand at least 6 hunts last year that they hit birds and they got away.

 

[Erussell01]

Two of my hunting buddies shoot 20 ga Boss loads at geese. (Don't know what # shot, but whatever shot it is it is apparently is just as heavy as BBs)

I've seen them hit geese and fall only for them to get up a run/fly away. I've seen more cripples with that 20 ga Boss load than I can shake a fist at. Several times last year they'd down a bird and the dog would go after it and it flies away.

Guys like yourself swear by it, but I'm not impressed with Boss at all....Sucks when you shoot 2 birds, cripple them and then you go home 2 short of your limits....Maybe they work better on upland game, but geese, not impressed.

I'm sorry to hear that. My wife has killed enough geese with her 20 and 3 inch 5s that I can say with certainty that they work as good or better for her than anything I've ever put in her blind bag. I've personally never lost a goose shot with boss either but I'm a recent convert compared to her. For her, after pattern testing she needed way more choke constriction. Once dialed in, she hasn't had an issue and since she can run one shell for everything it has simplified her setup and helped her get her lead down.

It's not magic but it really works for us when we do our part. Our sample size isn't as many as some, but we kill a lot of geese every year and have for the last 9 years that we have been together. She has shot Boss 5s the last 5 seasons. Shoots the same load for ducks pheasants, grouse and even turkey. My wife has killed enough for me to believe.

 

[KurtR]

Yeah the 3/5 blend sounds right. I've just seen enough cripples out of my buddies 20 ga to pass.

And we're hunting the Mississippi flyway, so they're not lightweight Canadians.

I use 12 ga 3-1/2" BBs almost exclusively for waterfowl.

I always am telling my buddies they need 12 ga cuz the Boss 20s just don't have the punch.

I'm dead serious. I had never even heard of Boss loads before 3 seasons ago when my buddies switched to em and after 3 seasons, I'm just not impressed. I can count on my hand at least 6 hunts last year that they hit birds and they got away.

I dont think i have shot a bb since my long past days of pass shooting never used the 3 1/2. 3 inch 2 shot is the biggest now as we always have ducks with the geese. We are well north of 100 geese this year in the early season and have not lost one yet that has hit the ground.

 

[Erussell01]

I dont think i have shot a bb since my long past days of pass shooting never used the 3 1/2. 3 inch 2 shot is the biggest now as we always have ducks with the geese. We are well north of 100 geese this year in the early season and have not lost one yet that has hit the ground.

And it's a well rounded load for pheasants too!

 

[Supaphly]

Fiocchi golden pheasant nickel plated 6/5

 

[FLS]

2 3/4” Federal or Fiocchi #5s.