#4 Shot for Ducks

[werner.reiche]

I use #4 Challenger. Only hunt early - opener to thanksgiving weekend or so.

When you people say "close range" - up to what range would this be 35 yards or so?
Having lived through the early years of pathetic steel shot, I've learned to limit my shots to this range.

[Fox]

I like #4 Winchester 3", they worked well for me so far.
Keep the speed up and the range close and you will be fine.

[Buzz Killington]

I use #4's for water swats - late season,

In early season for teal hunts - #4's do horrific things to those little birds..... but - they work well =)

[sherlockbonez]

Usually 3s until nov than switch to 2s. Used to shoot 4s with the 20 just for a bit more density. Imo 4s are good to maybe 35, penetration gets iffy after that.

[Dead Ringer]

Center of the pattern and in good range, then it doesn't matter. I use 4's for the smaller ducks and woodies in close early in the season. #6's for water swatting work well.

[heronk]

I would not use #4 shot for anything but small ducks in the early season. As others have said #4 shot doesn't have the range or penetration to get the job done on larger ducks especially in the late season when the ducks are fully feathered.

[johny]

Steel holds a tight pattern because pellets do not deform in the barrel.
So wind resistance does not throw them off course like deformed lead pellets.
But impact/momentum/penetration/killing ability is vastly reduce by 40 yards.
If, you could genuinely hold it to 25 yards maximum, fine.
But it is too easy to take longer shots in the excitement of hunting.
So use more effective loads for ducks, like 2's or 3's and limit yourself to 30-35 yards.

Or use tungsten.

[Super_Nova]

I used #3 and #4 for a season and didn't really care for it, I went back to #2s. That being said I would use #4s for timber hunts.

[toddy]

I use number 4's on ducks most of the season until I am after divers and or shooting ducks and geese in the same hunt.

Most of my shots are under 30. I have shot a few handfuls of geese with number 4's in the same range when they came into a spread incidentally. Haven't had to chase a cripple yet. If I actually sat back and compared, my kill ratio with 3 inch number 4 steel on geese vs #2 or bb is probably better haha. Probably not a fair comparison though - maybe a dozen shots/kills with number 4's vs a few thousand shots/kills with number 2's and bb's.