Your comparing blackcloud to the A5?

Duck commander had his picture on the box, that's all that needs to be said

Go home scooter, you're drunk

Don't want to write a book about this, but want to help out the OP and educate a few (before a couple years ago, I didn't half what I know now).

1) A lot of companies out there are building cheap arse chokes that do nothing but take money out of your pocket.
2) Premium ammo like Heavy Metal tries to copy lead by being heavy mostly (steel is lighter and doesn't fly as well).
3) premium ammo like Black Cloud do a combo of weight and use a wad to try and give you a better pattern. I only use regular chokes with this type of ammo. No ported or restricted (like pattern master).
4) Pattern master chokes do some amazing things with your flight pattern. They shorten the flight cone...meaning more pellets hit the target at the same time compared to cheap ammo with regular choke....this is why we wound so many ducks.

Most people (like I use to) will pattern shells with different chokes/ammo and think they are getting a "great" pattern. What we don't realize is that 40% of the pellets hit a first and the other 60% hit a split second later (after the duck is out of the kill zone). Looks good on paper, but if you had a high speed camera slowed down, you would see what I mean.

I like the premium ammo when I can get it cheap.

What I really like is the Pattern Master choke tube with the cheapest Rio, Kent, Expert or Federals.

Jury is out on which one works better, but if you hunt as much as me, the Pattern Master with cheap ammo is cheaper in the long run (short run for me).

FYI. I have no affiliation with Pattern Master and this is my opinion only based on my experiences.

I wouldn't use the word "gimmick", but I do understand the argument about value. I actually picked up 23 boxes of 3in #2's blackcloud on sale for $292.05 shipped to my door. That comes out to about $12.69 a box so I certainly don't mind shooting it for that price.

I would definitely follow the recommendation not to use them with certain chokes. If a manufacturer is willing to do anything that might reduce their sales there has to be some significance to it. Especially since federal, to my knowledge doesn't sale their own choke tubes.

Only my shoulder has problems with HyperSonics

I shoot Federals and Winchesters, really cheap- $10 a box last season........
plus you don't have to decoy ducks when you hunt where they want to be

Not to try to revive a dead horse, but I thought this was an interesting read... http://www.wildfowlmag.com/tactics/tips_strategies_wf_smartwads_1209/

I learned a long time ago that when you use but in a sentence, it wipes out everything you stated just before saying but. So in this case we can wipe out this part "Not to try to revive a dead horse" and go staright to saying you are beating a deadhorse. Notsaying that is bad, just clarifying our inner fellings

Wal you must be happily married haha. If that's the case, let's try this again....

Read 'em and weep boys! http://www.wildfowlmag.com/tactics/tips_strategies_wf_smartwads_1209/

Ok I was only poking a little fun at you in the last post. The next response will surely tick you off. I apologize in advance if I seem to be trying to agitate you. I assure you I am not trying to be an agitator. So here you go. Part of his scientific study was his three buddies connecting with ducks at over 55 yards. We kill geese out to 55 yards with Walmart Sure Shots and an aftermarket choke all the time, big deal. His method of scientific evaluation does not match the claim “Ballistics Expert”. I compare his method to Billy Bob Thornton smelling an onion field and claiming to be a farmer.
I refuse to be swayed by the sales pitch of all this “new fangled” duck hunting stuff. The police business is the same way. We have a member of administration here that was praised some time ago. That person presented an idea of “Crime Reduction Unit”. Everyone loved it! The old heads that have been policing for a long long time all sat back and asked “Aren’t all policeman crime reduction units”? You see it is the marketer that wins these games. Coops aren’t new, shotshells aren’t new. The way the game is presented is the only new thing to the game.
Winchester realizes nothing changes the outcome of a pellet once it leaves that barrel. What you got is what you got. So they specifically designed the shotcup to change that, control the pellets longer. It takes our eye off of the prize. The prize is getting ducks over the decoys, fooling them. Not hitting them as far as you can see them. Winchester’s prize is making the money in your pocket become the money in their pocket.

blackcloud duck loads still suck

I mean they kill ducks... but so do the cheapo rounds...

Its all about tha shooter

I agree nav

I refuse to put a cheap shotgun shell in my mossberg.

Lol

No hard feelings Wal. I was mainly posting that article in regards to the "Different Choke Required" segment. Unless I misunderstood the title of Scooter's thread, I thought he was after info on blackcloud loads and aftermarket chokes, not the killing capabilities with Xperts or Walmart loads.

scooter was drinking that night, he doesnt know what he wanted

Says the man that rolled out of bed at a cool 8:30.

I've got this white man thing figured out, Jack

Does bossman agree with these tactics?

they dont call me "yes sir" around here for nothing

Not "yes sir", "bas turd", inside joke I'm sure.

I'll show 'em the table if they mouthy