I am thinking about a flat of these. I normally shoot 3 inch #4. I shot 2 3\4 #6 pellet at the pond the other day. That #6 pellet was just crushing the wood ducks.

Any reviews, thoughts?
http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/rio-roya...x-p-114810.html

I had the same thought last year, went with a couple of boxes instead of a flat. I shoot 5's at teal and really like the pattern density. I, like you shoot 4's for most things duck, with a trailer 2 shot or later in the season a 4-2-2. Over the decoys 5's work fantastic, about like 4's but with more shot in the air. Ever have that 30 yd shot with 4's where the duck comes down fine but it may need finishing? That's what 5's were like for me unless they were breast facing shots. It brings down big ducks fine out to about 30, but 4's and 3's do a better job of bringing them down without swimmers as often. That's been my experience

Given a specific choke size, concern over perceived differences between #5 or #6 shells of the same type of product is silly. Choke selection and pattern with a given shot size at a given POA/POI is where I'd start, not the difference in performance between one shot size in difference.

fwiw, I've been impressed with Rio shells, particularly Rio Bluesteel for ducks and geese. Impressed enough to buy half a pallet of it. We recently bought 6 pallets at $40 a case. I'm sure there'll be more shells dumped cheap due to the poor waterfowl season this year.

I shot 14 cases of it last year at $89 a case and would have bought just as much for the same price had it been available early in the season. Dropped as many if not more birds than hunters in our party shooting $30+ a box magic shells.

5-3-BB is a pretty lethal combo

I shot 3" #5 Kent TealSteel all year long through a IC or LM. Patterned before teal season and looked good so I bought another case and rolled with the same setups for big bird. Killed em (including geese) good enough for me.

I shot them last year and the year before and loved them on decoying birds. This year they were sold out when I went to order so I went to 4's. Rio makes a great shell

I don't shoot anything smaller than #3 at any type of waterfowl.

My son carries the cheap winchestwr xpert 2 3/4 1 and 1/8 #6's for swatter loads. He decided to use them on birds over the blocks last year. He was absolutely lethal with them on everything from greenwings to Cans.

He only came home from college for 2 hunts this year. Hunted cranes once and ducks the other. I dont remember what he used.

I dont recollect how many 6's are in an ounce and an eighth, but it's a great many and he pulverized the heads of all those ducks.

I keep this load on hand for doves during teal season and have actually grown to prefer it over lead.

I cannot get the Rio steel to pattern out of the skinny Italian guns, have yet to try them in an overbored winchesters or mossberg

Good enough for me. The order is in.

354 pellets in 1 1/8 oz of 6 shot pato

240 in 1 1/4 oz #4

304 in a 1 1/4 oz #5

wayne those extra pellets can only help your shooting. But then again you have to go hunting to shoot.

14 flata is 2 boxes a day, everyday of the season...leads me to beleive that he's a terrible shot

Been shooting 3" #6 for the last several years with excellent results. Saw the Kent TealSteel 3" #5 this year and bought a case. Shot them a lot and really liked them. Almost seem like the perfect duck load to me. Decoying birds are stone dead. Killed birds easily to 35-40 yes with no problem. All shot in a 26" barrel with IC choke

6 pallets. Isn't that 150,000 shells?

I bought a couple boxes of Kent fast teal #5s when I needed some last minute shells. They crushed the ducks pretty good. I was surprised

I shot a Woodrow at 35 yards with 2 3\4 #6 last weekend. I was the only one that fired. Its head folded over backwards, no more wing flap, it was dead. I looked and that bird was covered with pellets. I is part of what made me want to push the envelope even farther towards more and smaller pellets than before.

Perhaps a number of trips to shoot some clays prior to season would greatly benefit his pocketbook!

aerangis, listen to brassmonkey...sell your wifes viper and build you a sporting clays course

you'll come out money ahead

50 shells to kill 6 ducks is a tad high

the captain has been around a few hunters in his day, so I think he would know.

You fellers are not accounting fer warm up shots. I've got an old rusty A5 that I have to run 2 to 3 boxes through every morning to just get her warmed up

This would explain the early shooting people are always complaining about, turns out they were getting fired up over shooting ducks early, turns out it was just pregame warm up

I hear you. John Henry likes to warm up also

My opinion, aim is the most important thing with shooting ducks. If you can't do that, it doesn't really matter what load you shoot.

5's are excellent. We use 7's in Saskatchewan and crunch them. As they get pushed south due to cold weather the plumage changes. We use 7's for everything but cranes and big darks in Canada. I shot 5's in Arkansas last week on some northern birds and they hit the water dead.

I'd have to have a shoulder operation after that