Anybody use full chokes for ducks. If so what shot size do you prefer when using this tight of choke. I know every gun patterns a little different but just curious what yall guys use. Ive been practicing shooting skeet with a full this off season and now when i use an IC or MOD its a piece of cake. Them teal are gonna crunch hard.

I wouldn't based on the range I shoot most ducks I use IC or Modified. Too many holes in them otherwise.

I have shot Fixed Full choke out of my wingmaster since it was new in 1987. I use Federal 3 inch number 2's. I have killed on the water across the pond about 55 yards 6 ducks in the same shot many times. Only gun I have ever owned.

Man buddy talk about your all time skillet shots. You got no shame!!! Pond jumping & skillet shooting for one shot limits...Respect.

I keep a carlsons xtended mod in my duck gun. I carry a carlsons xtended full at all times. If I cant get them to decoy that day ill pop the full in and crush them.

me and my bud shoot extended full chokes.... 3" #2's, we hunt public and the birds are weary most of the time, got to reach out and smack um down.... if you hunting private and the birds actually decoy modified is what you need

It just meat on the table for me. Very lean Very tasty meat.

I use a full choke when I am hunting a big body of water and I have a remington 1100 with a fixed full that I love and use about half the time. I like 3" #4's in whatever is cheapest.

I'm sure you probably understand this already but just in case . .
A #2 shot pellet fired through a full choke vs. a IC choke comes out at the same velocity (+/- a very little bit). It has the same energy retention as it goes down range. This means that using a full choke doesnt suddenly allow you to kill ducks at longer range. Using steel shot (not heavy shot or fancy alloys), the effective kill range of #2 extends to roughly 45yds. . . no matter what choke you use.

At some point our ethics regarding cripples, etc. may outway our desire to "put meat on the table".

Personnaly (just my behavior and I dont expect others to act the same); I reeeeaaallllyy enjoy getting birds to decoy in my face with feet down and wings up!! I very rarely (never?) take a shot any other way. Therefore I use IC or even C as it fits my style of hunting. I also have days that i dont get to pull the trigger. To each his own.

(Side note: if you have an older gun with fixed full choke, you may want to consider the chamber and barrel pressure that results when shooting steel loads. I have read that it's a very good way to damage older barrels.)

Last season I never took a shot at a duck over 20 yards, the majority were even less. I used an IC and took only 22 birds, but it was my first whole season as a duck hunter. This year I will be shooting with a gun that came with a factory cylinder choke. I'll double check with a pattern board before big duck season, but, I kind of get a crazy grin when I'm at work or anywhere else awake and think of how much fun that cylinder choke and #6 loads are going to be this year.

I also saved a LOT of money on duck loads last season. I had some hunts the first year where 2 boxes of shells were fired and only 1 or 2 ducks taken. This last season I think I only used 3-4 boxes of shells. Or 3-4 shells per hunt average, 3-4 shells per bird average.

You're kinda wrong, buddy, but only one one portion. They might both have the same effective kill range, as far as individual pellets. But it all depends on what point you want your spread to be how big you want it to be. A full choke allows me to kill ducks at a longer range, yes, it sure does. It also makes it harder for me to kill them at a very close range. And vice versa with an IC or Mod, respectively. Its all about picking the right choke tube for the job in the current situation.

Thats because you can't hit six in the air
Skillet shots and Hollywoods, thats how I roll!

You are correct wigorman . . . you will hit birds at 50+ yards with a greater number of "crippling" pellets when using a full choke. The cummulative result of those pellets will be that some (maybe most) of those birds will hit the water. If you shoot at those birds with IC, you will get fewer pellets in them and probably not bring them down.

I'll shoot mine up close.

Guess it all depends on how good of a shot you are. I rarely take 50 yard shots, and usually the full tube doesnt go in until i've had plenty of time to knock the rust off. But I would think exactly the opposite. I think at longer ranges, you will hit birds with a greater number of pellets with a full choke, and hit with a much lesser amount of 'crippling' pellets with a wider pattern. Unless you arent good at those shots.

You are comfortable shooting over/in the spread with a very wide pattern. Cool, more power to ya. We would all love to take only those shots. But the reality is, alot of times we dont get that luxury on every hunt/every shot, especially on public. I come from hunting the coast the last few years so i've gotten used to using a full choke alot of the time, for closer and longer shots, for many different reasons. So we adapt our skill to overcome the conditions we are given. If I were to use strictly an IC this season, I would miss alot of the shots that I would otherwise be more than capable of hitting in one shot, and in this case, crippling birds.

Again, to each his own.

I agree. What he is saying is that the pellets carry the same energy no matter which choke they are shot out of. The difference is the spread of the pellets. Same killing energy (or lack there of at longer distances).

I used to shoot an old 1100 fixed full choke gun because it was the only gun I had available. It was very hard to hit groups of teal coming in. Now I shoot IC and my best range is right around 30 yards. Any further out and my kill per shot percentage drops, any closer and it also drops.

Patternmaster ported full with federal speedshok #2's for me. I made a couple sweet shots last year.

Why? Becuase you have found a choke that works for you and you know what range you are most effective in. You are comfortable with that choke and not comfortable/effective with a full choke.

I am comfortable/effective with a modified or full, depending on the situation. And I can hit consistently with both. IC as well, as long as they are working close enough. Granted, it takes me a few hunts to get the rust off enough to feel comfortable putting the full in.

I have never shot a full choke for ducks. Always shot Skeet, IC, or Mod depending on gun and load.

For several years I shot Kent Fasteel 1 1/8oz 3" #3 out of my Citori. I shot an IC and Mod. Same gun with with 3" 1 1/4oz #6 Hevi Shot I shot Skeet and IC.

Picked up a SBE II last year, changed loads (3" #4 and 3" #6 steel), and shot a Mod all season.

All that being said I have never had a problem killing ducks. The main reason being shot selection. I hunt all over the state each year, all public, and don't have problems decoying birds or getting shots within 25yds. I know I can kill birds at further ranges, but I would rather let the birds get closer.

Using the excuse of hunting public don't fly with me. Be where the birds want to be, conceal yourself well, set a good spread, and let the birds work. Do all of that and I can promise you, your kill totals will go up. There is no reason you should be shooting at birds over 30-35yds.

On another note, a good friend of mine always shot a full choke. He had trouble hitting birds. He finally changed to an IC and it was a night and day difference.
He is actually a good shot now.

Full chokes and large steel shot don't mix. You will get a lot of flyers and could possibly damage your gun.

Just go out and pattern your gun with different chokes and different loads. Pattern at 20, 30, 35, and 40 yards. Find combinations that have an even, full pattern.

I agree, never shoot over around 40 yards. Rarely even that far. Full choke is the right tool for me out to that distance. Any closer and I use mod.

I can kill birds with a full choke, but as I have grown in this sport I have learned quite a bit. First I learned that I hate losing birds that I hit. Second thing I learned is I hate wasting shells. Shooting at birds in the 40 yard+ range increases your chances of not hitting birds effectively. If you are shooting birds at 40 yards away then you are most likely pass shooting or playing clean up with birds that were already shot it. When you can't get a good shot at the breast/belly side of the duck you decrease your chances of harvesting that bird. Ever shoot a cripple on the water and it not die? These birds' outer layer of feathers are harder than we think. But hey everybody hunts differently and everybody has their own ethics regarding hunting.

My $.02

I only use full when hunting turkey, Yotes and road hunting ditch chickens(the 22 mag cases are harder to clean out of the AC vents)

So you are "those guys" flaring/skybusting the ducks?

J/K...kinda

could be

I'm considering going to full after teal season. My old roomate is switching as well. IC till then.(>20 yds in the decoys no prob). I'm making the switch from IM to full for big ducks because I lost way too many woodies last season. Dropped em just fine but they swim faster than me in waders 4 extra shots once they hit the water gets expensive.... FYI, not to throw them on a pedestal but Phil Robertson and the DuckMen use full chokes and #3's. I got to have dinner with Phil and Mrs. Kay (His wife) last year. He's a pretty cool guy.

Agreed....get good enough to shoot a full in all situations, near or far and your covered. I wan my birds to crunch in the air when I hit them. Every year I try to get a little better

You aint a man until you take a teal's head off and leave the body completely intact at 15 yards with a full choke. Focker. Out.