Picking The Right Load for Waterfowl with Tony Vandemore

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open box of HEVI-XII with dead ducks

When it comes to picking the right load for waterfowl, it all comes down to density for me. I shoot sub gauges religiously and have always favored tight chokes (Rob Roberts Custom Gunworks R3) and smaller, higher density pellets that provide a very dense pattern. The twelve-gram density HEVI-XII allows me to shoot two sizes smaller pellets than steel with increased lethality downrange. With smaller pellets, there are obviously a whole lot more of them, which equates to much better pattern density. It's a pattern a bird can't fly through when put on target.

My preference is HEVI-XII 3" 6's in 28 gauge or 20 gauge for ducks and Canada geese. I'll occasionally drop down to 4's for Canada's late season. I encourage you to pattern your gun before season and get a feel for which choke constriction and shell it patterns best with. I know how the HEVI-XII 6's perform out of my guns and the incredible patterns it provides. Therefore, I shoot the same choke and load pretty much throughout the entire season, from early teal season to late season Canadas.

HEVI-XII

Density Matters. If you throw a ping pong ball and golf ball at the same velocity, which will travel further and hit harder? This is the core of what our 12 g/cc tungsten shot is all about: Hit harder at farther distance. HEVI-XII is 53.8% more dense than steel, which translates to double the downrange energy! This allows you to drop down 3 shot sizes for the same lethality. This gives you 28% more devastating pellets on target. More kills. Fewer Cripples. Better Stories. Pack in with HEVI-XII and walk out carrying extra weight.

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12 gauge HEVI-XII packaging and shotshells