MCgunner
Member
Okay, so a while back I posted about trying a 1 1/4 ounce Winchester hi speed load in my 535 Mossberg. I bought this gun at a pawn shop at a bargain price and wanted to test the 3.5' steel T loads for goose hunting in it. My current fave goose gun is a 10 gauge H&R single shot and it tosses 90+ percent patterns with heavy T shot loads. Hard to top that and it takes down geese way up there on those blue bird days late season when they just won't come down. Now, these are snow geese, folks, not Canadas. They ain't stupid, especially late season, and can be a pain to get down below 50 yards some days.
So, with that in mind, I'd tested the modified choke that was in the gun when I got it and barely broke 70 percent pattern. Not so impressive. Well, I couldn't find my chokes. I'd boxed 'em for the move we made a year and a half ago and didn't know where.:banghead: Today, while looking for .45ACP brass, I found 'em. So, I tried a IC choke in the gun, barely 50 percent. Bummer, then, on a lark, I decided to try another modified choke that was in the package, is one of those knurled finger screw types that is exposed when screwed in. That choke tossed an 83 percent pattern.
Well, 83 percent pattern is decent and if I get some normal T shot loads with 1 5/8 ounce instead of 1 1/4 ounce, don't need the speed with T shot, I'll fill that pattern out better. I may pick up a box of heavier shot loads to pattern. However, I think I'll stick with my 10 gauge, anyway. The Mossberg is maybe 7 1/2 lbs, the 10 is 9 lbs. The recoil from the 10 is tolerable. That friggin 12 kicks like a BEOCH! It fits me well, just hurts the shoulder. Just too much bang and too little weight. The single shot H&R really is fun to hunt with, anyway, and I don't hunt geese that often. I'm getting too old to be beat up by 3.5" 12s. I will use the gun on ducks, 2 3/4" fast steel on ducks. At least I have the thing throwing respectable patterns with 3.5" Ts. It's an option if I'm feeling masochistic, I suppose.
So, with that in mind, I'd tested the modified choke that was in the gun when I got it and barely broke 70 percent pattern. Not so impressive. Well, I couldn't find my chokes. I'd boxed 'em for the move we made a year and a half ago and didn't know where.:banghead: Today, while looking for .45ACP brass, I found 'em. So, I tried a IC choke in the gun, barely 50 percent. Bummer, then, on a lark, I decided to try another modified choke that was in the package, is one of those knurled finger screw types that is exposed when screwed in. That choke tossed an 83 percent pattern.
Well, 83 percent pattern is decent and if I get some normal T shot loads with 1 5/8 ounce instead of 1 1/4 ounce, don't need the speed with T shot, I'll fill that pattern out better. I may pick up a box of heavier shot loads to pattern. However, I think I'll stick with my 10 gauge, anyway. The Mossberg is maybe 7 1/2 lbs, the 10 is 9 lbs. The recoil from the 10 is tolerable. That friggin 12 kicks like a BEOCH! It fits me well, just hurts the shoulder. Just too much bang and too little weight. The single shot H&R really is fun to hunt with, anyway, and I don't hunt geese that often. I'm getting too old to be beat up by 3.5" 12s. I will use the gun on ducks, 2 3/4" fast steel on ducks. At least I have the thing throwing respectable patterns with 3.5" Ts. It's an option if I'm feeling masochistic, I suppose.
