IdahoDucker

I got it in 12 ga. I've used 20s a few times over the years and have found I just prefer a 12. Pic posted in your other thread.

Here's a shot of one of our three days so far down here near Phoenix where I'm working. Limits each time so far. Just one weekend left of the early season here. That's my new Ultra Light and my friend/coworker with my old SBE. I'm quickly becoming very attached to that Ultra Light.

Hey Y'all, Haven't been here in awhile but since I just picked up an Ultra Light and have tried it out on 30 doves so far this year I thought I'd check in. All I have to say about the Ultra Light is, "Why did I wait so long to buy one?!" An exceptional shotgun! I guess I really didn't expect anything less. I'm in love all over again.

Hevi shot far outclasses steel IMO. With it you can go back to the shot sizes of the lead days which gives you denser patterns AND better knock down energy. When lead was legal, I knew nobody that shot bigger than 4's for ducks or 2's for geese and most shot 6's or 5's. 3" shells were reserved for when you knew you would have long shots at geese. You're wasting a lot of the advantage of hevi shot if you stay with the same shot size you use with steel. I've had excellent results with 2 3/4" #6 hevi shot for ducks when I think I can afford it.

I see that kalifornia is now requiring nontoxic bullets for deer in some areas. I guess that's fine since the barnes tsx is a great bullet but it's probably an indication of what's coming to the rest of us. I too got to hunt for several years with lead and I remember feeling sick the first couple of seasons with steel. Between the weak early steel loads and the getting used to how to shoot them I hate to think of all the crippled birds that got away across this country. Now however, steel seems to be just fine as long as you buy the stuff that is going fast enough and learn how to shoot it. I love hevi shot but my wallet doesn't.

It's been great here near Phoenix. Had to buy the nonres license but that's the way it goes if you want to hunt while you're away from home. Limits by 9:00 for three days so far. Supposed to be white wings down here as well as the eurasians but we've only got mournings so far. Found a lightly used Ultra Light last week, wow that is one sweet shotgun.

Congrats on an excellent purchase. I think most of the break in recommendations are to shoot several boxes of "heavier" loads through the gun. Some go as far as to use turkey loads but that might get a little expensive. 3 1/2" steel loads or some of the heavier lead loads would be fine. Kent Ultimates (if they're available in your area) go as high as an ounce and a half of lead in a 2 3/4" shell and they're relatively low cost. As far as the rear sight I'll assume you mean the rear bead and say no, not adjustable. When your shooting at a moving target you should be concentrating on the bird not the beads. With time and practice you won't even notice them there. My front bead fell off last summer while shooting clays and I didn't notice it until after I got home. Went through this past hunting season without it too. However, I will replace it before turkey season.

Hmmm. Back to my original response. It looks like TW has been told twice that he should get a rifled barrel WITH a rifled choke. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but rifled shotgun barrels don't come with choke tubes, rifled or not, do they?

I put camo-clad on my boat motor 6 years ago and I have no complaints. I think you'd be very happy with it on a gun as far as it being an effective camo. However, it won't look all pretty and professional up close. The tape has to be overlapped in places and in that respect it kind of looks like a grade school art project. Having said that if a duck or turkey gets close enough to notice that you put stickers on your gun it's too late anyway.

If after market is ok then Briley, Tacstar, Sure Cycle, Nordic and maybe others are making them.

Am I reading that correctly? Did you say you would prefer the rifled barrel with a rifled tube or did you mean something else? TW, Looks like one on auctionarms right now. Click here.

It's been brought up here that not all benelli center beads are mounted dead center on the rib. Check that out too. http://www.benelliusa.com/forums/ultimatebb.php/topic/1/2814.html#000000

What are you using for sights? If you're just using the barrel beads, get some snap on Hi-Viz fiber optic type sights or a scope. [ 10-15-2006, 09:27 AM: Message edited by: IdahoDucker ]

Nice opener today. We got 12 birds including this banded pintail. My first banded duck that wasn't a mallard.

Wasn't asking for anybody's best spot. Wouldn't do that. So, let me rephrase. I'd like to know if the San Francisco/San Pablo Bay area is worth my time. Hunting is what I like to do. Not pay somebody to allow me to shoot ducks. If doing what I've done for the last twenty some years will get me a few ducks per trip then I'll be happy. If I'll just be lucky to even see a duck then I'll take my efforts somewhere else. One of our new employees is from Marysville and claims that he can set me up with some good spots around there. Something about rice fields. He doesn't hunt ducks though so who knows how it'll turn out. Anyway, am I wasting my time by the scouting the Bay?

I got the Tac Star off ebay for $40. I've put about 200 target rounds through it so far trying to be like Tom Knapp with no problems. Except that I miss alot.

Hey ya'll, Looks like things are picking up around here. Duck season must be near. I'm all screwed up. My company has deemed it necessary to send me to the bay area from now until about Christmas. I'll be living in American Canyon and working at the Shell refinery in Martinez. So the big question is where do I go for ducks? I will have my boat, decoys, gun, etc. and just need some suggestions as to where to take them. We'll have three day weekends every week so a little travel won't bother me. I remember reading a few years ago about canvasbacks in the bay. What do you know about that? Did a little striper fishing yesterday near Vallejo and found myself wandering around some of the sloughs and spying on mallards through my binoculars. One side of the slough I was on had USFWS signs saying No Hunting. The other side had CalFG signs stating that this was the Napa River Unit. Can a guy hunt there? Also saw spots on a map of San Pablo Bay that were labeled as duck blinds. Interesting. Anyway, I know I need to do a lot more research but any help would be greatly appreciated. Dave

What tucker said.

Ditto on the Sims pad. That or an Xcoil. My brother shoots a wood Benelli with just the factory pad. Doesn't bother him a bit. Don't know what your currrent gun is but keep in mind that an auto with a 26" barrel will have about the same overall length as a pump with a 28" or a double with a 30".

Most excellent.

Yes, ignorant shooters and crap ammo will both constitute borderline functionallity under certain parameters in any gun. How do you think cheap ammo gets to be cheap?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12316692/

Saw an article somewhere in the last few days that about 1000 WalMarts are going to stop selling guns/ammo. Reason . . . lack of local demand for such products.

Respect is earned.

If haven't traded it off yet, try a different choke/load combination. Every gun shoots different with any combination. A few people here, including myself, have had excellent luck with the Primos Jellyhead tube. It's even reasonably priced for a custom tube.