Best Snow Goose Ammo

The ammo market is often overwhelming when it comes to choosing which snow goose loads to use these days. Federal Black Cloud even has a "Snow Goose shell" that they claim is specifically designed for snow geese. While it and other higher priced loads will harvest snow geese cleanly, there are better options available that are far cheaper and perform as well or better.

Hunting Situations

Ammunition is only as good as the situation you're hunting in. Decoy shooting up close vs. long distance pass shooting are two different hunting methods requiring different approaches. Hunting in a strong wind where shot drift occurs is a problem and usually happens with lighter density loads like steel. Hevishot and other tungsten loads are less affected.

Your hunting situation will define what load is ideal. However, they only way to know if a load is ideal for your situation is to pattern it. Each gun is different. One load patterning great in your Benelli will not necessarily give good patterns in your Remington. Patterning is one of the most important aspects with finding a great load for a given situation.

Typical Snow Goose Loads

Typical steel shot sizes for geese range from #2 all the way up to F-shot. The best all-around load in my opinion is BBB steel shot. It allows for a good pattern density (62 pellets/oz.) and the knock down power for shots past 50 yards. If a situation arises, like e-caller season in a hot field, then you could drop down in shot size to #1 for added pattern density up close. Likewise, if you are going to be pass shooting, a well patterning load of T-shot is hard to beat.

The most optimal load of steel shot currently is a 1 ½ oz. load traveling at 1600 fps. This load is a great combination of payload and speed. Federal offers Speed shok and Ultra shok steel loads that you can find at Rogers Sporting Goods for great prices with free shipping. They do sell out quickly at times though.

The alternative to steel is Hevishot and other tungsten based ammo. The following is a list of shot types currently available and their densities.

Steel........................7.3 (g/cc)
HeviSteel..................9.2
Hevi Duck... ..............9.7
Bismuth.......................9.8
Nice Shot.....................10.2
Lead...........................11.3
Winchester Ext. Range...12
Remington HD...............12
Hevi Goose..................12
Hevi 13.................... .13
Federal Heavyweight....15
TSS..........................18

When it comes to goose hunting, shot that is denser than steel is preferred. There’s no arguing this. Will steel do the job? Of course, but Hevi-shot will do it 10 times better and reduce cripples. This means more birds in the bag, less time chasing cripples, and the ability to fold up birds at longer ranges. If you have shot tungsten based ammo at geese, you know what I’m talking about.

Tungsten loads also allow you to reduce your shot size to increase you pattern density. This makes even Hevishot #4 a viable load for decoying geese due to the energy retained. Steel loads just can’t match it. 

I realize cost is a big factor is determining which loads most people choose. Very few want to spend $20-30 for 10 shells. The off season is the perfect time to look for discounted ammo deals on websites to pick these kinds of shells up more affordably. Additionally, learning to load your own shells can also reduce the cost by ordering your loose hevishot in bulk. 

Roll Crimped 10ga TSS Loads

One of the best hevishot goose loads ever created is the 10 ga Hevishot load of  1 3/4oz #2’s @ 1300fps.