# goose calls cheap or $$



## watchman34hunting (Jul 10, 2006)

Hi every one,I was just wondering what the diffrence between the expensive acrylic and cheep polycarbonate goose calls are?
thanks for the info


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Quality and versitility of sound they are capable of producing. Go to your local sporting goods store and blow some of them you will see and hear the difference.

Bob


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## roostbuster (Oct 19, 2005)

Bob Kellam said:


> Quality and versitility of sound they are capable of producing. Go to your local sporting goods store and blow some of them you will see and hear the difference.
> 
> Bob


yes, true... to an experienced caller. someone picking up a call for the first time, or someone who is relatively new, will not be able to pick up the tone differences.

if your looking for a call to learn on, go cheaper, see which ones you like, after you figure out which brands suit you, pick up their higher end calls, by that point you should be able to appreciate the sound differences.


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## pennsyltucky (Oct 30, 2005)

acrylic is nothing more than plexiglass, and polycarbonate is just plastic. (read: both are plastic)

the real difference is in how much TLC and time is put into tuning them before they leave the shop. many cheap models have the exact same guts in em as the high dollar ones, they just arent tuned by hand. acrylic is just a gimmick, and they push them because the shops make a fortune selling them for 10 times or more what they cost to make.

a zink PM or PC will do the same thing (sometimes louder) as a PM-1 or PC-1.

ive done alot of studying on the making of these calls over the last few months.....get the plastic one and dont take it apart. it will call geese wonderfully for years. if it comes out of tune, send it in and pay the coupla bucks to have it tuned like an acrylic.

the wood calls are much better at sounding like a real goose anyway. so its kinda a moot point. get a plastic one for hailing and loud/crisp sound, and spend ur money on a nice wood call for when they are within 300 yards.


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## roostbuster (Oct 19, 2005)

pennsyltucky said:


> acrylic is nothing more than plexiglass, and polycarbonate is just plastic. (read: both are plastic)
> 
> the real difference is in how much TLC and time is put into tuning them before they leave the shop. many cheap models have the exact same guts in em as the high dollar ones, they just arent tuned by hand. acrylic is just a gimmick, and they push them because the shops make a fortune selling them for 10 times or more what they cost to make.
> 
> ...


thats an opinion you don't hear to often.... and there's a reason for that. polycarbonate is MUCH softer (read brittle) than acrylic. therefore poly calls eat up a lot of the sound quality, much the same way wood calls also eat sound (have you seen anyone win a major contest with anything but acrylic lately?)... now don't misunderstand me, contest calling IS NOT goose calling obviously, but it goes to show the sound quality that is produced from an acrylic is on a totally different level than that of poly calls.... just put it this way, if acrylic calls weren't the best, they wouldn't be selling them. its not a marketing ploy, they just flat out work.


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## ndwaterfowler (May 22, 2005)

It's preference choice more than anything. Scott Threinen blows a poly carb and has taken 2nd in the World Goose 3 of the last 4 years. Kelley Powers blows a wood call(hedge) and has won every major contest out there. Morale of the story, pick what you like be it sound, ease of blowing, material or price. The best way to find out is to give them a try.


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## watchman34hunting (Jul 10, 2006)

Thanks guys for the info.


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## Gunny (Aug 18, 2005)

> acrylic is nothing more than plexiglass, and polycarbonate is just plastic. (read: both are plastic)
> 
> Thats like saying titanium and lead are the same 'cause they are both metals.
> 
> ...


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## pennsyltucky (Oct 30, 2005)

Gunny said:


> Thats like saying titanium and lead are the same 'cause they are both metals.  Gunny
> :beer:


it sure isnt. plastic and plexiglass is the same thing. plexi isnt quite as stiff as poly. thats it. makes no diff. and what is delrin? and why is it expensive if its "not an acrylic"?????

its like saying a titanium call is the same sounding as a stainless steel one........ sur-nuff is..... just one costs a ton more....... if a guy wants absolutely every drop of perfection out of a goose call, then sure, get an acrylic.... but after 2 weeks of use the call will be ever so slightly out of tune, and my plactic call wont be any worse than ur 150 dollar one.


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## T Shot (Oct 4, 2002)

Two weeks and the call will be out of tune??? What kind of acrylics are you using? I am not making a case and saying acrylics are the way to go and plastic sucks, but saying something like a high end call will go out of tune within a couple weeks and a plastic one will not is just not true. Also, selling acrylics for 10 times more than they cost to make? Have you seen the acrylic call making process?


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## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

T Shot said:


> Two weeks and the call will be out of tune??? What kind of acrylics are you using? I am not making a case and saying acrylics are the way to go and plastic sucks, but saying something like a high end call will go out of tune within a couple weeks and a plastic one will not is just not true. Also, selling acrylics for 10 times more than they cost to make? Have you seen the acrylic call making process?


I totally agree!! Sombody hasnt blown a short reed long enough to realize what they are and what they can do after the guts have been broken in.. :wink:

Hint,hint broken guts are the goose hunters best friend.


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## roostbuster (Oct 19, 2005)

ndwaterfowler said:


> It's preference choice more than anything. Scott Threinen blows a poly carb and has taken 2nd in the World Goose 3 of the last 4 years. Kelley Powers blows a wood call(hedge) and has won every major contest out there. Morale of the story, pick what you like be it sound, ease of blowing, material or price. The best way to find out is to give them a try.


i stand corrected... should of looked some of that up before i posted, just assumed i guess.

and acrylic calls do not go out of tune faster than poly's... and if it does, so what? take it apart and re-tune it yourself! i don't get why people keep sending calls back to the manufacturers, theres only three pieces, and only so many combo's of putting them back together, trial and error if you've never done it before, but being able to tune your own is a great advantage.


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## Gunny (Aug 18, 2005)

Actually the chemical compound that makes up each individual plastic will determine how hard each plastic will be. Different hardness as well as thickness will determine how sound will travel through any item, wether it be plastics, woods and or Acrylic. These are just a "few" different plastics. Each one with it's own properties. 

ABS 
AI
BOPP
BOPS
CA
CAB
CAP
CF
CFRP
CN
COPE
CP
CPE
CPVC
CS
CTA
CTFE
DMC
EAA
EC
ECTFE
EP
EPS
ETFE
ETP
EVA
FEP
FR
FRP
GP
GRP
HDPE
HIPS
HMWPE
LCP
LDPE
LLDPE
MC
MDPE
MF
OPP
OPS
PA
PAI
PAN
PAS
PBI
PBMA
PBT
PC
PE
PEEK
PEI
PES
PET
PETG
PF
PHB
PHV
PI
PMMA
PMP
POM
PP
PPE
PPMI
PPO
PPS
PPSU
PPT
PS
PSF
PSO
PTFE
PTMT
PU
PVAc
PVAl
PVB
PVC
PVCA
PVDC
PVDF
PVF
PVF2
PVFM
PVK
PVOH
PVT
SAN
SHIPS
SMC
TPX
UF
UHMWPE
uPVC
VC/E
VC/MA
VC/VDC
XLPE
XPS
Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer
Amide-imide copolymer
Biaxially oriented PP (film)
Biaxially oriented PS (film)
Cellulose acetate
Cellulose acetate butyrate
Cellulose acetate proprionate
Cresol formaldehyde
Carbon fibre reinforced plastics
Cellulose nitrate
Copolyester-ether
Cellulose proprionate
Chlorinated PE
Chlorinated PVC
Casein
Cellulose triacetate
Chloro-trifluoroethylene
Dough moulding compound
Ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer
Ethyl cellulose
Ethylene-chl;orotrifluoroethylene
Epoxide resin
Expanded PS
Ethylene-tetrafluorethylene copolymer
Engineering thermoplastics
Ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer
Perfluoro (ethylene-propylene) copolymer
Flame retardant polymer
Fibre reinforced plastics
General purpose grade of plastic
Glass (fibre) reinforced polyester
High density PE
High impact polystyrene
High molecular weight PE
Liquid crystal polymer
Low density PE
Linear LDPE
Methyl cellulose
Medium density PE
Melamine formaldehyde
Oriented PP (film)
Oriented PS (film)
Polyamide (Nylon)
Poly amide-imide
Polyacrylonitrile
Polyaryl sulphone
Polybenzimidazole
Polybutyl methacrylate
Polybutylene terephthalate
Polycarbonate
Polyethylene
Poly ether-ether-ketone
Poly ether-imide
Polyethersulphone
Polyethylene terephthalate
Glycol modified PET
Phenol formaldehyde
Polyhydroxybutyrate
Polyhydroxyvalerate
Polyimide
Polymethyl methacrlyate
Poly-4-methyl pentene-1
Polyoxymethylene (Acetal)
Polypropylene
Polyphenylene ether
Polypyromellitimide
Polyphenylene oxide
Polyphenylene sulphide
Polyphenylene sulphone
Polypropylene terephthalate
Polystyrene
Polysulphone
Polysulphone
Polytetrafluoroethylene
Polytetramethylene terephthalate (PBT)
Polyurethane
Polyvinyl acetate (Poly(vinyl ethanoate))
Polyvinyl alcohol
Polyvinyl butyral
Polyvinyl chloride
Polyvinyl chloride-acetate copolymer
Polyvinylidene chloride
Polyvinylidene fluoride
Polyvinyl fluoride
Polyvinylidene fluoride
Polyvinyl formal
Polyvinyl carbazole
Polyvinyl alcohol
Polyvinyl toluene
Styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer
Super HIPS
Sheet moulding compound
Poly-4-methyl pentene-1
Urea formaldehyde
Ultra high molecular weight PE
Unplasticised PVC
Vinyl chloride-ethylene copolymer
Vinyl chloride-methyl acrylate copolymer
Vinyl chloride-vinylidene chloride copolymer
Crosslinked PE
Expanded PS


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## Gunny (Aug 18, 2005)

I'm sure you would agree that different woods produce different tones. ie maple will produce a softer sound than cocobola. My point is that even though a molded polly call will, day in and day out, kill tons of geese/ducks, you can not claim they sound the same, are as durable, and more importantly will hold tune differently.

Gunny


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## pennsyltucky (Oct 30, 2005)

my point is, that they both sound like a goose. no 2 geese are going to sound exactly the same, so there's no need for the savvy call buyer to spend big bucks for a certain kind of plastic. if it sounds just like a goose, does it matter if its made of "acrylic"? or hard candy? or whatever, and long as it lasts and stays in tune?


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## roostbuster (Oct 19, 2005)

pennsyltucky said:


> and long as it lasts and stays in tune?


theres a key phrase... acrylic is much more durable, and in the process of turning a call, the fact that more care is taken in making them, everything fits better, the guts inside the insert, the insert into the barrel, will insure a longer lasting tune. ever noticed how much easier it is to pop the guts out of a poly call than it is out of an acrylic?


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## BROWNDOG (Nov 2, 2004)

I never have heard a poly carb super mag sound as good as an acrlyic or a wood super mag they all have there own sound but acrylic and wood(hedge) sound better period.

As far as staying in tune the best thing you can do is have two or three or four or five calls and never touch a couple of them and play with the rest and learn how to tune them to your liking in the off season, so when you need to you know how and you won't have to send them back to the maker.


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## roostbuster (Oct 19, 2005)

BROWNDOG said:


> As far as staying in tune the best thing you can do is have two or three or four or five calls and never touch a couple of them and play with the rest and learn how to tune them to your liking in the off season, so when you need to you know how and you won't have to send them back to the maker.


YES!!! there are few things that frustrate me more, than having a hunting buddy say "this sucks, i don't have my call today, i had to send it back to have it retuned". There's THREE pieces, put them back together in different ways until you find the right sound, it will take a while the first time, but with everything, you'll get better each time, and before you know it you'll be able to throw'em together in a couple minutes and have it sounding like new.


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## pennsyltucky (Oct 30, 2005)

BROWNDOG said:


> I never have heard a poly carb super mag sound as good as an acrlyic or a wood super mag they all have there own sound but acrylic and wood(hedge) sound better period..


sound better to what? the goose or to ur ear? ur ear is biased because u own the "better" call made of acrylic so "of course it better, i paid 150 bucks for it"

u guys are missing the point. u think this one type of call is "better" than the other...... because it has to be to justify all that money u spent, or thats just what u have heard for years or thats what u "think" sounds better. but im sure there are alot of acrylic calls out there that dont even come close to the sound out of my crappy little zink plastic job. it sounds beautiful. to the geese.

tomorrow ill be running a little test. im going to send my hunting partner across the swamp about 100 yards or so, and ill blow my heart out into the zink, and in another friends acrylic...... how much u wanna bet they will both sound like a goose? how much that he wont be able to tell me which one was the plastic and which one was "the other kinda plastic"????? :wink:

a goose is a goose, as long as u arent blowing ur deer grunt call at em, they dont care.... knowing HOW to call is a million times more important than what kinda plastic ur chucklin tube is made of....


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## pennsyltucky (Oct 30, 2005)

they both sounded like a goose. the plastic zink actually sounded better at a distance, but thats only because its louder.


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## roostbuster (Oct 19, 2005)

pennsyltucky said:


> they both sounded like a goose. the plastic zink actually sounded better at a distance, but thats only because its louder.


your friend must be tone deaf.


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