Turkey load

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  • Speed3

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 19, 2011
    7,816
    MD
    I've heard great things about Winchester longbeard XR... in fact I bought a Carlson long beard choke to shoot those out of
     

    Mike3888

    Mike3888
    Feb 21, 2013
    1,125
    Dundalk, Md-Mifflin,Pa
    I've always had my best patterns with 3" Winchester copper plated #5 shot with an extra full choke tube. It's a process to find what shoots in your particular gun. Good luck.
     

    byf43

    SCSC Life/NRA Patron Life
    Any recommendations for turkey loads
    24" barrel full or xfull choke is what I have
    Thanks


    My youngest son took his first turkey using my Remington 1100 (12 ga) with the Competition Master 22" barrel, with a Kick's "Gobblin' Thunder" choketube. (.665" constriction.)

    The load was a handload. 2-3/4" shell (Win AA 12 ga. Old Compression formed hull.) W-571 powder (obsolete; I had enough powder to work up a good load, and load 2 boxes of shells).
    RP-12 wads.
    CCI 209 primer.
    Chilled #4 shot. 1-1/2 oz.

    A bunch of our friends said that it wouldn't kill a turkey.
    Wrong.

    28 yards. 1 shot. Sent that turkey to the fryer!
     

    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    Lot of love for the "HEVI Shot" turkey ammo. I use Winchester Supreme 3" mag.

    https://www.hevishot.com/products

    I would recmmend Hevi-Shot turkey loads. No deformation whatsoever, they are heavier than lead, and they pattern as good, if not better than copper plated lead.

    Turkey hunting doesn't require as many shells fired as waterfowling or other wingshooting, so Hevi-Shot in this case will not necessarily break the bank.
     

    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    My youngest son took his first turkey using my Remington 1100 (12 ga) with the Competition Master 22" barrel, with a Kick's "Gobblin' Thunder" choketube. (.665" constriction.)

    The load was a handload. 2-3/4" shell (Win AA 12 ga. Old Compression formed hull.) W-571 powder (obsolete; I had enough powder to work up a good load, and load 2 boxes of shells).
    RP-12 wads.
    CCI 209 primer.
    Chilled #4 shot. 1-1/2 oz.

    A bunch of our friends said that it wouldn't kill a turkey.
    Wrong.

    28 yards. 1 shot. Sent that turkey to the fryer!

    Why wouldn't that load kill a turkey, especially at 28 yards. Only thing I would have probably done differently is used copper plated #4 instead of the chilled #4. Then again, maybe the chilled #4 had 3% antimony in it. lol
     

    HeatSeeker

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 18, 2012
    3,058
    Maryland
    .
     

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    Mag Dump

    Active Member
    May 31, 2017
    246
    Frederick, MD Region
    Heavy loads of plated lead #5 or the heavier than lead loads (like HeviShot) in small shot sizes seem to be the most popular way to go these days. Each option has its upsides and downsides.

    Get a box of each load out there and see what your gun/choke likes. The pattern board does not lie and will tell you what to do.

    A word of caution about the heavier than lead pellets....unlike when you bite down on a lead pellet, the Tungsten/TSS/HeviShot/etc. WILL NOT give and something has to give and that something is your tooth. After a Maine gobbler harvested with HeviShot got his revenge on me via a $900+ dentist bill, i went back to lead pellets!
     

    fabsroman

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 14, 2009
    35,852
    Winfield/Taylorsville in Carroll
    Heavy loads of plated lead #5 or the heavier than lead loads (like HeviShot) in small shot sizes seem to be the most popular way to go these days. Each option has its upsides and downsides.

    Get a box of each load out there and see what your gun/choke likes. The pattern board does not lie and will tell you what to do.

    A word of caution about the heavier than lead pellets....unlike when you bite down on a lead pellet, the Tungsten/TSS/HeviShot/etc. WILL NOT give and something has to give and that something is your tooth. After a Maine gobbler harvested with HeviShot got his revenge on me via a $900+ dentist bill, i went back to lead pellets!

    Lead pellets will give kids brain damage. Have to pick your poison. lol
     

    Bigsawer

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 22, 2017
    4,510
    Cecil
    You wouldn't hunt with a rifle without zeroing it on paper. There's no excuse for not testing for pattern. Sometimes the results will floor ya. Trying several loads and chokes, my Moss 500 is unreal with Winchester Longbeard #5 and a Jellyhead choke.
     

    tdt91

    I will miss you my friend
    Apr 24, 2009
    10,810
    Abingdon
    You wouldn't hunt with a rifle without zeroing it on paper. There's no excuse for not testing for pattern. Sometimes the results will floor ya. Trying several loads and chokes, my Moss 500 is unreal with Winchester Longbeard #5 and a Jellyhead choke.

    I wonder if that choke tube would be of regulation for Turkey shoots? Do you you if it passes the fit test?
     

    Bigsawer

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 22, 2017
    4,510
    Cecil
    What standards are out there? I've only been to 2 Turkey Shoots and that was a long time ago. One I participated in was a very relaxed fund raiser and they didn't check anything. The other was more structured but, as a spectator, wasn't aware of the rules.
     

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