Patterning and shot size

[turkeyfeather]

.             I have had really good luck with Federal #6 flight controls, but I had one close shot that left the shot cup sticking out of the bird's neck just below  his head ... that was definitely different.
    

That is funny stuff.    I have wondered if that wad would do that.

[C-Money]

Patterning is important and so on........Like every thing els, make your shot count. #4s, #5s, #6s, all kill birds just fine. Just make a good shot with a good turkey load, I perfer Federal or Remington, 2oz, and you will be in business. Just dont jerk and flinch with the heavy recoil mag loads. Good luck!

[gaddy]

i found that winchester supreme 3 1/2" #6 work best as far as pattern density goes
from a jellyhead in a benelli nova. has a slight curve to the pattern but is the best combo i have tried & as long as i shoot & pattern some before season i know where to put the shot. never let me down.

[turkeyfeather]

i found that winchester supreme 3 1/2" #6 work best as far as pattern density goes
from a jellyhead in a benelli nova. has a slight curve to the pattern but is the best combo i have tried & as long as i shoot & pattern some before season i know where to put the shot. never let me down.

I don't think I hate anything enough to shoot it with a 3 1/2 shell. 

[gaddy]

the fact is that i tried a bunch of loads & chokes & this is what worked the best out of my gun. i dont hate turks. i love to hunt them & if i got a combination to put them down quick & clean at a varieity of distances, thats what ill use.
no offense ment but iv'e seen guys that thought thier stuff was better & i was overkill & the end result was a wounded, lost birds. i dont over shoot my range & i know that when i do drop the hammer i will have a pattern, shot density & load to dump that bird right there.
after chasing a couple of partners cripped birds, i dont want to do that with any of mine.

[turkeydancer]

   Agree with that Gaddy ...

After counting the number of BBs in the vitals of my turkey target, I turn it around and look up at the sun or any light so I can see how even the shot was distributed (ie - no holes in the pattern) and whether I'm hitting high, low or dead on.     

[turkeyfeather]

I was just joking with you gaddy. If my gun shot 3 1/2 shells I'd probably be using them too. I don't know if my shoulder would like it, but I'd be using them.

[gaddy]

the one thing i do know is the first time i let a 3 1/2" fly with a choke & 2 oz with # 6s it rocked my world. but it was effective, & I still use em.
like said they work for me & i know where i hit & i hit hard.
i also know a guy that uses a 20g & says thats enough. another used a 10 one year & i was helping him chase.
i'll stick with what works for me.
i think that as long as you pattern & know your distances & practice a bit you will be ok.

[kevinlisa06]

I like the remington 3" 4×6 shoots great in all our guns out to 50yards.

[turkeydancer]

Although I can shoot them at 45+ yards, I like to get them in as close as possible ... had one at my left pcoket and one land on my boots, but that might be a wee bit too close. 

[turkeyfeather]

Yep, it's alot more fun to see how close you can get them. Had 2 jakes walk right past my feet 2 years ago.

[mossy8352]

I use and like the Hevi Shot 3" mag blend loads for my turkey hunting. They pattern well for me recoil is okay and the birds are dead at reasonable ranges but I also use Hevi shot #6 with great results in my gun.

[huntingfool7]

I'm not a turkey hunter, so I won't comment on how effective 4's vs 5's vs 6's.

I have shot and patterned hevi shot, lead turkey loads and various lead and steel loads.

Hevi shot always patterned tight for me.  I have killed a pheasant or two with HS #9's.  That's not a typo, #9's are no longer on the market.

The main difference I've seen between turkey loads and PREMIUM lead loads is how heavy the shot load is.  Good quality lead and turkey loads have high antimony (5%ish) making the shot harder and load for load the shot is consistently round.  All lead (or steel) is not created equal.

Shot size #6 will have about 50% more shot in it for the same weight of #4's.

Shot size is the reason steel sucks.  Everyone knows you have to move up two sizes to get the same energy.  Most people ignore that you are hitting every bird with less than 2/3 of the pellets.

If I was going turkey hunting with a kid, I might steer clear of 2 oz turkey loads and look at something like Federal Premium 1-1/4 oz of #6 shot.  Or fork out the extra $ for hevi shot #6's.  Lead 6's will break heavy wing bones.  I would not be worried about them drilling a turkey spine or skull.
(Guess that last comment negates my intro  )

[passhooter]

I have been using HeviShot Hevi-13#6 shot for a while and it patterns really well out of my gun. Every year at the NWTF it wins the patterning competition so that's good enough for me as far as patterning goes. I also use a Hevi turkey choke and get extremely tight patterns. My last turkey was shot with Magnum Blend and I was very happy with the results. If you pattern your gun and feel comfortable with the round, you will have success with #5 or #6 shot.

[shotgunner]

I have also had really good results with Hevi-13 and it patterns well. I have shot several turkeys with it and it works great. Hevi-13 is heavier than the lead I used to use and therefore it is lethal further out than lead. This stuff works great.