need HELP findin perfect ammo for takin down tom; got pattern tests?

[winchestergirl]

i have a mossberg 500 super bantam.
its a 20 ga pump shotgun.
has a 3" chamber
22" barrel and fiber optic sight
x full choke
im needing some help finding the perfect ammo for taking home a tom successfully.
i need some advice on what i should get.
i want to stay between $5.99 and $40.99 for more than 5 shells per box.

i was lookin' for good range and a good, dense shot at em.
im also wondering if anyone has any turkey load pattern tests they can show me.
im hopin i can hear from someone who has a similar gun.


any suggestions?

[Turkeyman]

Is it a 23/4 or 3 gun? what choke?

[PA BEN]

My daughter shot and killed an 18lb tom with a REM. 20 ga, extra full turkey choke, 3" #5's at 50 yds. The gun had a red dot site on it. I use standard 12 ga, 3", #6's w/an extra full turkey choke. I also use a 12 ga muzzle loader with #4 shot. The muzzle loader doesn't reach out like a 3",12 ga. You can kill a tom at 50 yds every time w/ standard 3", # 6's. Of course you need to pattern your gun.


I shot these two in the same day, one w/my muzzle loader, other w/my 12 ga.

[BC CHASER]

Go out and buy a few boxes of different stuff and see what patterns best out of your gun.  Buy 4, 5 and sixes.

[Moose Eyes]

Go out and buy a few boxes of different stuff and see what patterns best out of your gun.  Buy 4, 5 and sixes.

[Grizzly95]

50 BMG   

[Hoytstaffshooter83]

arrows work quite well also

[huntnphool]

arrows work quite well also

+1

[mossback91]

arrows work quite well also

I tried to shoot an arrow out of my 20 gauge once and ti didnt work veyr good.....

[winchestergirl]

i aint needin no arrows
im needin shells. good shells. good ol' turkey loads.

[BC CHASER]

You need to buy several different brands and shot size go out and pattern your gun at 40 yards and see what patterns the best.  My brother and I shoot the same gun and choke but our loads pattern differenty.  So we use different loads. 

[Curly]

I would try something like these .........1 1/4 oz of 6's should do the trick.  Just pattern them and see how they do with your barrel/choke.

or these

PA Ben, those are some nice birds.  What kind of sight is that on your daughter's 870?

[Turkeyman]

Turkey targets are cheap. Try 5's & 6's in turkey loads.

[NWTFhunter]

It can not be stressed enough !  Each and every gun will not pattern the same shooting the same choke and same shells.  I own 2 870's and one likes Winchester shells better than the other.

Does your 20 ga have a fixed choke or removeable ?
you might try 5 different shells and find one that works well, then try a new choke and all that goes right out the window when you put that shell through the new choke.
Your going to spend some money in finding what works best with your gun.

If you have a fixed choke, your going to just shoot a lot of different shells til you find the one that has a tight pattern.

Is there a reason you shoot a 20ga ?
With a 20 you are somewhat restricted to yardage. I wouldnt personaly try a 50 yard shot as Paben stated with a 20.
I would safely say your good to 35 yards, but then again you need to pattern your gun and get the tightest pattern you can at the farthest range.

[PA BEN]

The bird was leaving and I told her to shoot it, found 5 pellets in the head. I've killed a lot of wild pigens in the tops of pine trees with that gun and load. The red dot site makes it more reliable. The site is a BSA red dot. The mount I got from Cabala's, two pins, and it's on.

[Gobble]

use 3" Hevi-Shot #5's or #6s They will work just fine

[PA BEN]

She doesn't want to break the bank. The only thing Hevi-shot will do for you is make your wallet liter.

[Gutpile]

I set my daughters 20 gauge up with a Jellyhead and #6 Hevi-shot. The pattern was dense and uniform. 35 would be the max though and thats all I'd recommend for a 20 ga. anyways.

If you want to use cheaper shotshells see if Federal offers the flight control wad in 20 ga. If so buy a box of flight control lead 6's and see how they pattern. I use the Flight Control 6 in my 12 ga. and they pattern very very well. I opted for Hevi shot in the 20ga just for a little extra punch.

You should try different loads because who knows what will work in your set up. Good luck.

[Intruder]

As has been mentioned you need to pattern your particular gun/choke combo to find out what will shoot the best.  My suggestion would be to start with 6s just for pure pattern density.  I've had great luck w/ the Winchester Turkey loads in my 12.  In recent years I've shot some heavy shot with good results too.  I've always found that 6s patterned the best.  Be careful that you don't focus entirely on maximizing range at all costs.  I've seen several guns (12s) that shoot great patterns out beyond 40 yards but they are so tight at the ranges where you kill a lot of birds that your margin for error is very small.  I've killed 75% of my birds at less than 25 yards.  Make sure that your pattern in that 15-25 yard range isn't too tight.  I'd rather sacrifice shots way out there than have an unreasonably tight pattern in the range where you shoot the majority of birds.  I too, tend to think that the practical range limit for a 20 gauge is usually around 35-40 yards. 

[NWTFhunter]

Gobble, please dont assure her that that paticular shot will work in her gun.  They are not all the same.  My buddies Mossberg does very well with 4x5x7's but the Moss that I used to have didnt do as well.  Identical guns, different patterns.

Intruder, great thought involving close in shots.
I like a tight shot that reaches out there, and I have missed birds in tight because the shot was too tight and went right on past them.. Ya I missed a couple...
With a tight shot group at close range it only takes a very small margin of error to miss em.

[Gobble]

Gobble, please dont assure her that that paticular shot will work in her gun.  They are not all the same.  My buddies Mossberg does very well with 4x5x7's but the Moss that I used to have didnt do as well.  Identical guns, different patterns.

Intruder, great thought involving close in shots.
I like a tight shot that reaches out there, and I have missed birds in tight because the shot was too tight and went right on past them.. Ya I missed a couple...
With a tight shot group at close range it only takes a very small margin of error to miss em.

Obviously you will want to pattern it. All I was stating is the round has the smack to bring a gobbler down, It worked in my sons break action very well 

[PA BEN]

Here's what my kid's use for turkey. They pattern very will in my REM. 870 youth 20 ga.

[strutnrut1984]

ive had great success with federal premium mags in 5 and 6 shot. my personal setup is a customized mossberg 835 ultimag. triported 22 in barrel. hastings x full choke tube. and prodiamond 2x turkey scope with the federal premium mags in #5 shot. killer patterns out to 60yds

[strutnrut1984]

my oldest son started out with that same youth model mossberg 500 20 ga. we patterned #4,5,and 6,s with a full choke tube. the 6 threw the best pattern at 35 yds. i would not recomend a shot much past 40 with the 20 gauge. we used the federal premium mag 3in 1 1/4 oz #6. he killed his first 3 or 4 birds with that setup.

[jdb]

so anyone ever tried a turkey with a .410?

[NWTFhunter]

I heard of a guy who dropped a Grizz with one, but never have I seen anyone hunt turkey with one.  Guess if it was close enough it would do the trick.

[strutnrut1984]

i killed a nice tom in 94 in pa. with a .410 my grandfather had given me. i had vowed that season to kill one with it. i knew i was good to about 20yds. i dropped him at 18yds with a 3 in #6 shot 9in 20lb. i won a bet with one of my colleagues.

[NWTFhunter]

I am sure a 410 would do the job if they were close.  The only downfall to it is its leathal range is very limited.

[Intruder]

Kenny Morgan routinely uses a .410.  Never takes a shot longer than 15 yards or sumthing like that.  Too limiting for my tastes but the idea that you "Have" to have a 45+ yard gun is kinda silly to me.  I've killed a handful of birds out there a ways but the lion's share have been within 30 yards.... many w/in 20.  Seems like a lot of folks spend a lot of time and money trying to eek out that extra 5-10 yards.  Often times it's just a matter of your setup....

Overall, a 2 3/4" 20 gauge is pretty much the small end of practical.

[yelp]

I don't give them a chance. Decapitation is my goal every time. 3 1/2" 12 gauge #5 Winchester, Mad Max Choke Mossberg 935, Tri-viz sight.  I also mounted a lazy leg....awesome invention.  I have a range from 10-55 yards. No problem.