Turkey ammo

[nobands]

I do not care how other choose to hunt. They are my allies not my enemies.

Sill ain't bringing your grouse back .
For someone that hates turkeys so bad you seem to not miss anything on the turkey forum.

Hey though if we start a chapter up you want to come , I'll buy a couple beers for you.

 

[SRW]

Hey though if we start a chapter up you want to come , I'll buy a couple beers for you.

I do hate turkeys but not turkey hunters. My dad loved it and people shoot turkeys on my property every year.
Also, the grouse will NEVER be back and thanks for the offer but I don't drink.

 

[nobands]

I do hate turkeys but not turkey hunters. My dad loved it and people shoot turkeys on my property every year.
Also, the grouse will NEVER be back and thanks for the offer but I don't drink.

It's all good , we all have our passions.

 

[Joe Hunter]

Here's a previous post of mine on turkey load patterns that may be of interest to some.

With the spring turkey season upon us and hunters discussing which turkey load is “best”, I thought I would post some of my turkey load pattern numbers. Hopefully, this information will allow hunters to make smart choices when it comes to selecting a turkey load and encourage all turkey hunters to shoot a few patterns to determine the maximum effective range of their gun/choke/load combo! Also, I did much of this patterning several years ago, so some of these loads have been discontinued and there are several new turkey loads on the market that I haven’t pattered. Anyway, you’ll get the idea.

The 12-gauge 3-inch loads were shot through a Remington 870 Special Purpose shotgun with a 26-inch barrel and the 12-gauge 3 ½-inch loads were shot through a Remington 870 Super Magnum shotgun with a 23-inch barrel, except the 3 ½-inch Winchester Long-Beard load which was shot through a 28-inch barrel. A Remington Turkey Super Full Extended choke (.063-inch constriction from a bore gauge) was used for all lead loads and a Remington Hevi-Shot Super Full Extended choke (.053-inch constriction from a bore gauge) was used with all steel and tungsten-based loads.

Pattern testing was accomplished by using 48-inch x 48-inch pattern paper with a turkey head-and-neck target placed in the center of each pattern sheet prior to the patterning shot; yardages were measure with a tape from muzzle to target; and pattern counts, pattern percentages and Skull/Cervical Vertebrae (S/CV) hits were the average from five patterns.

In-shell pellet count averages were the result of cutting open and counting the pellets from five shells out of the same box/lot as the pattern loads. These in-shell pellet counts allowed for true pattern percentage calculations.

Remember, an effective turkey load combo needs to have enough pellets to provide sufficient pattern density and pellets with adequate penetrating energy to reliably penetrate a turkey’s skull and/or cervical vertebra at the yardage used!

Here’s my short take on this topic…
- out to 30 yards "most all" turkey loads with a full choke will be 100% effective
- out to 40 yards "many" turkey loads with a full or tighter choke can be 100% effective
- out to 50 yards "some" turkey loads with a tight full turkey choke may be 100% effective
- out to 60 yards "very few" turkey loads with a tight full turkey choke are 100% effective

40-YARD PATTERNS
Win Super-X 3” 1 7/8 oz #6 lead (438 pellets) / 30” pattern 363 (83%) / S/CV hits 4.6
Rem Duplex 3" 1 7/8 oz #4 x #6 lead (385 pellets) / 30” pattern 305 (79%) / S/CV hits 4.2

Fed Hi-Velocity 3" 1 ¾ oz #5 lead (322 pellets) / 30” pattern 272 (85%) / S/CV hits 3.6
Rem Hi-Velocity 3" 1 ¾ oz #5 lead (280 pellets) / 30” pattern 225 (80%) / S/CV hits 5.8
Win Hi-Velocity 3" 1 ¾ oz #5 lead (293 pellets) / 30” pattern 257 (88%) / S/CV hits 5.8
Win Long Beard 3" 1 ¾ oz #5 lead (305 pellets) / 30” pattern 295 (97%) / S/CV hits 11.0 / 10” pattern 118
Win Super-X 3" 1 7/8 oz #5 lead (317 pellets) / 30” pattern 276 (87%) / S/CV hits 3.4
Rem Premier 3" 2 oz #5 lead (328 pellets) / 30” pattern 258 (79%) / S/CV hits 3.4
Win XX Mag 3" 2 oz #5 lead (336 pellets) / 30” pattern 293 (87%) / S/CV hits 3.6

Hevi-13 3" 1 5/8 oz #6 Hevi-Shot (305 pellets) / 30” pattern 258 (85%) / S/CV hits 5.2
Rem Hevi-Shot 3" 1 5/8 oz #6 Hevi-Shot (381 pellets) / 30” pattern 341 (90%) / S/CV hits 6.6
Rem Wingmaster 3” 1 5/8 oz #6 Hvy Density (346 pellets) / 30” pattern 306 (88%) / S/CV hits 5.6
Win Hi-Density 3" 1 ¾ oz #6 Hi-Density (388 pellets) / 30” pattern 358 (92%) / S/CV hits 7.8

Fed Hvy Weight 3" 1 5/8 oz #5 Heavyweight (194 pellets) / 30” pattern 184 (95%) / S/CV hits 4.6
Hevi-13 3" 1 5/8 oz #5 Hevi-Shot (186 pellets) / 30” pattern 168 (90%) / S/CV hits 3.2
Rem Hevi-Shot 3" 1 5/8 oz #5 Hevi-Shot (280 pellets) / 30” pattern 240 (86%) / S/CV hits 5.2
Win Hi-Density 3" 1 ¾ oz #5 Hi-Density (284 pellets) / 30” pattern 262 (92%) / S/CV hits 4.8
Win Hi-Density 3 ½" 2 oz #5 Hi-Density (317 pellets) / 30” pattern 291 (92%) / S/CV hits 7.6

Fed Premium 3" 2 oz #4 lead (290 pellets) / 30” pattern 213 (73%) / S/CV hits 3.2
Rem Premier 3" 2 oz #4 lead (255 pellets) / 30” pattern 209 (82%) / S/CV hits 3.6
Win XX Mag 3" 2 oz #4 lead (258 pellets) / 30” pattern 243 (94%) / S/CV hits 4.6
Win Long Beard 3½" 2 oz #4 lead (255 pellets) / 30” pattern 247 (97%) / S/CV hits 11.6 / 10” pattern 126
Win XX Mag 3½" 2 ¼ oz #4 lead (300 pellets) / 30” pattern 242 (81%) / S/CV hits 4.2

Rem Nitro Steel 3” 1 3/8 oz #4 steel (256 pellets) / 30” pattern 209 (82%) / S/CV hits 3.4
Rem Nitro Steel 3" 1 3/8 oz #3 steel (220 pellets) / 30” pattern 167 (76%) / S/CV hits 2.6

50-YARD PATTERNS
Win Long Beard 3" 1 ¾ oz #5 lead (305 pellets) / 30” pattern 275 (90%) / S/CV hits 7.4 / 10” pattern 89
Fed Hvy Weight 3” 1 5/8 oz #5 Heavyweight (194 pellets) / 30” pattern 164 (85%) / S/CV hits 2.8
Rem Hevi- Shot 3" 1 5/8 oz #5 Hevi-Shot (280 pellets) / 30” pattern 212 (76%) / S/CV hits 3.8
Win Hi-Density 3" 1 ¾ oz #5 Hi-Density (284 pellets) / 30” pattern 218 (77%) / S/CV hits 4.0
Win Hi-Density 3 ½" 2 oz #5 Hi-Density (317 pellets) / 30” pattern 211 (67%) / S/CV hits 3.2

Fed Premium 3" 2 oz #4 lead (290 pellets) / 30” pattern 163 (56%) / S/CV hits 2.6
Rem Premier 3" 2 oz #4 lead (255 pellets) / 30” pattern 149 (58%) / S/CV hits 1.6
Win XX Mag 3" 2 oz #4 lead (258 pellets) / 30” pattern 170 (66%) / S/CV hits 2.2
Win Long Beard 3½" 2 oz #4 lead (255 pellets) / 30” pattern 234 (92%) / S/CV hits 7.2 / 10” pattern 86
Win XX Mag 3½" 2 ¼ oz #4 lead (300 pellets) / 30” pattern 162 (54%) / S/CV hits 3.2

Rem Nitro Steel 3” 1 3/8 oz #3 steel (220 pellets) / 30” pattern 117 (53%) / S/CV hits 1.4

60-YARD PATTERNS
Win Long Beard 3½" 2 oz #4 lead (255 pellets) / 30” pattern 206 (81%) / S/CV hits 5.4 / 10” pattern 54

Of course, if you get them close it doesn't take much to kill one!

Old Federal Hi-Power 3/4 oz #6 lead.

 

[nobands]

Anyone have any experience with a savage 301
410 ?
No loads avaliable locally so im looking for recommendations to order. Probably going to have to butcher the stock for the kid . Paid 159 for the gun and grabbed a cheap 50 dollar red dot to put on it.
They did have a decent selection of turkey loads in 12 and 20 picked up a box of longbeard for th son .

 

[negooseman]

Anyone have any experience with a savage 301
410 ?
No loads avaliable locally so im looking for recommendations to order. Probably going to have to butcher the stock for the kid . Paid 159 for the gun and grabbed a cheap 50 dollar red dot to put on it.
They did have a decent selection of turkey loads in 12 and 20 picked up a box of longbeard for th son .
View attachment 375723 I have the 20 gauge version, great gun. My grandson, he’s 7, is gonna use it this spring.

 

[nobands]

Just watched a couple YouTube videos. Looks like apex shoots well out of them . Some very impressive patterns.
Mine is 6 . I started my son wth a 870 youth 20 at
8 .
That thing kicked like a mule to me . Too the point I didn't let them shoot anything but the lightest load I could find for practice.
Thought this would be a more enjoyable way with the ammo advances.
Hope to see a picture of you and the grandson with a tom .

 

[negooseman]

Just watched a couple YouTube videos. Looks like apex shoots well out of them . Some very impressive patterns.
Mine is 6 . I started my son wth a 870 youth 20 at
8 .
That thing kicked like a mule to me . Too the point I didn't let them shoot anything but the lightest load I could find for practice.
Thought this would be a more enjoyable way with the ammo advances.
Hope to see a picture of you and the grandson with a tom .

Look at Rogers, they had some on sale, maybe still do.

 

[SB2MAG]

Anyone have any experience with a savage 301
410 ?
No loads avaliable locally so im looking for recommendations to order. Probably going to have to butcher the stock for the kid . Paid 159 for the gun and grabbed a cheap 50 dollar red dot to put on it.
They did have a decent selection of turkey loads in 12 and 20 picked up a box of longbeard for th son .
View attachment 375723

Friend of mine has your same exact shotgun. Apex Ninja .410!has patterned the best in his gun. He tried the Federal 9s and The Winchester .410 7.5s turkey loads but says the Apex Ninja worked best.

 

[#1WATERFOWLER]

That particular hunt the Turkeys were closer to me, then started to walk away. Probably because they were all hens and I had a hen and a Jake decoy out. I think they did not like my Jake decoy.

As far as a 60 yard shot at a Turkey in general, there are many reasons. Here are some situations I’ve been in when I’ve shot turkeys at more than 50 yards; my hunting partner shot the close turkey, too many turkeys too close together for a safe shot at only one turkey 15 yards away so I shot the single 60 yards away, two turkeys have their heads lined up at 60 yards where as there is only one at 15 yards and I have eight tags left, I can’t get closer, the turkey won’t come closer, the dog chased the turkeys out of the standing corn and all the turkeys stopped running and held their heads up high(perfect shot for steel BBs) looking at me, I was wearing blaze orange as it is deer season and the Turkeys busted me, the dog did an excellent job finding the turkeys and flushed them out of the tall weeds and I would feel terrible if I didn’t shoot one for him, the farmer said if you kill some turkeys you may goose hunt, I only have about 15 days in the spring and 75 days in the fall to hunt turkeys(not much time), I’ve shot dozens of turkeys less than 20 yards away, I’ve shot over a dozen at less than 10 yards, shot about a dozen turkeys at less than five yards and one with a recurve bow, my bolt action .410 that I have shot quite a few turkeys with is broken, I would rather save gas money then spend money scouting for turkeys, watching turkeys walk around the decoys and beat up said decoys got old back in the 2000’s and probably the most important reason I will shoot a turkey at 60 yards is that my family and I like to eat turkey.

View attachment 374890

View attachment 374891

Hahaha all good reasons!