Some turkey loads down range today

[LET EM GROW]

I'm curious.  I hear all the time about guys with 12 gauges that will shoot well to 60 yards.  I'm not doubting that.  Can anyone tell me what happens to the effectiveness of turkey shot at those ranges?
I'm not saying you can't kill turkeys at that range, or that guys haven't done it.  I'm just curious about the ballistics of it.  I guess I wouldn't want to be shot with 2 oz of #5s at 60 yards, but they must drop off considerably, no?

Thats why i dont shoot anything but 4s. 5s at the very smallest, in 3in loads. I can't remember the numbers but #4 had more than enough energy to penetrate a turkey temple over 65 yards. Where 5 and 6 lacked at long range. I think it was in an outdoor life article I read it.

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[turkeyfeathers]

Not sure my obsession for throwing such a tight pattern. I've missed clean over Mr Toms head once. Killed him 3 days later and wiped off his beard aiming lower this time lol. I despise eating crunchies. Don't think I've riddled the breasts in last maybe 5-6 birds. Pattern guns so we aim at bottom of neck when we pull him out of strut. Catch bottom of pattern on neck and majority in head. Surely won't being stuffing XR's in my gun come May 1 when daughter and I trying for a double. Her 20's max range is my grapefruit sized pattern. I don't want to be the one to miss and mess it up lol. I'll be stuffing mag blends or whatever other turkey loads I pull out of the ammo chest.


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[stubborn1VT]

9 hours ago, Pygmy said:

That's Funny VT.....My adjustment in the last 10 years or so is that now I hunt mostly fields, where for the first 30 years or so I hunted nearly all woods..I shoot my birds now mostly from a popup blind on a field edge using decoys...I still don't shoot over 40 yards, and most of my shots are much closer.....Good hunting this spring, My Friend !

That is funny Pygmy.  I enjoy the "run and gun" approach.  Shotgun, foam seat, diaphram call & pot call.  I had really mixed experiences with decoys, but I know they work.  The popup blind is a game changer for turkey hunting.  I know tons of youngsters who have bagged birds because of the extra concealment.  Whatever works! (Short of blasting them off the roost.) I get a kick out of making them come in close and look for the "mystery hen", then shooting them "where the corn goes in".  Good luck to you too!

[Pygmy]

1 hour ago, stubborn1VT said:

That is funny Pygmy.  I enjoy the "run and gun" approach.  Shotgun, foam seat, diaphram call & pot call.  I had really mixed experiences with decoys, but I know they work.  The popup blind is a game changer for turkey hunting.  I know tons of youngsters who have bagged birds because of the extra concealment.  Whatever works! (Short of blasting them off the roost.) I get a kick out of making them come in close and look for the "mystery hen", then shooting them "where the corn goes in".  Good luck to you too!

I truly loved running and gunning for turkeys, and I used to cover several miles on foot in a morning's hunt...

To me, it is the "purest" form of turkey hunting...

Nowadays,  the hills have gotten steeper and the ridges have gotten longer, and I don't seem to be able to sit still comfortably as well as I used to.  I also can't hold steady gun as well as I used to.. I don't have the amount of land to hunt as I used to.

I  have several areas to hunt that lend themselves well to the blind/decoy setup and I have learned to be patient, watch what's going on around me ( in comfort) and enjoy my time in the blind.  Watching a bird work into a decoy setup also has it's own appeal, and it's a much more visual game than woods hunting, where often you don't see the bird until he's in range...  I have adapted, and I'm still killing gobblers..

[turkeyfeathers]

Found me a new ported tube at work today. Should be interesting


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[Pygmy]

It certainly has lots of PORTS, TF  !!

What the heck IS that thing ?

[turkeyfeathers]

16 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

It certainly has lots of PORTS, TF  !!

What the heck IS that thing ?

It's used for practicing golf say in schoolyard or such . A shag tube. You push it over the golf ball and the tube keeps loading up to the top instead of constantly bending over to pick up the golf balls.

[stubby68]

I need to get some more shells getting loads. Anyone seeanyplace I can get federal #5 10 guage. Haven't seen any in a while.

[turkeyfeathers]

I need to get some more shells getting loads. Anyone seeanyplace I can get federal #5 10 guage. Haven't seen any in a while.

10 gauge are indeed getting tougher to find with the newer loads for 12 and such. Brother shoots a 10 and it gets tougher every year to find the same ones you're looking for Love me The NYS safe act and can't order online


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[Pygmy]

Good luck Stubby...The ten gauge never was very  popular, and now the 3.5"  twelve gauge has brought it even closer to extinction...It was nearly dead until the late 60's when steel shot regs  and the increasing opportunities  of turkey hunting gave it  brief revival... Then the 3.5 twelve came out, offering  equal shot charges in a much more versatile gun, and the poor old 10 gauge has gone downhill ever since..

[stubby68]

34 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

Good luck Stubby...The ten gauge never was very  popular, and now the 3.5"  twelve gauge has brought it even closer to extinction...It was nearly dead until the late 60's when steel shot regs  and the increasing opportunities  of turkey hunting gave it  brief revival... Then the 3.5 twelve came out, offering  equal shot charges in a much more versatile gun, and the poor old 10 gauge has gone downhill ever since..

Right you are. Been thinking of selling and getting a 935. Just hate to stop using it. Shoots great . Actually have 2. Never really measured but one is short I think 26 or 28 inch barrel. The other is longer maybe 34. The short way out shoots the long for pattern. As long as I use the Fed # 5. Maybe time to retire an just get the 935. Just hat to see a gun not get used.

[turkeyfeathers]

Well smack my ass and call me Sally. So last year I went to Gander mountain and bought a Jellyhead tube for daughters gun. Patterned it last year and this year. Good but was expecting better. Just pulled the tube to polish the barrel. So I look at tube. It's a Carlsons IC tube. Wtf. Some bastard probably switched out and returned back to store. I wondered why it wasn't extended like my turkey choke. I feel stupid now. Guess her and I going to Cabelas soon for a real turkey choke and throw some Federals down range on her break. SOB.


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[Five Seasons]

I changed barrels on my 835 to pheasant hunt. So off came the bushnell. Saturday I put the red-dot back on and rechecked the pattern. I shoot hevi-13 and now at $30 a box I can't afford to site in with them. So I have a cheaper box of federal turkey thug 3.5" shells.

at 40 yards I'm happy with these results, but it is interesting at seeing the difference between loads. Cheap federal on the right. Expensive hevi-13 on the left.

 

[turkeyfeathers]

Little nervous about throwing XR's down range on a bird in tight. I've got more turkey ammo laying around but found these to tinker with next.


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[turkeyfeathers]

Little nervous about throwing XR's down range on a bird in tight. I've got more turkey ammo laying around but found these to tinker with next.


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Just put one of these on paper. 40 yards. More open pattern than the XR's which I was looking for. Appears I hit a little high


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[turkeyfeathers]

And daughter shot a bunch of field loads getting the feel for her gun. Had her eject empty and shoot a second one just in case she gets gobbler fever and misses with the first

Got the Jellyhead tube so tested one of these in her 20 gauge at 40 yards.


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[turkeyfeathers]

Good read



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[Five Seasons]

On ‎4‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 0:50 PM, turkeyfeathers said:

Just put one of these on paper. 40 yards. More open pattern than the XR's which I was looking for. Appears I hit a little high


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those are the same loads I used on my target on the right above. not bad for the cost.

[The_Real_TCIII]

i just ran out to Alabama and sighted in the Red Dot. I could barely see the dot, I hope its better when its not a dreary downpour of a day or else that thing is coming right back off. Im soaked to the gills

[sodfather]

18 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

i just ran out to Alabama and sighted in the Red Dot. I could barely see the dot, I hope its better when its not a dreary downpour of a day or else that thing is coming right back off. Im soaked to the gills

Isn't there an adjustment dial to increase the intensity 

[sodfather]

My True - glo has that I was just curious 

[LET EM GROW]

I've owned many red dots, and the cheaper ones, even though still adjustable. Totally suck unless in low light conditions. The tru glos and many others are much brighter.

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[The_Real_TCIII]

Isn't there an adjustment dial to increase the intensity 

Yes it's on 5. I can see it fine when I'm inside


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[The_Real_TCIII]

1 hour ago, LET EM GROW said:

I've owned many red dots, and the cheaper ones, even though still adjustable. Totally suck unless in low light conditions. The tru glos and many others are much brighter.

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I think thats what I'm dealing with