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Best Turkey Loads for my benelli


ishootkittens

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IM choke and 60 yard kill pattens with no more than 2 oz of lead? Do you know the difference b/t IM and M? The difference is .005" almost nothing for a choke. I would be impressed to see that kind of patterning with a full choke. I am not saying you are lying I am just having trouble believing, I am assuming they were FC Federals?

I know the difference, it was the choke that was in the gun, pattern testing and good aim was what made my kill successful. At 40 yards (standard pattern testing distance on a 30" circle) your talking about around 65% of the shot hitting the mark and your questioning the odds of hitting a turkey at 60 yards with an IM choke? You DONT need a full choke for that distance, it dosnt hurt but I used what I had at the time that I felt confident with.

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You guys know it only takes one pellet to the head to make a kill right?

Yes but I would have to see at least 5 in the head and neck to feel confident in my shot. 1 pellet is just chance and leaves a huge chance of that turkey flying away unharmed. I wounded a turkey that way and it ran off instead of flying. I was using Federal FC 3" mag w/ 2 oz of lead and an X full choke at 60 yards. I now use 3.5" w/ 2¼ oz of lead and a S full choke and 65 yards is the farthest I would shoot at a turkey.

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Yes but I would have to see at least 5 in the head and neck to feel confident in my shot. 1 pellet is just chance and leaves a huge chance of that turkey flying away unharmed. I wounded a turkey that way and it ran off instead of flying. I was using Federal FC 3" mag w/ 2 oz of lead and an X full choke at 60 yards. I now use 3.5" w/ 2¼ oz of lead and a S full choke and 65 yards is the farthest I would shoot at a turkey.

I hear you but it was closing day, sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. My pattern tests the day before were consistent enough for me to make a confident shot with that setup. Maybe it was chance, who knows maybe I scared it to death. haha

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October 17th to the 23rd they opened up a shotgun season on Turkeys in our district because we have so many...its usually bow only in the fall. This time around I'm going to use my new ground blind a couple decoys and a different setup. I'm going to be using my Carlson Crio choke .665 on my SuperNova and get one of the giant Toms that I keep seeing up on my family's land. I'll post the results of the hunt, right now we have a flock of over 100 turkeys on our 600 acres! We really need some game management done so GAME ON!

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  • 2 weeks later...
I will be pattern testing the Federal Premium Mag-Shok HEAVYWEIGHT Turkey #7 next week through my SuperNova with a Carlson .665 choke. I will let you guys know the results. They advertise that the #7s match the density of the #5s at 40 yards.

Let me know what happens, I am considering picking up some of these, although I don't like the fact that they are heavy weights and the most shot I can get in them is 1 7/8 oz. Just like an ounce of steel is more than an ounce of lead, the ounce of something heavier than lead is less shot than an ounce of lead. But it is high velocity so you have to make room for the extra powder, but I want standard velocity, If you get increased penetrating power than something that already kills a turkey, then why add velocity? The should go from 2 1/4 oz of lead to 3 oz of HD shot. Keep it mind that 1 7/8 oz. of HD shot isn't as much as 1 7/8 oz shot of lead but actually equal to 1 1/4 oz of lead, that wad better do it's job good for me to use that.

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Let me know what happens, I am considering picking up some of these, although I don't like the fact that they are heavy weights and the most shot I can get in them is 1 7/8 oz. Just like an ounce of steel is more than an ounce of lead, the ounce of something heavier than lead is less shot than an ounce of lead. But it is high velocity so you have to make room for the extra powder, but I want standard velocity, If you get increased penetrating power than something that already kills a turkey, then why add velocity? The should go from 2 1/4 oz of lead to 3 oz of HD shot. Keep it mind that 1 7/8 oz. of HD shot isn't as much as 1 7/8 oz shot of lead but actually equal to 1 1/4 oz of lead, that wad better do it's job good for me to use that.

I agree 100% with you on this. Why is it that none of the loads go over 2 oz.? I'm sure its from countless tests but still give us the option :(

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I agree 100% with you on this. Why is it that none of the loads go over 2 oz.? I'm sure its from countless tests but still give us the option :(

I don't know but, Nitro company makes some that go over 2 oz, but it will cost you an arm or a leg. For now I am sticking with lead. Can you compare patterns and post some pics so maybe I can change my mind?

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I don't know but, Nitro company makes some that go over 2 oz, but it will cost you an arm or a leg. For now I am sticking with lead. Can you compare patterns and post some pics so maybe I can change my mind?

Yeah I will def post some pics after the pattern test. I will do it from 10 to 40 yards on a Turkey Target (as long as the turkey pictured target is not too expensive, because I will be doing quite a few shots- 1 shot per target)

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Keep it mind that 1 7/8 oz. of HD shot isn't as much as 1 7/8 oz shot of lead but actually equal to 1 1/4 oz of lead

 

It's much closer than that :)

 

One ounce of lead = 225 #6 pellets

One ounce of H-13 = 210+- #6 pellets

Once ounce of Win XR = 212+- #6 pellets

 

- 6-7% at the most for most HD pellets.

 

So, a 1 7/8 lead #6 = 422+- pellets and a 1 7/8 oz H-13 #6 = 394 pellets.

 

I've hand-counted H-13 & XR many times, I get different #'s from different batches, but they are all in the ballpark of the #'s above.....

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It's much closer than that :)

 

One ounce of lead = 225 #6 pellets

One ounce of H-13 = 210+- #6 pellets

Once ounce of Win XR = 212+- #6 pellets

 

- 6-7% at the most for most HD pellets.

 

So, a 1 7/8 lead #6 = 422+- pellets and a 1 7/8 oz H-13 #6 = 394 pellets.

 

I've hand-counted H-13 & XR many times, I get different #'s from different batches, but they are all in the ballpark of the #'s above.....

That's a lot of counting and recounting :eek:

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That's a lot of counting and recounting :eek:

 

Yep, I do all that sort of geek stuff all the time!

 

Btw, some HD pellets tend to be irregular, and that can account for different pellet counts as well :)

 

Companies like Environ-Metal are really in charge because they can mix and blend to get almost whatever density they wish. Turkey is the heaviest, Goose is next, Duck follows, etc., and so on.....

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It's much closer than that :)

 

One ounce of lead = 225 #6 pellets

One ounce of H-13 = 210+- #6 pellets

Once ounce of Win XR = 212+- #6 pellets

 

- 6-7% at the most for most HD pellets.

 

So, a 1 7/8 lead #6 = 422+- pellets and a 1 7/8 oz H-13 #6 = 394 pellets.

 

I've hand-counted H-13 & XR many times, I get different #'s from different batches, but they are all in the ballpark of the #'s above.....

Well I was just saying an estimate based on what federal said "1/3 denser than lead" you do the math,

(1+7/8)/3=.625

(1+7/8)-.625=1.25

1.25=1 1/4 oz eq. of lead

Please correct me if I am wrong.

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I was not impressed at all with the $27.99 for 5 round box of the Federal Premium Heavy weight #5. The best results were with Winchester Supreme High Velocity Turkey #6 loads but here are the results. This is from a SuperNova with a Carlson's Ported .665 Turkey Choke. You may get different results from different guns and chokes but this is what I got. I will continue testing and update the links to Photos when I get on my computer that has all my programs. Hope this helps.

Here is the Federal Premium Heavy Weight Mag Shock #5 @ 15 yrds: http://s584.photobucket.com/albums/ss287/tyson129/?action=view&current=100_1724.jpg

Here is the Federal Premium Heavy Weight Mag Shot #5 @ 20 yrds: http://s584.photobucket.com/albums/ss287/tyson129/?action=view&current=100_1725.jpg

Here is Federal Turkey Strut Shock at 20 Yrds: http://s584.photobucket.com/albums/ss287/tyson129/?action=view&current=100_1726.jpg

Here is my favorite, Winchester Supreme High Velocity Turkey # 6 @ 20 yards: http://s584.photobucket.com/albums/ss287/tyson129/?action=view&current=100_1728.jpg

Here is the Federal Premium Heavy Weight Wad: http://s584.photobucket.com/albums/ss287/tyson129/?action=view&current=100_1729.jpg

100_1728.JPG

 

Sorry I did not do test at longer ranges but the time was limited and I still needed to get my model 700 safari addition .257 Roberts sighted in with its new scope which is a Leupold Vari-X III 3.5 x 20 x 50mm shooting Hornady SST light mag 117 gr @ 3,000 fps. Got it to a 2 inch group at a little over 100 yards. Still a lot of testing to be done before bear, turkey, and deer seasons but I will keep updating as I go. Happy Hunting and I hope this helps. 40 yard + shot pics coming soon for the Turkey Loads!

Edited by tyson129
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Like I was afraid of, the HD shot was lacking shot, and here is a good tip, you were using a ported choke, which is a BIG no no with FC wads. Compare your pic with my pic using the same restriction choke, but not ported notice how much more intact the wad is:

fedovsn.jpg

The porting stops the wad and deforms the wad, along with the shot, especially with that tight of a choke. If you would please, try the tightest non ported choke you have with the fed. HD at the same range and show us the results. I would recommend federal high velocity lead, It probably penetrates similar to standard velocity HD shot, and there is almost twice the actual pellets. Good info so far, thanks for sharing your results.

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The porting stops the wad and deforms the wad, along with the shot, especially with that tight of a choke. If you would please, try the tightest non ported choke you have with the fed. HD at the same range and show us the results. I would recommend federal high velocity lead, It probably penetrates similar to standard velocity HD shot, and there is almost twice the actual pellets. Good info so far, thanks for sharing your results.

Thanks for the tip Trapshooter1. I never saw anywhere on the box and web reviews or even thought that the ported choke would distort the wad that much. Any reccomendations for a choke that would work better for the Heavy Weight Mag Turkey rounds for anyone who is interested (Brand/Model)? I think I'm going to stick with the Winchester Supreme Turkey #6 loads on my setup because the results were amazing shot after shot. I will post some more pics up from 10 to 60 yards because they are about $12-$14 per box of 10, which is half the cost for twice as many rounds....I really enjoy Federal rounds but I'm going to go with what ammo I'm getting the best results with on my setup. Thanks for you help and photo.

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Thanks for the tip Trapshooter1. I never saw anywhere on the box and web reviews or even thought that the ported choke would distort the wad that much. Any reccomendations for a choke that would work better for the Heavy Weight Mag Turkey rounds for anyone who is interested (Brand/Model)? I think I'm going to stick with the Winchester Supreme Turkey #6 loads on my setup because the results were amazing shot after shot. I will post some more pics up from 10 to 60 yards because they are about $12-$14 per box of 10, which is half the cost for twice as many rounds....I really enjoy Federal rounds but I'm going to go with what ammo I'm getting the best results with on my setup. Thanks for you help and photo.

 

Any good brand, non ported, .665 or less extended turkey choke would work good w/ mag shok, maybe not so much with the HD shot. Try a shot or two with the tightest choke you have, factory full would work if that is the tightest non ported choke you have, and try the winchester at the same yardage with the same choke. Winchesters pattern 3rd best in my gun, remington being second best, and federal being best. Winchester might work better with your gun, but I recommend trying remington also. you also need to try some federal w/ lead shot. Anything mentioned will kill a turkey with a well placed shot.

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Read the bold text in the product description on this link:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0031734215831a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&QueryText=mag&sort=all&Go.y=0&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&Go.x=0&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1

 

Per the manufacturer, optimal performance will be obtained when used with non-ported chokes having a constriction of .665 of an inch and larger. Ported chokes can be used, but may not pattern as well.
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