drenalinld Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 My first attempt to pattern SBE II for turkeys. 203 in 10" and another 204 in the 20" at a lasered 40 yards. Plenty good, but not what I was hoping for. Any suggestions??? I am going to try H-13 3.5" #7's as soon as they come in. I will post a pic as soon as I figure out how. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Qwack Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 What is your target number of pellets you are trying to get? I too shot the same gun. Some things to consider: First, Is your gun centered to zero? Take the first shot with the load you are using at 10 yards. You should have one large hole the size of a baseball. If the hole is dead center you are good. Second thing, is take 3 shots at 30 yards and take the average of the three. Then 3 shots at 40 yards and take the average of the three. If you only take one shot and you did not get a good pattern it could have been a number of factors: temp, wind, the shooter, (I shoot better first thing in the mornings when I have had plenty of rest the night before) I take the average of three shots b/c of cost (better to take average of 5 shots, you get a better reading on your gun). Next how many types of ammo and different loads have you tested? Because a Rhino choke with Heavy load magnum blends (Tungston) are one of the better patterns I have seen, but not the best I have had out of my SBEII. Keep in mind that typically the smaller shot sizes pattern better, the tighter the restriction on a choke. Also every gun will pattern differently with different loads. Next, If you know you are going to be hunting mostly in the mornings, that's when you want to pattern. If in the evening, then pattern in the evening. After that look at using tungston loads vs lead but not in a magnum "blend" stick with 6 shot or if you live in a state that allows 7 go with 7's. I use Winchester Extended Range 3 1/2in 2ounce 6shot in my SBEII but, I use Heavy Shot 3 1/2in 2oz 6shot in my Super Vinci. Last thing to do if you are not satisfied with your patterns, have your forcing cone extended, What the gunsmith will do is bore out the forcing cone inside your barrel. This will improve your patterns regardless of what loads you use. you should look at having this done regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Qwack Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 What is your target number of pellets you are trying to get? I too shot the same gun. Some things to consider: First, Is your gun centered to zero? Take the first shot with the load you are using at 10 yards. You should have one large hole the size of a baseball. If the hole is dead center you are good. Second thing, is take 3 shots at 30 yards and take the average of the three. Then 3 shots at 40 yards and take the average of the three. If you only take one shot and you did not get a good pattern it could have been a number of factors: temp, wind, the shooter, (I shoot better first thing in the mornings when I have had plenty of rest the night before) I take the average of three shots b/c of cost (better to take average of 5 shots, you get a better reading on your gun). Next how many types of ammo and different loads have you tested? Because a Rhino choke with Heavy load magnum blends (Tungston) are one of the better patterns I have seen, but not the best I have had out of my SBEII. Keep in mind that typically the smaller shot sizes pattern better, the tighter the restriction on a choke. Also every gun will pattern differently with different loads. Next, If you know you are going to be hunting mostly in the mornings, that's when you want to pattern. If in the evening, then pattern in the evening. After that look at using tungston loads vs lead but not in a magnum "blend" stick with 6 shot or if you live in a state that allows 7 go with 7's. I use Winchester Extended Range 3 1/2in 2ounce 6shot in my SBEII but, I use Heavy Shot 3 1/2in 2oz 6shot in my Super Vinci. Last thing to do if you are not satisfied with your patterns, have your forcing cone extended, What the gunsmith will do is bore out the forcing cone inside your barrel. This will improve your patterns regardless of what loads you use. you should look at having this done regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drenalinld Posted April 27, 2011 Author Share Posted April 27, 2011 Quack, I shot the Hevi 7's. Three shot average at 40 yards was 278 in a 10" circle. I am considering having the forcing cone lengthened as you suggested. This is certainly adequate, but I would like to get 300+ as several I have seen have been able to achieve. I shot these three with a fouled barrel and did not clean between shots. I will test again after a good cleaning and clean between shots. I think this may show improvement, but some have reported better patterns with a fouled barrel. I will see what my gun prefers as time allows. Thanks for all the input. I have killed two turkeys with this setup, both were less than 25 yards in the better hold steady range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fikester Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 These Nitro loads are the only loads Im aware of that hit the 300 mark? http://www.nitrocompany.com/pattern.htm Im well satisfied with 150-180 pellets in a 10" circle of Hevi-13 #6 shot @ 40yds.......bird gets knocked of its feet at the 40yd mark! The beard was only 5", but the performance of the Hevi-13 is great. I will try the Jelly Head next season with the same load, currently using a Hevi-13 choke .667 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drenalinld Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 These Nitro loads are the only loads Im aware of that hit the 300 mark? http://www.nitrocompany.com/pattern.htm Im well satisfied with 150-180 pellets in a 10" circle of Hevi-13 #6 shot @ 40yds.......bird gets knocked of its feet at the 40yd mark! The beard was only 5", but the performance of the Hevi-13 is great. I will try the Jelly Head next season with the same load, currently using a Hevi-13 choke .667 Those are good numbers with #6's. I have a Pure Gold and a Jelly Head I have not had time to try yet. The nitro load claimed to get 280 - 300 is the first one I tried. In fact, I bought the Rhino choke b/c Nitro Company rep suggested it. Congratulations on the bird! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Qwack Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Nitros combined with a Rhino choke is one of the best combos out there. But those nitros are sure expensive. If you stop to think about the nitro round, they are just custom hand loads for your gun. If you have someone that does hand loads in your area, have him find you the right load, it would be just as good and a lot cheaper and you won't have to send your gun away. That's all nitro does is experiment to find your gun the right load. The only thing they have advantage wise is they have a better starting point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drenalinld Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 Nitros combined with a Rhino choke is one of the best combos out there. But those nitros are sure expensive. If you stop to think about the nitro round, they are just custom hand loads for your gun. If you have someone that does hand loads in your area, have him find you the right load, it would be just as good and a lot cheaper and you won't have to send your gun away. That's all nitro does is experiment to find your gun the right load. The only thing they have advantage wise is they have a better starting point I plan to start loading my own. I will load some HS, but also want to try TSS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.