What loads pattern bet for you? Considering a box of Boss Toms
3 inch mag turkey loads
- Thread starter lhsako
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wvbuckbuster
Handloader
- Nov 5, 2015
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My suggestion is trying different loads in your gun meaning brands, shot size and shot weights. I know it's costly, but you might be able to trade or buy couple of shells off some friends to try them. Then buy the one that patterns the best. What I've done for years. Then you'll want to try different choke tubes and it just keeps getting more and more and more
Dan.
Dan.
- Nov 4, 2004
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I have been hunting turkeys for almost 30 years and I have tried a lot of different ammo. Heavy Shot worked well but it's very expensive. Started using Winchester Long Beard and had excellent results. And a box of 10 is half the price of the HeaviShot Magblend box of 5.
I'd suggest starting there. Chances are you will be done and money ahead.
JD338
I'd suggest starting there. Chances are you will be done and money ahead.
JD338
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hunter24605
Handloader
- Apr 30, 2016
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Longbeard XR #5’s have turned many a gobbler heads to jelly for me. Plus they are easy on the wallet. You’ll be surprised how far you can stretch out and hammer them. 50 yards is very doable. Up close shots they are very tight, so a red dot or ring and post sight are your friends.
- Nov 4, 2004
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I concur Howie.
Last year my wife smoked a Tom with her Franchi Affinity 20 ga using Winchester Long Beard at 60 yards. He was a little farther than we thought but it was a dead bird.
JD338
RL338
Handloader
- Mar 23, 2017
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Never turkey hunted , but $10 a pop seems a tad overpriced.What loads pattern bet for you? Considering a box of Boss Toms
hunter24605
Handloader
- Apr 30, 2016
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Dang! That’s a heck of a poke with a 20
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- #9
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Ever pattern those XR's on paper at 50 yds? be interesting to see the results.
hunter24605
Handloader
- Apr 30, 2016
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No, but I've watched several videos out there where people did.
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- #12
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the cost is ridiculous. performance always comes at a price. the number of #9 tungsten pellets in the patterns i've seen would be worth it to me.
For the last few years I've been using Federal 3RD Degree blended loads. They pattern well out of my Browning A5 Hunter 12 gauge with .665 JEBS Headhunter choke and are deadly on birds. Your shotgun and choke combination and what loads it likes is going to drive your answer. The feedback you receive here may give some help but expand your question to include gun and choke combinations. Buying turkey loads for testing is expensive, so look to see what loads work in a similar combination to what you're using.
wvbuckbuster
Handloader
- Nov 5, 2015
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Winchester Long Beard patterns well out my 20 ga with a Carlsons tube. You can really get wrapped up in shot gunning for turkeys.
just like reloading and rifle shooting. It has been fun though. Dan.
just like reloading and rifle shooting. It has been fun though.
Dan.
- Nov 4, 2004
- 24,315
- 6,601
We use Pure Gold chokes. The 20 ga has a .570" choke and shoots very tight uniform groups at 40 yards. Shot one at 50 yards and it's still in there but there were a lower number of pellets due to the lighter payload.
On this particular hunt, my wife misunderstood what I whispered and shot. I was surprised when she shot and more surprised when she dumped him. There were several bb's in his head and neck and it did the job. I do believe that the stars were lined up for that hunt.
JD338
truck driver
Ammo Smith
- Mar 11, 2013
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I use to reload my own shot shells since factory shells didn't cut it and had a load for 2 3/4" 12 gauge that was supposed to run 1400fps out of a 30" barrel. I put poly buffering in with the shot and it was like shooting slugs since the poly buffering held the shot together. My Rem 1100 3" 12ga barrel had been modified by a gunsmith to improve the full choke and not blow the pattern. If you wanted to mount the head of the turkey you had to settle for a body shot since it would take the head off at 45 yards and you could cut a beer can in half at that distance also.
Testing the loads in that gun is the only gun to hurt me shooting from a bench. I was shooting it wearing a tee shirt and it beat the blood out of my shoulder. When I got home the wife saw the bloody shirt which I was unaware of since the shoulder was numb and she thought I had shot myself. Took several weeks for the bruise to heal so I could shoot again.
I wasted no time replacing the factory recoil pad with a softer Trap style recoil pad.
I was a meat hunter so destroying the head didn't mean much to me and I still had the beard for a trophy.
Testing the loads in that gun is the only gun to hurt me shooting from a bench. I was shooting it wearing a tee shirt and it beat the blood out of my shoulder. When I got home the wife saw the bloody shirt which I was unaware of since the shoulder was numb and she thought I had shot myself. Took several weeks for the bruise to heal so I could shoot again.
I wasted no time replacing the factory recoil pad with a softer Trap style recoil pad.
I was a meat hunter so destroying the head didn't mean much to me and I still had the beard for a trophy.
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- #18
Intersting, How did the gunsmith improve the full choke?
truck driver
Ammo Smith
- Mar 11, 2013
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Old school gun smith with old tools that I doubt are still made.
He had special reamers he used to lengthen the forcing cone and would back bore the choke using an adjustable hone taking a little out at a time and shooting it to check the pattern. I got to do the shooting since the work was being done as a return for a favor. What the exact measurements were I don't know but it took the best part of a day to do the work. Lots of break down and reset of the lathe.
Most of what he did was kept secret since he made barrels for still target shooting that won a lot of money.
He had special reamers he used to lengthen the forcing cone and would back bore the choke using an adjustable hone taking a little out at a time and shooting it to check the pattern. I got to do the shooting since the work was being done as a return for a favor. What the exact measurements were I don't know but it took the best part of a day to do the work. Lots of break down and reset of the lathe.
Most of what he did was kept secret since he made barrels for still target shooting that won a lot of money.
Ridge_Runner
Handloader
- Sep 29, 2006
- 1,330
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3.5" TSS are 12 bucks a pop, you shoot what 3-4 a year? how much ya spend in gas? If you have not killed a gobbler with TSS ya need to try it, its amazing, only times I ever shot a gobbler in the head that DID NOT FLOP! And I have killed a bunch with lead
