Advice and comments desired

[ozark]

My Turkey gun is a 20 gage Mossberg. I have been using No. 4 shot in the 3" Winchester Supreme with good success. My 500 Mossberg is scoped and patterns good with the HS Strut Undertaker choke.
Always searching for better, I am considering ordering some expensive Nitro 4-5-7 Hevi shot and maybe a Rhino 575 choke that Nitro Ammunition recommends. I took a nice gobbler at 40 yards with what I have been using.
Should I leave my load as is, or would I benefit enough to notice by spending money on a different choke and expensive ammo?

[wilmsmeyer]

IMO, you would only KNOW it if YOU tried it. And that's half the fun right....?

I really feel that if a phenominal innovation allowed a turkey hunter to launch an effective pattern at 100 yds there would be people trying to do it. How far do you want to shoot and how much fun is it to just kill them? 40 yards is fairly respectable. In the turkey hunting I've done and the 3-4 hunts I filmed with my friend and his son, the best part....the part that got the adrenaline going was how close they were getting.....and how well we tricked them.

To each their own....just my 2 cents.

[ozark]

I am thinking of doing some experimenting with Hevi shot just to see if I can improve my shot density or add a few yards to my effective range. I am hoping to see a little improvement without changing chokes. What I have is plenty but like most, I am always looking for better. Any confirmed hevi shot users here? Should a normal extended turkey choke work with the hevi shot?

[windy]

The under taker choke is by far one of the best chokes avalible A gunsmith in Pa Mark Banzer use to take barrels and modify them with a sleeve My buddy had his gun done and it shoots extremly well So I wanted to get a barrel done for myself Mr. Banzer said that he doesn't do that anymore He directed me to the undertaker choke which is a much cheaper fix I believe he developed the choke 40yds with a 20 guage harvesting a turkey is a real good acomplishment Theres a time when to much choke is not good I've missed some real close shots trying not to shootup the breast. That head can move around quickly at close range I usually aim for the waddle at a farther distance

[ozark]

I think maybe I am just writing notes to myself here. Anyway, I ordered ten each of Hevi shots in 4s,5, and 6s from Midsouth. I hope to try one of each on a turkey head and neck target to see which patterns best in my turkey choke. According to the claims it will extend my effective range considerably.
For anyone who happens to read this, I have a question for you. On the Savage ML portion of this board you can ask what time it is and will get 15 responses explaining that there are many time zones and that it is sometimes even a different date. My question? How come turkey hunters, shotgunners and etc. are so tight with words? Are you afraid that the turkeys will bust you even if you make a reply here or a post? Ben

[ozark]

Windy, we were typing at the same time. I was thinking I was all alone. LOL
I have just read where the H.S. Strut Undertaker turkey choke was designed for use with lead or copper coated shot. I will be trying some Hevi shot through it. I suspect that it can handle these shot. Any doubts or warnings are invited.

[ma]

ozark said:

My Turkey gun is a 20 gage Mossberg. I have been using No. 4 shot in the 3" Winchester Supreme with good success. My 500 Mossberg is scoped and patterns good with the HS Strut Undertaker choke.
Always searching for better, I am considering ordering some expensive Nitro 4-5-7 Hevi shot and maybe a Rhino 575 choke that Nitro Ammunition recommends. I took a nice gobbler at 40 yards with what I have been using.
Should I leave my load as is, or would I benefit enough to notice by spending money on a different choke and expensive ammo?

I too was very resistant to expensive loads.

But year before last I made the jump to the Rhino and Nitro Ammunition loads 4x5x7's.

I was shocked at the pattern densities I get from my 3" Browning Gold with 26" barrel.

The pellet counts on Nitro's website were spot on for me, which by the way was nearly double the pellet counts I could get from lead.

[wilmsmeyer]

ozark said:

I think maybe I am just writing notes to myself here. Anyway, I ordered ten each of Hevi shots in 4s,5, and 6s from Midsouth. I hope to try one of each on a turkey head and neck target to see which patterns best in my turkey choke. According to the claims it will extend my effective range considerably.
For anyone who happens to read this, I have a question for you. On the Savage ML portion of this board you can ask what time it is and will get 15 responses explaining that there are many time zones and that it is sometimes even a different date. My question? How come turkey hunters, shotgunners and etc. are so tight with words? Are you afraid that the turkeys will bust you even if you make a reply here or a post? Ben

Yeah Ben, the Savage crew is a lot more vocal then the turkeys. However, that's the way it is. You have a 40 yd gun....you're there! And it wasn't difficult was is?

Trying to fill in the 40-50 yd gap with a shotgun....on a big bird....isn't too difficult either. Shoot different loads and chokes and everyone can figure it out. No one can say for sure what loads/chokes are a slam dunk from them. Just like the Savage you have to try it. Part of the fun and mystique of eeeeking out the best.

[wilmsmeyer]

I meant to add....

Just like deer meat...turkey flesh is more expensive then the best prime rib....served at the best restaurant. We're talking 100's of $$$ per pound and you have to cook it yourself!

So, the enjoyment is the hunt...the trickery....the equipment....and the civilized/instinctive version of "having" to hunt. It's not cost effective....I've done the math.

[ozark]

I agree Wilmsmeyer. And a wonderful sport hunting is. Discovering a better system or load that extends your effective range is a reward to the individual. It can be a new shell, load, choke or different shot sizes but the real fun is seeing a improvement on the target at a longer range. When I discovered that No. 4s were superior in pattern density than 5s or 6s in my set up my confidence leaped upward and then when a large Tom dropped at 40 yards I felt like I had won that round convincingly. Naturally, I want that thrill again and again. When I get 100 percent of the pellets in a 9 inch paper plate at 100 yards I will rest awhile and then try for 105. One doesn't have to be crazy to experiment with these things but it sure helps.