20 gauge turkey loads

N

new_camper

New member
I know that spring turkey season is a little way away, but since this spring will be my first year turkey hunting I figured that I should go ahead and find a load my gun likes. I got a 870 twenty gauge with x-full, full, and modified chokes. What are some of your favorite 20 gauge turkey loads? Also do i need to go for the 3 inch shells or will the 2 3/4 get the job done?

Thanks

Edit: Any favorite camo patterns for the mountains in the south east?
 
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Try the Federal Flight Control ammo. It really does work. However, it doesn't work well in a super tight choke. It actually seems to work best in a modified. For turkey with a 20ga, you definately need 3" loads. I prefer #5 shot but some people like #6.
 
or will the 2 3/4 get the job done?
Click to expand...

Before the 2-3/4" ,there was the 2-1/2" and they all did just fine. It is called HUNTING not KILLING
Practice your turkey calls so you can call them right into you
 
gosh

Man, its SEPT, but if we're gonna talk spring gobbler, I'm in.

I'm a 12 ga guy myself, never killed a bird with the 20 ga. But there are some guys of my acquaintance, good turkey hunters, who are carrying 20 ga's, especially once the leaves come out and ranges tend (sometimes) to shorten.
They bought'em for their kids, liked how light they were, and saw the kids kill birds with them, and took them up themselves.

Each and every one shoots what I call space shot, the new space metal alloys, "hevishot" or its equal. Expensive, but a big jump up from lead in range and penetration. I will get flamed for this, but if I we're gonna hunt gobblers with a 20, I'd invest in space shot. As I know very little about space shot sizes, I'd want the equivalent of lead #5 or 6, so I guess space shot size 6 or 7-1/2.

It certainly is called hunting and not killing,and I will tell you right now that if you are like most of us, you will hunt spring gobblers alot and often, before the occassion arises now and again to kill one. For that reason, I am very picky about my guns, loads and performance. After all the effort, and nothing else goes wrong, and a tom presents a shot in range, I don't want a marginal rig. And, in those instances when things do go right, some birds do "come right in", but not all. Some hang or alert right at the edge of what your shotgun can reasonably do. And there are all sorts of stuff in the woods that can strip pellets out of a pattern on its way to a bird. That dense cluster you got on the pattern board may not be what arrives at your gobbler. For all that, I'd go with a 3 inch shell and space shot or very premium lead.

A 3 inch twenty (lead) delivers the payload, and I'd guess the performance, theoretically, of the old standby 2-3/4", 1-1/4 oz 12 ga lead load. I killed my first few gobblers with a std 12 ga and plain old fixed choke full, and they got very dead. The ranges, if I recall right, were 30 yds and under, one for sure, 'bout half that. With advanced chokes, space shot and sights, the 3" 20 ga can only improve on that old measure.

I'd set my limit at 35 yds, shoot 3 inch shells, prefer hevishot but accept good patterns with #6 lead, know my gun and load and have at it.

The 20 cannot equal the big 12's, but is demonstrating enough wallop in its new and improved state, to take birds at the time honored ranges.

You're gonna love spring gobbler hunting. One set up and you are ruined.
 
You need to pattern your gun with several different types of loads with the choke you intend to use. This not only tells you what load your firearm prefers, but where it shoots to POA and how the loads perform at different distances. With 2 3/4 the Xtra-full may work the best and with 3'' shells, I'm bettin' the full. But you won't know until you pattern your gun. Patterning will also show you the maximum range of the load you intend to use. Once you get to the range where you cannot keep 9-15 pellets consistently in the kill zone(head and neck) you have gone too far. I suggest 3'' #5s and your full choke to start with.
 
bamaranger: I know that it is still a ways off, but I know I have some things coming down the pipe that are going to eat up my time right before season starts so I was going to try and find out what load my gun likes and how it patterns. I also figured that I couldn't equal the 12ga, but I don't want to go out and purchase a 12 until I find out if I will enjoy turkey hunting. I have seen the prices for the heavy stuff and while expensive, but it isn't as much as a new gun and ammo for it, so I will stick with the twenty for this season. As far as the heavy shot, do they require a choke tube that is specially rated for them? The reason that I ask is I only have chokes that are rated for steel (and lead) shot.

Also since I have never been, I have a buddy that is going to be a guide for me and help try to call one in. He does guide services on the side, and is going to serve as my backup (with a 12) in case the 20 doesn't get the job done. I will keep my range limited to what the pattern board dictates.
 
buck: Thanks for suggesting a place to start.

Also does anyone know if all heavy shot is created equal? Are the heavier than lead offerings from Remington, Winchester, Hevishot, etc. all the same density?
 
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FAQ

You might want to visit the Hevi-Shot website, they have a FAQ section that addresses many of your questions.

They claim no special choke needed for their Hevi-Metal product. Whether that is the same as Hevi SHOT I cannot say.

I shoot lead, from a 12. Don't want to sound all knowing here, all I can speak from is my own experience and some reading. What will work, certainly, is getting a bird in to 30-35 yds and dosing him with a good pattern of 1-1/4 oz (or equivalent) #5 or 6 from your twenty. I like the concept of hevishot in the 20 as it seems to improve on what I consider a light set up. Lead will work too, obviously, but I would be careful about my range.

Final tech comment, its not just pattern density. The pellets need enough mass/punch to break turkey neck and head bones. Do not use shot smaller than #6 lead , and I do believe that #5 lead does a tad better past 25 yds at
breaking bones and being a good killer.

You get on some birds, you will hunt turkeys for ever after.
 
Everything bamaranger said is good advice. I like a 12 ga myself, but bought and patterned a 20 last season for taking kids hunting. With the greater payload of the 12 I don't like a super-tight choke, as you can get adequate pattern density and still have some margin for error if your aim is (only slightly!) off. That is not the case with 20 ga guns though, and I would get a specialized turkey choke or at least a standard full, and shoot 3" shells. Anything rated for steel will be safe with "space shot" (love that term). I suggest #7 hevishot. Penetration is supposed to be about like #5 lead, which means you should have adequate penetration to about 40-45 yds and your effective range will be determined by your pattern density and uniformity, probably about 35-40 yds depending on the choke. And especially with a 20 ga, you need some type of rifle-type sight. I suggest the tru-glo adjustable sight which goes for about 40-50 bucks. Tru-glo makes some less expensive non-adjustable models but that pretty much defeats the purpose of having that type of sight. One last thing, all of this advice is based on taking a head-neck shot, which is mandatory. Body shots on turkeys will wound more than they kill. Good luck!
 
I've killed my last two toms with an 18.5" 870 20 gauge, using the Remington Super Full choke and Rem Hevishot #6. They dropped just like they do with a 12, BUT... as mentioned above my pattern is TIGHT and doesn't allow for much of a miss.
 
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