#6 Turkey Load/Rifled Shotgun Barrel Question

7

7mmWSM

New member
I should have asked this question a couple weeks back but I guess better late than never. I had the chance to hunt in Michigan's early doe season. I live in a shotgun only area and also had a fall turkey permit in hand. While sitting in my blind I had a nice bird come strolling by at about thirty yards. I considered taking a shot with my Buckhammer slug but decided the head was a risky shot and the body shot would be too messy (not to mention illegal :eek:). What would be the result of putting a load of #6's thru my rifled bull barrel shotgun? How would the rifling effect the birdshot load? Anyone ever done this? Thanks for any enlightenment.
 
ANY shot load through a rifled bore comes out spinning, and centrifugal force immediately starts to spread it out.
Distinctly NOT advisable for turkey hunting unless you're about three feet away. :)
Denis
 
How would the rifling effect the birdshot load?​
It may be more of a question of what is the shot going to do to the rifled barrel. As others have opined, your shot pattern would be less than idea with the rifled bore. Of course, you could remove the slug barrel, call the turkey in very close, and smack him on the head with the barrel. :rolleyes:

Previous threads on this topic seem to eventually get to the point of what a bother it is to get the rifling de-leaded after using shot. If you want to go after turkeys and deer simultaneously, you might want to think about sticking with a traditional smooth bore and a few screw-in chokes.
 
I tried this with buckshot as well as bird shot the last time I was at a range. Exactly as said, much wider patterns. So much so that I feel uncomfortable using my 24" rifled barrel w/ buckshot for home defense. Kind of a bummer since that is the shortest barrel I (currently) have...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top