Good Old Turkey Loads for 20 Gauge Mod Choke

A

AlphaHunter88

New member
Anyone use something like Remington Nitro Turkey, Winchester Double X turkey, Hornady Hvy Magnum Turkey, or something along those lines (3") for a 20 gauge? I want to find a good load without having to pay $15-20 for (only) 5 shells (ie: Mag Shok Turkey, etc.) That's just NUTS! Not really concerned about the choke as I will pattern my gun and have a definitive range with whatever round I end up shooting. I know I'm going to get the typical "you have to try em all in YOUR gun..." type of response, but I'm looking for other folks experiences. Got a buddy that swears a 2 3/4" #6 steel shot of 3/4 oz would work out to 30 yds, but I'm calling B.S. on that one.
 
I have a friend that uses one ounce #6 lead shot loads. He doesn't turkey hunt often but I'm pretty sure he has killed at least one turkey with that load.
 
Don't be afraid to try steel shot waterfowl loads. They have come down a lot in price and on sale can be cheaper than specific "turkey" loads. Steel shot also spreads less than lead when shot from the same gun, thus giving a denser pattern with a modified choke. Remember tho, steel weighs less than lead so a 3'' shell will probably only have 7/8 of an ounce, You also need to go down one or two sizes in pellets. Again, regardless of what you get, they will have to shoot well outta your gun.

Folks make much to do about turkey loads, but the fact is, your shotgun and it's ammo needs to shoot to POA and not have holes in it's pattern. You need to know at what range to limit yourself to with the gun and loads and to take only head shots. If one stays with that philosophy, ammo choice is not that big of deal.
 
Got a buddy that swears a 2 3/4" #6 steel shot of 3/4 oz would work out to 30 yds, but I'm calling B.S. on that one.
Click to expand...

Why? 30 yards isn't far for 3/4oz. No need for 6 pounds of lead to kill a turkey (sarcasm).

I have a box of 3" #2s I bought for geese when lead was still legal - anything similar or like pheasant loads mention above, will do the job.
 
I have three boxes of shells as we speak. Nitro turkey, Winchester Super X and Winchester Double X. They all shoot a little different with the Super X shooting the best pattern with the xtra full choke.

Watch stores like Walmart after season as they tend to drop the prices. I think the max I paid per box was $3.

As for the steelshot I never thought of that but I use steel to shoot everything except clays. The number 1 reason is a pheasant hunt can quickly turn into a goose hunt and you want to be legal.

I went out duck hunting this year on the opening day of pheasant season. Loaded up my kayak and stared paddling out near the cattails of a marsh. Somehow I managed to flush a pheasant. Bang. He dropped right in the water. Then I followed up with a woodduck and a goose.
 
lead

I have not shot a gobbler with a 20 ga. But I started my turkey addiction with a very old vintage 12 ga pump (grandad's Savage of 1921) and shot 1-1/4 oz of lead #6 from the old gun and it did fine until I retired it. That payload is the same you will get with a 3" 20 ga shell. Any of the lead loads you mention should give you decent results on gobblers as long as you test, and are careful with your distances afield.

As you discuss a modified choke, you patterns will likely be a bit more open than a full choke gun, all things equal. Therefore, I would lean to #6 lead as my starting point and pattern and test accordingly. There will be more pellets per ounce with #6, and theoretically, that will yield denser patterns. HOwever......I am a big fan of #5 shot,( heavier than #6, denser patterns than #4) and would shoot a few of those just for grins. I believe there is some merit to the slightly heavier #5 pellet being able to penetrate turkey bones better past 25-30 yds, , (spine and punkin) which is what you want to anchor a gobbler. For the same reason, I would argue against steel. Steel is lighter than lead of course for a given volume, and the lighter pellet will thus run out of energy as velocity drops. The whole "space shot" industry revolves around shotgunners being largely dissatisfied with steel.

I would be skeptical of #4 shot, as in my 12 ga guns, I have not seen patterns that seem tight enough to suit. That was especially true with grandad's old Savage. Likewise, head shooting gobblers is different than busting waterfowl, and #2 shot is just another step in the wrong direction yielding still thinner patterns. I have killed some gobblers with a swarm of smaller #7-1/2 shot, but that was under a set of circumstances where I could guarantee (decoys and blind, small open field) that the ranges would be short, (under 30 yds) velocities high, and thus penetration was adequate.
 
I cannot say they are a "turkey load" (wink), but Fiocci "pheasant Max" in 2.75" 12ga is moving a 1 3/8 oz charge out at a claimed 1485fps. I have actually found it needlessly dense and destructive on pheasants and sharp tails, and only keep it as the 3rd shell in my magazine for longer shots.

If this stuff comes in a 20ga load of #6 shot, then that is the first load I might pattern for Toms. In 3" if it's available.

+1 to the gun needing to hit to point of aim. I've seen sitting cottontails missed with a shotgun that didn't!
 
Thanks for the insights! I bought a box of Federal steel "game & target" loads. 2 3/4", 3/4 oz. of #6. I figured it'd be worth a shot for $5/25 shells. I've yet to pattern these loads, but if they prove to be deadly out to 30 yds and less I may have hit the jackpot. If not, I was thinking of going with the Federal Prairie Storm 3" with 1 1/4 oz of #6 nickel plated. Still wouldn't be considered expensive at around $20 for 25 shells. From the great info you guys have provided I have a much better idea of what I should try. Being a budget conscious hunter who's taken many head of game with "less than expensive" equipment on all fronts, it's good to know that I can get into thunder chickens without spending a small fortune on sufficient ammo. While I agree that sometimes the next big thing on the market can be an improvement (ie: modern loads and specialized chokes, etc, etc,) you have to remember that quite often it's just a lucrative business opportunity for these companies to come out with newer, "better" products in order to maximize their profits and more often than not trick the consumer into spending their hard earned money on things that are simply unnecessary. I'm sure those who own certain products will swear by them, but I've known old men who've put countless game in their freezers with nothing but good hunting sense and old "outdated" equipment. Everyone's entitled to his opinion, but that's just my .02¢
 
A word of advice on pheasants and steel shot. When I started pheasant hunting I used Winchester #6 steel shot and if I got a head shot it was usually a kill but I did shoot several flying away from me at 20 yards and blow patches of feathers off their back. I ended up upgrading to the Winchester duck loads shooting 1550 fps in 4's and my kill rate doubled if not tripled.

With the 6 shots on the body would drive a feather and he bb about 1/2 inch into the body. With the 4's I was going all the way through a frontal shot or at least into the guts.

I realize we're talking about headshots but this is what I learned on pheasants mostly facing away. A turkey head/neck gives you a lot more to work with.

When I was a kid I used a mossberg 500 20gauge and #6's on geese with decent success. Not sure on the distances since I was belly crawling through fields.
 
AlphaHunter88,

Blindstitch brings up an excellet point: steel #6 shot is equivalent to lead #8 shot in penetration and individual pellet energy. #6 Steel is a dove and quail load, and wholly unsuited to Turkey hunting. Unless you're going to be hunting somewhere where steel is required, I would consider switching to #6 Lead.

If steel IS required...well, dense patterns of #4 shot really aren't the 20''s forte. On ducks, sure, but a turkey''s head is a lot smaller than a mallard. Perhaps a cheap single shot 12ga with a 3" chamber would be the optimal solution if steel is required. $99 at Buy-n-Large, and even less on the used market.
 
Point taken, and thanks for the input. Well I'm not really out anything for the #6 steel shot box, being $5. That said, would a nickel plated lead #6 of 1 1/4 oz in a 3" shell be better? From what I've read that's an almost perfect choice for 30 & less yds out of a 20 GA. IF...it patterns well in the gun, of course. Federal also makes a game shok "high brass" load that has 1 oz of #6 lead. Would that be an option?
 
Last edited:
Nickle plated lead would probably do well.
Lead is heavier than steel that's why people upsize for steelshot. Your gun might surprise you so grab a few different rounds and hit the patterning board. If you have a friend they might lend you some random shells to try.
 
don't

Alpha, don't shoot a turkey with budget steel shot loads. Just don't. As I alluded to earlier, and now others have mentioned as well. Steel is light for pellet size, and runs out of energy very quickly. And the budget loads you describe have only a 3/4 oz payload, a HALF OUNCE short of what you can launch with a premium mag 20 ga turkey load. I can't imagine a WORSE choice for shooting gobblers than steel game loads.

The lead load you mentioned is a far better choice, as were the other premium lead loads you listed earlier. Getting a gobbler in range, and getting a shot, is a huge accomplishment. Don't botch it by dusting the bird with cheap ammo and losing him, to run off crippled , to die from infection or from a predator.

Compared to all the other expenses involved in gobbler hunting, (license, gas, calls, time....you get the idea) a 10 pack of premium turkey loads is a small investment. After patterning, you will have enough ammo for a couple of seasons......and the right tools for the job. Ammo is not the place to cut corners.
 
The only thing I can add to what Blindstitch and Bama ranger have said is this: bite into a lead pellet and you'll spit it out. Bite into a steel pellet, and you spit out the pellet AND the tooth you bit into it with. I've been there and done that.
 
So I picked up a box of Federal Strut Shok at a Wally World a couple of towns over (mine doesn't carry hardly anything other than standard bird shot and cheap target loads, slugs, etc.) I thought I'd give em a shot since I've never had a bad experience with ANY Federal product. $13 for a box of 10 - 3" 1 1/4 oz #5 "heavy" lead shot. Going to hit the pattern board this weekend and hope for acceptable results. If it goes well, I'll probably grab a couple more boxes to stash away.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top