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turkey loads
- Thread starter infinty
- Start date
Target loads are designed, of course, those designed to be used on targets.
These days in 12 gauge, it usually means a load of 1 1/8 oz or less propelled at a muzzle velocity of 1150 to 1300 FPS.
Shot size usually runs from 7 1/2 to 9,9 being smaller than 7 1/2.
There's plenty on this in the Archives.....
These days in 12 gauge, it usually means a load of 1 1/8 oz or less propelled at a muzzle velocity of 1150 to 1300 FPS.
Shot size usually runs from 7 1/2 to 9,9 being smaller than 7 1/2.
There's plenty on this in the Archives.....
Turkey loads are are kind of unique. They have wad cups that facilitate very tight patterns. They have shot sizes that are in the #4 to #6 range (frequently made of a hardened metal other than normal lead). They are also on the heavy size (i.e. more shot and less wad cushioning) and can come in lengths up to 3 1/2".
They are made specifically for long-range head shots on turkeys.
They are made specifically for long-range head shots on turkeys.
i was wondering if some one could explain what turkey loads are
Sure!
Turkey loads are a marketing ploy by ammo manufacurers to get you to buy extra special sooper-dooper shotgun shells at inflated prices to kill turkeys with.
Plain old 12 guage 2 3/4" heavy field loads of #6 shot size from a full choke or extra full choked gun will generally pattern tight enough to put several lethal hits on the head and neck of a turkey to 40 yards. Try it: pattern your shotgun with a heavy field load. A turkey's head is a 1 1/2" or so oval on top of a 3/4" tube about 10" long..... draw that on a piece of 3'x3' cardboard and shoot it from 40 yards. Unscathed? I doubt it.
Rather than spend money on a special box of shells, get a call and learn to use it. In the fall, bust up a flock and scatter them in as many directions as possible. Got them all run off? Good. Now listen. The boss hen will start calling to bring her kids back....... if you hear any of the jakes and jennies answer, get between them and the boss hen, sit down, sit still, and start yelping like the boss hen is...... the youngun's will come looking for mom. If your cammo is good, and you anticipate the direction they are coming from so you don't have to turn to get a bead..... Blam! Thanksgiving Dinner.
I've called them to within 5 feet..... though that did not work out so well- I missed, as the "pattern" was only as big as the bore, at that range....... 20 yards is optimum with full choke.
Just remember: shoot them in the head.... turkey feathers make pretty good armor vs. birdshot.
As stated above....Target loads run from 7.5 - 8 - 9 depending on your game. I'll mix all three in my special 5-stand load and they're killer loads.
Turkey loads are a bit of a marketing ploy as are Turkey chokes, but I fall for it on both counts.
I typically shoot 3.5" Winchester #5's when after the Turkeys. Way overkill, but when after Turkey's I'd rather be over gunned. -3.5" Turkey loads pack quite a wallop, one of the stoutest recoiling loads I've ever shot.
I too missed a shot at around 3 feet because my choke was too tight. As the other poster said, shoot for the head. If I get another 3 foot shot in my life I'll aim for center of mass and not the head. -BTW, those birds run fast.
Turkey loads are a bit of a marketing ploy as are Turkey chokes, but I fall for it on both counts.
I typically shoot 3.5" Winchester #5's when after the Turkeys. Way overkill, but when after Turkey's I'd rather be over gunned. -3.5" Turkey loads pack quite a wallop, one of the stoutest recoiling loads I've ever shot.
I too missed a shot at around 3 feet because my choke was too tight. As the other poster said, shoot for the head. If I get another 3 foot shot in my life I'll aim for center of mass and not the head. -BTW, those birds run fast.
-BTW, those birds run fast.
Chasing them on foot is futile. I was in a pick-up once, chasing some in a pasture*, and the speedo-meter said 40 ..... we were not gaining any.
If I get another 3 foot shot in my life I'll aim for center of mass and not the head.
They are tough, too. I had a hen fly past me (walking out a small strip of dryland corn) and I put a load of #2's into her at 10 or 15 feet, smashing her nearside wing, bones, feathers and all into the chest cavity. She crashed hard and set there on the ground looking at me until I put her lights out with another shot......
* my younger, dumber self was less observant of game laws and less aware of the cost of suspension repairs.....
bamaranger
New member
ploy?, not by me
A turkey load will have the improvements mentioned aforehand. Additionally, the latest rage is turkey shells loaded with "heavier than lead" pellets of space metal for more reach and pattern density.
I've done a fair amount of "turkey" shotshell patterning and can say w/o question that a "turkey load" will deliver tighter, deadlier patterns, especially past 30 yds. Yeah, I like to get'em close, and inside 30 a regular shell and a good choke will work fine, but turkey hunting is not that simple.
You wanna kill many turkeys, be ready to take the first good shot you're offered. LOTS of things can go wrong once a turkey is inside 40 yds.
Will a std 1-1/4 oz 12gauge load kill a turkey? You bet. I killed my first couple with the very same. Thirty years ago, inside 30 yds. Turkeys would run to my calls, and I seldom if ever heard another hunter, much less saw one. That's all changed, birds are pressured and cagey, and owl hoots and turkey nimrods are every where.
But testing has proven to me that a "turkey load", esp those from the last few years, even w/ conventional lead shot, will deliver near twice the number of hits on a pie plate at 30 paces (and beyond) as a regular shot shell. And likely as not, the velocity of that payload may well be higher too.
Yeah, dead is dead, but in the woods, with a live, articulated, movable target, brush and limbs, and less than ideal ranges, that extra payload, pattern density, and high velocity will pay off with more dead turkeys in the long run.
I have not caved in and tried (or paid for) the space metal shells, which are allegedly even deadlier.
A turkey load will have the improvements mentioned aforehand. Additionally, the latest rage is turkey shells loaded with "heavier than lead" pellets of space metal for more reach and pattern density.
I've done a fair amount of "turkey" shotshell patterning and can say w/o question that a "turkey load" will deliver tighter, deadlier patterns, especially past 30 yds. Yeah, I like to get'em close, and inside 30 a regular shell and a good choke will work fine, but turkey hunting is not that simple.
You wanna kill many turkeys, be ready to take the first good shot you're offered. LOTS of things can go wrong once a turkey is inside 40 yds.
Will a std 1-1/4 oz 12gauge load kill a turkey? You bet. I killed my first couple with the very same. Thirty years ago, inside 30 yds. Turkeys would run to my calls, and I seldom if ever heard another hunter, much less saw one. That's all changed, birds are pressured and cagey, and owl hoots and turkey nimrods are every where.
But testing has proven to me that a "turkey load", esp those from the last few years, even w/ conventional lead shot, will deliver near twice the number of hits on a pie plate at 30 paces (and beyond) as a regular shot shell. And likely as not, the velocity of that payload may well be higher too.
Yeah, dead is dead, but in the woods, with a live, articulated, movable target, brush and limbs, and less than ideal ranges, that extra payload, pattern density, and high velocity will pay off with more dead turkeys in the long run.
I have not caved in and tried (or paid for) the space metal shells, which are allegedly even deadlier.
Let's take a look at the various types of loads available:
Promotional loads: These are the shells sold for less than $10 a box of 25. It's possible to sell them that cheaply because they use soft lead and no buffers. This results in a lot of deformed pellets and flyers, with subsequent large patterns. Great for practice and fooling around, not what you want for serious hunting.
Hunting loads: These are more expensive, say $19.95 per box of 25, because they use harder lead and buffers to provide less damaged shot and tighter patterns. About 80 cents a round.
Turkey loads (lead): These are designed to produce extremely tight patterns that produce best results the way turkey shotguns are fired; aimed like rifles at stationary targets. They are more expensive still, roughly $15 per box of 10, or $1.50 a round.
Turkey loads (heavier than lead) These very dense pellets allow you to use a smaller shot size while still being heavy enough to penetrate. You can therefore use a smaller shot size and still keep enough individual pellet energy for an effective kill. The larger number of small shot keeps pattern density up. The drawback is the price, $25 for a box of five, or $5 a round.
Tungsten shot: If you want to have making the ultimate shotshell as a side hobby, you can buy extremely expensive tung$ten $hot and load your own. You'll get amazingly tight patterns and fantastic penetration, but at a ridiculous cost. Just the thing if turkeys start wearing helmets.
So what should you buy? It depends on how far away you plan to shoot. At ranges less than 30 yards you can shoot just about anything. If you’d like to shoot from 30-40 yards, you should pick the load more carefully. Take a look at this study:
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/turkey_loads.htm
You can poke a hole through a target with almost anything, but keeping both pellet energy and pattern density together at 40 yards is more challenging that some people think.
If you want to go past 40 yards, it’s time for the heavier than lead loads. And if you simply must have the hardest hitting load possible, import some tungsten and roll your own.
Personally, 40 yards is as far as I can see in the woods where I hunt. I don’t like to hunt open fields because if you can see the gobbler 60 yards away, then he knows the “hen” can see him and it’s just too easy for him to hang up.
I’ve used these with great results:
http://www.winchester.com/Products/shotshell-ammunition/supreme/turkey-loads/Pages/X123MXCT4.aspx
Yes, they are more expensive than hunting rounds, but my state has a 1 a day, three in possession limit. That means I shot a box once to sight in / pattern ($15) and less than $5 per year max on hunting. More to the point, the difference between hunting loads and turkey loads is $7 once and maybe $2 a year. Seems like a bargain to me.
Promotional loads: These are the shells sold for less than $10 a box of 25. It's possible to sell them that cheaply because they use soft lead and no buffers. This results in a lot of deformed pellets and flyers, with subsequent large patterns. Great for practice and fooling around, not what you want for serious hunting.
Hunting loads: These are more expensive, say $19.95 per box of 25, because they use harder lead and buffers to provide less damaged shot and tighter patterns. About 80 cents a round.
Turkey loads (lead): These are designed to produce extremely tight patterns that produce best results the way turkey shotguns are fired; aimed like rifles at stationary targets. They are more expensive still, roughly $15 per box of 10, or $1.50 a round.
Turkey loads (heavier than lead) These very dense pellets allow you to use a smaller shot size while still being heavy enough to penetrate. You can therefore use a smaller shot size and still keep enough individual pellet energy for an effective kill. The larger number of small shot keeps pattern density up. The drawback is the price, $25 for a box of five, or $5 a round.
Tungsten shot: If you want to have making the ultimate shotshell as a side hobby, you can buy extremely expensive tung$ten $hot and load your own. You'll get amazingly tight patterns and fantastic penetration, but at a ridiculous cost. Just the thing if turkeys start wearing helmets.
So what should you buy? It depends on how far away you plan to shoot. At ranges less than 30 yards you can shoot just about anything. If you’d like to shoot from 30-40 yards, you should pick the load more carefully. Take a look at this study:
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/turkey_loads.htm
You can poke a hole through a target with almost anything, but keeping both pellet energy and pattern density together at 40 yards is more challenging that some people think.
If you want to go past 40 yards, it’s time for the heavier than lead loads. And if you simply must have the hardest hitting load possible, import some tungsten and roll your own.
Personally, 40 yards is as far as I can see in the woods where I hunt. I don’t like to hunt open fields because if you can see the gobbler 60 yards away, then he knows the “hen” can see him and it’s just too easy for him to hang up.
I’ve used these with great results:
http://www.winchester.com/Products/shotshell-ammunition/supreme/turkey-loads/Pages/X123MXCT4.aspx
Yes, they are more expensive than hunting rounds, but my state has a 1 a day, three in possession limit. That means I shot a box once to sight in / pattern ($15) and less than $5 per year max on hunting. More to the point, the difference between hunting loads and turkey loads is $7 once and maybe $2 a year. Seems like a bargain to me.
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