I need a crash course on shotgun shells

[Pydpiper]

I bought a Remington 870 today, 3". I had the guy pick me a box of shells, came home with a target load, they are gone now..
So I went to the store and bought a box of Winchester super X, 2 3/4", 1 1/8 oz 4 lead shot 3 1/4 Dr Eq. I bought them because they have a squirrel on the box..
OK, so what do all these numbers mean, I understand the 12 guage and 2 3/4" but the rest I just don't understand. Is there somewhere I can read up on this stuff?
This is my first shotgun, obviously, and I am trying to get a good handle on it before turkey season starts in a week.

[bigpapa]

I presueme you got a 12ga. Let me boil this down for you because you said

I am trying to get a good handle on it before turkey season starts in a week.

Follow the following steps and you'll be ok for next week.
1) 1st things first did your gun come with a turkey choke?
If it did good. If it didn't go and get one (make sure it fit's your gun) I prefer primos but there are ton's of good chokes out there kicks is another good one. Anywho go and make sure you have a turkey choke in. (not a modified or full or any other that you may think looks cool)
2) Go to your store and pick up a box of
a. remington nitro 12ga. 3" #5
b. federal turkey load 12ga. 3" #5
c. winchester supreme turkey 12ga. 3" #5
d. what ever other box of turkey load 12ga 3" #5
3) while your there pick up a turkey pattern sheet (hs strutt sells a decent one)
or get one off line.
4) put in your choke and go to a range or field with your sheets (make sure you have a piece of cardboard with a stake to put the sheet on and shoot at and your stapler to staple sheets)
5) pace off 20 to 25 yards away and take a shot at the turkey. Write on the sheet what load you used.
6) change sheets and take another shot
7) repeat step 5 and 6 with each load at least 3 shots.
8) take the sheets home and see which load would blow the head clean off at 20 yards. Now you know what brand to look at. You want the brand that puts the center of the pattern where you aim it. Some brands will fire left or right some will fire high or low. It all depends on the brand and gun.
9) If you don't like the number of pellets the #5 shot puts in and you want more move up (using the same brand) to #6 shot if you want less (using the same brand) move down to #4
10) final quick check. Take your gear back out and repeat steps 5 and 6 at 30 and 40 yards with your #5, #4, or #6 shot to get the best pattern you can at all distances.

A good rule of thumb you want ATLEAST 10 to 15 pellets to hit the spine or brain at any distance that you feel comfortable shooting. Don't take shots over 40 yards. This should get you started.

[Pydpiper]

Excellent turkey info! I did not get a turkey choke yet, so I will look into that tomorrow.

Thanks for the time you put into that post.

David

[doubleA]

So I went to the store and bought a box of Winchester super X, 2 3/4", 1 1/8 oz 4 lead shot 3 1/4 Dr Eq. I bought them because they have a squirrel on the box..
OK, so what do all these numbers mean, I understand the 12 guage and 2 3/4" but the rest I just don't understand.

2 3/4" 1 1/8 0z #4 3 1/4 DR EQ


The 2 3/4" is the length of the shotshell when fired, in this day and age we have the 2 3/4" , 3" and 3 1/2" in 12 gauge. The longer the shotshell the more payload (shot)it can carry.


1 1/8 oz is the weight of the shot. In the 12 ga this can be as little as 7/8 of and ounce to more than 2 oz depending on the load.

#4 shot, this is the size of the shot. It's a number that determines the size of the shot. For the most part #9 is the smallest used for hunting/target shooting and it goes down to #2 for larger winged game. Common sizes ranging from smallest to the largest are 9,8,8.5,7.5,6,5,4,2. Then there are buckshot loads than use even bigger size shot such as 0,00 and 000. Most shot nowdays is what is called magnum shot. It is lead with a higher content of antimony and is somewhat harder and resists deformation which translates into tighter patterns. Back in the day there was just plain ol lead shot with while it works it does tend to spread the pattern due to the shot being deformed and hence cause many flyers. There is also copper and nickled plated shot that patterns even better due to staying rounder. You will find these in some turkey loads along with with the newer heavy than lead,bismuth,matrix etc but that's another story. Shot for waterfowl these days is made of steel due to federal regulations.


3 1/4 Dram Eq To make this simple the dram equivilent is a number that really expresses the speed of the shot. It comes from the old black powder days when it was used and dram was an expression of weight.Loads typically used 3-4 drams of black powder. When smokeless powder came around it made black powder obsolete. The term dr eq is what is used today to express this. Typically much lighter charges of smokeless powderare used to equal the charges of black powder used to produce the same velocity. The lower the dram equivilent, the slower the velocity given the same weight in shot. An example would be two 12ga loads using 1 1/8 oz of shot, one with a 3 dr eq and the other with 3 1/4 dr eq. The 3 dram load will have an appx of 1200 fps while the 3 1/4 dram load willbe slighty faster ...say 1220-1230 fps.


I know this can be confusing but without making it real complicated this will answer your question.

[Pawildman]

O.K. You said you know what the 12 ga. and 2 3/4" mean. Here's what the rest of the numbers mean.
1. 1 1/8 oz.----The weight of the shot in the shell. The higer the no., the more shot in the shell.
2. 4 lead---The size of the shot, and the type. (Lead, steel, etc.)
3. 3 1/4 dram.---The black powder equivalent weight compared to the smokeless powder in the shell. This is NOT the weight of the SMOKELESS powder in the shell. It is simply a comparison to what the equivalent of black powder would have weighed. The higher the no., the more powder in the shell.

This is a crash course in a nutshell. If you have any additional questions, please ask.

[Pydpiper]

I got it now, thanks.. I kept trying to associate the 1 1/8 with the size of the shot.. Took a bit for it to click, but it's clear now.
Thanks guys, that was frustrating..

[ButchA]

Pydpiper,

Check out this .pdf file from Remington's website. It has all the info about the 870 and various shotgun shells, chokes, and at what appropriate range.

http://www.remington.com/pdfs/shotgun.pdf

Good luck and enjoy the 870!

Butch A.

[Pydpiper]

Excellent link Butch.. I have some reading to do.. Thanks

[bigpapa]

Hey good post there doubleA.

[bronko22000]

pydpiper - just some quick advice. The guys gave you the info you asked for. But when you go to the range. take some turkey targets along. (just search the web for free targets). Print a bunch out.
Also if you have access to several loads, for turkey I suggest either 4, 5, or 6 shot, take as many differnt loadings as you can get. Fire one shot each at a target using different loads and chokes. MAKE SURE YOUR GUN IS UNLOADED WHEN CHANGING CHOKES. Not only do different loads pattern differently but they may also hit at a different point of impact. What you want for turkey is the tightest pattern that hits where you are aiming at.
Out of my 12 ga 870, the best I get is with a Remchoke extra full choke and Winchester Supreme 5 shot 3" but yours may be different.