kodiakhuntmaster

I just got a star dot extra full (.668) choke tube for my mossberg 500 12ga. Does anyone else have any experience with these tubes? It says that any turkey load will work with it, but for best results use copper plated #5 shot. Just last week I got a box of 3" #4 shot. If I use these, will it hurt the choke tube? Should I just wait until I can pick up some #5's?

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Hooks

No, the 4's want cause any problems and may pattern well. I have a .660 choke on a 3" 870 that shoots a 1 3/4 oz. win.supreme hv #4's and averages 7 hits in the vitals at 40 yds. But it shoots a 2 oz.#5's load of federals a bit better, averaging about 12 hits. Try 3 -4 different makes, loads and shot sizes and see what the choke likes best.

Geaux get'em !!

mauser06

it shouldnt hurt...they are saying it should pattern best with #5...i am a fan of #4 and i work to find a #4 that will patter nice in my guns...its all about the constriction .668...i heard tonite watching outdoor life that .665s are usually better with 4 and 5 and .655 i (think..i know it was tighter) is usually better with a smaller shot..when all the big shot goes through a tight hole it spreads wildly in most cases..im not sure why i think it kinda ricochetes off the sides when it gets constricted and just flings out wildly but thats juts my guess and i thought about that for a while......id shot the 4s and if they dont patter good get a box of 5s and maybe a diffrent box of 4s and see...the first box i tried in my remington patterned so great i didnt try anything else..i doubt it can get much better..if it can id have to scope it and shoot it like a rifle because it would be that tight out to 20yds...i dont ever use "turkey loads"..my dad bought a box of 25 remington nitro mags with 1 5/8 ox of buffered #4 mags...works fine in the 4 or 5 guns we shot them in...i did shoot 6s out of my mossberg before and it patterned worse so i stayed with 4s but i got a remington and it loves the nitros in 4...my dad rolled a few bosstoms with them loads..

kodiakhuntmaster

Ok, so how do I find what range would be my maximum range? How many hits in what size circle? I bought some turkey targets and they said that if you have at least 5 hits in a circle about the size of a turkey's head then you have your max range. Then I heard someone say that you need 15 hits, and I'm kind of lost on that now. Up until now I just only shot birds closer than 30 yards because I knew it wouldn't kill them right at or beyond 30 yards (was only shooting a full choke).

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Sling

Get ready for about 20 different answers to your question. I'll give you one. Buy a few good turkey targets that show an outline of the brain and spine. Pick a load that puts 5 - 10 pellets in the brain and spine at the maximum distance you plan to shoot. My personal preference is to not shoot farther than 40 yards and to not use #6's any farther than 35 yards. Good luck.



Edited by - sling on 01/24/2003 11:44:32

Borch

Ditto to what sling said. I try to keep at 35 yards period as it give me a bit of wiggle room if I might underestimate the actual yardage a bit.

kodiakhuntmaster

DISAPOINTMENT!!!<img src=icon_smile_dissapprove.gif border=0 align=middle>
My gun normaly shoots federal best. Buckshot,slugs,small game 7-1/2 shot all shoot great. But the 3&quot; #4 shot did HORRIBLE. At 40 yards I got 10 hits on the whole target with x-full choke,less with full choke. None of which were within 4 inches of where I was aiming. I have never had any load shoot that bad. I tried the only other brand I had, winchester 2-3/4&quot; #4 at 30 yards. It did better, but still had large gaps in the pattern with no shot where I was aiming. I guess I'll have to try remington magnum turkey load, 3&quot; number 5's next. I don't ask for much, just a 40 yard gun. I'll be happy with a 35 yard gun. That's still better than the one I have been using.

<img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle>&lt;____by the way, i've had bad luck with pictures showing up, can anyone see this frown?

&quot;Hey ya'll, watch this&quot;

TScottW99

I use the Mossberg 500, with the Stardot choke tube and shoot Federal Premium's 3&quot; in #5's. My gun throws a great pattern out to 30 and a good pattern out to 35. I'm happy with that since I prefer a 25 yard shot. Sorry it didnt' work out for you.

&quot;A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.&quot;

Theodore Roosevelt

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timberlord

I use a Winchester 120 with a 28&quot; barrel. I put a Undertaker on it and I get consisant kill zone hits at 50 steps.( I like to take a bird inside 40 steps ). I have made a kill at 52 steps but I was kinda leary on doing it. The Federal 3&quot;mag. with 2oz., #5 shot works best for me. Next in line was Remington Duplex 4x6 , 2 3/4&quot;mag. I bought a Star dot the other day and I'll keep you posted on what I find works best through it.

Adrian J Hare

Its hard to get a choke to shoot the heavyer shot. I'worked on this for years and have used a Number of chokes from Hastings,Comp-n-Choke,Remington, and it was hard to find one that would hold a pattern with #4. I went to a Gun smith here in TO and had them build a Choke to shoot 4's and 5's He came up with the .660 Precision Choke. Its wirth every dollar. I have a photo of a shot pattern of 4's if you would like to see it...BT

I like them with Long Sharp Spurs....