RE: choke and shot
just to add to Pauls reply,,,,
Patterning Turkey Guns
The perfect turkey gun can be made from a little time and a few adjustments. Most standard guns tend to have an average forcing cone around 2 inches in length. By having the forcing cone lengthened one can make a gun shoot a little tighter. Most new turkey gun setups from the factory already have this option done. Polishing of the chamber can also help with the shot pattern moving through a barrel in a better formation allowing the pattern to produce a little tighter.
Sights can also help one with the stress of having a bird in front of the gun. Lighted sights and Scopes are most common on a turkey gun. This can give the hunter an edge on placing the biggest % of shot pattern on the Target evenly.
As some may know shotguns can shoot different loads/ weights and Makes differently from other guns. Choke tubes can also handle a load different from others as well.
A bore size on a normal 12 Gauge is about .731 inch , A factory full choke is in the area of .700 inch. Turkey chokes are even tighter .640,.645,.650,.665,.670,.680,.690 and there are sizes inbetween depending on the company that makes them. Turkey Chokes are a great investment towards the success of a hunt.
A good idea is to team up with a couple/few friends and everyone buy a different make of Turkey loads. oz are a common weight in turkey loads. The lighter the weight the higher and wider the load pattern will perform. This way different brands can be used to see how your turkey gun will work with any one brand of ammo. Keeping in mind that a #6 shot will pattern and look good in most every turkey gun. Testing should be done with #4-5 shot, a shot size that most guns find hard to pattern evenly.
Different yardages in testing is important. Most average shots will happen in the 30-40 yard range. This is the most important range that one should pattern with his/her turkey gun. Testing 25/30/35/40 can help the shooter to determent the ability and maxim shooting range of your turkey gun. A 20 yard shot is also important to see how the gun will hold the shot at this range. It is not uncommon to have a gun throw off shot patterns , this is where sight systems can help to place the pattern on the center of the target. The shooter/hunter is looking for a pattern that will be even without holes in the pattern and as many pellets in the kill area as the gun can do. A good pattern from a turkey gun should be able to place 90% of the load in a 12inch circle around the turkey head at 30yds. Every gun will have some flyers in the load.
The use of a rangefinder can help one to determent the proper shooting range with testing and hunting. Practice in pacing the yardages while testing can also help with guessing a hunting shot. Understanding a shotgun and how the load drops at the exceeded range is also important in hunting success. A shot at a close target (20)yds will tend to shoot high, most close shots tend to miss because of the energy of the shell in the lift of the shot in this range.
Practicing an aim point on your target is a good idea.
20-30 yds aim point of a turkey should be the Waddles of the bird. This is the lumpy area on the turkey neck, where the skin and feathers meet. 30-40 yds the aim point should be the Eye of the bird. One should keep in mind ,When the energy pushes the load from the gun the energy is most powerful at the muzzle. As the load travels the energy falls off and starts to lower in the distance of the shot. This is why it is not practical and ethical to shoot at a turkey over the 40 yard range.
Practicing this method will make more success in your turkey hunting ability.
Here is a target example from a load of 1 7/8 oz ,4x6 , Remingtons at 35yds. Since this shot I have changed my loads to the Winchester#5 2oz. with the same choke. The pattern is off a little to the right, not being right on target was the problem.
Adrian J Hare QuakerBoy Game calls
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