Originally Posted by
tourangeaud
Screamin,
Thanks for your insight.
What confuses me is the comment of nothing larger then #2 fine shot. Question: 4s,5s or 6s are not larger then #2fine shot?
Please don't rip me a new one, for such a stupid question. I'm just looking for guidance and education on shot size and our VA rules and regs. Plus I can't afford to be non compliant in the field.
LOL No such thing as dumb questions! The terminology is to distinguish between no. 2 buck shot and no.2 birdshot or fine shot. No. 2 buck is way bigger than #2 bird shot. Standard birdshot sizes get smaller as the number gets larger. Your largest would be the BB and T's used by waterfowlers for knocking down geese at long range. Then you get into the common numbers like #2, #4, #5, #6, #7, #7 1/2, #8, #9. You really should stay away from shot smaller than 6's or the hevishot style #7's for turkey hunting. They just lack the weight to maintain killing energy/ penetration. A good starting point I'll give you is the Winchester Supreme Turkey load. The 3 inch shell in 1 3/4 oz of #5 shot. (I'm assuming you probably don't have a 3 1/2" gun if you're new to turkey hunting, but if you did I'd reccomend the same load in 3 1/2' 2 oz. of #5.) They won't break the bank, and they tend to shoot well in a lot of guns. Give us some more info on your gun and your choke, and a lot of guys will chime in here and make some suggestions for you.