Before yesterday morning I woulda argued with you about using common, "hi brass" game loads for turkeys vs the heavier, turkey specific stuff! (See my post "Ol boss falls for ol school gun)

I've hunted turkeys for nearly 30yrs and worked in the hunting/fishing retail biz off and on for the first 20 of those years. I saw the rise of the "turkey biz" with regards to guns, loads, chokes etc... Before yesterday the SMALLEST load I'd ever shot at turkeys was 3" 6s an occasional 4 and my preference was 5s when talking about 3" guns and plated lead shot. Then came the 3.5" guns and soon the harder than lead shot varieties came out and soon 60+yd shots WERE possible. (My 835Mossy with 3.5" triplex Nitro hevishots will put 12-15 pellets in a 12oz drink can at 65yds EVERYTIME! My 3.5" 870 with Nitros is barely behind that as well.)

BUT this year I wanted to carry my grandfathers nearly 100yr old Stevens 520 pump gun out and kill a bird. It's a 30" Full (mics VERY tight in fact) and I just didn't want to risk even plated shot in it, nevermind the heavier than lead substitutes in it. So I picked a "decent" load, a simple box of Super X High Brass 2.75" 1.25oz #6s. The big bird CRUMPLED yesterday at 37steps as fast and hard as ANY of the 30+ I've shot over the years with anything else. Winchester makes those 2.75" Super X's in 1 3/8oz & 1.5oz offerings as well. I'd like to see what they pattern like in my old Stevens as well. For $10-$15 per 25shot box you can sure afford to play around with them moreso than the $5+ per shot turkey rounds out there. (And essentially all of the lead turkey loads are plated hard shot to begin with so I wouldn't try them in the old gun anyway)

Test, test, test... but one thing I learned long ago from seeing it first hand in the biz, you CAN try to cram to much shot down a super tight choke. When you get up into the 1.75-2+ oz range, ESPECIALLY with the heavy shot type metals, you'd be surprised how sometimes DECREASING choke size will actually IMPROVE the pattern. But again, that just varies by gun and like I said, TEST, TEST, TEST!

I see Hornady even has some nickel plated shot out now with a "new gizmo shotcup/wad" in it designed to work and actually recommended to work better in IC and Mod tubes vs Full+...