How to pattern a turkey gun (Second Edition for 2009)
01-18-2008, 06:53 AM
#22
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NewLowell ,Ontario ,Canada
Posts: 2,765
RE: How to pattern a turkey gun
This is a good thread and a great presentation of patterns, but I have a slight problem with the range of the larges percentage of shot.
About 95% of all turkey hunters are 40 yard and now more turkey shooters. What I mean is for years and years turkey hunters have learned that 40 yards is the max range to be shooting. Now with these Over ranged hevi shot turkey shells that max range has been drove out to the 45-50 yards, even if we don't like it, they will still shoot at birds that far as soon as they see the rope on the sucker.
To find your proper shooting choke in your gun, my opinion is that you should be testing these chokes and the percentage of pattern at 40 yards and no closer. After you have found a choke and shell combo that is what your after, then its time to move in to a closer range and understand if the pattern is dencer in a certain area up-down-right or left.
The Old (How many in the the turkey head/neck) is Old news and with the new generation of turkey loads out there I believe the average turkey hunter patterning their gun is much as what was explained, but done at 40 yards and find what choke and shell combo will apply the larges percentage of shot in a 10-12 inch circle evenly around the turkeys head and neck. Don't worry about what is in the kill zone so much as what has been applied around and on a constant average of shots.
A tight shooting choke at 30 yards can lose up to 25-30 % of the shot pattern in an extra 10 yard range. The turkey hunter now is taking a larger chance at missing or wounding your target.
I have did all this testing on Camera and have filmed it and am now am in the end of having it come out on DVD, if I don't run out of money before hand [:-] I had no idea what it cost to edit and get a DVD ready for resale. Believe me it costs.
About 95% of all turkey hunters are 40 yard and now more turkey shooters. What I mean is for years and years turkey hunters have learned that 40 yards is the max range to be shooting. Now with these Over ranged hevi shot turkey shells that max range has been drove out to the 45-50 yards, even if we don't like it, they will still shoot at birds that far as soon as they see the rope on the sucker.
To find your proper shooting choke in your gun, my opinion is that you should be testing these chokes and the percentage of pattern at 40 yards and no closer. After you have found a choke and shell combo that is what your after, then its time to move in to a closer range and understand if the pattern is dencer in a certain area up-down-right or left.
The Old (How many in the the turkey head/neck) is Old news and with the new generation of turkey loads out there I believe the average turkey hunter patterning their gun is much as what was explained, but done at 40 yards and find what choke and shell combo will apply the larges percentage of shot in a 10-12 inch circle evenly around the turkeys head and neck. Don't worry about what is in the kill zone so much as what has been applied around and on a constant average of shots.
A tight shooting choke at 30 yards can lose up to 25-30 % of the shot pattern in an extra 10 yard range. The turkey hunter now is taking a larger chance at missing or wounding your target.
I have did all this testing on Camera and have filmed it and am now am in the end of having it come out on DVD, if I don't run out of money before hand [:-] I had no idea what it cost to edit and get a DVD ready for resale. Believe me it costs.
01-18-2008, 07:02 AM
#23
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NY
Posts: 2,820
RE: How to pattern a turkey gun
ORIGINAL: Adrian J Hare
This is a good thread and a great presentation of patterns, but I have a slight problem with the range of the larges percentage of shot.
About 95% of all turkey hunters are 40 yard and now more turkey shooters. What I mean is for years and years turkey hunters have learned that 40 yards is the max range to be shooting. Now with these Over ranged hevi shot turkey shells that max range has been drove out to the 45-50 yards, even if we don't like it, they will still shoot at birds that far as soon as they see the rope on the sucker.
To find your proper shooting choke in your gun, my opinion is that you should be testing these chokes and the percentage of pattern at 40 yards and no closer. After you have found a choke and shell combo that is what your after, then its time to move in to a closer range and understand if the pattern is dencer in a certain area up-down-right or left.
The Old (How many in the the turkey head/neck) is Old news and with the new generation of turkey loads out there I believe the average turkey hunter patterning their gun is much as what was explained, but done at 40 yards and find what choke and shell combo will apply the larges percentage of shot in a 10-12 inch circle evenly around the turkeys head and neck. Don't worry about what is in the kill zone so much as what has been applied around and on a constant average of shots.
A tight shooting choke at 30 yards can lose up to 25-30 % of the shot pattern in an extra 10 yard range. The turkey hunter now is taking a larger chance at missing or wounding your target.
I have did all this testing on Camera and have filmed it and am now am in the end of having it come out on DVD, if I don't run out of money before hand [:-] I had no idea what it cost to edit and get a DVD ready for resale. Believe me it costs.
This is a good thread and a great presentation of patterns, but I have a slight problem with the range of the larges percentage of shot.
About 95% of all turkey hunters are 40 yard and now more turkey shooters. What I mean is for years and years turkey hunters have learned that 40 yards is the max range to be shooting. Now with these Over ranged hevi shot turkey shells that max range has been drove out to the 45-50 yards, even if we don't like it, they will still shoot at birds that far as soon as they see the rope on the sucker.
To find your proper shooting choke in your gun, my opinion is that you should be testing these chokes and the percentage of pattern at 40 yards and no closer. After you have found a choke and shell combo that is what your after, then its time to move in to a closer range and understand if the pattern is dencer in a certain area up-down-right or left.
The Old (How many in the the turkey head/neck) is Old news and with the new generation of turkey loads out there I believe the average turkey hunter patterning their gun is much as what was explained, but done at 40 yards and find what choke and shell combo will apply the larges percentage of shot in a 10-12 inch circle evenly around the turkeys head and neck. Don't worry about what is in the kill zone so much as what has been applied around and on a constant average of shots.
A tight shooting choke at 30 yards can lose up to 25-30 % of the shot pattern in an extra 10 yard range. The turkey hunter now is taking a larger chance at missing or wounding your target.
I have did all this testing on Camera and have filmed it and am now am in the end of having it come out on DVD, if I don't run out of money before hand [:-] I had no idea what it cost to edit and get a DVD ready for resale. Believe me it costs.
01-29-2008, 05:30 AM
#24
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: El Dorado Kansas
Posts: 1,311
RE: How to pattern a turkey gun
Bump,....
This should probably be made a sticky on the waterfowl forum as well... alot of folks question how to pattern and what to look at...
This is the best reference I think they can get..
This should probably be made a sticky on the waterfowl forum as well... alot of folks question how to pattern and what to look at...
This is the best reference I think they can get..
02-06-2009, 10:41 AM
#26
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Where the ducks don't come no more
Posts: 4,420
RE: How to pattern a turkey gun
ORIGINAL: Adrian J Hare
This is a good thread and a great presentation of patterns, but I have a slight problem with the range of the larges percentage of shot.
About 95% of all turkey hunters are 40 yard and now more turkey shooters. What I mean is for years and years turkey hunters have learned that 40 yards is the max range to be shooting. Now with these Over ranged hevi shot turkey shells that max range has been drove out to the 45-50 yards, even if we don't like it, they will still shoot at birds that far as soon as they see the rope on the sucker.
To find your proper shooting choke in your gun, my opinion is that you should be testing these chokes and the percentage of pattern at 40 yards and no closer. After you have found a choke and shell combo that is what your after, then its time to move in to a closer range and understand if the pattern is dencer in a certain area up-down-right or left.
The Old (How many in the the turkey head/neck) is Old news and with the new generation of turkey loads out there I believe the average turkey hunter patterning their gun is much as what was explained, but done at 40 yards and find what choke and shell combo will apply the larges percentage of shot in a 10-12 inch circle evenly around the turkeys head and neck. Don't worry about what is in the kill zone so much as what has been applied around and on a constant average of shots.
A tight shooting choke at 30 yards can lose up to 25-30 % of the shot pattern in an extra 10 yard range. The turkey hunter now is taking a larger chance at missing or wounding your target.
I have did all this testing on Camera and have filmed it and am now am in the end of having it come out on DVD, if I don't run out of money before hand [:-] I had no idea what it cost to edit and get a DVD ready for resale. Believe me it costs.
This is a good thread and a great presentation of patterns, but I have a slight problem with the range of the larges percentage of shot.
About 95% of all turkey hunters are 40 yard and now more turkey shooters. What I mean is for years and years turkey hunters have learned that 40 yards is the max range to be shooting. Now with these Over ranged hevi shot turkey shells that max range has been drove out to the 45-50 yards, even if we don't like it, they will still shoot at birds that far as soon as they see the rope on the sucker.
To find your proper shooting choke in your gun, my opinion is that you should be testing these chokes and the percentage of pattern at 40 yards and no closer. After you have found a choke and shell combo that is what your after, then its time to move in to a closer range and understand if the pattern is dencer in a certain area up-down-right or left.
The Old (How many in the the turkey head/neck) is Old news and with the new generation of turkey loads out there I believe the average turkey hunter patterning their gun is much as what was explained, but done at 40 yards and find what choke and shell combo will apply the larges percentage of shot in a 10-12 inch circle evenly around the turkeys head and neck. Don't worry about what is in the kill zone so much as what has been applied around and on a constant average of shots.
A tight shooting choke at 30 yards can lose up to 25-30 % of the shot pattern in an extra 10 yard range. The turkey hunter now is taking a larger chance at missing or wounding your target.
I have did all this testing on Camera and have filmed it and am now am in the end of having it come out on DVD, if I don't run out of money before hand [:-] I had no idea what it cost to edit and get a DVD ready for resale. Believe me it costs.
I am going to bump this thread to the top.... and since AJH is still a valued and regular contributor to our forum whose opinion I hold in high regard... I going to use my bump up to quote what he said is valuable, but at the same time show why it is I do it my way:
A pattern that sucks at 30 yards is still going to suck at 40 yards and will continue to suck worse at 50 yards. What 30 allows you to do is capture most (if not all)of your pattern in a 2D tangible picture. If you are off just a tiny bit at 40 yards with your point of aim or your shot execution.... you'll lose half your pattern off the page and never even know it unless your pattern is a real knock out and half of the center catches the edge. Point in hand... check out the 50 yard target I posted on page one. Is that honestly the densest part of my pattern? Probably.... but who knows what when high and left?
Take a look back at that 35 yard turkey head target of mine from 2007. I had that thing taped to a piece of fresh poster board and Iblew the snot out of thepaper on the left of it. I think I pulled the shot a bit, but my scope was also shooting just a bit to the left. It was enough to skew my results a bit.... granted.... thats why I use a big piece of paper too.... that target was posted as a learning device to show that its only going to capture a small percentage of what you really want to evaluate.
What I did not write then, or even now in my second edition edit, is that I will often take my choke and load and shoot it out at ranges I won't even contemplate shooting a live bird at justto see what I'm working with.
I've got some targets sitting around somewhere from 60 yards and I've got buckshot targets out to 80 yards (some are actually good enough to kill deer too.... even though I won't do it). I still believe in the golden pellet principle... and thats what happened with that long range Rio I shot almost a decade ago now I suspect. I might have only gotten two or three on him... but that is enough. While I believe in it, I don't put my faith in it... meaning I rely on results instead of luck. You should too!
Today, I won't shoot them much past 35 yards. So for me personally tobother with patterning seriously at anything over 40 yards is just a fools errand.
HOWEVER, if YOU (the reader)are planning on shooting birds past40 yards (and this is not an attack or a condemnation of not being a purist.... do as you like here), then it is advisable and encouraged to shoot targets/pattern at the greatest range you possibly can to establish your true, repeatable maximum range.
02-06-2009, 12:54 PM
#28
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Where the ducks don't come no more
Posts: 4,420
RE: How to pattern a turkey gun
ORIGINAL: Huntinman23
wow swamp you really know your turkey hunting...very good post thanks!
wow swamp you really know your turkey hunting...very good post thanks!
Judgement comes from experience.... experience comes from poor judgement.
This original thread is two years old..... I've always written a lot. It is a good constructive outlet for me.
03-21-2009, 05:52 AM
#30
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 2
RE: How to pattern a turkey gun (Second Edition for 2009)
Thanks for the info! - I am new to hunting - especially turkeys - only been about 3 times - but thoroughly enjoy the sport. While starting this sport in my 50's, I guess it's never too late to start. Haven't got one yet, but hoping to do so this spring. Your tips on patterning a gun are most helpful. I have used the store bought sheets before, but couldn't really get a full picture on the results. I recently bought a new shotgun - Winchester 1300 - with winchoke system. Hoping to pattern my gun before the season this spring. Using a larger background should make a considerable difference. Again, thanks for the help. Good luck and Good Hunting this season.