I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

Well, after the hunt I found an isolated area where I decided to see what my 870 would do. Last year at 30 yds I was ableto put 6 pellets at the end of a soda can with my 2 3/4 " Ithica modified.

Today at 42 yds { I used a range finder}I put in the factory full choke .I had a 1 1/2 " target circle on a piece of paper using #4 shot Winchester Supremes 3 1/2

Results..{Factory full}:(none hit the circle..27 pellets hit the paper.

Results..{Tru Glo Turkey Choke} :(none hit the 1 1/2 circle 25 hit the paper..9 were directly under the head.

The kick was not as bad as I heard...it was not as bad as my son's H&R with a steel butt plate shooting slugs. just a good solid push..
However; do not shoot the 870 without hearing protection..Darn! that was BOOM was outragous.

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

Try the Federal w/ Flite Control Wads. May suit you better. They are my preference.

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

Thanks,
Are these the ones?

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

Also you might wanna try moveing the target in a bit 42 yards is a bit far especially for most factory full chokes. That being said you should have more bbs in the target area than 0 even at 40 yards

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

That would be them Chuck.

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

#4 is tough to get a good pattern as well. I have tried but have since given up. When I buy a new load to try I only ever get the #6 and #5.

Try dropping down to a #6 and see what happens.

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

I agree. In my opinion you should go with the #6 Mags.

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

try getting the factory rem extra full choke, pair that up with the 3'' rem nitro #4 shot. I really like my set up.

also which length barrel are you shooting out of?

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

Thanks fellows,
The barrel is 26 inches long.
I appreciate the advice..many folk have told me to go to the #5 shot so I think I will.
Thankyou very much,
c7

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

Maybe try a 3 inch shell instead of 3 1/2.
I got a lot better pattern out of 1 5/8 load over a 2 oz load that I tried.
I know its fewer BB,s but if the pattern is better you should get more in the kill zone.

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

You know some of these guys have complained that their gun shoots to the right..possibly mine does. The next time I'll take a large poster board and shoot it. I was the top shooter in my batalian in the service so I know I'm holding steady.;)I only said that as some may think it's the shooter.:DI had the gun in a shooting stick and although I knew it would kick hard, I squeezed the trigger. I was surprized .The kick was not like I expected..just a nice solid shove. It does come with a nice recoil pad.The noise left a serious ringing in my ears. My turkey freind in Missouri {Strut} uses # 5s and 6 s with a Rhino choke..He has awesome results and was a big factor in me buying the 870. Last year he shot one gobbler that put a 1 inch hole through the neck at about 8 yds. I saw the picture. The neck was still in one piece except for a 1 inch hole.

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

First think I would do is go out and buy the Rem superfull turkey choke. then I would buy some 3" Win HV #5's. Then I would buy me some decent turkey targets... Set the first target out at 20 yards. you prob will only need to shoot once at 20. then set another out at 30 yards... Shot 2 or 3 shots at that one... Then Set a target out to 40 and shot 4 or 5 at that one... I don't know how good of a shot you are but I would prob shoot off a bench for your first box of loads...

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

i've got the 870 super mag factory superfulltrk choke and i shoot 3.5in federal flight control #5 and got 12 hits in the head at 40 yards. A few non vital neck hit also. My gun shoots to the left about2 inches or soo. not to bad.

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

Don't be afraid to go to #6's (turkey loads) for turkey. Most of the turkey's that I have killed have been with 6's, why? because my gun likes them and gives me the best pattern. Every gun (even guns of the same model) will react differently to a particular load. Try several and go with the one that patterns best for your gun. I would also recommend that you invest in a good turkey choke (You can get a good one for less than $15.00). Good luck!!!

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

I use the Federal #5 shot and in my 870 and I am getting 10+ bb's in the brain spinal chord out to 50 yards using a 3.5" shell! The choke will make a lot of difference. I have a buddy who is shooting the Truglo Turkey choke out of a Mossberg 500 and he is getting decent patterns out to about 35 or 40 yards with a 3" shell.

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

Not enough pellets in that #4 load to look good on paper, but I've killed many a turkey with good ol' #4s in the "old days". I don't think you need as many pellets in the skull with 4s compared to smaller shot however.

Anotherpoint - 870s are no louder than any other gun. It is simply a matter of barrel length and ported vs. non-ported chokes. They all sound loud when you are shooting at targets without hearing protection. I've never noticed the sound while shooting at a turkey.

My advice,

1.Smaller shot size with constrictions of .670 or greater for better patterns

2. Consider hevier than lead loads if you want tighter core patterns

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

I always thought the more open a choke the bigger the shot you should use... I also thought that a .670 choke was more of a heavi shot choke constriction for the 12 ga[:-]

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

Actually I know every gun is different and may pattern some loadsbetter than others but for the buck the Remington Nitro Turkey number #5's are bone crushing through the Remington FACTORY Briley superfull choke. I patterned my 870 super mag this past Saturday and averaged over 30 shot in the neck and head at 30 yards and this was with the 3 inch loads not the 3 1/2.

In testing this combination of load and shot was what was used by Remington and found tohave absolutely the best performance. Pick up a box of the Nitro Turkey at around 5.97 a box and hold on.

RE: I shot my 870 today...kind of disappointed.
 

i use the heavy shot #4 in my 870 with the rem extra full turkey choke. at forty yards i have 19 pellets in kill zone. killed one yesterday morning at 49 steps. he didn't take another step. only flapped around for a sec.