shotgun pattern
 

Jus wonderin how many pellets everyone is puttin in the kill or a 10 inch circle at 40 yds?

RE: shotgun pattern
 

I've got a couple different patterns with my load/choke. Lowest number is 180, highest is 223. Pretty consistant all things considered.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

It can vary greatly with the size 4-7 1/2 and amount of shot 1 oz-2 1/2 oz....

It takes fewer pellets of larger size to do the job properly; whereas, smaller pellets require more shot.

6-7 pellets in the head and neck area will do the job nicely....

RE: shotgun pattern
 

In a 10" circle? at 40yds? I didn't even think there werer that many pellets in a shell!

RE: shotgun pattern
 

I am shooting a Mossberg 500 12ga. 28" barrle
at 40yds With a HS .665 Chock & WIN. Supreme #5
I am putting26 pellets in the head & neck area ! :D

Ron

RE: shotgun pattern
 

I can assure you, there's not many more than that in a shell. I've got to admit, 223 seems awfully high. According to him, his lowest count is higher than my highest. I got 123 in a 10 inch circle and that is plenty enough to kill a turkey. I'm not saying he is exaggerating, but I believe a few posters on this forum do a little. As long as I keep getting over 100 hits in a 10 inch circle at 40 yards, there will be no problem in busting that longbeard at 10, 20, 30,40 or 50 yards. If he is getting 223 hits at 40, he had better be right on at 15. With that tight a pattern he has very little margin of error at really close distances.A realtight pattern that far out, 40 yds.,is not always a good thing.If he likes it that tight, more power to him.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Go over to the NWTF forums and read where some guys are putting right at 300 pellets in a 10" circle from 40 yards away. That is an aweful tight pattern with not much room for a missed shot, but definitely a dead bird.

I am putting right around 130 to 150 with a Tru Glo Strut Stopper Xtreme choke and Winchester Extended Range 3" #6 shot.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

When it comes to patterning... Unless I'm there when they shoot it... I'm not buying the 300 hits in a 10" circle at 40 yards...

I say BBBUUULLLLLL SSSHHHIII%%%

RE: shotgun pattern
 

I don't want to offend too many people, but I have to agree with you there Mr. Longbeard. I would have to see it to believe it. Some of the newbies to turkey hunting are led to believe you have to get 200 hits at 40 yards. Not so at all. Some of them probably shouldn't even be shooting that far. Some of these people saying they are getting 300 hits at 40 are probably the same ones who say they are killing birds at70 to 80 yards. Again, if I'm getting 110 to 130 hits at 40 yards, I am perfectly satisfied.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

300 hits in a 10in circle at 40 yards??? I'll believe it when I see it.

I'm happy with 40-50.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Bubbahoo, please get another avator, that one is disgusting.:D

RE: shotgun pattern
 

There are about 420 in a 3.5" #6 2oz load.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

SS, you are definately right about being right on at that close of a range... and do I like a pattern that tight?.... well I used to. Every turkey I have ever missed in my life (three total, two with this set up) has been inside 15 yards. I cannot count pellets at 15 yards, and barely at 20 yards, but at 15 there are a couple of flyers outside the 10"
circle, but I'd venture a good 90% of the pattern I could cover with my hand spread open. At 20 yards, its still almost completely inside a 10" circle.

I'm in the midst of writing an article on turkey guns and patterning right now for a regional magazine and a field journal. Heading to the range again on Wednesday with camera in hand. I'll be more than happy to PM you when my field journal article is done, and you may personally review the results for yourself.

I used to be obsessed with having a super tight shooter, but I've always been more of a proponent of letting a bird get close. Those two things don't work well together. I shot a bird in Texas at a range of 56 yards, verified by range finder. It was my first Rio, and I was fairly young and impatient. While my gun is good and all, I think I got a little lucky. I'm looking at a pattern right now I shot last spring out of my gun at 50 yards that has 129 pellets in a 10" circle, which was a very good pattern indeed. Its impressive. I'm going to try a few more choke and load combonations to make my gun more effective at close ranges (or should I say make it easier for me to be effective at closer ranges). But I'll be happy to post up everything when I'm done with it. :D What makes a good turkey gun is largely defined by the hunting techniques and personal preferences of the hunter using it. Right now, me and mine don't really jive.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Ill find out in a few weeks.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

The first time I shot my Jelly Head .660 and Nitro 4x5x7's I put 266 pellets in the 10" circle at 40 yards.

To all of the nay sayers, you don't have to believe it don't want to, but as r33h pointed out, go over to the NWTF website or oldgobbler.com (that's where a lot of the NWTF guys are now) and take a look for yourselves. My pattern of 266 pellets at 40 yards would only be considered a goodstarting pointfor those guys, meaning that they wouldn't be satisfied and would probably change chokes to get a better pattern.

Personally, I would rather have a good tight pattern at 40 yards than have a sloppy pattern at 40 yards. A sloppy pattern probably will not kill a bird at 40 yards, and will most likely wound him, but a good tight 40 yard pattern will kill all the way out to 40, and beyond if needed.

When it comes to patterns, the old saying, "It is better to have and not need than to need and not have" comes to mind.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

What are you calling a sloppy pattern? You don't have to have 200 plus hits at 40 to kill a bird at or beyond 40. If you have over 100 at 40, that's going to be a dead bird. I personally, would rather have a little more open pattern than what some of you are describing. I know I can kill him at 50 if I need to, but I also know I will have no problem killing him at 10 or 15. I'm not knocking anyone who loves a real tight pattern at 40 and beyond. I would like to see though, in person, not a picture on a computer, 300 hits in a 10 inch circle at 40 yards.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

down here in la we started shooting carlson's dead coyote its tight at 40yds

RE: shotgun pattern
 

By sloppy, I mean anything that has holes or is stringing or is just too open for "my" liking. I've shot plenty of sloppy patterns while on the quest for the best pattern I could buy. I'd be willing to say that 75% of the "over the counter" ammo that I've tried is sloppy and I have the boxeswith 5 or 6 unfired shells to prove it. I simply won't shoot those at a turkey. Will 100 hits at 40 yards kill a turkey? I'd say every time. I just like knowing that I have the Numbers on my side and not leave nothing to chance.

My first turkey was shot with 3" Winchester Supreme #5's. It dropped the turkey at 43 yards but when I got up to the turkey he had his eyes open. I finished him off, but that told me that what I was shooting wasn't enough to cleanly kill a bird. I now shoot 3.5" 4x5x7 Nitros, and when I go to the woods the last thing I worry about is if I have enough shell to kill a bird at 40+ if needed.Like every other sport it pays to have the numbers stacked in your favor.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Heck anyone can get that many in a to inch circle at 40 yards. 250 - 300 how many you want. All I need is a box of shells.... and let me at it I can get as many in there as you need. :D:D

Seriously, I haven't got out to pattern yet. Its good to have an Idea what to go for. I'm not going to be buying a bunch of new chokes so I'll live with what i get. I'm also hoping not to have to buy to many boxes of ammo. But I know I will to get something I like.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Pellets per ounce (from chart of manufacturer)
#4 = 107 per ounce
#5 = 180 per ounce
#6 = 270 per ounce
#7 = 342 per ounce

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Well, it sounds as if you want to get it right the first time, so let me recommend this combo: 4x5x7 Nitros and a Jelly Head .660 choke. Sure, you'll pay $130 for 25 shells but you'll be set for a few years and the Jelly Head will run $40 tops. If you shoot 7 of the Nitros per year they'll last you 3 years. That's $40'ish per year if you break it down. I'll guarantee you that you'll spend more than that if you buy 2 or 3 boxes of ammo per year trying to find that load that'll shoot just a little better than before. I'll also guarantee you that you won't find another shell that'll shoot any better either. You'll go broke trying to beat it.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Those nitro shells have a pretty neet idea about them. They put 4's, 5's & 7's in the shell. And hevi-shot for the 7's. Kind of how Federal has those heavy weight mag-shok in 7's. They get away with using 7's because they use a hevi-shot type load.

It sounds like they are using the 7's as a buffer, so its a buffer and a killer at the same time.

One guy counted 22 #4 pellets, 81 #5 pellets and 382 #7 pellets for a total of 495 pellets in the shell.

But for me 10-16 in the head and neck at 50yds is plenty for me. Thats with federal fliteconrol 3.5", 5's. I can't really afford those nitro's. But I would love to give them a try. :)

Take a look at this web-site they did some testing with those nitro's

http://www.jesseshunting.com/article...gory14/11.html

RE: shotgun pattern
 

If you've got ducks I'd gladly drive down there in the winter and let you shoot the gun yourself :D

I put a 2-7x32 scope on the gun two springs ago and haven't missed a bird with it since. In the spring of 2006 I shot a bird at 18 yards and nearly took his head off. Took another one at about 25 and a third at 35. Only shot one with the bow last spring. Having the scope helps a lot with close shots I suspect. That and having the bird hold still for a second.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

I've got ducks, but not like it used to be. You know the story I'm sure. Swamp, you going blind man. Only old blind people use scopes to hunt turkeys.:D

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Thank you for confirmation...:)

One thing that I failed to point out that I believe Simp pointed out in a later post from my first one on this thread is that those high pellet hit counts in a 10" circle are coming from shells that are using smaller shot such as #6 and #7. Several of the guys over on NWTF are using the Nitro shells and several are not. There is a lot of debate on whether #7 is too small to do the job from 40 plus yards away (but that is a debate for a different thread)! If you want a such a tight pattern, you can achieve a 300 pellet count pattern from 40 yards away with the correct shell and choke. If you would like to see a picture, I am sure that either Simp or I can provide you a link, as I believe Simp goes by the same name on the NWTF website (I use r33h on the NWTF website, too). Hopefully I am not wrongfully speaking for you Simp, but I don't think we would have a problem providing a link to a pic.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Not a problem at all! I'll see if I can find a link to a couple of pictures.

Here's one that's pretty impressive. http://www.nwtf.org/message_board/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=shotguns&Number=41 2666&page=3&view=collapsed&sb=5&o= 0&fpart=


And another. This one is absolutely mind boggling!
http://www.nwtf.org/message_board/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=shotguns&Number=41 2282&page=5&view=collapsed&sb=5&o= 0&fpart=

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Pellets per ounce (from chart of manufacturer)
#4 = 107 per ounce
#5 = 180 per ounce
#7 = 342 per ounce

Nitro's breakdown in the shell is 25% - #4, 25% - #5, and 50% - #7

So in a 2 oz load of 4X5X7's....There are approximately
#4=54
#5=190
#7=342....Total 586 pellets+-.

Therefore 50% of the pellet count is # 7's. This will give one more holes in paper, but what does it do for extended range, since # 7 loose there energy much quicker that the larger pellets???

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Well, I guess it is common sense, almost twice as many pelletswill give you twice as many hits. That is a good question though. Will the 7's have an impact on a 50yard shot? Of course on paper they do. At close range, it really doesn't matter. I'll stick with my Rem. hevis and HD's.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Same here.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

But we're talking about Hevishot, not lead. A Hevishot pellet has roughly the same amount of energy at any given distance as a lead pellet 2 sizes bigger. In other words, a #7 Hevishot pellet has the same amount of energy as a #5 lead pellet. That's one of the biggest pro's of Hevishot. You can get away with shooting a smaller pellet and still haveenough downrange energy to kill.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Hey that 7x magnification is a requirement on them 30 yard shots!

I leave it on 2x. Honestly I wanted a 1-4x but the shop I was at didn't have one, and I liked the 2-7x. The fiber optic sights that came standard on the gun would not adjust the pattern down far enough. I would of had to shoot at the bottom tip of a birds beard to center punch the head with the pattern. That was the main reason behind the scope. With removable rings, it was pulling double duty as a turkey and muzzleloader scope... went out and bought another one like it for the smoke pole :D

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Yeah, best I could get from my Moss500 w/undertaker choke shooting Remington Nitro #4(lead) was 26 at a 9" paper plate at 40 yds. Since I don't intend on shooting any birds farther than 35yds i'd say this is enough and I'm too cheap to keep buying chokes and $3 shells just for fun,but hey that's me I know a lot on you find this hobby a lot of fun!

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Yep.

How about that second picture/link you posted up Simp....

I'm telling you, when it comes to nasty turkey guns you cannot stop the 10 gauge. Its like a deaf mute in the Miss America contest.... unbeatable. Thats why so many of us shoot 835s with those over bored 10 gauge barrels...

I've been on the range with a few guys I know that shoot 10 gauges, and one of them really stands out. That gun, I am confident, would put over 100 hits in a 10" at 65 yards, perhaps even 70. He has told me of what the gun can do, and says he has killed birds out to 70 with it. He's not really the kinda guy who needs to exaggerate. He uses a Rhino and Nitro's himself. Nasty nasty combination.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Why even shoot a turkey out to 65 70 yards whats the excitment you should just bring a 30-30 or 30-06 out if you want to shoot that far thats just my opinion. but any way back to the point at 40 yards im happy with 30 hits head and neck

RE: shotgun pattern
 

It is better to have and not need, that to need and not have. A tight shooting gun will almost always give you the option, if needed, to take a bird out past 40 yards.

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Aw man, some of those guys with the 10 gauges shooting the Rhino/Nitro combination can put well over 300 pellets in the 10 at 40. Most of the good ones are in the 350-400 count. That's crazy!

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Haha call me unethical I guess but I will be out there with an old westernfield 12gaugeshotgun w/ modified barrell and whatever shells(probably winchester)I can pick up from wal-mart a couple days before season or whatever they got leftand will have no worries!
Gd Luck guys!!

RE: shotgun pattern
 

I wouldn't say that you're unethical. Living dangerous maybe. He'll have to be so close that if you miss you have a good chance of getting spurred!:D

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Now here is a man on a soap box....

Save your preaching son. You are talking a man who has spent hundreds of dollars and countless hours in pursuit of a gun that will kill at 60 yards, and the same man won't shoot them until they are inside of 35. A hell of a lot of sense I make don't I? ;)

RE: shotgun pattern
 

Dude you ruined it for me... I thought for sure you were a serious turkey hunter