I ve hunted with my 870 for 14 years I purchased a hastings xtra full when i got the gun and i use winchester turkey loads ..black box, always have , and i will shoot against any 3 and a half gun any day ........... good luck with your gun and season

my 870 likes the undertaker taker turkey choke and hevi shot #6s

Get the tightest choke for that gun and experiment on different loads that will at least put 3 pellets on the head or neck at 30 yards, shooting on paper. You'll be surprised some of the inexpensive shells do better than others. Not shooting anything more than 30 yards will up your percentage on clean kills. At this range or closer it should be either a clean kill or a clean miss.

pattern
 

with all these chokes patterning so tight it makes it easy to miss. some kind of aftermarket sights would be a good idea. Due to getting older I went with a scope -drilled & tapped a 870 mag express for a weaver mount. 2.5 weaver cabelas shotgun scope hevi shot choke & # 4 hevi shot killed my last turkey at 53 yards.

No doubt about that.

While it can be a pain... I've started carrying a Modified choke tube along with me in my vest. If I end up setting up in an area where my shots will be inside 25-30 yards (because I cannot see any farther), I will typically put the Mod choke in.

Every turkey I have ever missed has been inside of 15 yards. They aren't very sportsmanlike most of the time... and you are for the most part shooting a rifle when they are within 60 feet of you with your super tight turkey whompers.

Here are some samples.although maybe not something you'd consider. We were testing H-13 7's this day. holes in paper are one thing but penetration tests on other material revealed very nice results up to 50 yards. I love 870's myself and shoot them often.




Head hunter .650 30 yards in a 10"
H-13 7'S- 392
Fed HW 7's- 262

Headhunter .650 40 yards in a 10"
H-13 7'S- 288
Fed HW 7's- 255

Headhunter .650 50 yards in a 10"
H-13 7's- 145
Fed HW 7's- 127

Jellyhead .660 50 yards in a 10"
H-13 7's- 179

Now for the finale

Headhunter .650 60 yards in a 10"
H-13 7'S- 113

Jellyhead .660 60 yards in a 10"
H-13 7's- 126












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