I've seen more round heads a foot and a half or 2 off the ground than anything else. While I don't see the harm in what your doing, its all a gimmick, theres money in them choke tubes and fancy loads.... Guys have been shootin turkeys with fixed choke guns and winchester loads without issues for years, but thats not good enough with the gimmick guys, haven't spent enough for it to be truly effective... The can a good representative of the head casue most guys dont miss turkeys cause they didnt pattern there gun, its cause they are not used to shooting at something that size against a dark background thats moving. I know your tryin to make a point, but your gettin too caught up in something thats been blown all out of proportion so that someone can make a whole buncha money. Go shoot a can, if you tear a can in half at 35 yards... It'll kill a turkey... the number of pellets in a circle is good if the wads fly the exact same with every shot, which isn't going to happen. Shooting with a ported choke tube will change this too.

Agree with the tight pattern remark RR - fully and that is why I strongly recomend a pair of those clamp on True Glo sites. I use the ones that allow for windage and elevation.

Why - with today's chokes and tight patterns you actually are shooting a bird shot slug IMO.
The sights force you to keep your head down, if you have done your homework you know once you put that bead on your aiming spot and the distance is correct - you ain't missin'!

JW

It's surprising how different folks' opinion can be on the importance of shot, chokes, etc.

To me, it isn't over-rated.... in fact, it's foolish to suggest otherwise. Todays custom guns and loads have proven to be FAR more than hype.

This pattern was fired from a T/C Encore Pro Hunter 12, an Indian Creek- Black Diamond Strike choke, topped with a TRU Glo Gobble Stopper red dot and shooting 3", 2oz Magnum Blend Hevi-13 loads.

Whats most impressive.... is this pattern, even though just a bit to the right,... was fired by my 9 year old son... from 40 yards!

I had the tru glo magnum gobbler dot sights but took them back when I got my new turkey barrel, it already an adjustable tru glo sight on it.

Your making my point right here. If you pattern your gun you will know what kind of pattern you shoot everytime. There might be a variance each time, but you will know what the variance is and adjust your tactics from there.
If you shoot a can you know you hit a can and thats it.

Nothing gimmicky about patterning your gun. Heck you can shoot 1/2oz of #9's out of an old .410 choked skeet, but you should still pattern it to figure out what your max range should be.


Ridge Runner; While I dont agree with the way you go about patterning, it is effective, you know what your pattern will do, and you can set your maximum and minimum effective ranges this way. So two thumbs up!