dochunter418

I just installed new Tru Glo fiber optic sights on my new Remington 887 12 guage shotgun. I have a question about patterning. I also installed a Jelly Head Turkey choke but I need to sight it in and pattern it. What is the best way to do this? That is, how far away do I set up the target and how tight of a pattern do I need to have for a successful turkey hunt?

Whitetailmadness

Put your first target at 20-25 yds and take a single shot on an actual picture turkey target and count how many pellets fall into the kill zone being the neck and head. Move the target out in 5 yard incraments and follow the same counting as in the first shot. Mark each target with the number of pellets,the yardage, the brand and shot size of the shell used. Optimal pellet counts should be somwhere in the relm of no less than 10-12 pelets in the "zone". You'll see the numbers drop as you extend the range. This should be done with at least a couple if not several different brands of ammo and different loads to see which patterns best. Once you've gotten out to a particular yardage and the numbers are no longer there you'll know what your limitations are. To make it a bit quicker you can set two targets out at the same yardage and try different load on each then move out from there. You may want to even try mounting a red dot scope and try it,but thats a matter of shooter preferance. Myself I'll never use anyhing other than a scoped gun now after having shot with open sights. Good luck

rlpsystems

good advice whitetail you get one yet? This rain were getting has me sitting at home!

SecondChance

Great tips WTM. Another piece of equipment that many don't have but is very welcomed after a few shells is a lead sled by Caldwell. They are invaluable at times like this where you are shooting many HEAVY recoiling shells in a short time. Have a few buddies who turkey hunt and shoot large bore rifles also? Get one split the price. Well worth the money.

Bernie P.

I always start at 30yds aiming at a 2" bull.You want an even distribution of the pellets.Keep trying loads/chokes to find the best and max range.Good luck!

Whitetailmadness

No bird yet. Been out two days and opening day was so foggy that visibility was at best 50 yards and never heard a single bird. Had one hen slip past. Second day was beautiful with plenty of birds sounding off till they hit the ground and two toms slipped in behind us without a peep. We got busted. Today was bring the wife back from the hospital and so much rain I wouldnt have gone even if she hadnt been there.

Whitetailmadness

Yeah alot of folks will use them especially when shooting a gun such as mine in a 3 1/2 inch magnum. This is another "peferance" point in which is upto the shooter. I choose not to use one but rather pattern in the same manner as I would be in a hunt situation. Sitting free or against a tree or the shooting bench. I think if one shoots a sled for patterning then they'll be a bit apprehensive without while in the field. Again thats a matter of preferance

keyshunter

Dochunter,
Assuming that the sights you installed are adjustable, it is very important that you adjust them for center of impact. I don't worry very much about pattern density until I have accomplished this. A turkey shotgun is used more like a rifle than a traditional shotgun, so I begin at about 25 yards with a spot on a large sheet of paper so that I can estimate center of pattern. It doesn't hurt to check pattern density while doing this, but that is not my major concern. After I am happy with the sighting, I check point of impact at MUCH closer distance, since the pattern is pretty small up close. It will easily completely remove the head, or just as easily be a complete (or partial)miss. I ALWAYS use a bench rest and a movable target frame for this sighting, as well as checking patterns at various ranges.

bornagain64

I start out at about 20 yds with dove loads and shoot at a red dot, 2" red circle. I adjust my poa, point of aim, with my poi, point of impact. You should pretty much blow the whole red dot away.
Then I switch to my turkey loads and move back to 30 yds, I shoot at a large peice of cardboard 50" x 50" or 50" circle, with a red dot in the center. After I shoot, I will check to make sure the densest part of the pattern is centered over the red dot, you can do this by drawing a 10" circle and counting pellets, or just eye ball it. Once I have poa and my poi over the red dot, I move out to 40 yards.

At 40yds I will use the big peice of cardboard, but I put an actual turkey head target in the middle. I also put a red dot on the neck of the turkey. After you take a shot, count the pellets in the head and neck, remove the turkey target and check the pattern on the large peice of cardboard, most of your pattern, densest part, should be where you where aiming. There are a lot of things that can affect your pattern, weather, how many shots you take, shells and choke combo. I saw a dramatic difference in my patterns after I polished my barrel.
John