I waded through several pages of this thread and managed to learn something. Thanks to Brad and Todd for posting your patterns and experience.

first, you are the one that put yourself in this thread. none of us did nor would we have.
second, our problem is not with any individual person, it is with people who think they can consistently kill birds at 75 yards without a good killing pattern. yes you have killed 3 birds at that distance (your own claim). but just because you did does not mean that you will not wound everyone hereafter that you attempt to kill at that range. because your pattern is not tight enough to consistently put pellets in that tiny brain/spine kill zone.
third, there is no need to see our side. we know you aint going to because you have demonstrated no will to. you are obviously an old timer that has managed to get lucky a couple of times so that has turned into being fact in your mind. you refuse to think (as do most old timers) that younger people can not know more than you or that they know what they are talking about. I do see your side and I still think it is wrong. your set up is not a 100% at 75 yards. the only guns that will be 100 at 75 yards are the ones that can put 100/10 and do so with a shot that retains 1.25 KE per pellet(1.25 is accepted as the minimum needed to break skull and spine)

I agree his set up is prob not 100% at 75 yards 100% is something in hunting that rarely is achieved but also don't fully buy in to the 100/10 rule as the be all end all that is just a number someone came up with and if u choose to follow as a personal guideline I think that's great. But put 50 pellets inside that same 10 inch circle and you will really struggle to place a turkey head in that circle without killing it.

big deal
 

so far, by reading much of the blog, a couple of things seems to have been lost, one, very little science and or reliable evidence has been brought forth, mostly useless opinions with not much to back it up, the second problem here have you all turned into a bunch of killers and forgotten about the fun of hunting, any idiot can kill a turkey at nearly 50 yds., like just shoot one out the pickup window. this should be about skill and getting close, not how far away you can get. enjoy the hunt, the turkey is not you enemy for gosh sacks that has to be exterminated

cheers

That is a valid point and I don't think the essence of this argument. If we where all trying to only shoot at close range shells chokes guns ect are irrelevant then why spend 5 dollars a shell or worry abt patterns. I willingly admit birds i have shot at 50 yards I hunted just as hard and enjoyed just as much as 15 yards. Many of us hunt different areas where birds aren't as plentiful or are short on time and like to have the option of shooting 50 yards when that may be the only opportunity of the season to no fault of the hunters ability.

Well first I want to show this video since I said I would after we called it truce.

http://vimeo.com/42852216

Technically you probably could get by on 80 in the 10" at any distance, but the NWTF made the 100 in the 10" claim to take the conservative approach to having an efficient pattern to kill at any distance.

Have any of you ever shot your gun at 75 yards or have a pic to display how "aweful" your patterns become at 60plus yards

That's a cool video those guys are lucky they didn't get shot.

I have shot to 60 yards bg. And the patterns with even heavy shot, which will stomp lead shot in the dirt when it comes to pattern density, had diminished to the point that moving to 75 would have been a complete waste of shells. I could perhaps get a minimally acceptable pattern with Hevi-13 7's at 60 yards. Maybe? But I would not trust 7's to penetrate and kill at such a range. Starting at 40 yards you are going to lose close to half your pattern density for every 10 yards beyond that you go. If the density level has dropped below acceptable levels at 60 yards why go farther?