Why use #7 shot or have it in a blend?
 

I understand that #7 shot spreads out slightly faster but personally I don't want it in my shotgun for turkeys. Any load on the market will kill a turkey out to 40 yards with todays guns arent we using the high dollar shell to give us that extra 5-10 yards? If I am shooting a bird at 50 + yards I want the full alotment of 4s 5s or 6s my personal choice is 5 hevi shot. 7 shot is not helping your load at all out past 40 or so yards simply doesnt retain the KE. you can put 200 pellets in the neck at 30 yards thats great but 75 does the same thing. I see so many guys going to the Magnum Blends or str8 7 shot based solely on patterns and thinking little about the energy behind that smaller shot this seems like your not making your set up any more lethal and actually less lethal at longer ranges. I would rather have 2oz of #5s than 1 0z of 5s and 1 oz of 7s based on the principal of the 7 shot is doing nothing beyond 40-50 yards and your now relying on less of the larger shot to still pattern well.

A lot of turkey hunters won't take a shot past 40 yards, let alone 50+.

That might have something to do with it.

Then any turkey load on the market will kill a turkey 100% of the time with todays modern 12 gauges making shot size shell length ect completely irrelavant.

Not sure I follow that logic at all.

-If some hunters don't take shots at turkeys out past 40 yards

-Then, any 12ga turkey load will kill a turkey 100% of the time

Is this regardless of distance? Shot placement? Unobstructed shooting lane? Pattern, etc.?

If a hunter sets a personal limitation of 40 yards then the load or shot size he chooses is irrelavant all modern 12 gauge turkey loads will kill a turkey 100% of the time at 40 yards and and in. I spend 40 dollar a box or more for hevi shot to shoot past 40 yards. If I hit a turkey with 75 pellets or 175 pellets at 30 yards the result is identical.

My logic was 5 shot kills a turkey just as dead at 30-40 yards as 7 shot. but if by chance you misjudge a distance by 10 yards wouldnt you rather have the full load of the larger shot size.

If your limit is truly 40 yards save your money and buy some Wally world Remington Nitro lead #6s they will kill every turkey just as dead as any of the high dollar loads at close range. My point was simply I thought many turkey hunters where going to these specialized loads to give them that extra 10 yards or bail them out on a misjudged yardage. Using this logic small shot ie #7 is adding little value to the load.

Keep in mind I'm not faulting anyone for choosing a high dollar load or limiting themself to 40 yards just trying to understand the thinking behind the small shot size such as #7. I am struggling to grasp the concept other than it spreads out faster giving you a little wider patter at close range while still retaining pattern density. Personally I found much more value in having a full compliment of larger shot at 50 yards than small shot at 15 yards.

FWIW, I think the high dollar "game specific" loads are more of a marketing ploy than anything else.

If a cheaper shell patterns as well as the high dollar shell at the same distances that you're testing them at, then I see no reason to shell out more money for the game specific (i.e. turkey) loads.

As for small shot vs. larger shot, you really can't take the choke out of the mix either. Depending on what kind of gun you're shooting and what choke you're throwing shot through, #7's or a mix with #7's could pattern better than a straight #4-5 etc.

It's a pretty subjective topic, but I believe most people could kill turkeys within 40 yards with most any 12ga shell out there, assuming a well-placed shot and a decent pattern.

hevi shot aint lead and 7s out pattern 5s. you speak of smaller shot pattern falling apart faster. well lets see your 40 yard pattern that puts 250-350 in a 10 inch circle. 7s have way more than enough energy to kill past 40 yards.

I'm not sure I'd want to count on 7 or 7.5s in a single load if lead shot is all we are talking about in an all purpose turkey gun. (But even then, I'm sure with a tight choke and inside of 40yds it WOULD kill with reasonable expectations!) But with heavier than lead loads and todays technology in guns, loads and chokes all of the sudden smaller than normal shot becomes "doable". I've shot Nitro loads from "Nitro Ray" in MO, along with his Rhino tubes for over 10 years! My favored load for "longer range" turkey hunting is his 3.5" triplex nitro load of 2.25oz 4x5x7 built specifically for my 835 Ultimag. That gun and load puts 12+ pellets on a Coke can at 65yds. I've got an 870 Supermag with Nitros and a Rhino tube that I've killed at over 60yds with as well!

Why shoot a turkey at 65yds? Well it's just like a long range deer rifle... for certain situations. I don't always carry this gun in the timber. But anywhere I might hunt alot of pastures, mature hardwoods or roads, lanes, gas lines, power line ROWs etc... THATs why I put this gun together over a decade ago (it has a red dot on it as well, simply can't shoot that far with bead sights). For 20yrs I hunted a large cattle ranch in the southern MO Ozarks and the conditions were very open so longer distances were just all you had sometimes. Honestly, inside of 50yds I'd just as soon be carrying my Winchester 1300 Featherweight, 21" barrel with a Jellyhead tube and a 3" load of copperplated 6s or any of the supermetal, heavier than lead rounds out there today. That gun carries alot better and easier than any other of my shotguns. (I have a BPS that lays them in there pretty well also, but I 90% of my turkey hunting is done with either my ancient 835 "rattle trap" or the 1300Featherweight I've had since I was a teen in the 80s)

7s "fill" the pattern very well and especially in the case of heavier than lead materials, they still retain ALOT of killing power. There is appx 100 more pellets in 1oz of lead 7s vs an ounce of 6s! For kids/women wanting to turkey hunt, I tell you what you can outfit a 20ga with a great choke, a quality #7 nitro or equivalent load and ANY turkey within 40yds is going to have a might rough day if they cross paths with that gun! ;)

40yds used to be the gold standard for judging turkey guns and for alot of folks it's the limit on range. But with todays technology it's yesterdays 30yds! "50 is the new 40" but ONLY if the hunter first does his part and spends the money and time properly outfitting and testing his gun, loads and chokes. IMHO a guns distance limit is reached when it can no longer, 100%, put at a minimum half a dozen shots in the head of a turkey target. Whatever that distance proves to be, I then back that distance up 5yds and lable that gun at that distance.

Now before anyone asks, I'm ONLY talking about max distances under proper conditions. Open, clean areas only. 65yds through timber, leaves, logs and brush is NOT ethical!!! If you can't DIRT ROLL that tom at the first shot then you have NO business taking that shot in the first place... :fighting0007:

First off I'm gonna blow your theories out of the water. And since you mentioned the magblends I know your talking about Hevi-13 loads and #7's in those loads spreading out faster. First off I shoot Hevi-13 3.5" 2.25oz #7's in my Moss 835 and Star Dot choke. And this pattern here should prove at a tape measured 40yds that they don't spread out faster.



Now let's blow your other theory to heck when you say 7's don't have the kinetic energy out past 40yds. I shot this bird right at 50yds. But it was'nt with my 835. I shot it with my 870 3" with Hevi-13 3" 2oz #7's and let me just show you the damage those little shot did that remember your words lack kinetic enery at this distance.

But first let me show you a picture of how the box of 7's was shooting out of my 870 and MAD Super Max .675 choke to help you see what kind of pattern slammed into that bird. That bird by the way was a 24lb gobbler. This was a 10" and 20" circle. There's over 500 shot inside that 20" circle which is simply amazing if you know anything at all about patterning these loads.



Now here's the damage.

Keep in mind this one below was the side I shot him on. I aimed at the bottom of the neck once he got close enough I knew I could kill him I shot since I was hunting public ground and I know how easily another hunter could mess my hunt up.






I would say a lot of shot that hit the neck were complete pass throughs. Try that with lead #5's at 50yds and let me know the outcome.

Now here's the other side of the breast that some shot went all the way through and out this side.



And if that gobbler could speak, he would tell you those Hevi-13 #7's are one bad momma.