Adrian J Hare

After the thread that JW got rid of and having Brad's opinion on 50 and 60 yard shots I thought I would take a couple shots at these ranges to have it on paper. As for his numbers I have Hunted, Guided, and been involved with the turkey thing for over 20 years and since the change over with the large organisation I do not keep up with anything said. When it comes to turkey guns I pattern more then most that I know and am always testing. I never have intended to shoot at turkeys over 40 yards but in the past few years it seems the pressure is so bad in my home area that if you get a bird in close that's the first few days in my areas and after that 40 yards seems to be the closes shots. Most public land tend to have the same problem and the issue is not that I can't call because I have spent time on the stage with some of the biggest names now in the industry in the USA.

Dencity is the most important in my books and being that I can only use 4-5-6's in turkey loads I do not deal with #7 at all so I do not deal with them at all.

I also only shoot a 20 gauge and if you are not updated on the size of turkey loads you only have a payload of 1 1/4 oz of shot. I shoot the Hevi 13 - 3in - #6 - 1 1/4oz Impossible to get the numbers that have been floating around this forum from 12 gauge opinions. On another hand there is a number that should be in the area of the head and having some hit the vertebrae and head of the bird to take down the bird. The question is "will your gun do it " every shot. Some may not want to shoot at these ranges but at times we all misjudge distances and its nice to know that max range.

I went out to the range and shot a few shells and this is what I came up with.

50 Yards




60 yards - shot 2 targets and they were both the same count.

14 ga

went to the range today, using a beretta o/u 28ga. flush mount x full choke shooting a duplex 7 and 7.5's in copper. my 30 yd. target looks like your 50 yd. and my 35 yard is just a pinch better than you 60 yd. at 40 yd. at least 1/2 the birds i would hit in the head and neck would run off being hit about 6 times someplace. haven't tried the hevy stuff as i lack the wad to protect the barrel. tomorrow will try shooting nickel shot. anyway, what i came away with, at 35 yards, a dead turkey and at 40 a wounded one. just for whatever

cheers

JW

And for Clarification sake.

The Hevi shot threads are NOT deleted but where moved to be edited. I don't delete posts and if there is a probelm I do contact the person responsible.
Yes there is some good information in those threads.
But there is also so alot of crap and bashing and by several posters.

Be warned if this thread also goes south the guilty will go with it!

Dave.....JW

maytom

Well Adrian, look's like your gun is a 50 yarder for sure!!!!!

Topgun 3006

***I would agree with that comment if all 50 yard shot patterns look like that. However, the 60 yard pattern is certainly not one that should be used on a turkey, as I don't feel there are even enough shot in the entire paper to bother counting or think about killing a bird consistently out that far as it appears that there are only 3 or 4 pellets that actually hit the brain and/or vertebrae on that target, so the number 14 on his target is rather deceiving. IMHO those two targets certainly show what Brad and I were discussing when you have a decent pattern at a certain distance and then increase the distance by 5-10 yards. I also think that the test that 14ga. mentioned in his post also proves that. It's absolutely amazing when you do tests like that and see what a huge difference there is in a pattern with only a 5-10 yard increase in distance! However, I would have to say that if his pattern isn't much better at 35 yards than the 60 yard target Adrian posted that the distance on that gun should be kept to 30 yards for a guaranteed kill---just my opinion though.

Brad C.

Well if memory serves me right going off of what I seen of your patterns before that were right around a 150 avg at 40yds with that same gun, choke and load, I can't for the life of me going off of my years of personal patterning experience see how you could only lose 100 shot going from 40yds to 60yds. The exact same thing can be said from 40yds to 50yds and only losing 50 shot. That would be like saying if your gun shot a 250 30yd pattern you should be able to post a 200 shot pattern at 40yds. I don't know a 20GA out there than can do this with that same load regardless of the choke.

Topgun 3006

***I would have to agree. I think the comment by Adrian himself as to the pellet count in his 1 1/4 oz load being so low compared to a 12 gauge shows that his gun is nowhere near a 60 yard gun and the target he posted at that distance proves it! I'd sure want a lot more pellets in the head/neck than what that picture shows to be shooting at a live bird with it.

Brad C.

That's why there are very few true 50yd 20GA killers with Hevi-13 #6 loads.

It's gonna take TSS handloads to make a 20GA a 60yd killer.

JW

Very good comments gentlemen time to move on.

JW

Mr. Longbeard

For a 20ga not bad... I've actually thought about getting a 20ga for turkey hunting...