Turkey shells 3" or 3.5"
 

Which she'll do you prefer for turkey hunting?
3" or 3.5" and which brand and shot size?

3 inch, while my gun takes 31/2 inch, I see no need for them.

I'm with Oldtimer. I just don't find the need for the 3 1/2. Heck, I still hunt ducks with 2 3/4.

Forgot the other part of your question. I use Hevi Shot Mag Blend.

I actually went to 2 3/4. But do use 3 inch at times too.

3.5 inch didn't kill them any deader than a 3 inch. I couldn't see the benefit for using them. A Pro was 3 inch was cheaper.

JW

I don't have a 3 1/2 gun. 3" has proven effective w/various loads, so I won't change.
Currently have 3" Winchester Supreme 1 5/8 oz. #6. Not done w/load experimentation.

I have very limited turkey hunting experience with only four birds to my name (one each with a .32 S&W revolver and a 308.rifle and two with a 3" 12 Ga and Federal copper-plated #6's). I now have picked up a 12 ga which turned out to have a 3 1/2" chamber and I'm thinking of using the long shell with larger (#4 or5) pellets to retain the pellet count with more mass per pellet than the smaller shell. Any thoughts? Oh, and yes, handguns and rifles are legal for Rio Grande Turkey in Texas but not Eastern turkeys.

You are better off with #6 shot than #4 or 5 if you gun is patterning well. Shotguns kill with multiple wounds and there is more shot in a #6 shell than in a #4 or 5.

I use mostly #6s and once in a while #5s in my old Model 1200 Winchester that I bought new in 1967 and it has a 2 3/4" chamber. Last year I bought a box of the new Winchester 3" Longbeard loads in #5s and shot a bird with the Benelli I keep up here for my buddy that lives in FL. Both kill a bird deader than dead at 40 yards and with the pattern the Benelli puts out I could kill one a lot further, but I choose to try an bring them in closer.

Killed a many with my "old" cheapo Savage Fox Model B SBS, 30" full. Several years ago I used years of service award to by a Benelli Nova pump that handles up to 3.5" shells. I tried a few of the 3.5" shells including some of those high dollar shoulder crusher loads. Not for me. The Remington 3" Magnum, copper plated lead No.5 shot group the best out of my set up and have done fine as far as killing.

I use 3" to save my shoulder.

Look up the recoil table compiled by Chuck Hawks - the force (in ft/lbs) for a 10 ga is almost equivalent to dangerous big game loads used for elephants; the force from a 3.5 shell in 12 ga is similar. I've harvested birds at almost 60 yds with 3" 6-shot, I don't want or need to go further...

My 10yo son is shooting 3" from his Weatherby 20 ga.

I use Winchester shells, son will be using Hevishot Magnum 4,6,7 blend this spring. I'll be trying the Hevishot from a new choke before hitting the woods.

I use Hevi Shot Mag Blend, and I shoot 3 1/2 shells, so far this is the best pattern I've been able to get out of my gun, but I haven't tried TSS shot (yet). I know a lot of people think the bigger shells are overkill, but the recoil doesn't bother me.

I use an older Benelli SBE and run 3 1/2" Hevishot Magnum 4,6,7 blend. Nothing lives at 40 yds. Hard on the shoulder especially with a 6 pound non gas operated Benelli without the new recoil mitigation stock.

Sounds like you're a glutton for punishment CI!

Yeah, I'm going to have to get me some of that tri-plex shot. Hevi-shot is currently offering up to a $20 discount on shot purchased through the end of June, fwiw.

$20 discount huh! I'm now using the newer Winchester Extended range 3" shells and they didn't even cost $20 a box! :eek2:

I hear you. Bismuth is also cheaper by the price/box count. Midway has some hevi shot that cost about $13 per single box of 5 w/rebate. That type of metal plus the payload weight plus profit does make it pricey. I'll try one or two boxes just to see how it performs. I don't like said prices and it won't become a habit.

Without a rebate the loads I use are about 5 bucks a shot. Way too much money but seeing how I only use one or two per year depending on if I try to fill the second tag not a bad price to pay for the performance of a bang flop at any normal turkey range. The Hevishot Magnum 4,6,7 blend is the best I have ever patterned out of my Benelli by a mile.

I've heard similar reviews of that load. That's one of the reasons I'd like to try it. Besides, once you've used a product you can give true reports to other potential users, like you just did. Nothing like first hand experience.

Found my Winchester Supreme 12 Ga, 1200FPS - 3" #4 copper plated lead on a end of the sale for 10 rounds for 12.99 a box and bought the whole dang shelf. I am set for the rest of my lifetime!

Good out to 55 yards consistently in my SP11-87 - Cantlever 21" barrel with a Hastings
Choke and a Nikon Monarch Turkey Pro scope which is about 30 - 35 more yards than I really need.

JW

JW---IMHO Winchester is making the best loads there is for the money when you see the prices these other brands are priced at and they are more than comparable in their performance from what I'm seeing with my own eyes both on targets and live birds!

How much deader does it make them?

I shoot the 3.5" mostly due to number of pellets and how they pattern in my SBEII. I sometimes carry my ol' 870 and shoot 3" shells in it. I've tried some 3" in my SBEII and found that the increased payload of the 3.5" just patterned better. No real reason for why, they just do.

I said I would never use 3.5" shells and now I am eating those words.

I have a 835 with Indian creek choke and my pattern at 40 yards is just devastating with 3.5" hevi shot mag blend 5, 6 ,7's. The patterns I was getting where the best I have ever gotten. Not to mention I tested them out to 60 yrds and it would be dead bird easily, but I don't see myself shooting much over 40 yrds because too much can go wrong.

I first started with 3" mag blend, Longbeards, 3.5" Double X and 3" supremes. and the patterns all had alot of holes in it at 30yrds except the longbeards they are just too tight for my liking when you shoot 20yrds and under and they did pattern really well at 40yrds. but with the longbeard at close ranges if you happen to flinch or the turkey moves just at you are shooting you have a good chance of missing. That is way I choose the Mag blend instead of the longbeards but at long ranges the longbeards really throw some nice patterns


Yes the 3.5" Kicked hard but at the range is the only place you will really notice it anytime I have shot at a turkey or deer for that matter I never feel the recoil of the gun.

Dead is dead. I use what works best and the pattern on that particular load is incredible. Just like when I elk hunt I make sure to use a premium bullet. A lesser grade bullet will still kill the elk but when I am hunting something like that I always use the best setup I can as an added level of insurance and the confidence that I am doing all I can to be successful. Even though my turkey setup has been patterned out to 60 yds I limit my shots to 40 and under. I echo the previous post. I have run several boxes of shells from various companies with many different loads and the 3 1/2" hevishot blend is the best out of my SBE.

I will be using 3 inch Remington Premier Magnum Turkey Loads loaded to the Max. in number 5 shot. Unless they do not pattern very good then I will go back Winchester Supreme # 6 shot. I decided to try and switch because I picked up one heck of a deal on them. I picked up a box of 10 for $8.99 regular $15.17 so I bought all they had which was not very much as they were going off the shelf fast. Last year a warden that was checking me out told me that #6 shot was to lite.. I laughed at him and told him I had just shot and tagged one yesterday and it did pretty good. Besides that the law here states shot sizes 4 threw 6 were only allowed turkey hunting.

3 in is all I have used. My turkey gun is an old Win pump and it won't take 3.5 inch shells. Never had a problem taking turkeys, ducks and geese with it. heck i even used it on Tundra Swan in NC once and it dumped that bird just fine.

I'm a fan of Hevi-shot. I first shot it as Rem. Hevi-shot 3" no.4. It was great stuff. I tried some Wingmaster HD 3" #6. bang-flop-dead. When I ran some Hevi-shot mag blend through my gun (Win 1300), not so great.

Currently, I'm using 3" Win Supreme #5. (copper coated lead) through a Comp-N-Choke XX-Full tube. That is a mean combination on my bird buster. Next year I wanna try the Longbeard XR.

I bought a box of Longbeard XR #5 3" shells for less than $20 for a box of ten last year for the Bennelli I keep up here in MI for my FL buddy. I took it out to the range and shot it one time and couldn't believe the tight pattern it delivered. I shot a bird last year at about 40 yards or a little further and it knocked him down and out like it was at 10 yards. I have to stay with their 2 3/4" Super X Turkey loads for my Winchester Model 1200 after they discontinued the XXs in 2 3/4" and they do well for me in that gun with a Carlsons choke. However, when my buddy isn't up here hunting with me I'll be using that camo Benelli with the 3" XRs.

Anybody say; "call them in close & shoot them in the head yet ?"

Yea; you just did! :barmy:

I'm amazed I have ever gotten a big old tom with my Model 37 feather lite with 2 3/4 in shells and # 6 shot. Never realized you needed such heavy artillery to kill a turkey.
I guess that is what I get for being old never had those big ammo pieces when I started hunting.

:D Al