daffyjeffy

Hi everyone. I bought a used Rem 870 Super Mag. It came with a Primos Tight Wad choke (.660) and two boxes of 3.5" ammo: A box of Rem Nitro Turkey size 4 and a box of Winchester Double X Turkey size 5. I set a target at 40 yards expecting a fairly tight pattern with this choke but was surprised to only get 65 strikes in a 10" circle with the Winchester and only 45 strikes with the Remington. I was expecting MUCH tighter than that. What gives and where do I go from here? Any advice would be very appreciated.

Champlain Islander

Wow not a great pattern but I am wondering if the pattern is centered. Try a 10 to 15 yd shot at a small dot to see if the gun is centered. .660 is a pretty good choke and should produce a tighter pattern that that. Good luck

daffyjeffy

Yeah, I'll experiment with closer range shots at a large target tomorrow and be sure the gun is shooting okay.

Champlain Islander

I like the hevi shot blend out of my Benelli SBE with a custom .060 choke. Expensive but worth it IMO. Good luck and welcome to HNI.

daffyjeffy

Thanks for that advice. I'll have to see what Hevi shot is compatible with what choke and consider giving it a try.

JW

Change your target.

Use a target that shows life sized Turkey head that also displays the neck vertebrae, skull, and the eye.

You can find free downloadable Turkey head targets online.

Count only the hits in that area I mentioned above. Use the rest to move the mass centered on the beck head area. Develop a center using clamp on sites. Magnetic are a waste of money as you'll loose them.
Now the neck vertebrae, skull and Eye.
If you can consistently count 8 to 10 pellet hits in this area I described it will kill! And kill consistently.
Anything less tou are out of range.

That is why we pattern.

I start a 10 yrs with trap loads, easier on the shoulder. Then when I know where my point of impact is. I adjust how I hold on my target and ultimately on my bird.
I suggest a set of clamp on open tru glo sites as with today's tight extra full Turkey chokes you really are shooting a rifle.
I like the bottom center of my circular pattern to be my aim point which iis best aimed at the waddles.
That way I know I am circling the head with shot of the Turkey with my pattern.

Once I develop that at 10 yards. I take shots at 20, 30 , 40, even farther.
Doing all this with trap loads.
So when I think I have it. I take a Turkey load and will try shots at 20, 30 ,40 or further.
Using trap loads to develop your aim point is cheap and far easier on your shoulder.

Another method is to use a piece of paper big enough for a 30 inch circle and count only hits in that circle. Do note if you see pattern drift and center it, again by using clamp on sites. The sites must be adjustable for wind age and elevation

Then take that total number of pellet strikes and compare using a Tom Roster Table.
But in my years of Turkey hunting treating my shotgun like a rifle using Tru glo open clamp on , adjustable sights, and now because of age a scope. I just dont miss birds.

One last thing and this is my opinion

3.5 inch round is overkill and far too expensive.
Stick with 3"

LASTLYCladwell makes a life sized spatter Turkey target. Awesome to use for kids. It shows the beck anatomy I described above. And hits are color coded. Red means Dead.
Yellow means a possible Oh Oh.

Dont be an Oh Oh.

JW

Wingbone

Many guns pattern better with 3" than 3.5" loads

Bocajnala

JWs post on patterning and sighting in a turkey load is probably the best I've seen! Great post.

-Jake

Ridge Runner

go with a lighter load, that's an awful tight choke for 2 1/4 oz loads, try a box of 3" federal 2 0z. 6's, when you over constrict a heavy payload, it springs apart rapidly after clearing the muzzle, my 3.5" guns are choked .675.
RR

TDE

There is always a combination of shell/load and choke that will work best with your gun. I used to use a Browning BPS with a relatively cheap choke for which 80% of the shot pattern was within a 6 inch circle at 30 yards using Federal turkey loads with flight control wads. I didn't appreciate it at the time but I had awesome performance. That gun had a shiny blued barrel and glossy wood and I got tired of wrapping it in camo tape every year. I then bought a Benelli Super Nova with pistol grip for a dedicated turkey gun. 4 chokes (2 really expensive), and countless brands and models of shells later, and I still think my pattern is moderate at best. Keep trying until you find what works best, or at least better, than what you have now.