my 12 gauges disappoints me

[swampratt]

So i feel that way.
My rifles have spoiled me...
I even got a turkey choke and installed it thinking the effective killing range would be extended.

Was shooting #6 at black birds in huge bunches at 40 yards and the birds were from 40-55 yards,
as in the birds were 15 yards deep...
.....sure would not kill a turkey at that range as those small birds did not all die instantly.

Makes me want to sell my shotties

And all this steel shot business for ducks and geese.
hevi shot should work well but the price makes me say forget it...

My turkey harvest is with bow or rifle...
shotguns just seem inefficient.... am i the only one who thinks this way.

Maybe i just miss shooting ducks and geese with $3 a box #4 lead and killing them dead at 40+ yards.

 

[Okie4570]

You don't need Hevi Shot to kill waterfowl, steel has come along way in the last 20 years. The last couple of turkey I've killed were with 2 3/4" 4's, between 20-30 yards. Shooting at clouds of blackbirds can play tricks on the mind, still got to focus on one bird before you pull the trigger

 

[aviator41]

agreed. thinking about shotties like you are leads to disappointment. Keep in mind that the pattern of the shotgun is the more or less the shape of a cylinder that slowly gets larger, but thats only when its unimpeded. As one pellet hits a bird, even a small bird, it's potential is used up, which means it cannot continue on to kill another bird.

What this means is the effective surface of the shot is more the shape of a platter. Those little birds in that bunch was not nearly as dense as you think it was. Shooting at starlings is tricky and maddening.

7 1/2 shot, aimed well at a dove in the proper range will kill it dead dead dead. Shooting the same shell at a cluster of doves without aiming at a particular target will almost assure a miss.

 

[swampratt]

I can't get within 30 yards of the turkeys..of course i do not call them either.
More of a sit and wait or sneak up deal...with a shotgun ..
I kind of prefer 150-200 yard shots with rifle best on them turkeys.

I patterned my shotgun with some of the #6 shot it patterned well at 20 and 30 and 35 was not too bad 46 was terrible only 8 pellets.
On a 8.5x11 paper.'

Maybe i need to pattern all my shotguns and use different chokes and see what i get.
I hear sometimes the restrictive .670" chokes do not really pattern well....
My grandfathers A5 would turn quail into dust at 40 yards and under...
That became my dads then would be mine, before i got it, it was stolen...I could hit clays over 65 yards and bust them up. They would be missed by other shooters and on their way to the ground and i would pull the trigger on that old Browning and hit them,,heads would turn..
Grandpa stated never shoot a bird close with it, won't be any bird left..


Never seen any shotgun perform like that old one..I have tried and tried to duplicate it..
I have my own A5 12 but it does not reach out like that one.

My dad shot the side of the barn when he was a kid with it to pattern it...he was 15-20 yards away.
It blew a big hole through the barn...He was toast.
Old peters 2 3/4 high brass. Have no idea the shot size but most of what dad had was #4 and #6

I suppose it is time to get out the papers and start patterning my guns..with this new ammo.

 

[aviator41]

patterning with an 8.5 x 11 isn't sufficient. Butcher paper, cut to 4" square is what you need. Pattern the shotgun at 40 yards with your intended shell. Patterning a shotgun means coming up with a ratio of hit to miss. After one shot, draw a 30 inch circle on the paper to cover as many holes as possible. Them count the holes. Cut open one of your shells and count the number of pellets in the shell. divide hits by total number of pellets and get coverage. you usually shoot several times (but only cut one shell open). average the numbers.

A full choke should yield a 70% ratio
Imp/mod 65%
mod 60%
imp cyl 45% - 50%
skeet #1 35%-40%

If you are getting roughly the results listed above, your shotgun is patterning properly as long as it's a fairly consistent pattern. 40 yards is generally thought to be the ideal distance for shotgun hunting, including Turkey.

Is it possible that you may be asking too much of the common scatter-gun? You wouldn't be the first. a 200 yard shot for a turkey is, well, VERY long. Longer than I would attempt. Turkeys are typically shot at ranges well under 100 yards. It takes patience, calling and excellent masking of profile and scent.

 

[okietom]

patterning with an 8.5 x 11 isn't sufficient. Butcher paper, cut to 4" square is what you need. Pattern the shotgun at 40 yards with your intended shell. Patterning a shotgun means coming up with a ratio of hit to miss. After one shot, draw a 30 inch circle on the paper to cover as many holes as possible. Them count the holes. Cut open one of your shells and count the number of pellets in the shell. divide hits by total number of pellets and get coverage. you usually shoot several times (but only cut one shell open). average the numbers.

A full choke should yield a 70% ratio
Imp/mod 65%
mod 60%
imp cyl 45% - 50%
skeet #1 35%-40%

If you are getting roughly the results listed above, your shotgun is patterning properly as long as it's a fairly consistent pattern. 40 yards is generally thought to be the ideal distance for shotgun hunting, including Turkey.

Is it possible that you may be asking too much of the common scatter-gun? You wouldn't be the first. a 200 yard shot for a turkey is, well, VERY long. Longer than I would attempt. Turkeys are typically shot at ranges well under 100 yards. It takes patience, calling and excellent masking of profile and scent.

Doing it the way you described is accurate for determining what choke you are actually shooting. A problem with shooting the paper then drawing the 30inch circle for hunting is that with a hunting gun you also need to know if your pattern is shot in the same place that you are aiming. I once had a chance to buy a single shot 12 gauge that centered its pattern a foot to the side of where the owner aimed it.

This can be a problem with doubles where the two barrels don't shoot to the same spot. You need to check where your pattern is centered and how dense it is with the load you will be using.

 

[okietom]

For longer shots you can go with a larger shot size but that will thin the pattern.

 

[orangeRcode]

Saw a dozen turkeys while sitting in my deer stand on Tuesday. They were about 40-50 yards away from me and never noticed me although they always seemed to have a sentry bird at the rear. I watched them while they moved across the field I was on. Never occured to me to take a shot at one with my .270.

 

[aviator41]

Doing it the way you described is accurate for determining what choke you are actually shooting. A problem with shooting the paper then drawing the 30inch circle for hunting is that with a hunting gun you also need to know if your pattern is shot in the same place that you are aiming. I once had a chance to buy a single shot 12 gauge that centered its pattern a foot to the side of where the owner aimed it.

This can be a problem with doubles where the two barrels don't shoot to the same spot. You need to check where your pattern is centered and how dense it is with the load you will be using.

To me, a shotgun that shoots consistently off-center is a defective firearm either from the factory or a damaged, used firearm that needs the attention of a gunsmith. If it won't shoot at the bead, what good is it?

 

[dennishoddy]

So i feel that way.
My rifles have spoiled me...
I even got a turkey choke and installed it thinking the effective killing range would be extended.

Was shooting #6 at black birds in huge bunches at 40 yards and the birds were from 40-55 yards,
as in the birds were 15 yards deep...

black birds are not legal to shoot. Starlings and sparrows have no limit or season.

Saw a dozen turkeys while sitting in my deer stand on Tuesday. They were about 40-50 yards away from me and never noticed me although they always seemed to have a sentry bird at the rear. I watched them while they moved across the field I was on. Never occured to me to take a shot at one with my .270.

Not legal at this time. Gun: Nov. 2-22 (Only in open counties)