patterning 20 gauge for turkey c

[paulvallandigham]

Uisng a lighter powder charge, larger shot like #5, and make it copper plated so that it resists deformation more than lead shot will, along with the plastic shot cups to eliminate rubbing the pellets against the barrel is the best way to get tighter groups, that still deliver killing energy down range.

 

[Trapper]

I built a type D fusil for a friend of mine and he gets between 12-20 #5 pellets in the head and neck of a turkey target at 25 yards. His load is 65 grs. fffg, two 1/8 inch felt wads. 1 1/8 oz. #5 shot and one overshot card on top. It tears the heck out of bunnies and squirrels. We haven't got him infront of a turkey yet, maybe this year. He was using 3 overshot cards over the powder charge before this and had decent results. Follow some of the guys advice ...tone down the powder charge and the shot charge. Experiment with the number of overshot cards on the powder. It took me at least 6 months to find a decent load for the little Sweet 16!

 

[Wes/Tex]

Trapper hit it on the head...you have to try all the combos till you find what works best. It's not only rifles that don't shoot loads differently in identical guns. Most problems in smoothbores patterning are a result of over generous powder charges.

 

[MSzychulda]

My friends and I have been working on some loads the last few weeks. Amazing how each load reacted in each of the guns.

I am shooting a Chambers Penn fowler with a 46" barrel.

I finally settled on 70 grains 2F, an overpowder card, 1 5/8 oz #6 shot (120 grains) in a heavy paper shot cup, and an overshot card. This gives me 58-64 hits in the head at 20 yards with about an 8" pattern, 31-35 in the head at 25 yards, and 17-21 in the head at 30 yards. 30 yards will be my maximum range. I was pretty amazed to get this in a cylinder bore. Most my patterns were poor to fair until I tried the heavy shot cups.

I tried each range 5 times with consistant results.

My buddy went with 65 grains 2F, an overpowder card, 105 grains 4/6 duplex shot, and an overshot card. He got 36 in the head at 20 yards and 14 at 30 yards.

I found I got much better patterns with the 2F.

There are a lot of good tips here, just keep working at it. You will find the one which works. Matt

 

[Hoyt]

My .62 also likes a heavy load..80grs. pwdr..1-5/8oz. 6/4's.
I'm out the door now to set up camp and hunt gobblers with it for about a month...opens tomorrow.

 

[DrTimboone]

My 44" 20 ga put 16-20 shot in the kill zone at 25 yards using 65 gr ffg, 3 overshot cards, 75gr volume equivalent of #6 nikel plated shot and one overshot card. I think Iron Jim and Paul are right on the money in principle. cant wait to go after the live one in a couple of weeks.

 

[AkDan]

Matt,

Boy those are some impressive figures!!!

out of my 10 ga pedersoli my cyl bore is really lacking. Wouldnt mind some tips ont hat paper shot cup, kinda running out of time but I'm lucky on a good patternt o get 20 hits out of the cyl bore at 25 yards.

The mod barrel is shooting a better pattern and consistenly putting in 25 to 30 plus at 25 yards.

This is without shotcups. Still trying to find something that just patterns out of the cyl barrel though. Ran out of time on the pattern that shot the best, going to try some more tomorrow. Including reducing my shot charge and reducing powder charges some more. My Max load is 110 grains of powder to 1 1/2oz of shot, I'm shooting number 5 copper plated lead. The plastic shotcups I hve are not opening at all so I canned using them. I've tried the 4 os wads for over powder and didn't get didly for a pattern out of the cyl barrel at 25 yards. So far my best pattern there came with a 1/8 nitro 1/8 nitro, then the over shot card over the shot. Still had a bunch of blown areas in it. Want to reduce the powder here a hair and see what happens.

Any help? I've got the 10 ga patterning thread up. The cyl barrel is shooting to the right also a bit. Some loads are on some are right. The shotcup slugs were 18"es low and right or thereabouts.

 

[paulvallandigham]

The reason you didn't get much of a pattern using OS cards over the powder is that they made a much better seal, and your velocity shot up, blowing the pattern. You are going to have to reduce the powder charge to get patterns when you have good seals, but the patterns are more likely to be nice and round, and even when you do. A bad seal bleeds gases through the wads and shot, blowing the patterns unevenly. Order some wads from Ballistics products and they will be here in time for your hunt, yet.
[url] http://www.ballisticproducts.com/bpi/welcome/welcome_shotgunners.htm[/url]

Paul

 

[AkDan]

Paul,

I do have a little time in Mn before I start running acrossed country. BP isnt all that far from my old mans, the plan was to run by there and talk tot hem, maybe buy some and givem a go. I have the heavier multi metals and they aint opening up. Was thinking those pink ones might open up a bit sooner instead of slugging. The other problem is those shotcups are shooting off to the right. Didnt shoot today after work, plan on it tomorrow if it's not blowing sideways again. Tried reworking the trigger a tad, think I have it close to better. still not smooth but I believe it has some to do with the right patterns.


The decent patterns with the cyl bore is I'd say blown but still a pattern kind of. that is my plan is to reduce my powder with this wad config and see what happens. Also preloaded some 1 3/8oz number 5's to see how they pattern out of both barrels.

 

[Rebel]

I would try 80-90 grs of 2f powder and
1 1/4-1 1/2 oz of shot and maybe some Win AA wads. I used the Heavy metal steel shot cups in my .12 ga and they seemed tp work ok in it.

 

[MSzychulda]

Akdan, I just made the shot cups from a glue stick and some parchment paper. I found the inside post of a bulk CD spool was the perfect size as a shot cup "mold". I did two wraps around the spool and glued it in place. Pull the tube off a little and dab the glue on the end, and fold it like a coin wrapper. I cut the tubes to fit my 120 grain shot loads.

This worked well with my gun, but my friend found they didn't work well in his gun. I tried different paper and found the heavier paper worked better for me.


I did make sure that I rammed the empty shot cup down the barrel before filling it. If I filled it and tried the ram it, the paper wanted to split and my patterns suffered.

Matt

 

[AkDan]

were you using this for your shot, or powder? By 120 grains I would assume powder but ya know what happens when ya assume so I figured I'd best ask.

 

[MSzychulda]

i was using 120 grains shot (1 5/8 oz load), and only 70 grains of 2F under it.

 

[roundball]

My .62 also likes a heavy load..80grs. pwdr..1-5/8oz. 6/4's.
I'm out the door now to set up camp and hunt gobblers with it for about a month...opens tomorrow.

It's definitely an outstanding .62cal turkey load, good luck with your hunts

 

[roundball]

I finally settled on 70 grains 2F, an overpowder card, 1 5/8 oz #6 shot (120 grains) in a heavy paper shot cup, and an overshot card.

70grns patterned for me too but I was a little worried about penetration at distance and went with 80grns...I used the highly scientific "heavy tuna can penetration test"...still kept the excellent pattern plus got the penetration too...had my .62 jug choked...any Tom breaking 40yds is in serious trouble :winking:

 

[Eric Krewson]

I shot at a turkey Saturday, 21 yds and only knocked a few feathers off. I have tried almost every load including a variety of shot cups. My patterns were very inconsistent.

Today a different shot cup configuration. I shot 70gr of 2F, over powder wad, 1 3/8th oz of #6 shot shot and a double layer index card cup with speed brakes and one over shot card. Got 7 in the spine and 4 in the skull at 25yds.

I cut the speed brakes 1/4" into the cup and flexed them a bunch to make them floppy before I loaded the cup. If I cut them longer the cup wouldn't hold together. If I left them out I shot a slug all the way to the target.

Here is the recovered cup.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Here is the turkey target link. You can print these out. Much better target than most of the free ones.
[url] http://www.guncustomizing.com/targprt.htm[/url]

 

[Eric Krewson]

Well, packed my over card wad too tight on my load today by mistake, usually just push it to the shot cup. Sent solid slug at a gobbler at 25yds. The slug didn't hit him.

 

[roundball]

Well, packed my over card wad too tight on my load today by mistake, usually just push it to the shot cup. Sent solid slug at a gobbler at 25yds. The slug didn't hit him.

That's what pushed me over the edge and made me get mine Jug Choked...every time I felt sure I had the paper shot cup thing figured out, I'd shoot 10 test loads and invariably one would still end up being a slug through the target.

Said to myself, that's it...it's far too hard to do everything else right and then also be lucky enough to drop the hammer on a Tom to have that high of a % of load failure...the Jug Choke is fantastic and only cost a platter full of double cheese whoppers.
:thumbsup:

 

[Eric Krewson]

My gun is a Gostomsky trade gun, a gift from a friend who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The barrel is mighty thin, not enough metal for jug choking. As one can never have too many guns I may make a sure enough turkey gun next year.

I have dove hunted, deer hunted and turkey hunted with the trade gun and had a blast. A few years ago I didn't even know a smooth bore flinter existed, my friend's thoughtful gift has opened a whole new world of experiences for me.

Sure was a thrill to take my first smooth bore buck.