Shot & Powder For Turkeys

[Landngroove]

I am going to be trying different loads for turkey hunting. The season opens May 1st, so now is a good time to work on a load. Some of the information I have read says to use equal volume of shot to powder. Yet other articles I have read say to bump up the shot a little, from the powder charge, say 100 grains FFG, and 110 grain measure of shot. I will be using a 12 guage, and have bags of # 4, and # 6, shot to use. Is there any advantage to bumping up the shot a little?

 

[BS]

In my reading.........for a 12ga. Try the 3to4 load. 90 grains of powder to 120 grains of shot.

This looks like a very good place to start.

Shot weight.

90-1.3oz
100-1.47
110-1.58
120-1.75
130-1.86
140-2

 

[Rebel]

I used a .12 ga double last year for them I used 95 grs of powder and 110 gr. (1 1/2 oz) of #5 shot. Using more shot than powder will usually tighten your pattern.

 

[Hoyt]

My 12ga. sidelock turkey load is 100grs. 2f with 120grs. 4's & 6's.

 

[roundball]

My .62cal/.20ga Turkey load has been:

70grns Goex 3F
Two Oxyoke wonderwads
Paper shot cup
1+5/8oz #6's
Circle Fly OS card

I'm having my barrel Jug choked to 'Full' as we speak, will eliminate the paper shot cup, and will re-test / adjust accordingly...but I'm assuming the same load will still be close

 

[wjschieber]

I am going to be trying different loads for turkey hunting. The season opens May 1st, so now is a good time to work on a load. Some of the information I have read says to use equal volume of shot to powder. Yet other articles I have read say to bump up the shot a little, from the powder charge, say 100 grains FFG, and 110 grain measure of shot. I will be using a 12 guage, and have bags of # 4, and # 6, shot to use. Is there any advantage to bumping up the shot a little?

Years ago it was considered a 1 to 1 deal to load a shotgun by volume not weight. This was when they had to depend on their shots not only for fun but also for food. They did not have any idea how fast the pellets were just that they worked. Now days it seems people are trying to throw more pellets out the end to hit the target with because they are not as proficient with their shotgun as they should be. I have found that on tougher game (turkey and geese) that velocity counts just as much if not more than the number of pellets. When working up a load look at how may hit the kill zone (I try for about 6 to 8) at different ranges. I also try to stay as close to the 1 to 1 as I can. This should give you good velocity and patterns. The difference with my 12 between 1 1/8 and 1 1/2 oz is about 200 feet per second. It may not seem like much but over the years 1 1/8 has proved to be the better load for taking the big birds. The best advice anyone can give you is to shoot, shoot and shoot some more until you know exactly what you and your gun can do. Besides it gives you a good reason to go to the range. Bill

 

[Landngroove]

Thanks for all the information. I will use it when working on my load.

 

[Bob J]

My Pedersoli 10 ga. will not pattern well with volume-for-volume loads or "heavy-on-the-shot" loads. It likes slightly more POWDER than shot; 110 grains 2f and 1 1/2 oz. #5s for turkey.

 

[Rebel]

110 grs of 2f and 1 1/2 oz of #5 is still a 1-1 load. 110 grs equivelent of shot is 1 1/2 oz of shot.

 

[Runner]

I really wish my gun would allow a square load to be used. As he said, speed is important with turkeys and larger game birds. Also with a 120 load of shot, my little five pound shotgun tries to kill on both ends. I don't enjoy getting stomped by the gun myself. Then reality jumps into the discussion. It requires a 3 to 4 load for the gun to pattern well. I dropped my bird at a touch over 40 yards last year. It doesn't matter if I use a lighter load, because for the lighter loads to shoot well, they are still 3 to 4 loads. 60 grains of powder under 80 of shot shoots the same or very close to the same speed the 90 - 120 turkey load does. It just doesn't make as dense a pattern. I hunt squirrels and rabbits with that load a lot. The velocity out of my 12 using a 3 to 4 load is enough to put pellets all the way thru a squirrel with some stopping right under the hide on the far side. A square load might shoot 200 fps faster, but it doesn't matter if you can't hit anything with it. Like Mike said earlier in a discussion. Every barrel is different. If you can get patterns with a square or faster load, more power to you.
Little powder, lots of lead, shoot far, kill dead.

 

[gmww]

I have yet to shoot my Side x Side BP 12 ga. It has chokes so pattern is going to mostly dictated by the choke. I've got a .62 smooth bore on order and will definitely have to rely on loading for the pattern. I see one poster is using paper shot cups in his load. I wonder if the plastic cups that are not cut on the sides may be another option for a tight pattern. I'd be interested in hearing if anyone has experimented with the various shot cups out there.

Just brain storming.

 

[wjschieber]

I have yet to shoot my Side x Side BP 12 ga. It has chokes so pattern is going to mostly dictated by the choke. I've got a .62 smooth bore on order and will definitely have to rely on loading for the pattern. I see one poster is using paper shot cups in his load. I wonder if the plastic cups that are not cut on the sides may be another option for a tight pattern. I'd be interested in hearing if anyone has experimented with the various shot cups out there.

Just brain storming.

I had a 62 cal once that I could not get to hold a tight pattern 20 yards out. I thought I had tried everything shot cups and all types of loads. I was ready to sell it when I talked to my grandfather. He told me that when you have tried everything try something else every gun can be made to shoot. He took a 5/8-inch wood dowel and sanded it to fit loose in the barrel. He then took some newspaper and rolled it around the dowel put some glue on the flap. When it dried you had a tube that we filled with shot and folded the ends over. This combo worked very well for years and was very fast to reload with. If you make to many wraps with the paper you can end up with a slug not shot. It has always amazed me that the older I became the smarter he got. He was born in 1898 and owned one gun. It was a 14-bore double barrel flint that was given to him by his father. He took every type of game with it even a few black bears. I use to tell him to buy more guns for different types of hunting and he always told me “beware the man with only one gun as he probable knows how to use it”. I was very lucky to have known him. Keep in mind that you have not tried everything yet I hope this helps. Bill

 

[paulvallandigham]

If the cup does not open after leaving the barrel, it is next to impossible for it to separate from the shot, and you have a slug traveling out to at least 50 yds, from my own experience. tTry making a paper shot wad, and then cut 4 slits in the front about 1/2 inch long. That will start the separation and act as an air break, while giving you tighter patterns.

 

[Old Charlie]

Turkey season started here today. As usual I was not ready. Due to a hospital stay and illness I had not worked up a load for my 12 gauge double barrel cap lock. So I spent opening day doing that. I tried every possible combo wit Goex 2f. I never got a pattern I would feel comfortable with to kill a turkey. I switched to 3f and at 70 grains and about an once and a half number 4 shot and got a pattern I can live with. Still not as good as I would like ,but with the apparently open bore barrels I guess it is as good as I will get.
Old Charlie

 

[Runner]

You might try 6's, a second over powder wad, and a little more powder. I found I can crank the powder up with the 6's and get as good or better penetration than I get with 4's, while at the same time about doubling the number of hits. 90 2f, a really thick over powder wad, 120 of six's, and a thin over shot card is my turkey load. The fours start to spread more at about 70-75 grains of powder. Same thing you see when working with the steel loads.