Turkey load

[withakri]

Hi folks,

I finally was able to gather everything I need to turkey hunt this season with my 20ga pedersoli. It wasn't easy to find black powder and caps locally but I eventually found a place an hour or so away here in Maryland. Gonna do some shooting this week and wanted to make sure what I am planning on shooting makes sense for turkeys.

How does this sound:

70 grain FFFg powder (couldnt find 2F)
Nitro card
1 oz of lead shot
thin overshot card
prelubed wool wad (should I soak in olive oil?)

The pedersoli i bought is choked cyl/mod. How different or similar will the shot pattern be by barrel?

 

[GANGGREEN]

Not sure why you'd put the wool wad over the overshot card. Over the overpowder card, sure.

 

[withakri]

I was trying to emulate the skychief load for a tighter pattern.

 

[Brokennock]

I was trying to emulate the skychief load for a tighter pattern.

The wool wad won't be heavy enough to mimic the skychief load.
With the components you have I would put the lubed wool wad on top of the nitro card to reduce fouling and up the shot load to 1 1/8 oz. With one or two thin cards to hold it all in.
But of course pattern it and maybe try the lubed wool on top. Maybe try it with lubed wool above and below?

 

[withakri]

OK. Makes sense. For better or worse track of the wolf talked me into the wool wads.

 

[Brokennock]

I use lubed felt wads in my squirrel and small game loads.

 

[Britsmoothy]

OK. Makes sense. For better or worse track of the wolf talked me into the wool wads.

Consider just a thin card, felt wad wet with olive oil, another thin card, then shot.
It will go past the chokes easier and keep the fouling soft.

 

[azmntman]

Just got done (I think) patterning my 20ga for turkey. Mine likes 90 gr 1F, thick over powder card, 90 gr (same measure) # 6 shot, thin over shot card and thick oil soaked wad. Fired at 19 turkey targets (TY member who posted the .pdf) at 25 yds. All but 2 had several hits in kill zone, 5-6 had like 14 pellets in kill zone. I think the ones with no pellets in kill zone would have killed or shocked enough for me wring a neck after jumping flopping bird. Little kick and shot # 20 went through a tuna can, all the tuna and one out of 12 pellets exited clean, a few bulged with small hole. I'm ready!

Any early hunters note any pattern change in breeding per the climate change temps?? I have heard its all about temps and I have heard its all about length of sunlight???

 

[azmntman]

I did try 90 of 2F and 3F. Kicked a lot worse and patterns nowhere near as good.

 

[Sparkitoff]

I just posted av report one patterning that same gun with Fffg. Check out that post Prepping for Turkey.... it worked, I killed one today

 

[withakri]

Gotcha... looks like a good recipe to replicate for my style of turkey hunting. I have to imagine I would see a fairly similar results using this wad instead of the fiber wad soaked in olive oil? Maybe? Also I notice they mention not needing an over powder card with these wads.

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/174/1/OX-WAD-20-W

 

[sawyer04]

prelubed wool wad (should I soak in olive oil?

If you are talking wool tow, raw woo, it contains enough lanolin to lubricate and probably won't retain much oil.

 

[Skychief]

Withakri, is there any way/time to get your hands on some cushion wads? I believe they will work much better than the wool wads. At least from the cylinder bore.

Good luck, Skychief.

 

[Skychief]

Happy to mail a few your way if needed...

 

[withakri]

These folks are just one state over in Pennsylvania so I bet I could get them pretty quick.

This work?

https://rmcoxyoke.com/product/overshot-cushion-wad-half-inch/

 

[Ponderosaman]

For fear of starting something, I have personally seen turkeys run away after a hit that would kill anything else dead as door nails. You have to have pellets in the spine/brain to drop them long enough to finish them by hand.

 

[Skychief]

These folks are just one state over in Pennsylvania so I bet I could get them pretty quick.

This work?

https://rmcoxyoke.com/product/overshot-cushion-wad-half-inch/

Yes Sir.

 

[Ponderosaman]

Just got done (I think) patterning my 20ga for turkey. Mine likes 90 gr 1F, thick over powder card, 90 gr (same measure) # 6 shot, thin over shot card and thick oil soaked wad. Fired at 19 turkey targets (TY member who posted the .pdf) at 25 yds. All but 2 had several hits in kill zone, 5-6 had like 14 pellets in kill zone. I think the ones with no pellets in kill zone would have killed or shocked enough for me wring a neck after jumping flopping bird. Little kick and shot # 20 went through a tuna can, all the tuna and one out of 12 pellets exited clean, a few bulged with small hole. I'm ready!

Any early hunters note any pattern change in breeding per the climate change temps?? I have heard its all about temps and I have heard its all about length of sunlight???

I have noticed that the birds gobble a lot more the bigger the moon is at night. The birds have already nested when we get to them early in the season. The month before is the actual breeding season. In AZ they don’t nest a second time so the roosters are hard pressed to get some. That benefits you if you can trick them, but they are usually following around hens like poor lost souls.

 

[azmntman]

Ahhhh, I remember those days. LOL

where are you?

 

[Ponderosaman]

I’m in Phoenix, but lived in NM for years. My pop lives in Albuquerque and we usually hunt in NM. Life has gotten in the way of turkey hunting for the last 5 or 10 years. I won’t hunt this season, but I love being out in the turkey woods with birds gobbling in three directions. Maybe next year with the Pedersoli.