Who here has killed turkey with 7 1/2's?

[Skychief]

Some friends and I are wondering about the effectiveness of 7 1/2's on turkey. We think we may get great patterns out to 20-25 yards and also think they may be deadly on 'Ole-Tom's' head and neck. Any field experiences? Maybe we are all missing something by not trying this size of shot on gobblers. :hmm:

 

[roundball]

Some friends and I are wondering about the effectiveness of 7 1/2's on turkey. We think we may get great patterns out to 20-25 yards and also think they may be deadly on 'Ole-Tom's' head and neck. Any field experiences? Maybe we are all missing something by not trying this size of shot on gobblers. :hmm:

Everybody wrestles with this shot size vs. pattern density when starting out with MLs for turkeys...and MLs rarely send shot down range with the same velocity of powerful modern shotgun shells. Bottom line, penetration is the main question that must be answered and its easy to do.

While this test may not seem "scientific" its actually very effective. Get a few strong metal cans...not aluminum beverage cans...heavy cans like tuna cans, or cans that baked beans come in, etc. Use them to find out max distance at which the lighter 7.5s will still penetrate through the metal of these cans.

Set a can up at 20 yds, then work backwards or forwards in 1-2 yard increments until you nail it down...then you'll know...as long as they'll punch through those cans they'll punch through the skull and/or neck vertebrae of a turkey...if I recall my tests, that was 20-22 yards.

7.5s will give a very good dense pattern, but their energy bleeds off pretty quickly...if you can call them in to the 20 yard line you'll be good to go...but if one hangs up at 30yards you'll have to let him walk as the 7.5s won't get it done at that distance. And no hunter worth his salt needs a turkey so bad that he'll wound one to fly off and die in a thicket a quarter mile away.

 

[Skychief]

Roundball, thanks for the speedy reply. Are you saying that you penetrated a tuna can with 7 1/2's at 22 yards? I think that is what I read. Maybe, some here (with some spare 7 1/2 shot)will try this penetration test and report here. I have none this size and can't afford to buy $35 worth to find it wont work.

My shotgun is throwing "iffy" patterns with 6 shot at 20 yards, so, I figured if the energy was there, 7 1/2's might extend my range to 25 yards. Again, assuming that enough "whammo" is available!

 

[Bretwalda]

I have not used 7.5 shot to kill a turkey; but here is another suggestion that you might consider trying to increase your pellet count and increase your penetration on turkeys. (I had thought about using a duplex load of #6 and #7 nickle plated shot myself, but have not tested it yet. ) Look on the Ballistics Products website, as they have nickle plated #7 shot available with 301 pellets to the ounce. the #7.5 pellets are also available with 340/ounce and the #6 pellets with 220 per ounce. I have used their #5.5 nickle plated shot(194/ ounce) for much of my pheasant/squirrel loads and their #8 nickle plated shot for doves and it is just super stuff; great knock down power and good pellet counts/patterns. The stuff is not cheap, but you will find it gives the best penetration, as it doesn't deform traveling down the bore nor will it flatten much with ML shotgun velocities when penetrating game. This size of pellet (#7 or #6/7 mix) may give you what you need if you are using a conventional open choked smoothbore at 25-30 yard ranges. The use of the paper shot cup may be of help also, as I am just begining to experiment with idea also. :wink: Good luck on the project and share the results of your experiment with us please! :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

Roundball, thanks for the speedy reply. Are you saying that you penetrated a tuna can with 7 1/2's at 22 yards?

The energy comes from the weight of the pellet and the velocity its traveling at.
I just clipped this range test result out of my .54cal smoothbore load data archives:

"...UPLAND GAME HUNTING LOADs

.54cal GM Flint smoothbore barrel on TC Hawken
70grns Goex 3F
2 Oxyoke 1/8" lubed wads OP
1+1/8oz #7.5 'Magnum' hard shot
Circle Fly overshot card
Excellent pattern at 25yds
Penetrated 1 tuna can + dented another behind it..."

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Guys roundball is right on penatration and energy. Stick with 6's or larger. #5 is a real good size. It has more than 4's and bigger than 6's. It doesn't take but 4-5 shot in the head and neck to anchor a turkey. Stick to bigger sizes and you won't be sorry. :2

 

[longcruise]

We can't have a discussion killing power without some ballistics, hey?

This is for a lead pellet measureing .20. That's the smallest size that Point Blank will accept. :haha:

Velocity Energy
0 yds 1100 fps 32 fpe
25 yds 893 fps 21 fpe
50 yds 771 fps 16 fpe

How's that for useless stuff.

My apologys; When the wife watches Extreme Makeover I got nothing else to do.

 

[cptleo1]

I will throw my 2c in.

I don't think it makes a whole lot of difference.

It is the same old argument = "Hit em hard or hit them often"

I figure the MAX range of my open bore smoothie .62 is 20 yds. In reality it is probably more like 25.

If you hit him in the head neck with 10 extra pellets by going to 7.5s that is a GOOD thing !

If you only pick up 4-5 pellets it is not.

The advantage to the bigger shot is for the pellets that hit him in the body - This is where penetration really counts and bigger is better.

Even though you are aiming at his neck the 20 or more pellets that hit em in the body sure help to drop em.

As far as moving back 1-2 yds at a time to find max range - Sounds good BUT way to much info.

I do a lot of 3D archery and have learned that RANGE ESTIMATION is at best + or - 3 yards.

So knowing your gun shoots better at 22yds than at 24 is a moot point.

When I set up a decoy, I set him at 18 steps from my shooting point - When the turkey is close enough to look at the decoy eyeball to eyeball I blast him.

When I set up without a decoy I pick out a LARGE bush or a tree and back up 25 yds.

When he gets between me and the bush -I blast him.

With all this being said. I use Nickle plated #5's
for turkeys,rabbit,squirrel,pheasants and such.

For quail and doves it is lead 6's.

I really dislike trying out different loads on turkeys cuz the only way you find out they don't work is by wounding them, instead of killing them.

I would stick with the basics (.62):

85gr FF or FFF

1 3/8 oz #5-6s

and play with wad combinations to tighten up your pattern.

IMHO

 

[Twice boom]

A young man I was hunting squirrel with few years back shot a turkey five times with #71/2's out of his model 12 before he anchored him and the last shot that did it was from mere few feet away.....


Double 00 is what I would use..
Twice.

 

[CZMark]

Use 5's or 6's. You need each pellet to have enough energy to penetrate the skull/brain and the neck/spine. 5's and 6's are the best compromise of penetrating power with enough hits to ensure you will strike the bird's central nervous system.

 

[roundball]

Assuming an adequate powder charge the situation is a constant set of variables:
Pellet Count
Pellet Size
Size of shot charge
Distance

If any one of them varies something else usually has to change.

The smaller 7.5's fill up a pattern better than 5's-6's and absolutely will kill a turkey dead where he stands no problem at all...except they won't do it out at 30-40 yards...so distance limitation changes significantly.

Go to a larger pellet to get more energy at longer distances and the pattern thins out compromising some of that very distance...so the outer limits have to be pulled back some.

Finding that sweet balance point is the trick, where the best blend / best compromise of energy/penetration, pattern fill, and distance come into focus...might only be 20 yards, could be 40...all depends.

For a particular muzzleloading game bird that usually only involves 1 or 2 shots per season, an awful lot of BP, wads, shot, and cards go into pattern testing just for those 1 or 2 shots.
:wink:

 

[longfowler]

It's a moot point up here in New Hampshire, #6's are the smallest we can legaly use. And for a good reason -I've killed over a dozen Birds with either #6 or #5 shot, and lots of them went down HARD. Even at close range with the 10 gauge 3-1/2 magnum - so I think 7-1/2's would be more likely to just wound a bird. Turkeys are fast, and don't leave a blood trail...a wounded bird is hard to recover. 7-1/2's are for feeding coyotes!

 

[roundball]

Well, as I posted above, I've personally tested / shot loads of #7.5's completely through a strong tuna can and made dents in the one behind it at 25 yards...no question in my mind they'll kill a turkey at that range...just can't be taking 30 and 40 yard shots with them as the energy bleeds off too fast after that initial burst of yardage.

 

[pmwest]

I had a 12 ga. load that I worked up for turkey using a plastic shot cup (turkey ranger, I think) and 7 ½ nickel plated shot. Can’t remember the powder charge but it patterned extremely well. I shot one turkey with this load and then abandoned the jar of shot for heavier stuff. The shot was a good one. Open field, 20-25 yard range, turkey’s head was up, post mortem showed many hits in the kill zone. Upon the shot, the turkey took flight and sailed about 75 yards and piled up in a ditch. Cause of death ”“ boot heal to the head. Results of experience ”“ use the largest shot that will pattern dense enough at the range you intend to shoot. I guess I am not really qualified to answer the question because I only shot the turkey with 7 1/2’s, I killed it by other means.

 

[Twice boom]

They sure do,no doubt. The problem I'm having is shooting them out of a cyl choked gun..

Personally speaking if I'm going to shoot at anything I want it dead right now, not dead tomorrow under a fallen tree. So as I see it, and why what I suggested is going to be either a clean miss or dead on the spot..

Twice.

 

[larry wv]

Crows aren't real easy to kill on the ground with 7.5 shot. I am sure 7.5 will kill a turkey but it is a very poor choice. Larry wv