Turkey gun pattern

[Jay T]

I agree with sinker, your shot is definitely blown I would try taking a couple without your choke on at 20-30 yards and see how your pattern is.

You should not have to take a bird at 40 yards +, if you do you should work on your calling more or get better set up in the field.

I shoot a 3" mag side by side and all ways smack them down.

I have never had to shoot a turkey past 20 yards, put your scouting in and set up properly.

[wiggler]

Try printing some of these off and giving it a go.

Remington Turkey Target

[misfish]

Thats awesome wiggler.

 

TFS

 

 

40 yards would be my max,but getting the bird closer would be the right move.

[richyb]

I went and got a new choke today. truglo gobble stopper extreme model tg175x .665 dia. The package says its for my gun but just my luck it dont fit. It screwes in about 1 turn then it gets realy tight. Tried a wrench on it but that just got it stuck. .

I put my old choke back in and went for round #2. put up a 4x4 chunk of paper and fired a couple shots . ( different paper each time) my tightest grouping is just under my point of aim but its still only got 90 pellets in a 10 inch circle.

So now I have a sore shoulder and im not too impressed with the new choke not fitting

Edited April 9, 2009 by richyb

[BassAsin]

your lucky your old fit in after trying to wrench in the newer one!

 

have you tried shooting it without a choke at all to see the results?

[richyb]

your lucky your old fit in after trying to wrench in the newer one!

 

have you tried shooting it without a choke at all to see the results?

 

 

I have tried it with my normal full choke that came with the gun. The pattern wasnt very good. If you think im lucky to get my choke to fit after wrenching on he other one , id hate to try putting a choke tube in after not having any choke in at all. Would that not tear the threads right out ? also im trying to tighten in a pattern , not make it wide open.

[bassjnkie]

I really wouldn't want to shoot without a choke, it's a pain to re-thread. For the turkey choke, check out Bass Pro, or Epps in Orillia, but call first. The pattern you have isn't the worse I've seen considering it's at 40 yards with a full choke, BUT it could improve with a proper turkey choke. H.S. and Primos make nice ones. 40 yards is a great starting point to shoot, at least if the tom isn't interested, your confident enough to take it at 40. Like others said, calling is the most important, if you can get the bird at 20 yard, the pattern you have will shrink considerably. I shoot a Benelli supernova with Primos Jelly Head choke and Win. 3 1/2" #4, compared to the full choke it's like night and day.

 

This is the choke me and my dad use, we tried 3 and this one worked best on my Benelli and dad's Beretta.

 

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/s...__SearchResults

 

If you can find it for your model, which they probably make, you won't regret it. But, H.S. are less expensive.

 

Hope this helps.

[bassjnkie]

Just to add. The p350, as it says on the company site comes with a XFT extended extra full turkey choke. Did you buy the gun used?

 

Check the link:

 

http://www.stoegerindustries.com/firearms/...r_p350_pump.php

[richyb]

No i bought the gun new but it was missing the turkey choke so i got a discount. Those pictures of my pattern are with a carlson .650 turkey choke.

[Sinker]

Have you tried it at 20 yds? 30? I'd also use smaller shells. I find 3.5's blow on me with waterfowl loads, so I don't use them. Never tried them in lead......no need. 3" shells are more than enough to kill anything......dead is dead.

 

Patterning at 40 yds is fine, but if you plan on shooting your bird closer, you might want to see what its doing at those ranges as well. If your center of pattern is below where you aiming at 40yds, it could be much lower at 20-30 yds. You might want to look into that. Make sure your looking down the barrel the same way each shot......that will make a difference on where your shot goes. Sounds like your gun doesn't fit very well. I can look at a target, close my eyes, point my gun, and its dead on target. No messing around......it just goes where I look.

 

PS, you shoulda got an 870!!!

 

Sinker

[misfish]

I can look at a target, close my eyes, point my gun, and its dead on target. No messing around......it just goes where I look.

 

Ya,but yer a newf. I too, can aim,close my eyes and hit the target.

[ch312]

Thats why I was posting to see peoples opinions. All of the other guys I hunt with are shooting 2 3/4 with modified or full chokes that get maybe 5 in the head and neck at 40. That paper is just printer paper and a turkeys head is bigger than what I put on there. Im sure if I was a turkey 30 shots to the head and neck wouldnt make me a happy camper.

 

both you and your friends have not yet found choke/load combo's for 40 yard turkey shooters. you want to have tighter and more even patterns than that. the top pattern is the best overall, not the bottom. the other 2 patterns are not even and are full of holes which is exactly what you dont want with a shotgun.

 

you'll also need to take 3 shots with each choke and load combination and take the average # of hits in the kill zone.

 

btw...the head in your pics are about the size of a turkeys but the necks are much longer.

[ch312]

i just did some more reading...you really need to buy a rangefinder or practice range estimation if you thought 75 yards was 50. that is extremely unethical hunting and you were 100% lucky you got that bird.

[richyb]

i just did some more reading...you really need to buy a rangefinder or practice range estimation if you thought 75 yards was 50. that is extremely unethical hunting and you were 100% lucky you got that bird.

 

 

It was my first year hunting turkeys and i never knew how big those buggers actually are. When i first seen him i thought it was a bear coming out of the bush. Rookie mistake, i know better now. I killed him so i guess it wasnt luck just kidding.

 

 

 

YES SINKER i should have got the 870. I went to ellwood epps to get the 870 but they were sold out and i had my heart set on buying a gun that night. When they said i could get a gun for cheaper thats full camo i couldnt resist. Stoeger is made by binelli, beretta. It has the internal parts of the nova, just cheaper materials on the outside. PLUS i know how to shoot a gun, ive been hunting for 15 years and have many kills with no wounded animals to my credit. ( no big game, maybe the odd duck or partridge) so my gun goes where i look too. The only problem i have is this stupid turkey patterning that is plenty good enough to knock a bird down at 40 yards but isnt up to the standards that i would like.

 

 

So i think i am giving up on the situation since my shoulder is tender, and my cheek is sore. Also i wandered into a golf store and baught a nice new titleist wedge that set me back a few pennies

 

 

PS. the main reason i was looking to tighten up my pattern was to keep less pellets out of the body of the bird, 30 some hits in the head and neck is plenty when it only takes 1 to kill it.

 

Thanks guys.

[ch312]

richy, those patterns are NOT good enough at 40 yards to be reliable. just because you had a lucky pellet or two with that long shot doesnt mean these blown patterns are acceptable. having the mentality that 1 pellet is all thats needed isnt the one you should have. have some respect for the birds and stick to 30-35 yards max until you find a better choke/load combo. my gun shoots tighter patterns than those with a full choke and normal shells so you clearly havent found the right combo yet.

 

when it comes to patterning you dont count how many pellets hit the bird, you count how many hit the vitals (spine and skull). you want an average of at least 8-10 pellets hitting the vitals which is why its important to use actual turkey targets until its easy to judge patterns.

 

some guns can be a real pain to find the best choke/load combo but its definitely worth it being able to have faith in your shot. you should also consider mounting a scope or red dot on your shotgun because its very common for the center of the pattern to be off.

 

you asked for some advice from experienced people, but it doesnt seem like you are willing to listen...

 

 

PS...you need to work on your form if you have a sore shoulder and cheek

[misfish]

was to keep less pellets out of the body of the bird

 

If you get a pellet in the body, man that would be amazing at 40 yards.There are to many layers of feathers.Just like goose hunting.

I aim for the head when thier flying in,then wait for them to fly by and shoot.The pellets will enter easier, going UNDER,into the layers of feathers.

 

you asked for some advice from experienced people, but it doesnt seem like you are willing to listen...

 

 

PS...you need to work on your form if you have a sore shoulder and cheek

 

YEP

[richyb]

If you get a pellet in the body, man that would be amazing at 40 yards.There are to many layers of feathers.Just like goose hunting.

I aim for the head when thier flying in,then wait for them to fly by and shoot.The pellets will enter easier, going UNDER,into the layers of feathers.

 

If your gun doesnt go through the feathers than you must be throwing the pellets by hand. I have picked up birds shot at 40 yards and had some pellets fall out of the feathers but i havent seen a bird with no body shots.

 

 

All I was doing guy was asking for opinions. I have been sucessfull every year with this gun so im not worried. I dont have alot of money to be trying lots of different chokes and shells. Of the 10 people i hunt with , my gun has the tightest pattern and there arent many misses with my group.

I did use the help you guys have mentioned and got a new choke tube( but it doesnt fit) and i got different shells and thats all i am willing to spend. Ill be sure to post a picture of my bird, i hope you pros that are perfect can post some also.

 

If you guys are man enough to shoot 3 1/2 " shells you would know that they kick like a mule and can leave your shoulder a little tender after a few shots. Its not bad form, it dont matter your form if your getting hit with a mack truck.

[ch312]

If your gun doesnt go through the feathers than you must be throwing the pellets by hand. I have picked up birds shot at 40 yards and had some pellets fall out of the feathers but i havent seen a bird with no body shots.

 

All I was doing guy was asking for opinions. I have been sucessfull every year with this gun so im not worried. I dont have alot of money to be trying lots of different chokes and shells. Of the 10 people i hunt with , my gun has the tightest pattern and there arent many misses with my group.

I did use the help you guys have mentioned and got a new choke tube( but it doesnt fit) and i got different shells and thats all i am willing to spend. Ill be sure to post a picture of my bird, i hope you pros that are perfect can post some also.

 

If you guys are man enough to shoot 3 1/2 " shells you would know that they kick like a mule and can leave your shoulder a little tender after a few shots. Its not bad form, it dont matter your form if your getting hit with a mack truck.

 

i guess someone cant take a little criticism? we arent attacking you so theres no need to get so defensive

 

those pellets falling when you picked up the bird were stopped by feathers. hard to believe something so light can stop lead or steel eh? i guess you musta threw shot at those birds too

 

if you have the money to buy all your other gear, tags, etc then you can afford a few more boxes of shells. if you actually have 10 people in your group, each person only needs to buy 1 box. trade shells with each other giving every one of you 10 different shells to try. youd be amazed how great the proper choke/load will shoot. what shoots great in your gun might be the worst in another gun...

 

you dont think im man enough to shoot 3 1/2" shells? dude, give me a break. i shoot quite a few 3 1/2" #4 buck through a full choke every year at coyotes and they kick harder than any turkey load.

 

yes, having a sore shoulder and cheek is the direct result of the shooter having bad form. there are many things that contribute to this and can usually be cured by having someone watch you while you are shooting. how do you think people manage to shoot the big bore rifles (577 t rex as an example ) without killing their bodies?

 

 

totally pointless trying to teach a know it all something

[Northhunter]

you dont think im man enough to shoot 3 1/2" shells? dude, give me a break. i shoot quite a few 3 1/2" #4 buck through a full choke every year at coyotes and they kick harder than any turkey load.

 

yes, having a sore shoulder and cheek is the direct result of the shooter having bad form. there are many things that contribute to this and can usually be cured by having someone watch you while you are shooting. how do you think people manage to shoot the big bore rifles (577 t rex as an example ) without killing their bodies?

 

A 3 1/2" load is a 3 1/2" load. The recoil is dependant on shot charge and velocity. It doesn't matter what it's loaded with. If #4 buck is hitting your shoulder harder than the same load of #5 bird shot at the same velocity than it's all in your head.

 

You can have excellent form and still take some punishment. The heavy 3 1/2" candlesticks will produce 60-70lbs of free recoil. I'm 205lbs and anything over 40 starts to punch pretty good. Why do you think there is so much emphasis on recoil dampers on newer guns? Butt pads, special gas operated dampers, overbored barrels, "kickoff" systems, etc., etc.

The big bore rifles are not meant for high volume shooting. Most use open sights. They are designed to make the 1st shot count. The .577 "T-rex" isn't even a hunting rifle. It's a personal defence round designed by safari hunters for when the hunting rifle doesn't do the job on dangerous game. It's a big mother-f#$*!n' backup gun for when the crap hits the fan and you need to knock an elephant on it's ass Bruised shoulder or not, you don't fire that thing 'til you have to.

Edited April 12, 2009 by Northhunter

[Zebco]

totally pointless trying to teach a know it all something

 

Whats that saying about glass houses again?