3.5 inch 12 ga. shells #6 - turkey?

If it works for you go for it, i might try out some bigger shot though. A little bigger shot might extend your range a bit.

Three dead toms - sounds like your load is just fine! So while there's no NEED to play around with other loads, I agree that it wouldn't hurt to try slightly larger shot (4's) and see how they shoot. The pattern and ability of a hunter is more important than shot size.

Personally I gave up on the 3 1/2" shells - just hurt too much to shoot from my 835. If I can't kill a bird with a 3" I won't be able to kill it with a 3 1/2".

Bison, i tried the blackhawk re-coil stock on my 835 with pretty good results until i noticed the stock was actually contacting the trigger-guard assembly and cracked it (not along the mold-seam) so i put regular stock back on and now stick to #4 3" shells and those pellets are alittle easier to dig out of meat also !

I used to hunt turkeys passionately. I use my old Remington 870 TB trap gun. It only has a 2 3/4" chamber, but I never found this to be the slightest handicap. I handloaded two loads: 1 3/8 oz. of buffered #4's and 1 1/2" of non-buffered #4's. Both killed Toms deader than dead. My longest shot was a hair over 35 yds.
The last tom I shot was when I was guiding a someone else. I killed him with an old Savage 16 ga. SxS with an I/C loaded with 1 1/8 oz. #4's.
It doesn't take a howitzer to kill these birds. Just call them in reasonably close. Also, I have no doubt that the shorter shells will pattern better than the long ones.
35W

35 Whelen called it real close.

It doesnt take a Howitzer to kill these birds

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And I too used a 16ga with no 4s.

turkey shells

remember, The longer the shell, the longer the shot string. I do fine with 2 3/4 mags. Less recoil = faster 2nd shot (if needed). Last I got was with a 3" 20 ga.

Grousefeather said:

remember, The longer the shell, the longer the shot string.

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True. It's a big deal in wing shooting. How is a long shot string a handicap when shooting turkeys?

How is a long shot string a handicap when shooting turkeys?

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Long shot strings mean more shot damaged and deformed when the shells is fired....one reason 3" .410 shells don't pattern too well.
35W

No need for 3.5" shells. Never seen a turkey I was that mad at. Why deal with recoil levels in the elephant gun range to kill a 15 lb bird that won't attack you.

4,5,& 6 shot all work. I've settled on #5 and it works fine for me.

The #4 shot is hard to beat in 3.5 inch 12 gauge. It might even be over kill, but it's better to over kill something than underkill it.. attached is a pic of one shot i took several years ago, at a tom turkey. Unfortunately, the shot took more than just the bird i was aiming at.

I'll note that I had purchased a guided, filmed youth hunt at a NWTF auction that year, that my boy and i were really looking forward to going on, but had to leave my gun at home for the hunt, as i had already took my legal limit for the year with that one shot on opening day of the season. It was never my intention of taking more than one bird, but it sold me on the # 4's in 3.5 inch

Turkey is each persons' own personal legacy, and unless you are asking because of problems related to lack of sucess, then stick to what your doing. I've killed 35 - 40 gobbler's using 3" mags. stuffed with 1 7/8 oz. copper plated BBs. But that is me. I know a guy who has killed just as many gobbs as me and he does it with plated #4s. He and I have had several arguements about his choice of shot that offers a lot more pellets, but hey, we're both at 100% sucess ration doing our own thing. If I'm guiding someone I always put them behind the copper plated BBs.

If it works for you, stick to it. I've always used 2-3/4" #4 out of my older 870, but to each their own.

Assuming the head / neck is the target, smaller shot will give you much better pattern density and a better chance of a brain or spine hit instant kill.

#5 or #6 is about ideal for pattern density & enough penetration for head/neck kills.

A 2 3/4" 1 5/8oz #5 Mag shell is enough shot & more then enough recoil for me.

Truth be known though, every turkey I have killed in my life would have been just as dead if I had used a AA Trap load of 1 1/8 oz #8's.

rc

Truth be known though, every turkey I have killed in my life would have been just as dead if I had used a AA Trap load of 1 1/8 oz #8's.

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Once, i took a shot with # 6, in 2 3/4 inch 12 gauge, kind of a long shot, maybe 50 - 55 yards at a big Tom. I heard the shot "pepper" him, and knew that he was hit. Unfortunately, pellets must have only hit feather & body, and the big gobbler started running, took flight and flew app. 150 yards and disappeared into some thick woods. I never saw him again... I started using longer shells & heavier shot from that day forward.

Turkey guns are like rifles. Tight patterns are what most people go for and you need to know where it's centered. Years ago I tried out a variety of loads with two different choke tubes and found that WIN. 3" #6s pattern the best with my Remington Ventilator out of my 11-87. I bought several boxes from the same lot as my test shells and those are what I use for turkeys. In all honesty, if the 2 3/4" shells had given a better pattern, I'd have used them.

A red dot or other sight will help you center the pattern on the birds head/neck. If you center a tight pattern of 6s on a tom's central nervous system, he'll go down like a sack of bricks, even at 50-55 yards. Of course, calling them in even closer is half the fun.

35 Whelen said:

Long shot strings mean more shot damaged and deformed when the shells is fired....one reason 3" .410 shells don't pattern too well.
35W

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Fair enough. I can see how a larger percentage of the shot might go astray. I suspect that you would still have a higher pellet count in the pattern.

rcmodel said:

Assuming the head / neck is the target, smaller shot will give you much better pattern density and a better chance of a brain or spine hit instant kill.

#5 or #6 is about ideal for pattern density & enough penetration for head/neck kills.

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Maybe. It's a trade off. At longer distances the smaller shot loses momentum and is no long effective. OTOH, larger shot begins to lose pattern density.

I've had excellent results with 3" Winchester Supreme 2 oz #4s. Recoil doesn't bother me with this load despite my light Mossberg 500. (<7 lbs). It's just a big, slow push that you can roll with. Except for one time I got twisted around and fired with my shooting shoulder leaning against a tree. Now that hurt. Won't be doing that again!

I agree on te #4's they work great for me and they have a little bit of a range advantage over the 6's. I don't know if anyone has mentioned it but you could also get those remington duplex turkey loads with 4's and 6's...