Turkey Load?

[brewer12345]

The area we usually hunt blue grouse also has turkeys and the seasons overlap. I normally hunt grouse with a 20 gauge stoked with either steel 4s or lead 6s. The 20 patterns the steel load pretty darned tight with a modified choke. If I am trying to bag a turkey while out for grouse it will be opportunistic, so I will be swapping loads and trying to make the shot. What should I be looking for in a 20 gauge turkey load? I assume I am aiming for the head?

My alternative is pack the .223 along, which is legal in the fall season in my state.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

I would just use the same lead 6's you use for grouse. You could take a couple heavier loads of 6 shot along but I wouldn't count on being able to swap loads when you have a shot at a turkey.

 

[Duster340]

Yep. I like 6's. Game loads kill them just a dead as the fancy Turkey loads.

 

[brewer12345]

Head shot rather than a body shot?

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

Head shot rather than a body shot?

Always with a shotgun

 

[brewer12345]

Always with a shotgun

Great. Where would you aim with a rifle?

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

Great. Where would you aim with a rifle?

A bullet through the back puts them down quick and doesn't damage much meat.

 

[FL-NC]

Great. Where would you aim with a rifle?

I have killed several with 223, non expanding ammo. A center mass shot when they are presenting a profile does fine. With a shotgun, always the head.

 

[brewer12345]

Thanks, guys. Like I said, a turkey would be incidental to grouse hunting, so it is helpful to understand what will knock them down that I might have handy. I might have a revolver in 38/357, but I have my doubts about making such a shot and I am not sure it is legal in my state.

 

[Armored farmer]

The pattern board doesn't lie.
#4s are pretty sparse.....#6s are lightish for turkeys.....
I like #5s to split the difference.
I have tried some custom loads with a blend of 4s, 5s, and 6s and meh~.
I always shoot lead unless it's prohibited.
Turkeys are BIG birds!
best wishes.

 

[brewer12345]

AF, I was a little leery of some of the small shot sizes I see in turkey loads. A few years of blasting jack rabbits with everything up to and including BB goose loads and still having them run makes me disinclined to err on the side of smaller shot for sure. Really, I would just as soon nail them with a rifle (or if I get the muzzleloader deer tag I am hoping for a patched round ball would do it as well).

 

[MCgunner]

Well, the one I shot a couple years back was with a 40 grain JHP from a .22 magnum. I've moved up to my M4 since then. I hit it dead center mass in the breast and did very little meat damage. He went about 20 yards and keeled over.

 

[243winxb]

5s with plastic buffer, if handloading. Some factory shell have buffer with copper plated shot. Less deformed pellets, tighter pattern. Aim for head/neck.

 

[brewer12345]

5s with plastic buffer, if handloading. Some factory shell have buffer with copper plated shot. Less deformed pellets, tighter pattern. Aim for head/neck.

Guessing the Fiocchi Golden Pheasants I have a stash of would do the trick.

 

[LRDGCO]

I have a lot of respect for Mr. Tom. In fact, if turkeys had a better sense of smell, you'd never, ever see one at shotgun range. Are you out there with dogs? Because you'll never get close to Tom with Rex running around unless you're breaking up flock and calling the reconvene. If no dogs, and you are planning to stalk them, and shoot them with a 20 gauge mod choke, you need to spend some time at the pattern board and you need all the help you can get.

Hevi Shot makes an awfully good turkey load. Federal came out with its Heavyweight Tungsten loads last year which includes a 20 ga 3" 1 5 /8 oz load of #7 and 9 shot and a flight control wad. It's Godawful expensive, but if you're planning to stalk turkey, that's the stuff you need.

If you think you can sneak up on turkey to 30-35 yards and hit one with a pheasant load, all power to you. I think you'll be lucky to get a 50-60 yard shot that way. I understand the 'target of opportunity ' concept, and I wish you luck, but Tom is a wiley fellow indeed when he is not looking for love.

223 would probably increase your chances greatly - hits in fall field flocks at 100 plus yards being much better odds. But then it's not target of opportunity while out on grouse.

 

[Hookeye]

Started w 3" magnum buffered 5's from a full choke 12.
Pattern was big at 30 yards.

Popped a couple, worked (farthest 25 yards) and switched to a choketube gun, running buffered magnum #4's in a Superfull tube.
Like it much better

24#, 12.5" beard 42 yards

View attachment 828297

 

[buck460XVR]

.

If you think you can sneak up on turkey to 30-35 yards and hit one with a pheasant load, all power to you. I think you'll be lucky to get a 50-60 yard shot that way. I understand the 'target of opportunity ' concept, and I wish you luck, but Tom is a wiley fellow indeed when he is not looking for love..

I'd assume the OP is talkin' Fall Turkeys and "targets of opportunity". This means young of the year and hens, which are easy to scatter, easy to call to reassemble and easy to sneak up on early in the season because of foliage. I have shot several fall turkeys with pheasant loads, killed them just as dead as any turkey load. Have shot birds that were hiding in the long grass in front of a pointer(dogs are legal here for turkeys in the fall). Have called Toms in to me in the fall too. Was a time not too long ago when there was no such thing as "turkey loads" and "turkey chokes". Only what was already on the shelf for other upland game. Worked just fine then, will still work just fine today as long as one knows how their gun patterns with a particular load and gets within legitimate range of that particular load, especially on Fall birds. Iffin' I was going after fall birds primarily and a rifle was legal.....that's what I would take. But iffin all I had was my scattergun with grouse loads, I'd just make sure I got close and hit them well in the head. Been times in the fall, where I had to get up and chase young of the year away from me in order to get the larger hens or jakes to come in. Not a problem gettin' 'em close.

 

[brewer12345]

No dogs. Will chiefly be after blue grouse at 7000 feet or so and we occasionally see turkeys in the hollows. I don't have any interest in calling, decoys and so forth, so this would simply be a case of see a Turkey, shoot one. I will pattern some of my usual grouse loads and see how they do. If they aren't satisfactory I will look into a Turkey specific load or make some myself as I reload for 20 gauge.

 

[eastbank]

I have been using Winchester long beard #5,s with good results, but a friend has me going with TSS #7-#9 shells this year. they have been giving very good patterns out to 40-45 yards.

 

[redneck2]

Guys here say to shoot at the head. Problem with that is 1/2 of your pattern ends up going over his head, assuming your pattern is centered at point of aim.

I aim a little down the neck. I want the top part of the pattern just over his head. That way you have shot hitting the head and down his neck. Get one of those turkey patterning targets and see which range and load gives you at least 6 pellets in the kill zone

 

[Loyalist Dave]

The pattern board doesn't lie .

Another vote for patterning the shotgun!

You want to pattern at what you will use at your max range, AND at half that. Gives you a better idea of what the pellets are doing. and what your sights, or what your eyeball and your barrel bead, are doing for you. So you might find that aiming where the neck meets the body gives lots of pellets in the head 'cause you tend to shoot a bit high, or you might have a high front sight post and find that you need to aim at the head, or you end up tossing the shot too low.

Finally pace off your max range from where you will be hidden, and mark that distance with some tape or something. Aimpoint and patterning may be for naught if you take a shot beyond the range where your pattern is good, at a distance where you get "holes" in it. Them feathers on turkeys are like a ballistic vest, hence the head/neck shots.

LD

 

[MtnCreek]

I have been using Winchester long beard #5,s with good results, but a friend has me going with TSS #7-#9 shells this year. they have been giving very good patterns out to 40-45 yards.

Are you using an extra-full turkey choke with the TSS? I'm getting about 3 or 4 pellets in a head / neck area with 3" #5 longbeard with a jellyhead choke at ~45yds (paced). I'd like improve that and have thought about using some of the new small shot type shells. Thanks.

 

[eastbank]

I have been running a .640 choke with good results, as I like to shoot at 35 yards or less longbeards have served me will and the cost it pretty good 17-18 dollars for 10, but to have a better chance in brush or range estamates off I would like as good a pattern as I can get. TSS #7-#9 give super patterns at 40-45 yards with the .640 choke out of a 12ga 3" TC encore and 12ga 3" Remington 11-87, but their cost is high 34-36 dollars a 5 round box. we bought our last three boxes from Rodgers with over 100.00 free shipping. I plan on sighting my shotguns in with the TSS and then shoot a few trap loads to see where the pattern is compared to the TSS so I can check zero with the trap loads,thus saving my TSS for turkey shooting.

 

[redneck2]

TSS #7-#9 give super patterns at 40-45 yards with the .640 choke out of a 12ga 3" TC encore and 12ga 3" Remington 11-87, but their cost is high 34-36 dollars a 5 round box.

Yeah. $6 a round is brutal. But, with my 10 gauge with very expensive Hevi-Shot I shot 5 rounds in 5 years and got 5 birds. Longest was 67 yards. Quality loads with the right pattern make a huge difference