Going cheap this year on shells

[Meleagris gallopavo]

Hi folks.  I tend to spend a good bit of money on turkey hunting every year.  Turkey calls, decoys, hunting apparel, vests, and shells.  As I reflect on the spending over the past few years I've decided to take a more minimalist "make do" approach.  Last year I used APEX TSS, and while I was able to kill a few turkeys with it, I didn't feel they were as necessary as I once thought.  All of the turkeys we shoot are in the 20-40 yard range, so I don't think I need TSS.  Some birds are so close that I feel that Winchester Longbeards, which I've used before, "may" lead to close range misses.  We shoot Mossberg 835s so I tend to gravitate towards 3.5" shells.  What are some tried and true, run-of-the-mill shells that you've had good luck with?  Something I can pick up at any decent sporting goods store.

[AppalachianHollers]

I've gotten solid patterns from the 3.5" version of this Winchester Double X load out of my Indian Creek .665.
Wal-Mart often sells 10 shell boxes for at little as $10...if they have them.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2900113645


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[owlhoot]

Federal grandslams , the older ones were great. Strut shok loads were good too. No flight control was in these.
Winchester XX or supreme were a good load.
It's good to be thinking about this now. Ammo availability being what it is.
Of course you could wait and see if bass pro and cabelas makes the TSS mistake of pricing loads over half off.
Clark did one heck of a deal last year for hevishot loads on this forum .
And many individuals sale ammo here. You can get good deals from them as well.
Good luck in your search. 

[nyhunter]

Winchester HV black box, not longbeard, those a perfect hunting shells for ethical hunting ranges out to 40yds,  and there's no need for 3.5" shells, i have had great luck with #5 and #6 shot

[WildTigerTrout]

Winchester Supreme HV 12ga. 3.5" 2 oz. #6 shot.  I have used these for quite some time in my Benelli SBE I. Killed a number of birds with this load.  Works great!

[jrmcclure]

I guess if I was taking a minimalist/make do approach I would just shoot left over shells from previous years or ammo tests. 2021 ammo cost $0.  I don't know of a single turkey hunter that doesn't have at least a couple boxes of random shotgun shell laying around. At 20-30 yards any shell will do.

[Turkeytider]

I guess if I was taking a minimalist/make do approach I would just shoot left over shells from previous years or ammo tests. 2021 ammo cost $0.  I don't know of a single turkey hunter that doesn't have at least a couple boxes of random shotgun shell laying around. At 20-30 yards any shell will do.

Absolutely. We all have preferred loads, but that in no way means that those are the only shells that will work. I've got a couple of others besides my Hevi-13s that, while maybe not putting quite as many holes in a paper target at 40 yards, I'm confident would do the job. How many pellets does it take to kill a turkey anyway?

[eggshell]

I quit buying the expensive shells several years ago. I shoot Remington Nitros 5 shot for the last 10 years, probably. They average 10-12 dollars a box of 10. They are what pattern best in my browning, so pattern your gun and just go with what patterns best. I went through the long range shell fixation too and I think what it done was make me take a few shots I shouldn't have. After, having to chase down a couple birds and missing/wounding a couple I started realizing I still was better off letting them get inside 40 yards. An Old buddy of mine handed me some nitros one day when I forgot my shells on an out of state trip and I killed two birds with two shots. His first comment was, hey those only cost me $7.00 (been a few years). After thinking about it I realized knowing what I had in the gun made me wait for a closer shot. I went out and bought a few boxes of them after I seen the pattern and never looked back. Now, I have become accustomed to not shooting any birds over 40 if I judge right, but prefer 25-30. I kill birds stone dead in their tracks most times. When I think back to my early years, i realize I killed my first several birds with 2 3/4"magnum field loads in a 20 ga. Then I went to a 2 3/4" Remington 870 and standard magnum load. So I had to seriously ask myself, "why am I paying $3.00-4.00 a shell, when $1.00 shells will do just fine? I didn't have a good answer. Sure, I suppose the TSS and long range premiums will kill me that occasional hung up gobbler at 50+ or 60 yards, but I am not that desperate. I am retired and have all season to hunt, they'll be another day or another bird and just more hunting. I say go for the cheaper shells

[Meleagris gallopavo]

I had a few hang up around 50-60 yards last year and I still didn't shoot, even though I had Apex TSS in the gun.  It doesn't take much for me to feel uncomfortable about the shot. 

I don't want to but new chokes and I have Indian Creek chokes in both guns.  Which shells are safe for ported chokes like I have?

[bbcoach]

I'm an 835 guy as well.  I shoot 3 1/2 Hevi 7's through a .670 Pure Gold and they are lights out in my gun.  With that being said, that IC .675 in that gun is an awesome setup.  It sounds as if you want an inexpensive round that will close the deal at 40 and in.  I would recommend the Winchester Double X's in 4's or 5's.  One step up would be the LB's in 6's.  With that .675 IC, she will be tight with about any shell inside 20.  If you have the .695 Super Full that should have come with your 835, I would recommend giving it a try and see what kind of pattern you get at 20.  Aim Small, Miss Small and Good Luck.

[jrmcclure]

I can load my tss load for $5. Winchester longbeards in my area are $2. There are other places I guess I could cut corner to make a hunt cheaper, but I guess if $3 was a deal breaker for me I should probably stay home or go to work an extra shift. At the end of the hunt the only thing between you and the bird is a good shell you have 100% confidence in.

I don't use the tss as a long range shell, but more as an insurance policy if I misjudge distance. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has wanted a bird to be 35 yards then after the fact realized I was wrong. A good hevi-shot or tss load provides some room for error I didn't see 10-12 years ago with the cheap $8 a box of 10 walmart lead loads.

[eggshell]

I can load my tss load for $5. Winchester longbeards in my area are $2. There are other places I guess I could cut corner to make a hunt cheaper, but I guess if $3 was a deal breaker for me I should probably stay home or go to work an extra shift. At the end of the hunt the only thing between you and the bird is a good shell you have 100% confidence in.

I don't use the tss as a long range shell, but more as an insurance policy if I misjudge distance. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has wanted a bird to be 35 yards then after the fact realized I was wrong. A good hevi-shot or tss load provides some room for error I didn't see 10-12 years ago with the cheap $8 a box of 10 walmart lead loads.

I won't argue your point at all. You bring up some good observations, but I fear some are using the shell simply to try a longer shot and take chances. On the other hand if I can save a few dollars and still accomplish the same thing, I'll save the money. It's not that I can't afford the higher priced shells, I think it makes me more disciplined knowing the cheaper ones are in the gun. I am less likely to take a chance shot....yes we've all done it or at least most of us

[Turkeytider]

I can load my tss load for $5. Winchester longbeards in my area are $2. There are other places I guess I could cut corner to make a hunt cheaper, but I guess if $3 was a deal breaker for me I should probably stay home or go to work an extra shift. At the end of the hunt the only thing between you and the bird is a good shell you have 100% confidence in.

I don't use the tss as a long range shell, but more as an insurance policy if I misjudge distance. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has wanted a bird to be 35 yards then after the fact realized I was wrong. A good hevi-shot or tss load provides some room for error I didn't see 10-12 years ago with the cheap $8 a box of 10 walmart lead loads.

I won't argue your point at all. You bring up some good observations, but I fear some are using the shell simply to try a longer shot and take chances. On the other hand if I can save a few dollars and still accomplish the same thing, I'll save the money. It's not that I can't afford the higher priced shells, I think it makes me more disciplined knowing the cheaper ones are in the gun. I am less likely to take a chance shot....yes we've all done it or at least most of us

There is no way I`d take a 50-60 yard shot at a turkey, I don`t care if had a bazooka. Common sense will tell you that the farther out, the more the chance for cripples. If I can`t get him inside of 40 yards, he wins. Just me, but a crippled bird would pretty much ruin the season for me. They are just too special to take the chance and I don`t need to kill one that bad anyway.

[eggshell]

turkeytider, I hope you don't think I was advocating taking 50-60 yard shots. I wasn't in any way. I kill my birds at 25-30 and occasionally I am off 5-10 yards, but still within 40 if I wait until I judge he's 25-30. I don't like closer because the pattern gets awful tight, but if it's not clean I'll wait until he's closer.

Let's not derail the thread into a distance debate....it's about shells. The cheaper shells will do the job if you know your pattern and distance

[Meleagris gallopavo]

I guess if I was taking a minimalist/make do approach I would just shoot left over shells from previous years or ammo tests. 2021 ammo cost $0.  I don't know of a single turkey hunter that doesn't have at least a couple boxes of random shotgun shell laying around. At 20-30 yards any shell will do.

Honestly I think that's exactly what I'm going to do. I have a few Longbeards, Remington Nitros, Apex TSS, and Winchester XX.  After I clear those out I may go looking for some decent shells at a decent price.