I have come to this shocking conclusion after a long spring spent on the patterning boards and finally finishing up in the turkey woods. My spring started early with a failed attempt to get a Mossberg 500 Tactical Turkey gun to pattern well. Also I had the stock fold up on me while patterning a 3'' turkey load. So on my way home I stopped into a local gun shop and found an old school Realtree Mossberg 835 sitting on the used shelf. After a long talk about how turkey hunters didn't like the outdated pattern with the owner I negotiated a trade even up for the tactical 500. It was like taking an ugly puppy home from the pound. Finally I was back in the 3.5" game. An addition of a Pure Gold choke and a set of fiber optic sights and my new friend was ready to shoot. I spent several days patterning various loads: old Remington HEVI #5,s, Kent #5's, Mag Blends, and Winchester HV 5's and 6's. (All 3.5inch) While the Magnum Blends threw the tightest patterns in a 10 inch circle at 40 yards the Winchester HV #5's consistently patterned a nice even 20" pattern with 120-130 in the 10 and very few fliers at the same distance. So when the time came to hit the Fields my vested ended up filled with 3.5 inch High Velocity #5's just like it always has been. My first turkey was a 19# Jake last week on the twelfth. He hit the ground like a ton of bricks at 46 yards and ended my 3 year sabbatical from turkey hunting. My second bird came Thursday afternoon when a beautiful tom pinned me down in a picked corn field. A few soft notes on a glass call and he strutted past at 43 yards. From prone position he looked as big as my mossy's recoil felt. Same out come, dropped like a bag of hammers. Upon cleaning i saw just what I always have, deformed copper plated #5'd wrapped in feathers leaving large wound channels and causing huge damage. For me lead is here to stay.
My first turkey in 3 years!!! A nineteen pound jake and the smile didn't leave for hours!
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My second bird! He weighed 21 pounds 4oz. A beautiful 2 year old so nothing special for spurs but out of all my birds he has the nicest beard only 10" but by far thicker and fuller than others I have taken in the past. Shot from prone in a picked cornfield at a ranged 43 yards. My new mossy crushed him. It was a short hunt after work. Building houses is a nice way to spend the day but this is a better way to end it!
Thanks for all the advice and entertainment to all on this sight!!
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Another picture of my second bird.
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Congrats!!! I am switching to HWT in my 20 for next year, but lead will always be in my vest too! I love #5 lead!!!
Daman
Yeah that seems to be the magic number!
Just my $0.02 but I feel that the Winchester® Supreme® High velocity #4, 5, and 6 are THE BEST Pb loads available today! My gun(s) prefer #4 & 5 shot.
Beautiful birds Fastcat! :happy0064:
I just started hunting turkey this year and drop my 20 pounder with a copper coated #5 Winchester 3" Mag (1/7/8 oz load.). They patterned very well in my old 500 with the plain 28" ventilated, full accuchoke tub.
congrats on a very nice bird
I have the very same gun
(http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t244/sr5865/S2010188_0022.jpg)
I used an old 835 (pre-camo) with a Hastings .690 choke and the Win HV 3.5 #6's for several years. I started using them the first year Winchester introduced them. No bird got away from that gun. It kicked the everloving sh#t of me, though. :D
Quote from: stinkpickle on May 21, 2011, 09:30:12 PM
I used an old 835 (pre-camo) with a Hastings .690 choke and the Win HV 3.5 #6's for several years. I started using them the first year Winchester introduced them. No bird got away from that gun. It kicked the everloving sh#t of me, though. :D
My first turkey gun was an 835 early 90's model. No camo, no porting but lots of KICK! Sure did put down a lot of gobblers with Win 2.25 oz. of 6's. Mine had a Hastings .675. Here's my new heater, gone back to the Win XX in 6's also.
(http://i794.photobucket.com/albums/yy227/moses25roman/IMG_20110510_130221-1.jpg)
nice looking turkey gun