As a young man when Hevi first came out it was this color shell, this years shell not as good as last year, can not find the same shell, buffer is different, shot is different etc. etc. etc.
Now that being said have they become better on quality control. The rebates and sales on this stuff makes it more appealing now. I know lots of people have the following things to say now that worry me.
* Does not shoot as hard as the Xtended Range
* Lot number this is good Lot number that is bad
* Got X amount in a 10" last year this year its 40-60 less
I am all about finding a great shell but lots of things tend to keep me from buying HEVI SHOT from Environ.
Be nice see them set up at some of these shows where you could buy it by the round instead of having buy a full box (All ammo companies should try this!).
Would just like some others insights I am sure this will get tore to part but it is just my knowledge of the product over the past several years.
I can honestly say I have never fire one round of it but hundereds of others.
I am one who fought the Hevishot craze for a few years. I broke down and bought me a hevi-Shot captiable choke. Bought some Hevi 3" 3-2-6 loads for my Remington. I got some good patterns. I then polished my barrel and I got awesome patterns. It is many times better that my old lead loads and it even patterned better than Extended Range ammo too. I have taken 6 gobblers with Hevi 13. Lucky I have 2 1/2 boxes Hevi 13 3-2-6 ammo that I got the great patterns from. I feel your pain with the ever changing of these Hevi 13 loads. This is a good reason to get into reloading your own Hevi 12 ammo and TSS loads. The handloading section here has great info. on the subject. I still will buy the Hevi13 stuff to try. There are a few on here could give you the good Lot #'s. You should be good. I would befriend some of the guys on here about this. There is alot of good folks on here willing to help. Lead will still get the job done but Hevi 13 boost my confidence with just awesome patterns at 40 yards. I feel if I do my part the gobbler will not escape it pay load. Just my thoughts. Good Luck, Mike
I haven't joined the hevi-load shell side either; I am in no way saying that I'm not nor ever will but the remington nitro's and the winchesters supreme's hasn't given me an excuse to try them yet; I just love killing turkeys and I truly love trying to get my turkeys 25 yards or less; at that distance, the nitro's and winchesters does good enough for me..................rem
Hevi-13 for me! Killer patterns!
We talk about the number of pellets in a 10" circle, because it is a measure we can see, and experiment with ourselves. I believe most men, like to tinker with their hobbies, to see if it can get any better.
However, you can't get any better than dead, for a shot at turkey. Dead is dead!!
1 pellet in the circle or 329 in the circle. As long as it hits its mark, it's a dead turkey.
We just like to improve our odds of hitting the mark.
So, with the above being written, it really doesn't matter if it's lead, or TSS shot, as long as the pellet hits its mark with enough penetration.
God Bless,
David B.
Quote from: BOFF on January 28, 2012, 11:04:46 PM
We talk about the number of pellets in a 10" circle, because it is a measure we can see, and experiment with ourselves. I believe most men, like to tinker with their hobbies, to see if it can get any better.
However, you can't get any better than dead, for a shot at turkey. Dead is dead!!
1 pellet in the circle or 329 in the circle. As long as it hits its mark, it's a dead turkey.
We just like to improve our odds of hitting the mark.
So, with the above being written, it really doesn't matter if it's lead, or TSS shot, as long as the pellet hits its mark with enough penetration.
God Bless,
David B.
X2
Even with the "bad" lot numbers, Hevi will still out pattern lead. But the 10 inch circle, trying to get the best pattern you can. At the end of the day, it is just the boys playing with their "toys". And then we play some more, and some more and so on. The hunt, before the hunt and I enjoy it.
Good Luck and God Bless
Ray
Quality control just seems to be a big issue with their product when looking at the whole picture.
Quality control, changing internal components, poor crimps seal, sub sized shot, inconsistent 10" pattern numbers, price. Are all problems with H-13. I love to hate them, I love them when they throw good patterns ,I hate them when a shell out of the same box shoots 30 less pellets in a 10" circle. In the end even the worst one's would have killed a big old Gobbler at 40 yds,and the worst patterns were still better than the lead shot that i have used in the past," and killed a truck load of Gobblers with".
I shot hevi 6's for a good while now and ALMOST decided that i was going to the 7's last year when I saw all the numbers being put up....then the numbers (specifically on the 7's) seemed to really drop off when they changed some things.... So I went back to the drawing board and started shooting TSS handloads.
It's working for me right now. I believe it patterns better then my lead did. The Q.C, I don't get it either. If you have a great product why not stay with it. It's not just hevi. it's alot of the ammo Co's. I believe they have us all over a barrel,there always changing recepies. WHY?????? So we continually spend money! (JMO) you see it with the slug industry. It cost alot of money to sight in a slug gun. Then they'll go change the fps. Or discontinue it all together. :character0029: They have us right where they want us. Just another one of my conspiracy theories.
:deadhorse:
Up until last year I shot Win Supreme #5's & killed a ton of gobblers. Well I decided to jump on the Hevi Shot bandwagon. Not only do they pattern better but they will flat out slam a gobbler. They surely made a believer out of me. Hunting here in these Va. mountains when you shoot a gobbler on the steep side of a ridge & he flops 200 yds over a rock bluff the recovery is sometimes tuff. With the Hevi Shot you rarely have to worry about that anymore. Almost always the bird wont hardly even flop. :newmascot:
Quote from: vaturkey on January 29, 2012, 11:45:32 AM
Up until last year I shot Win Supreme #5's & killed a ton of gobblers. Well I decided to jump on the Hevi Shot bandwagon. Not only do they pattern better but they will flat out slam a gobbler. They surely made a believer out of me. Hunting here in these Va. mountains when you shoot a gobbler on the steep side of a ridge & he flops 200 yds over a rock bluff the recovery is sometimes tuff. With the Hevi Shot you rarely have to worry about that anymore. Almost always the bird wont hardly enen flop. :newmascot:
The only thing better than Hevishot is Nitros or handloads. Win XR will hit a little harder but the smaller payloads don't pattern as well at longer ranges. If I can keep on killing birds at 50+ with Hevi 7's I can see no reason to not shoot them.
Hevi 13 is hands down the best load that is available on the market today for turkey hunting..shot intros for years but the loads seem to be loaded too hot and are ridiculously expensive. Win XR patterns..out of all of my guns..wouldn't touch the Hevi 13 patterns. IMO if a turkey hunter has not tested Hevi 13 in his or her turkey gun...big mistake. I've seen average patterning guns at 30-35 yds turned into amazing patterning guns at 40-45yds. On the other hand..maybe folks should cut back on buying Hevi 13..maybe the price will go down. :z-winnersmiley:
Got a new Remington 11-87 and needed to pattern it to day to see what I had. I tried five different brands and six types of shells. Every shell I tried would have killed a turkey at 40 yard's like a person wants. So I tried out to 50 just in case of misjudgment and the two Hevi 13 came out on top with maybe the Mag blend being a little better not sure. Because one had one half ounce more of shot then the other so I don't know how you would recalculate for that. Any way I am know looking at the Hevi 13 magblend in 5-6-7 that I was using, just wondering if it was from a good lot or poor lot. Where do you find the number, do you use the number that is under the bar scan, and if so the entire number or the first or last part. The number on the box I am using is 16383 4205. Where do I find the information on good lots and bad lot numbers. I'm sorry to bother you guys for this information if it has been posted some place else already.
I fell into the hevishot craze years ago when they were in remington green shells. I loved them then and still like them today with one huge exception. The price that they are asking for these shells is utterly rediculious. 6 dollars every time I pull the trigger is bogus at best. I will be returning to the federal flight control shells that have been killing turkeys for me for years. Dead is dead. I have way more no flop or long range stories with the federals than I ever will with hevishot. Sad to say but they priced themselves out of my market.
Winchester XX 3/2/6's $16.50
Hevi 13 3/2/6's $19.99
Being able to hit a turkey with twice as much shot at 40yds and more knockdown potential than Pb 6's is worth it in my opinion.Just a few dollars more for devastating results.
:z-guntootsmiley:
Quote from: Longshanks on January 31, 2012, 11:12:11 AM
Winchester XX 3/2/6's $16.50
Hevi 13 3/2/6's $19.99
Being able to hit a turkey with twice as much shot at 40yds and more knockdown potential than Pb 6's is worth it in my opinion.Just a few dollars more for devastating results.
:z-guntootsmiley:
What you failed to mention is the Win.XX are TEN round boxes. The Hevi-13 is FIVE rounds. That makes the Hevi's $4 a round and the Win. $1.65. That's a BIG difference.
Aren't you comparing a box of 5 shells to a box of 10? Still worth it in my opinion.
Yup..but it's still worth it when you drop your money on the counter..1.65 to 4.00 is a few dollars difference. Actually it's 2.35 :morning:
Twice as much shot in the turkey for 2.35 to be exact. I'm ok with that..a 20 oz coke is close to 2.00 in some places. If your gonna be cheap about something don't let it be the shells. In most places you can only kill three turkeys. 12.00
Funny story..friend of mine was complaining about the price of shells last year. I asked how many turkeys he killed that spring. He said 1. (4.00) we added how much he spent on every thing else: lease, gun, gas, food, etc........3000.00+ :begging: he stopped complaining about 4 dollar shells. There is an old saying "eating an elephant and choking on a flea"
Here is the way the converstion goes around here:
H13 shooter - "you ready for turkey season?"
Lead shooter - "yeah man, can't wait, got a brand new blah blah shotgun, a new lease and a new truck"
H13 shooter - "I just got the same gun, what are you shooting from it?"
Lead shooter - " -insert any lead shell you want- shoots good, you shooting the same?"
H13 shooter - "those are good shells, should work great. I am shooting the h13 shells"
Lead shooter - "oh Lord, I can't believe you shoot those, they are too expensive, they are slow, you must have more money than me, I could not imagine giving that much to kill a turkey, you are crazy, your Mom is old, your dog is dumb and your kids stink!"
H13 shooter - "hmm, ok, they shoot good though."
Lead shooter - "I don't care, my lead shells are just as good and they cost less, and they are good and they cost less, and I have killed every bird I have ever shot at out to 157yds!!!!"
H13 shooter - leaves.........
I have never seen a H13 shooter down anyone for shooting lead, but the reverse happens quite a bit.
Myself I shoot both, I'm crazy like that though.
I'm thinking of spending 10-12 $ per shell to load TSS. Still the cheapest part of turkey hunting!
$4 per shell isn't that much when you consider the big picture. There are $200+ decoys, $200+ box calls, and quality camo clothes are crazy high. I'll pay $4 per shell if that's what works best in my gun ( and it is btw). I know others will work but if I can optimize the performance of my gun/choke combo with hevi 13 I will gladly do it. On the QC, I totally agree with everyone. I wish they would stop messing with it every year.
As said previously, the cost of your shells is the least of the expenses involved in turkey hunting.
Here in Michigan we can only kill one Tom in the Spring, I opt to go with the load that patterns best for me regardless of price. Depending on which gun I use it is either Hevi 13 3-2-7 or H13 3-2-6.