7 pounds of loose Hevishot pellets now costs $230. They won't be inexpensive to reload. If the price for commercial loads gets much higher, I think the market share for HTL may have already topped out.
Yep...I maybe done when my reserve is shot up.
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I have enough Hevi 13 and Win. XR to get me thru the next couple of seasons but I came across a heck of a deal on Win. HV 3.5" 5's and 6's at WalMart I couldn't pass up. Got 15 boxes total. I can no longer justify the price of HTL loads.
I have a stockpile of 3.5-2.25-4 and 6 Winchesters from when I got my 835. I have about 3 cases of different brand 20 gauge 3-1.25 or 1 5/16 5's and 6's. I have 11 Nitro Blends and 11 H13 3-2-7's left. I hope to have enough money in the gun fund that when I buy my SX3 I can pattern it and order 100 of whatever its favorite Hevi load is whether it be H13 or Nitro's.
I would like to get into handloading TSS, but if the price gets over $60 a pound shipped I will shoot Nitro's, Hevi 13, or Winchester XX Magnums. I have no issue going back to lead if it means getting to hunt or not. And YES for some people, if they have to buy $6 a piece shells it would put a major dent in their budget for hunting.
I know one guy who shoots the OLD Remington 4x6 duplex 2.75" loads because he bought a case before he went on disability back in the 80's and now every dime is spent by months end just making ends meet. He calls em close and kills his limit of 5 every year.
It won't matter to many of us. It's quite illogical to spend 400% more money to kill .01% more turkeys, but we ain't logical folks. I have no excuse. :D
:TooFunny: :agreed: with stinkpickle
At $230 per 7 pounds of pellets, that's about $4.11 per 2 Ounce shell for the Pellets Alone, Not counting the Freight charges on the 7 pounds of pellets. That means that it will now cost as much per round to reload hevishot, as people have already been paying for the commercially available loads.
Some people are going to cry about going from 200-300 hit patterns to 90-150 hit patterns, but Lead will still be effective.
If nothing else, at least the choke companies have made some strides to further improve Lead patterns. My Indian Creek chokes have made me very happy with both HTL and Lead.
Where I hunt I cant shoot past 30 yards half the time anyway. Lead is gonna be in my gun for sure!
I visited a local hunting supply store this afternoon.
Last year, Magnum Blend was @$23 for 3", and @$26 for 3.5", and they sold out.
They just got a new supply in. $32 for 3", and $37 for 3.5".
I'm expecting the local demand to cool down a little at those prices.
I have no doubt that HTL patterns the best; but as a retired person, on a fixed income; I can't justify the cost. For me personally, I've been killing turkey gobblers (Easterns & Merriams) since 1978 with Pb. Last year I made the longest shot I've ever taken with Pb (42yds); and the gobbler was dead before his beak hit the dirt. I certainly DO NOT feel the least bit handicapped using Pb in my three 20ga guns.
You guys shooting 12ga 3" and 3½" Mags, with Pb loads; should be able to smack the daylights out of any gobbler that struts at 50yds with no problem.
I'm in the processes of patterning several lead loads for my SBEII and I already have a good load, choke combo for my 870. So when my supply of hevi runs out I'm not replacing it with more over priced HTL.
Quote from: Spuriosity on February 10, 2012, 08:20:07 AM
Quote from: dawei on February 09, 2012, 11:20:28 PM
I have no doubt that HTL patterns the best; but as a retired person, on a fixed income; I can't justify the cost. For me personally, I've been killing turkey gobblers (Easterns & Merriams) since 1978 with Pb. Last year I made the longest shot I've ever taken with Pb (42yds); and the gobbler was dead before his beak hit the dirt. I certainly DO NOT feel the least bit handicapped using Pb in my three 20ga guns.
You guys shooting 12ga 3' and 3½" Mags, with Pb loads; should be able to smack the daylights out of any gobbler that struts at 50yds with no problem.
Not necessarily. You've obviously done a lot of work to find a 20 ga lead combo that is effective past 40 yds. Many 3" 12s (mine included) struggle to put 100/10 @ 40 yds. No way that combo will kill to 50 yds with any consistency.
very few guns are 50 yard rigs with Pb, but there is always a magical combo out there. If I can put 100/10 @ 50 with my new rig when I get it put together, I will never buy HTL - just a case of the lot that shot the patterns.
And congrats to dawei! That combo you are shooting is something special and you have complete confidence in you set up. To me that is worth more than any pellet count - COMPLETE confidence to whatever your MAX range is.
Last season I bought a Benelli nova used for $200 with a JH .660 it patterned ok with lead but nothing special so I bought a couple boxes of mag blends to try and a friend of mine was with me when I shot them the first time. The very first shot the poa was dead on with I think it was 209 in the 10 at 40 and he looked at me and said he would trade me his browning silver with a kicks .670 in it and a bsquare mount and a gobble dot scope. So now I have to try and find a good lead pattern for it,anyone got any recomendations? I am gonna start with the win 3" #6 grey box
Quote from: Daman on February 10, 2012, 09:11:41 AMvery few guns are 50 yard rigs with Pb, but there is always a magical combo out there. If I can put 100/10 @ 50 with my new rig when I get it put together, I will never buy HTL - just a case of the lot that shot the patterns.
And congrats to dawei! That combo you are shooting is something special and you have complete confidence in you set up. To me that is worth more than any pellet count - COMPLETE confidence to whatever your MAX range is.
Thank you for your kind comment. I appreciate it. I am amazed what my old Mossberg® 20ga can do w/Pb! I am very fortunate I know.
You are quite welcome dawei.
Quote from: ericjames on February 10, 2012, 09:39:21 AM
Last season I bought a Benelli nova used for $200 with a JH .660 it patterned ok with lead but nothing special so I bought a couple boxes of mag blends to try and a friend of mine was with me when I shot them the first time. The very first shot the poa was dead on with I think it was 209 in the 10 at 40 and he looked at me and said he would trade me his browning silver with a kicks .670 in it and a bsquare mount and a gobble dot scope. So now I have to try and find a good lead pattern for it,anyone got any recomendations? I am gonna start with the win 3" #6 grey box
Get a 655 choke and some Win HV #6s or the Win XX 3-2-6.
With the prices going up I maybe looking for a good lead load
Count me in as a member of the lead gang after today...pleased with how Win HV's and Win XX patterned in my 11-87...unless lead sees a total ban, I am more than likely shooting Winchester Pb.
Maybe I'm a gripe but even lead seems to be jumping through the roof lately.
Wal-Mart is the only consistently cheap place for Lead loads.
It appears that I guessed right. Even some of the guys on the Reloading Forum are talking about loading Lead Turkey loads again.
The current and future HTL prices will likely discourage all but the most die hard HTL users.
Winchester Supreme 3.5" 2.25oz lead are $23 a box at our local store. They were I think $14-$15 a box 2 years ago.
Quote from: joshb311 on February 13, 2012, 11:57:48 PM
Maybe I'm a gripe but even lead seems to be jumping through the roof lately.
That is due to the fact that the gun shop owners know people are going back to lead so they arw gonna take advantage. I've already called out one shop owner on it a few weeks ago. And sadly enough it seems like more and more shops are jumpin on that bandwagon. With rebates on hevi-13 and federal heavyweights right now, it is nearly just as cheap to get the hevi products and use the rebate offer vs buying lead if they keep marking lead up. The shop i spoke of first had their Win hv 3 1/2 2 1/4 oz loads for 12.99 a box, then 15.99, now its 18.99 in the last week following the latest surge in prices on HTL products.
price gouging is all it is plain and simple
Most people I know just buy a box per season. You think when they walk into a store and tsee hevishot 50$+ for 10rds they will buy it? Us 10ga users can get 200hits from a lead #5 load
FWIW, at my local Cabelas® in Lacey, WA..........
• Winchester® Supreme® 20ga 3" Mag 1200fps 1 5/16oz #4 & #5Pb (#STH2034, #STH2035) were $11.99 last year and are $12.99 this year.
• Federal® Mag-Shok® Flitecontrol® 20ga 3" Mag 1185fps 1 5/16oz #4, 5, 6Pb (#PFC258F 4, PFC258F 5, & PFC258F 6) were $10.99 last year and are $13.99 this year.
• Remington® Nitro-Turkey® 20ga 3" Mag 1185fps 1 5/16oz #5Pb (#NT20M5) was $6.99 last year and is $7.99 this year.
Quote from: LBSS on April 08, 2012, 10:41:44 AM
Most people I know just buy a box per season. You think when they walk into a store and tsee hevishot 50$+ for 10rds they will buy it? Us 10ga users can get 200hits from a lead #5 load
good post for the ten 5 years ago i got 5 cased of win xxmag ( red shells) 5 shot and 1 case of 6 all for under 5$ a box thast 1500 shots im set for life
I'm getting back on the lead wagon and staying on it
Last year I decided to jump back into turkey hunting with both feet. During that time i also discovered Old Gobbler. I traded for an older 835 and set it up with the a pure gold choke. Then i was off to the patterning boards. After reading advise on this forum i bought a box of 3.5 inch magnum blends and 7s. The patterns were truly impressive. However i was still the proud owner of ten boxes of 3.5 inch win hv #5s. Left over from when i used to be a serious turkey hunter. Out of my new set-up these loads put 125 in a 10inch circle at 40the yards. In the last year my wife and i welcomed are first child into the world and now 6 dollar a shot shells just dont make sense anymore. And i in no way feel under guned when
i i go into the turkey woods.
I want to try hand loading lead. Maybe 2 1/4 oz of nickle plated #5s buffered.also like me some #4s They just lay game drt
Quote from: surehuntsalot on April 08, 2012, 08:37:26 PMI'm getting back on the lead wagon and staying on it.
I'm with you as I know my two 20ga guns are fully 40yd capable turkey killers w/#4 & 5Pb. It is Winchester® Supreme® #4 and Federal® FC #5 for my Mossberg® pump, and Remington® Nitro-Turkey® #5 for my Remington® SxS.