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Turkey Guns & Shooting => Turkey Guns => Topic started by: arrowslanger on March 14, 2013, 08:44:22 PM

Title: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: arrowslanger on March 14, 2013, 08:44:22 PM
I have some friends who really believe in these shells made by NITRO.  My question is are they worth the money?   Is the performance really better than that of HEVI 13's?
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: knightrider on March 15, 2013, 01:29:40 PM
they are worth it to me only because this is the only yearly expense i have with turkey hunting. do they kill anybetter than lead or hevi? nope, not a bit, you can only get so dead! now on paper its a different story i get more holes in the 10 with nitros than i do with hevi but on a turkey noggin a couple shot in the brain will kill them, from cheap wally world lead all the way up to $7 nitros, shoot what gives you a good killing pattern and what  you have confidence in!! :fud: :OGturkeyhead:
Title: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: 01Foreman400 on March 15, 2013, 02:38:48 PM
In the 3.5" 2 7/16 oz. load they are definitely worth it.  No other company loads anything like it.


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Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: stinkpickle on March 15, 2013, 03:07:19 PM
A bird that a Nitro can kill, but a Hevi-13 can't, is probably too far away to shoot at in the first place.
Title: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: 01Foreman400 on March 15, 2013, 03:33:54 PM
Quote from: stinkpickle on March 15, 2013, 03:07:19 PM
A bird that a Nitro can kill, but a Hevi-13 can't, is probably too far away to shoot at in the first place.

You can say the something with lead....


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Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: stinkpickle on March 15, 2013, 04:56:12 PM
Quote from: 01Foreman400 on March 15, 2013, 03:33:54 PM
Quote from: stinkpickle on March 15, 2013, 03:07:19 PM
A bird that a Nitro can kill, but a Hevi-13 can't, is probably too far away to shoot at in the first place.

You can say the something with lead....


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True that!
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: beagler on March 15, 2013, 06:12:21 PM
I'm a big fan of the Nitro's. Been shooting them for about seven years now.
Title: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: VaTuRkStOmPeR on March 15, 2013, 06:18:41 PM
A bird that a Nitro can kill is within my range ;)

I want my guns to reach their maximum performance and nitros are a key part of doing that.
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: Xcal1ber on March 15, 2013, 09:42:08 PM
They are a sweet shotgun shell. It's all in what you have the money for, or what you want to spend your money on.
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: gaswamp on March 15, 2013, 09:44:53 PM
Quote from: knightrider on March 15, 2013, 01:29:40 PM
they are worth it to me only because this is the only yearly expense i have with turkey hunting. do they kill anybetter than lead or hevi? nope, not a bit, you can only get so dead! now on paper its a different story i get more holes in the 10 with nitros than i do with hevi but on a turkey noggin a couple shot in the brain will kill them, from cheap wally world lead all the way up to $7 nitros, shoot what gives you a good killing pattern and what  you have confidence in!! :fud: :OGturkeyhead:

great post
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: hookedspur on March 15, 2013, 09:56:02 PM
(YES) they are !!!

Order early and try them .
If you have not ordered you may be out of luck for this season but  they are worth the wait
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: runngun on March 15, 2013, 11:19:40 PM
Yep to me me they are worth it. Confidence is a wonderful thing!!!
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: land cruiser on March 16, 2013, 12:59:42 AM
Went Nitro 3 years ago. Never looked back:D
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: captin_hook on March 16, 2013, 12:24:38 PM
I have a couple friends that use them. They are awesome! No doubt about it. They are just a little too rich for my blood, I'm happy with the way the hevi -13 shells perform.
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: archdriver on March 16, 2013, 12:25:50 PM
I am a little wary of  Nitro's .  I dont doubt your success with them but I question the true size of shot that they use.  I have opened up some loads and it looks like a big mix of sizes .  If the shells are packed with small size shot, they certainly will print a dense pattern. 

I opened one up several years ago and it looked to me like floor sweepings. Pellet counts way more than their stated size would suggest, indicating smaller size shot.   This was several years ago , so maybe
they have changed.
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: arrowslanger on March 16, 2013, 08:54:54 PM
I was able to get a few from my buddy.  I'm gonna shoot Monday and see how they pattern. 
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: 01Foreman400 on March 16, 2013, 08:56:49 PM
What gun, load and choke?
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: arrowslanger on March 16, 2013, 09:09:50 PM
870 12 ga 3", 21 barrel, choke is JH .660 with shurshot, shells are NITRO'S 2 1/4 oz mega blend or some type of blend.   If I remember correct, I'm a lil slow been working night shift.....lol
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: surehuntsalot on March 18, 2013, 08:46:02 PM
way over rated for me
buddy of mine gave me 5 shells for my birthday one year
I went to try them out and see what they would do,after having to knock 3 of them out of my shotgun with a cleaning rod,I said to heck with this crap
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: knightrider on March 18, 2013, 09:20:36 PM
ive never had a problem with them in a pump but i did noticed on the new primos truth movie that almost every versamax jammed with the nitro if you watch carefully they have to hand work the shell out because it causes the $1200 gun to jam, hhmmmmm
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: hookedspur on March 18, 2013, 09:36:54 PM
I think so ,Well worth it ! The only way I can get any better is to make my own and thats about the same cost ,,,,or a little more at first .
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: CASH on March 19, 2013, 05:25:09 AM
Love my Nitros
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: WVhuntEER on March 19, 2013, 02:00:46 PM
Yes, they are worth it!
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: USMC0331 on March 19, 2013, 03:11:34 PM
Have not found any other that is close, equal, or better at this time and if there is something that will do better I will certainly buy it when found.
Title: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: 01Foreman400 on March 19, 2013, 04:20:35 PM
Quote from: rio_wrangler on March 19, 2013, 11:50:12 AM
Quote from: 01Foreman400 on March 15, 2013, 02:38:48 PM
In the 3.5" 2 7/16 oz. load they are definitely worth it.  No other company loads anything like it.


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The 2 1/4 oz loads will pattern better, guaranteed!

Show me some patterns.   





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Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: USMC0331 on March 19, 2013, 05:03:05 PM
I don't use 10" circle, I use pellets in head method. What combo are you using that is better? If it works better in my 870, I want it if you don't mind giving me the choke and shell combo plus if it saves me money that's even better.Thanks for any help.
Title: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: 01Foreman400 on March 19, 2013, 08:23:18 PM
Quote from: rio_wrangler on March 19, 2013, 04:37:06 PM
Quote from: 01Foreman400 on March 19, 2013, 04:20:35 PM
Quote from: rio_wrangler on March 19, 2013, 11:50:12 AM
Quote from: 01Foreman400 on March 15, 2013, 02:38:48 PM
In the 3.5" 2 7/16 oz. load they are definitely worth it.  No other company loads anything like it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The 2 1/4 oz loads will pattern better, guaranteed!

Show me some patterns.   





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here you go these are #7s, not my best patterns, but real good. I can show you some 350s in the 10 at 40 yds out of #6s

Nice pattern.  I'll still take mine any day of the week.


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Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: gophert on March 20, 2013, 12:35:23 PM
Quote from: rio_wrangler on March 20, 2013, 09:41:46 AM
Quote from: USMC0331 on March 19, 2013, 05:03:05 PM
I don't use 10" circle, I use pellets in head method. What combo are you using that is better? If it works better in my 870, I want it if you don't mind giving me the choke and shell combo plus if it saves me money that's even better.Thanks for any help.

The reason for the 10" circle, and not a turkey head/neck, is that in the real world, a turkey's head/neck isn't ever perfectly still, something is always moving, therefore with a sparse pattern, a turkey could be shot at, and still survive. That being said, I look for a nice dense and even 10" pattern with an even 20" pattern, therefore all error is taken in account for.

As for a combo better than Nitros, hevishot is inherently not uniform is size or shape, and therefore it can effect both patterns and killing energy. This is especially true since nitro is notorious for loading subsized shot (I believe there is another topic very recently on this). While the Nitro patterns look great on paper, they don't have the true knockdown that other shells do, because they can't carry the energy that other shells do.

On the other hand, Winchester EXtd #6s, and Federal HW #7s are a much better option, simply because they are more consistent in size and shape, which first of all will pattern well, and carry more consistent energy downrange, not to mention the HW shot at 15g/cc packs 20% more energy than 12g/cc shot at the same velocity. The key to these is finding your gun/choke combo to go with these shells that works. I would talk to Sumtoy Customs or Rob Roberts for either of these loadings, but especially the Fed HW shells as they seem to have the handle on making the Feds shoot great. As for the Winchester EXtd, most of you high quality chokes will shoot these shells extremely well.

The key here is more consistent size and shape in your shot is going to pattern more consistent and carry more consistent energy, and therefore more consistently kill birds in any situation you are faced with. The only thing better than that, is to handload your own where you know exactly what it going into each shell, and the precision involved, so that everytime you pull the trigger you know what the results should be.

A bunch of truth in this post!
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: hookedspur on March 20, 2013, 03:01:44 PM
Benelli M2 20ga. Nitro 7s at 40 yds.

(http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s271/hookedspur/GEDC0099.jpg)
Title: Re: NITRO shells are they worth it?
Post by: deerpoo22 on March 20, 2013, 10:10:47 PM
Quote from: gophert on March 20, 2013, 12:35:23 PM
Quote from: rio_wrangler on March 20, 2013, 09:41:46 AM
Quote from: USMC0331 on March 19, 2013, 05:03:05 PM
I don't use 10" circle, I use pellets in head method. What combo are you using that is better? If it works better in my 870, I want it if you don't mind giving me the choke and shell combo plus if it saves me money that's even better.Thanks for any help.

The reason for the 10" circle, and not a turkey head/neck, is that in the real world, a turkey's head/neck isn't ever perfectly still, something is always moving, therefore with a sparse pattern, a turkey could be shot at, and still survive. That being said, I look for a nice dense and even 10" pattern with an even 20" pattern, therefore all error is taken in account for.

As for a combo better than Nitros, hevishot is inherently not uniform is size or shape, and therefore it can effect both patterns and killing energy. This is especially true since nitro is notorious for loading subsized shot (I believe there is another topic very recently on this). While the Nitro patterns look great on paper, they don't have the true knockdown that other shells do, because they can't carry the energy that other shells do.

On the other hand, Winchester EXtd #6s, and Federal HW #7s are a much better option, simply because they are more consistent in size and shape, which first of all will pattern well, and carry more consistent energy downrange, not to mention the HW shot at 15g/cc packs 20% more energy than 12g/cc shot at the same velocity. The key to these is finding your gun/choke combo to go with these shells that works. I would talk to Sumtoy Customs or Rob Roberts for either of these loadings, but especially the Fed HW shells as they seem to have the handle on making the Feds shoot great. As for the Winchester EXtd, most of you high quality chokes will shoot these shells extremely well.

The key here is more consistent size and shape in your shot is going to pattern more consistent and carry more consistent energy, and therefore more consistently kill birds in any situation you are faced with. The only thing better than that, is to handload your own where you know exactly what it going into each shell, and the precision involved, so that everytime you pull the trigger you know what the results should be.

A bunch of truth in this post!
:icon_thumright: Agreed! Alotta truth in that post. But even though nitros may not have the true knockdown power fed's and others have, there isn't one turkey on the face of the this earth thats going to get up and run away with 80+ pellets to the face at 40 yards.