I thought it would be interesting to have discussion on what chokes and loads seems to give great results in the turkey guns that each of us have. Now by that I mean be specific on brand of chokes and choke diameters or what some call constriction, brand of loads and size shot, and the brand of gun and barrel length. Now I don't mean this to be a patterning picture thread, but rather maybe we can get some sort of analysis or maybe some simple logic out of this discussion on maybe what chokes, guns and loads typically seem to work and tick when all 3 come together by analyzing the info we obtain here. I really would like to hear what seems to and I will use the magic word, "click" when all 3 of these factor are combined. And it doesn't necessarily have to be what works the best and what you use now for a combo, but rather all the other 3 of these factors that have given very good results regardless of the choke, gun, and load whether it be Hevi-Shot or lead.
So who wants to start? Let's see what we can learn from this on top of what we already know works in some guns already. And that doesn't mean not to discuss them as well. But I would like to gather info in what works very well for a combo in a lot of different guns.
Thanks,
Brad
And I also wanted you guys to give your thoughts on why you think that particular combo works. Like maybe the longer barrel likes a more open choke or if you think a shorter barrel likes tighter choke then say so. You can even go into the specifis of the internals of the choke like say a wad stripper feature or the way the ports are desinged or cut. Or maybe a 3" load seems to shot better than the 3.5" or vice versa.
Good Idea Brad ! :icon_thumright:
Thanks Ricky.
Now we just need someone to start us out.
I get good results with my 20 inch 835 and hevishot 676 choke shooting mag blends. The pattern is very even. I think that a longer barrel will out shoot it but there seems to be a need for tighter constriction in a short barrel.
Hey thanks. It's good to hear that Hevi-Shot choke is working well in your 835 since I just bought one. I'll make a note to try some Magblends through this choke once I get back in the swing of things. Can you tell me if you were using 3' or 3.5" loads?
I shoot a Benelli SV, 26 inch barrell with an Indian Creek choke .665 and have had very good results with Hevi 13 #6 and also Hevi 13 Blend. The Hevi Shot almost doubled what I got from other types of lead loads including Federal Thugs #6, Remington Nitro #6, and Winchester Supreme #6. I have a Nikon BDC scope on the gun and have patterned the gun out to 40 yards plus. :happy0064: Don't think I could do this without some kind of optics. I also have an SSx choke .643 but have not patterned because the IC choke worked so well. Deep cleaning also increased the number of hits in a 10 inch circle by 30 percent. I think the secret to good shooting is the consistency of aim at short and long distance.
Terry
Thanks for the info Terry. Indian Creek chokes seem to work well in most shotguns. Let us know how the SSX choke works out for you. I hope I can find a combo that seems to shoot the Magblend loads well.
I was hoping to get some Rhino choke shooters since that is one of the chokes I have no experience on. I know there are some guys that have good luck with Rhino chokes. I think I remember some guys on here that swore by their Rhino .660 in their Rem barrel shotguns but I don't remeber the specifics of barrel lengths and laods used. I also remember some talking about the Rhino .695 in their Moss 835's with very good results. I also don't have any experience yet with the Hevi-Shot chokes made by Carlson's. But that is gonna change since I now have both these chokes for my Rem 870 and 835. I ahve heard some good reports on these chokes. Maybe some of these guys will chime in with their results. I know I like to hear all these results from different barrel lengths in a particular gun. We can formulate a good analysis of what chokes seem to work in different barrel lengths and diffferent guns with specific loads that seem to give good results if enough people will chime in here.
I have good luck with an 870 Supermag 26 in barrel with 3.5 inch Hevi 7s through a Hevi .662 tube. However, I found a choke that the internals are different in (no wad strippers) that shoots almost identical patterns and numbers. It is the Carlsons hevi shot coyote choke. I know they are both Carlsons but the coyote choke is marketed for larger shot, t-shot I think, that is in the dead coyote loads. I don't know the ED of the choke but its 2/3 the price and shoots the same. Both are shooting nice even 220s and 230s at 40 yds.
Here is the link for the choke I'm talking about.
http://www.basspro.com/Carlsons-Coyote-Choke-Tubes/product/94900/
My Mossy. 935 24" barrel liked the .690 JellyHead when I put. 3.5" Hevi. 6s through it. That setup also disliked 3" Magnum Blends and various lead loads I tried.
I swapped the JH for a Tru Glo SSX (.670) and got some jam up lead patterns but my Hevi 6 pattern dropped off but it's still very huntable.
Like Deputy 14 I've also found good luck in the Hevi-13 choke in my Rem. super magnum with a 23" pipe. But I pushed 3.5" magnum blends through it. The 3.5" Hevi 6s weren't spectacular but are still impressive.
That's some great info guys. Keep em coming!
My Moss 835 28" barrel and Star Dot seems to really shine with the Hevi-13 3.5" 2.25oz #7 loads. It shoots these loads a lot tighter than the Hevi-13 3" 2oz #7 loads. Why that is, I don't really know for certain, but I think it has something to do with the longer shot column that the 3.5" load provides over the 3" load. Sometimes with the extra 1/4oz of the #7's 3.5" load will put upwards of 100 more shot in the 10" with the good lot of 300325 vs the 3" 2oz #7 load with the Star Dot that is usually around the 250's in the 10" if my memory serves me well. But 361 and 360 in the 10" has been the best this combo would do with the 3.5 #7 loads. What is odd also the same gun and choke doesn't seem to shoot the Hevi-13 3.5" 2.25oz #6's nearly as well with 180 in the 10" the last time I shot this load, and 190 with the 3.5" 2.25oz Magblends. I'm thinking a more open choke would shoot these 2 better. I have a MAD Max .680 choke that I shot a 3.5" Hevi-13 2.25oz #6 load with last year I think and got a 245 10" count. But when I tried another to see what if it would repeat that pattern I think I only got like in the 170's. Don't know if that was the fluctuation in the differences of the actual shells or if that first shot was simply a fluke. I typically don't believe in flukes, but I like a choke that repeats its patterns from shot to shot. So I need to play around with this choke some more. I think I tried a Hevi-13 3.5" 2.25oz #7 and it wasn't that good for 10" numbers. I know the Jelly Head that I had shot 268 in the 10" with the Hevi-13 3.5" 2.25oz #7 load. The Pure Gold .670 I had on the very first shot with the same load of 3.5" #7's did 358 shot in the 10". But all the other shots I shot through the choke were nowhere near that good. So the Pure Gold wouldn't repeat itself after that amazing first shot. Probably around 250 to 260 or so for 10" numbers would be about it. But it would put up very good 20" hunting patterns.
The Rem 870 Express 3" 28" barrel gun seems to like the MAD Super Max .675 the best and the Hevi-13 3" 2oz #7's. 297 in the 10" is the best it has done. Another good combo with this gun and load is with the Rem Ventilator .655 choke. 283 in the 10" has been the best it has done. This choke also shoots the Hevi-13 3" 1.75oz #6 loads well. 209 in the 10" has been the best it has done. But that's a very good choke for $24 or so shipped to your door. I gave that choke to my buddy Mark, son Spencer. His 870 3" seems to shoot pretty well with that choke using the Hevi-13 3" 2oz #7's. He got around 230 something in the 10 which isn't bad with the shells I gave him to try. The Pure Gold .670 choke I have does in the 250's with these same 3" #7 loads. The Indian Creek BDS .669 choke I had did 264 I believe in the 10" with the 3" #7's. I also tried a Indian Creek .655 that did like 255 in the 10" with the same loads. I also shot the Indian Creek .670 and .675 but the numbers fell off from the .669 and .655 choke. I thought it ws rather odd that the Super max .675 shoot the 3" 2oz #7 loads very well and has no wad stripper feature. But the Indian Creek BDS .675 didn't work near as well with these loads.
I have a Mossberg 5500 mkii with a kicks 660, I had to put limbsaver adjustable sights on it because of a warped vent rib. I absolutely love this gun and would buy another as a backup if I used it regularly. I've spent a lot of time at the pattern board and have yet to run a lead #5 load through it that didn't go from 105-130(minus remmy crappers) . With 3" hevi 6s it knocks down around 170 and the extended range 6s are right up there with it. This gun is my baby for the fact I know I could go to any store in a pinch and pick up a box of shells and kill to 40 yards without a worry.
I have two bps 10 bores and have run about 8 different chokes through them, with a hastings 675 I'm knocking down 125+ with black Winchester #5.
Hevi #5 with a kicks 690- 160
Hevi #5 with a browning xfull- 160
TSS #8 with a browning xfull- 300+
Fed hw #7 with kicks 690 -230+
I need to pattern the mag blends but at this point I'm just buying components to load my own shells so I dont have to worry with it.
My X2 loves the Rhino choke, not sure of the constriction though. I shoot the 3.5 Hevi #7 and get 250 all day at 40. Now my 11-87 sps-t ( 2 of them) My go to gun for the past 22 years now has TrueLock choke made for the federal Heviweight #7 shot. With a 21" barrel I get 150's at 40. It shure crushes them. My other 11-87 has a Indian creek, which loves the #6 & #7 Hevi shot. Some days it is tough to make a choice on what gun to hunt with..
Thanks men for the info. I'm glad to get some 10Ga results here, too. The 10GA always interest me. Would love to hear more form other 10GA shooters on their combos that seem to shoot well.
I would also like to here from some Jebs choke shooters and what guns and loads worked well.
And any other chokes like Trulock, Wrights, Strangler, Colonial Arms, etc... would sure be interesting to hear those guys results as well.
How bout some 20 ga stuff?
I've got a 1100 magnum LT-20, barrel is a 26 or 28.
With a Remington Super Full lead only choke, it'll put up 150-170 with Federal Heavy Weight #7s
But with the #6s it barely breaks 100.
835 with 24" barrel with a Star Dot .676 shooting Hevi 3.5" 2.25 oz 6s (until next season).
Remington 11-87 SPT-S RS/TG, 23" barrell, Rhino .660, Nitro 6x7- 278 in 10" @40
Browning BPS 10 Ga. 28" Barrel
Kick's .695, CNC XXFull .705, Rhino .685,TruGlo Bansner .695:Win. #4s High Vel. and XX Mag, Nitro 101L #4s
Win. SX2 28" Barrel
Kick's .680 or .685: Win. Ext. 3.5" #4s, Win. 3.5" XX Mag #4s and Win. High Vel. #4s
Kick's .675: Fed Thugs 3.5" #5s, Win. High Vel. #4s and #5s
Jellyhead .670: Nitro H510H 4x5x7, Win Ext. Range 3.5" #6s
CNC XXFull: Win. 3.5" High Vel. #4s and Win. XX Mag #4s
Win. 1300 22" Barrel
IC .660: Fed. Thugs #4s and #5s, Win Sup. X Turkey #4s and #5s, Hevi 3/2/6 and Mag Blends, Win Ext. Range 3/1.75/6 (Wish I knew someone who wanted to get rid of some #5s)
Rem. 870 Express 20 Ga. 26" Barrel
Carlson's Non Ported .575: Fed Hvy. Wght. 3/1.5/6 (haven't got to try the #7s yet, but I found out that the #6s will hammer one after I made my first 20 Ga. kill this year)
Sumtoy 562-5: Have one on the way. Open to suggestions on ammo.
Quote from: BRR on May 09, 2013, 12:50:59 PM
Quote from: SCDieselDawg on May 09, 2013, 11:46:13 AM
How bout some 20 ga stuff?
I've got a 1100 magnum LT-20, barrel is a 26 or 28.
With a Remington Super Full lead only choke, it'll put up 150-170 with Federal Heavy Weight #7s
But with the #6s it barely breaks 100.
are shooting 3inch shells out of that light 20?
Yeah. It's the LT-20 Magnum. barrel is stamped for 3" shells.
Mossberg 835
24" barrel
Stardot .676 choke
Hevishot 2.25oz #7
Beretta Xtrema
26" barrel
Hevishot .671 Choke
Hevishot 2.25oz #7
Remington 870 20 ga #1
21" barrel
Sumtoy .562-5 Choke
Fed HW 1.5oz #7
Remington 870 20 ga #2
21" barrel
Truglo SSX .555..Shoots comparable to the Sumtoy
Fed HW 1.5oz #7
Weatherby SA-08 Youth (Set up with a forgiving 30 yd pattern for a child)
24" barrel
Factory full choke
Fed HW 1.125oz #7
Rem. 12 gauge 870 SUPER MAG 21" barrel, Rhino 660 choke tube, Nitro 4x5x7 ammo. Inside of 20 yards very, very small margin of error, inside of 40 yards cancel Christmas, 53yards on coyote= disgusting.
This thread is starting to heat up with some awesome info. Great job men. And 20Ga combos are welcome as well. Thanks again men. When this thread is booked with all this info, anyone including newbies can read it and get some valuable info on what chokes and loads will work not only in a particular gun but what particular barrel lengths as well.
Brad
And it looks like we are getting some Sumtoy choke info. That's another choke that I forgot to mention, but I have heard some great things here about these chokes that William makes.
Punisher and Myles, I wanted to compliment you both on the way you formatted your info here. That looks great and easy to read. I didn't even think about doing that. Awesome!
Quote from: ILIKEHEVI-13 on May 08, 2013, 10:14:41 PM
Hey thanks. It's good to hear that Hevi-Shot choke is working well in your 835 since I just bought one. I'll make a note to try some Magblends through this choke once I get back in the swing of things. Can you tell me if you were using 3' or 3.5" loads?
3.5 inch
870 SM 23" tube.
LEAD- 655 GT w/ Win 3-1/2", 2oz. 5s. 115 in 10 @ 40
Hevi- 13 660 Rhino 3-1/2", 2-1/4 oz. 7s 269 in 10" @ 40
Remington 870SM 12ga
23" barrel
Hevi-13 choke, .662
Hevi-13 3-1/2" #7
Not the greatest pattern for high numbers, but a nice even turkey killer.
I don't have experience with short 12 gauge barrels and turkey chokes. I can't help much there.
I have had really good results, using Indian Creek .665 chokes in 28" RemChoke and INV+ barrels.
I feel certain, based upon some experimenting I did with a 28" INV barrel, that the same brand and size choke would have worked well in it as well.
Indian Creek .665 and 28" barrels. I think that's a good starting place, and where I'd spend my money from now on. Pure Gold .670 is another good option.
Regarding Kick's Gobblin' Thunder chokes, I believe that .650 is too tight, and .665 isn't quite tight enough with turkey loads. About .660 or .655 should be just about right with that choke in a 28" barrel.
Probably the most proven choke that I haven't tried is a Jelly Head .660 in a Remington barrel. Many places only stock the .665 choke.
I am more interested in having 12"-15"-20" of even coverage than I am about maxing out the 10" numbers. Often the same choke and shell combo works well for both; but sometimes not. I'll give up some 10" numbers, to get a nice 15" pattern. And yes, 30 Yard and 35 Yard patterns have value. I like to know what happens to my pattern between 30 and 40 Yards.
You guys are starting to bring up some intersting points here when you start talking about good turkey killing pattterns or not so much interested in the 10" number for high counts but more on the overall 20" pattern. That is very true. And it's like I always said the more shot you put in the 10" will be that much less shot you have to make as good of an overall evenly 20" pattern.
You guys are bringing some very good data here. I hope we keep getting more folks to chime in. I would also like to hear from those Rem Jelly head .660 and .665 choke shooters that seems to be great chokes in a lot of Rem barrels. I know there are a lot you guys here who haven't spoke up.
Thanks again gentlemen.
This one would be a good sticky.
(2) 12ga Mossberg 535's
22in Non Ported Barrels (one honed & polished, one factory)
Pure Gold .670 Chokes
Hevi 13 3in 2oz #6 & #7's
Patterns 3-1/2in shells well, but very little improvement over the 3in
VERY even 10 & 20 inch patterns
Honed & Polished barrel patterns 12-15% denser than the factory.
20ga Mossberg 500C
20in Non Ported Barrel
Indian Creek BDS .555 Choke
Hevi 13 3in 1-1/4oz #7's
Solid 40-45yd hunting pattern
Impressed by how efficient the 20ga can be at 40yds
12ga Mossberg 835 Ulti Mag
24in Ported Barrel (polished)
Stardot .676 Choke
Hevi 13 3-1/2in #6 & #7
Amazed by the pattern density and evenness of both the 10 and 20 inch patterns.
Simply devastates birds @ 40+ yards
Two remington 1100s
One only shoots 2 3/4 and loves trulock .655 with Winchester XX 1 5/8 #5
The other has a wadlock barrel 26" with carlsons .665 nonported tube. Shoots 267 in 10 at forty with 3" hevi 7s. Magblends shot very well, but with less pellet count. Would use them if 7s weren't so great.
Will be loading tss9s for it next year. Should be noted this barrel shoots very even patterns regardless of load.
In my 2 835's with federal flight control 3.5/2.25/5's the x-factor 695 that came with my turkey thug and a mad max 695 throw nice and full 40 yard pattern. My buddy shoots this same shell in his 935 with a jelly head and gets good results as well. Now for the specifics.
The 20 inch barrel shoots the best with the x-factor.
The 24 inch barrel shoots the best with the mad max.
The 20 inch barrel with the x-factor will out shoot the 24 inch barrel and jelly head.
More testing needs to be done between mad max and x-factor.
Quote from: ILIKEHEVI-13 on May 08, 2013, 11:21:00 PM
I was hoping to get some Rhino choke shooters since that is one of the chokes I have no experience on. I know there are some guys that have good luck with Rhino chokes. I think I remember some guys on here that swore by their Rhino .660 in their Rem barrel shotguns but I don't remeber the specifics of barrel lengths and laods used. I also remember some talking about the Rhino .695 in their Moss 835's with very good results. I also don't have any experience yet with the Hevi-Shot chokes made by Carlson's. But that is gonna change since I now have both these chokes for my Rem 870 and 835. I ahve heard some good reports on these chokes. Maybe some of these guys will chime in with their results. I know I like to hear all these results from different barrel lengths in a particular gun. We can formulate a good analysis of what chokes seem to work in different barrel lengths and diffferent guns with specific loads that seem to give good results if enough people will chime in here.
I shoot Rhinos on every thing 12s and 20s for many years nothing magic about a Rhino unless you shoot Nitro the ones i have really perform better with the 12s than they do with the 20s i have a 565 Rhino that shoots the Nitros real well about 200 in ten @ forty
Buddy has sbe2 rhino 660 and nitro 457 26 inch barrel gets great results
I shoot sbe2 24 in with IC 665 and really knock them in the dirt with nitro mega weight4567 as well as a great 20 inch pattern with hevi 3.5 in #6
The hevi 3.5 magblends give more in the 10 than the hevi 6s but the 20 is not as good
Ps in my 60's use a Nikon BTR scope. Call it the old mans edge!
Nitro 4567 250 in ten at 40
Mag blends 220 in 10 inch
Hevi 6s 190 in the ten with another 160 in the 10-20 ring
Quote from: ILIKEHEVI-13 on May 09, 2013, 10:44:45 PM
You guys are starting to bring up some intersting points here when you start talking about good turkey killing pattterns or not so much interested in the 10" number for high counts but more on the overall 20" pattern. That is very true. And it's like I always said the more shot you put in the 10" will be that much less shot you have to make as good of an overall evenly 20" pattern.
You guys are bringing some very good data here. I hope we keep getting more folks to chime in. I would also like to hear from those Rem Jelly head .660 and .665 choke shooters that seems to be great chokes in a lot of Rem barrels. I know there are a lot you guys here who haven't spoke up.
Thanks again gentlemen.
Id like to compare the .665 JH to the .660 as well as the .662 Hevi-choke. Just gotta wait till I can find a used one some where.
Personally I do not pay much attention to anything other than the 10" of my pattern. I am shooting 40 yards and if I cannot do it with 10-12" of wiggle room then should I be shooting to begin with, just my opinion.
Quote from: davisd9 on May 10, 2013, 12:38:58 PM
Personally I do not pay much attention to anything other than the 10" of my pattern. I am shooting 40 yards and if I cannot do it with 10-12" of wiggle room then should I be shooting to begin with, just my opinion.
David,
I myself am more of a 10" guy myself for I truly believe those shot are the working bees or ants of the pattern. But you got to remember that we all get older with time and some can't see their bead as good as they once did but still refuse to get a scope or dot sight on their guns. And then there is the days when the wind is blowing say and your hunting a field and you may need to have more wiggle room than a bunch of shot just in a 10" circle and more shot spread out in a 20" pattern. So I do see why folks would want a good overall 20" pattern for some of these reasons.
I've been following this thread as I can and think it's a really great idea that allows everyone to share their experiences with different guns/chokes/shells/barrel lenghts.
I've had to limit my time on line for the last couple of weeks but hope to be back soon and able to participate more.
My congratulations to everyone for the information furnished and the spirit in which it's been given.
Thanks,
Clark
remington 870 sps turkey shure shot shooting a 665 jellyhead getting high 180s with magblends and hevi 7s both 3 inch shells im more of a really even 20 inch pattern than i am a cram as many pellets in a 10 inch circle i like having a little wiggel room in my setups gonna do some upgrades this summer and try a few chokes also the wingmaster hd choke wasnt bad either averaged low 170s with same shells also need to menttion this out of a dirty barrel gonna polish it before next year im interested in what u guys are getting out of a 20 ga 870 gonna build one for next year
Remington 870 express, with a truglo SSx .643 choke. Shooting 3" magnum blends 217 pellets in 10" at 40 yrds
Browning gold 3 1/2 24" barrell. Rhino .670, 288 in 10" 40yds hevi 2 1/4 7s
Same gun sumtoy .670 312 in 10" hevi 2 1/4 7s
Rhino produced very even hunting pattern in the 20
Browning silver 20 barrel cut down to 26" by william at sumtoy and sumtoy .562 140-150 fed 3in 7s
Winchester 1300 22" barrel
IC 660 @ 40 yds 260 in the 10"
hevi 13 #6's 2oz
freshly deep cleaned barrel
Very similar results with my truglo Banser. I choose to hunt the banser due to the fact that I prefer a single bead sight and the banser is slightly more centered.
Winchester 1300 short 18" barrel
same IC 660 puts 209 in the 10"
same 6's
only difference is this was not a deep cleaned barrel. I know after a good deep clean I will get that number up substantially.
Side note
before i started using hevi 13
I always shot winchester HV's lead # 4's
I have always hunted my truglo banser with the 22" barrel
and the # 4's and used to get about 55 in a 10 at 40 yds as soon as I deep cleaned I jumped to 98 in a 10"
so I feel it is extremely important to do the deep clean. worth the 15 minutes spent.