Trying to decide which shell to shoot this year. Higher pellet count with the 7s but more energy at longer ranges with the blends. What's everyone else's take on the matter? And which choke for which load in a stormer 3500, 28" barrel.
You won't get any noticeable gains in energy at longer ranges with the mag-blends. The small chance of one of the larger pellets hitting the target at longer ranges is probably about zero. I've killed them with hevi 7's way out there and up close.
Hevi 7's for me
7's for me too. They flat out HAMMER turkeys close or far!!!!!! Killed a bird at 38 lasered yards in South Dakota a few years ago, the bird never moved when I pulled the trigger. Love the pattern density.
#7 are where its at... Killed a lot of birds close and far... Good luck on your choice
Any HS pellet larger than #6 is just taking up useful space in the wad. I'd prefer 6s or 7s to MBs.
When I shot a 12 ga, I used the hevi-13 3-2-7's with excellent results!
They will hammer birds!
H-13 7's are the real deal.
H-13 3-2-7s for me also...
The best factory load I have found for the 12guage is Hevi 13 7's. All four of my 12 guages pattern that load more consistently at 40yds than any other. Mag blends have been spotty out of my guns. One of my guns will shoot them fairly well.
Straight #7s. I wouldn't shoot anything larger than #7s in HeviShot, waste of space.
I would go with straight #7s. In my guns, they're interchangeable with the straight #6s, which is handy, because the #7s are a rare find at the local shops.
Between the two options. Straight #7's every time.
Thanks guys, any idea where to start with choke size on the 7s?
I like a H13, 7 in the chamber and two H13, 6's in the magazine. With my primary 3" gun, I get @ 255 at 40 yards w/ 7's and @ 205 w/ 6's w/ an Indian Creek .660. The pattern w/ MagBlends out of the .660 produces an even 20" pattern, but on a couple of my 3 1/2" turkey guns, I get better patterns w/ the MagBlends by using a .675 w/ a back-bored barrel, but use a .665 in the same guns when shooting HS 6's and 7's. It seems that the current production of MagBlends contain a much higher percentage of the small shot (7, 7 1/2, 8, and even 9) than the early production shells. With either a 3" or 3 1/2" load of MagBlends, I've never had a gobbler do more than twitch after being shot, but that being said, the recoil from the MB is significant and the H13, 7's will kill as far as your pattern maintains within the 125 pellets in 10". I've done X-rays on gobblers shot w/ the H13, 7's and the penetration/shot density is devastating.
Quote from: Rambo93 on March 21, 2017, 05:33:00 PM
Thanks guys, any idea where to start with choke size on the 7s?
I'm not familiar with Stormer 3500 but the Mossy overbored barrels love the chokes in the .670 to .680 range (Pure Gold, Stardot, SSX, Indian Creek are a few chokes) that shoot the 7's well. In the regular barreled guns (Remington), they seem to prefer the chokes in the .665 range. I'm assuming this is a 12 gauge gun.
I'm assuming you are talking about a Stoeger 3500...? I would start with an IC .665 or Rob Roberts .660
Sorry guys, yes a Stoeger is what I meant not stormer lol!