Super Vinci Pattern-New Guy

[Gobble Nole]

Well I am new to turkey hunting and new to the forum, so hello.  Im Greg and I live in Northwest Florida.  Just started chasing the turkeys and instantly fell in love with it.  I have been hunting everything else for 22 years, just not turkeys.  However I am hooked now and am working on patterning my converted duck gun, Benelli Super Vinci. 

I will take any suggestions you can give on shells, chokes, and I will share what I have done so far. 

I got a good pattern with a .655 Kicks Choke shooting 3 1/2 federal and winchester 4's and 5's out to 40 yards.  It would kill a turkey but I am looking for the best as I am a perfectionist.  What about the hevi shot chokes and shells, any opinions on these?  I would assume that my gun will pattern very similar to a SBE 2 or M2. 

Thanks for the help...

[mmusso]

 
Weclome to OG my friend!
I'm sure some others will jump on here with better, specific suggestions, but my understanding/experience with the Benellis is that they pattern factory loads better with a tighter choke (i.e. in the range of .655 - .665) due to the smaller bore diameter. As far as shells/loads go, since you are a perfectionist, go ahead and PM  about hand loading TSS. Save time and money and go straight for the best! Good luck and happy patterning!

[fountain]

nitros are the hottest loads you can get and are matched in numbers by the hevi 13 #7s.  personally i would go with nitros..prolly in straight 7s and a sumtoy choke.  he has tested the benellis a good bit with great results.  google sumtoy..or pm him on here and he can hook you up.

just start searching on here..tons of info on these guns and loads. short of reloading the tss, the nitros are probably the best bang, but they are expensive..$8/ shell.  the hevi 13 7s will shoot great and are cheaper. 

[allaboutshooting]

Welcome to OG Greg. I know you'll enjoy it here. There are a great variety of shooters and hunters who frequent this forum, who are willing to share their knowledge and experience.

I have the 3" Vinci and shot it pretty extensively with a variety of chokes and shells. I've been a Benelli shooter since 1991 when I purchased my first SBE. The inside diameter of the Benelli barrels is, as has already been noted, is generally quite tight. I have one barrel for my SBE that has a .719 i.d.

Again, as has been noted, chokes with exit diameters of .640 - .655 have always worked pretty well but e.d. is just one part of the overall geometry of the choke tube. It's really all about what's inside that choke that makes the difference.

The SSX (.643), the Wright's #3 (.650) and the new Hevi-13 turkey choke (.667) all work very well for me in my Vinci. (That H-13 choke is a real sleeper and seems to the exception to the .640-.655 rule.)

With your 3.5" Vinci, I'd still recommend that you shoot 3" shells. They do the job, you don't gain any range with the 3.5" shells and it's just much easier to get back on target with the 3" shell. (The Vinci has less muzzle jump than any gun I shoot.)

I'd recommend the 3" Hevi-13 "Bronze" shells with 2 oz. of #6 or #7 shot. They are great shells and I've found them to be very consistent performers.

Last August, I wrote an article about my first 30 days with the Vinci. While it is the 3" model, you may find some of it to be interesting to you. http://allaboutshooting.com/article_info.php?articles_id=418

You have a great gun and whatever choke or shell you choose, I know you'll enjoy using it in the turkey woods as much as the duck blind.

Thanks,
Clark