help me pair new ammo to older choke

[GregN]

Hello Folks - My turkey gun is a Remington 1187 special purpose 12 gauge, 3" chamber, with a 26" barrel that I purchased in college in 1988.  I remember shooting Federal and Activ (red plastic hulls) for the first several years with the standard full Rem choke that came with the gun.

When HeviShot hit the scene I went all in and purchased a Remington manufactured Superfull HeviShot choke designed specifically for HeviShot.  I believe this choke has a restriction of .675 and it is stated on the choke that it will handle both lead and steel shot.  I am about to run out of the HeviShot #6 ammo that I purchased along with the choke (Yes, that box or 2 initially purchased lasted a long time), so I need to purchase some new ammo to pair with the Hevi Shot choke, or perhaps the factory full choke. 

I am restricted to shot sizes no smaller than 7.5 shot by regulation (this stinks!)

Any suggestions on an ammo to try given my above setup?

The Winchester XR Longbeard get positive reviews, but I'm not sure what shot size to try first.  And I'm not opposed to trying Federal TSS, but I can't use the ever popular No. 9 sized shot. 

Thanks for any and all feedback,
Greg

[Tom007]

You will probably do real well with the Hevi-13 #7's in that gun with that choke. Give them a try. Good luck....

[GregN]

Thanks for the recommendation Tom.  Since these aren't as dense as the TSS shot, what do think the maximum range would be for the size 7 shot?  Think I would be OK out to 45 yards in terms of pellet penetration?

Thanks,
Greg

[Tom007]

Thanks for the recommendation Tom.  Since these aren't as dense as the TSS shot, what do think the maximum range would be for the size 7 shot?  Think I would be OK out to 45 yards in terms of pellet penetration?

Thanks,
Greg

I think we all recommend 40 yards or less. Nice solid pattern with that set up... be safe

[Dr Juice]

I concur with both of Tom007's recommendations. I have a very similar setup but I'm using Hevi-13 #6s @1.75oz and i am very happy with it. Good luck with it.

[bbcoach]

Remmy's love chokes in the .665 for optimal pellet count.  Some of these are Sumtoy, IC, SSX.  With that being said, if you have the 450121 Hevishot choke for your Remmy, it should be a .662 constriction.  This choke should work well with Hevi 7's, which I love, and Longbeard 5's or 6's.  The only way to really see what these shells will do is pattern them in your gun.  Personally, I would start with the Hevi 7's and or LB 6's.  Good Luck and keep us posted on your selection.

[BandedSpur]

I have one of the old Rem SF HS choke tubes and it is in fact a .675. It will likely not reach 100/10" at 40 yds with any conventional lead shell. It will likely do so with HS 6s or 7s. It absolutely shoots lights out in my 1187 with a 2 oz TSS 8 handload (260/10" @ 40). I would contact Brice at Foxtrot ammo to see if he has TSS 7.5s available since that is the smallest size you can legally shoot. I have not shot them through it but imagine that while not optimal, it will shoot acceptable 40 yd patterns with LB 6s and probably LB 5s as well. LBs were developed with a .665 choke if memory serves.

[GregN]

BandedSpur - Yes, you confirmed my research that the old Rem SuperFull Hevi Shot chokes have a .675 restriction.  I actually have a box of Win Long Beards in #5 shot that I have never used.  I'll throw a few rounds of them down range and see how they pattern.  It seems like Hevi 13s' might be the way to go.  i will contact Foxtrot ammo as 7.5 TSS would be ideal.

Greg

[Turkeytider]

Thanks for the recommendation Tom.  Since these aren't as dense as the TSS shot, what do think the maximum range would be for the size 7 shot?  Think I would be OK out to 45 yards in terms of pellet penetration?

Thanks,
Greg

Greg, I agree with what Tom has to say. IMHO, can`t go wrong with either Hevi-13s or Longbeard XRs. Are there shells that can reach 45-50 yards? Sure. Common sense will tell you that the farther you shoot, the more birds you`ll cripple. The 40 yard rule, IMHO, is a good one. Personally, I want him close enough where he doesn`t know what hit him. I owe him that.

By the way, FWIW, you are shooting at least some tungsten with Hevi-13s. It`s an amalgam of tungsten, nickel and iron. In a 12, not sure you gain enough with TSS to justify cost. Sub-gauges, no question TSS is the way to go.

[Tom007]

Thanks for the recommendation Tom.  Since these aren't as dense as the TSS shot, what do think the maximum range would be for the size 7 shot?  Think I would be OK out to 45 yards in terms of pellet penetration?

Thanks,
Greg

Greg, I agree with what Tom has to say. IMHO, can`t go wrong with either Hevi-13s or Longbeard XRs. Are there shells that can reach 45-50 yards? Sure. Common sense will tell you that the farther you shoot, the more birds you`ll cripple. The 40 yard rule, IMHO, is a good one. Personally, I want him close enough where he doesn`t know what hit him. I owe him that.

By the way, FWIW, you are shooting at least some tungsten with Hevi-13s. It`s an amalgam of tungsten, nickel and iron. In a 12, not sure you gain enough with TSS to justify cost. Sub-gauges, no question TSS is the way to go.

You bet my friend. I picked up some Browning TSS #7 I am going to try out in my 870 with the Indian Creek .665. Will post pattern picks... be safe

[Tom007]

BandedSpur - Yes, you confirmed my research that the old Rem SuperFull Hevi Shot chokes have a .675 restriction.  I actually have a box of Win Long Beards in #5 shot that I have never used.  I'll throw a few rounds of them down range and see how they pattern.  It seems like Hevi 13s' might be the way to go.  i will contact Foxtrot ammo as 7.5 TSS would be ideal.

Greg

Greg, I'll bet that your .675 choke will pattern TSS #9's real well if your state allows it. They say it's devastating..good luck...

[GregN]

Tom - unfortunately, the two states I hunt have size 7.5 and size 8 restrictions, respectively. It seems like my options are the Hevi-13's in size 6 or 7, Apex 7.5 size with a 2oz or 2.25oz of shot as options, or Winchester XRs in 5 or 6 shot.

I'm leaning towards the Hevi-13 in size 7 as at least some folks have had success with a set-up similar to mine; however, if the Apex 7.5 patterned well i would have a bump in the number of pellets going down the barrel with the added bonus of those pellets being denser and delivering more knock down power at maximum range.

Ah, decisions - decisions.  But that is all part of the fun with getting on a site like this and getting feedback from knowledgeable hunters to  help make those decisions

Tom and all thanks for the feedback...appreciated. 
Greg

[Tom007]

Tom - unfortunately, the two states I hunt have size 7.5 and size 8 restrictions, respectively. It seems like my options are the Hevi-13's in size 6 or 7, Apex 7.5 size with a 2oz or 2.25oz of shot as options, or Winchester XRs in 5 or 6 shot.

I'm leaning towards the Hevi-13 in size 7 as at least some folks have had success with a set-up similar to mine; however, if the Apex 7.5 patterned well i would have a bump in the number of pellets going down the barrel with the added bonus of those pellets being denser and delivering more knock down power at maximum range.

Ah, decisions - decisions.  But that is all part of the fun with getting on a site like this and getting feedback from knowledgeable hunters to  help make those decisions

Tom and all thanks for the feedback...appreciated. 
Greg

You won't be disappointed either way you go. You have a great gun that will pattern well for you. Good luck my friend...

[shatcher]

If you're not going to buy a new choke and use the .675 constriction, I'd try #4 Longbeards with the heavier payload, 1 7/8 I believe.  I killed a bunch of turkeys with 4s before the new stuff came out.

[GregN]

Thanks for the #4 recommendation in Long Beard.  Going back a ways, #4's were my go to round as well out of Rem 1100 with a 30" barrel and 3" chamber.  I'll tell you, lugging that gun around in my teens was no small feat!
Greg