cabelas hevi 13 blend add

[fatboy]

I was looking at the cabelas spring turkey catalog and saw the hevi 13 add with a picture of a target and how the mag blend shoots, the 7 shot show a circle at 30 the 6 shows a circle at 55 yards and then the best of all the 5 shot shows the circle at 75+ plus yards. I hope that buyers think about the odds of enough 5 shot being there at 75+  or even the 6,s having the density to  produce a killing shot, at 55  not just hitting the bird and have it fly off or run off to die in the bush. If you look at the small killing area on the head and neck and then pattern your gun, reality will be that the odds of crippling a bird are alot better than killing it. I hear a lot of people talk about missing birds by misjudging distance, but I would bet most times the bird really gets some pellets in the body as a turkey is a big bird. Weather it dies somewhere who knows. Just on my mind as  I heard of a local guy rolling one and then getting away. Not a fan of 3 sizes in one shell. And with my luck I dought I would have that lucky pellet hit the right spot at those extreme distances.

[Grunt-N-Gobble]

The MagBlends are actually a very good shell.  They don't put up the higher #'s that the straight 7's do, but good never the less.

As for the ad, it is bad and misleading.  The company should be ashamed for coming out with it or promoting such long shots.  Its been discussed on OG before and probably will be again.  With that said, please be aware that discussions of shots long than 40yds are highly discouraged here and if you do post something in excess of 40yds (shots you might have taken) expect them to be deleted.

Just be aware of it.

[fatboy]

Thats what  I was trying to point out that that ad was really sad.  Like you said they may be a good shell at normal ranges, but to look at the ad it would make you believe it was good at 75 yards. They even say boost your lethal range by 40%.  I would say don't try this at home. That 40 yard rule is a great recomendation for a good shooting gun if it patterns well. Shoot to kill.

[TauntoHawk]

This add really bothers me.. I fully understand and respect and the 40yd rule OG has, encouraging or insinuating that the game is about how far I can knock one down is degrading to the sport. Overall safety and clean ethical kills needs to be the top priority of every hunter.


What's an ethical shotgun range??  That determination is much like archery and is different for each individual based upon their ability/experience/and equipment capabilities. NOT to be determined by a magazine Ad or back of a box claim. One of the first questions I get when I take someone turkey hunting and place my gun in their hands is "So how far can I shoot with this thing", the answer is never the same although the gun/ammo/choke combination doesn't change. I will not let a youth hunter shoot the same distance as my VET hunter who I know can handle a firearm with far more poise and precession.


Me and my father both archery hunt, he has been at it longer than me. His equipment is newer and more expensive than mine, are arrows are both tipped with similar broadheads and bows have very close kinetic energy numbers. We both know though that my Ethical range is much further than his based upon ability not what the equipment is capable of. Same goes for turkey with us, we shoot the same gun and shell, different chokes but very close pattern numbers, he doesn't have the steadiest of hands and limits himself WELL inside the guns effective range in order to minimize the chance of wounding an animal.


You can bench shoot paper, and crunch mathematical energy numbers all you want and come up with some stunning figures for what the modern day equipment can do BUT none of that should replace ones individual ability in a hunting situation. I see this all the time with bows, rifles, crossbows, shotguns, and muzzleloaders. Advertising is always claiming faster kills, bigger holes, more accuracy, harder hitting whatever to get you to purchase it even if it's a great product that doesn't matters if you can't use it and don't know your personal limitations.

Nate

[Grunt-N-Gobble]

Nate.......... There's a whole lotta truth there in what you posted when it comes to archery equipment.  A person could have all of the latest and greatest and still not be able to hold a killing size group @ 20yds.

Those of us on the east coast might balk @ the long shots the bow hunters out west take with a bow where 40+ yds shots are the norm.  40yds for us here in the east is a far shot.  I know for my elk hunt last fall, I practiced @ 40, 50 and 60yds on a regular basis.  For awhile, I forgot what it was like to take a 20-30yd shot.  And I still didn't get an elk!!!      (Never had a good shot opportunity) But I still had fun. 

And the same applies to a certain extent with turkey guns and hunting, NOT all hunters are capable of killing shots even @ 40yds.  Like bow hunting, that comes with practice, experience and good equipment.