Well, I am entering my 2nd year of turkey hunting, and my first year with a shotgun. Last year was bow only. Late last fall I purchased a Mossberg 500, and in the past few days I have patterned it.
I decided to begin the process by using the factory extra-full choke that was provided with the gun. I purchased two brands of shells to start: Winchester Supreme and Remington Nitros. I wanted to start with a copper-plated lead load (Winchester) and a lead load (Remington). Both shells are 3" and #5 shot.
It did not take too many shots to figure out that my Mossberg 500 liked the Remington load better than the Winchester load. At 20 and 25 yards the patterns were dense. At 30 yards I put 18 pellets into the kill zone on a turkey target, and at 35 yards I got 15. At 40 yards it went down considerably.
My last test was a soda can, which resembles a turkey's head area in size (picked up that tip on the Primos website). At 30 yards the can was almost shredded, and at 35 yards (picture) I got about 20 pellets.
Based on everything I have read and researched, I am very pleased with the results. I am sure with more experimentation with other loads and perhaps a different choke, I could get it out to 45 yards. But for now, and for this season, I am good with what I've got. I think this setup will get the job done if I can get one within 35 yards. Can't wait for the season to open!
