How Does This Sound?

[Punisher]

Shot four rounds of the 3" Thug #4s today through a IC .660.  The results were 90/10/40, 85,10/40, 82/10/40, and 74/10/40 which came to a four shot average of 82.75/10/40.  I am very pleased with these results.  What do you guys think?

[darn2ten]

If you could consistently put that 90 or even 85 in the 10" at 40, and it was a pretty even pattern, I would have no problem hunting with that combo every day of the week. When you get down there in the mid to low 70's it is definitely questionable. If you keep things from 35 and under you're golden, and that would be a no doubt turkey stompin machine! But the truth of the matter is we're talking about #4 lead, and theres alot to be said about the mass and energy of #4's. Truly wouldn't take but a couple of those to the head, neck, and body to do the trick, so really that combo would probably kill one at 40 everytime with no problem.

[Tom Foolery]

Sounds pretty solid, I would just keep my barrel clean to help with the patterns.

[the Ward]

I agree,if those patterns are pretty even i would hunt with them,just be careful about range.Like Tom said keep the barrel clean and you will be good to go.Those 4s will wreck a bird!.....ward

[surehuntsalot]

I would have no problem hunting with those #'s,as the others have said,just watch the range
I love a gun that will throw some lead 4's,I'm what I call an old school kinda hunter.
I have some of the newer HTL shells,but I still do most of my hunting with lead.
my old 3" 1100 will throw some lead 4"s,and they do make it a nasty day for a gobbler.

[albrubacker]

I would say that is a decent 4 shot pattern

[tomstopper]

I would say that is a decent 4 shot pattern

Just keep the barrel clean & you wont have any problems...

[mckinzie]

sounds good

[BandedSpur]

Anything the 4s will do, 5s or 6s will do better. You have an extreme excess of pellet energy at the expense of pattern density. Your effective range will increase with the denser patterns thrown by the smaller shot, unless your gun is the exception to the rule and actually patterns 4s better than the smaller sizes.

[SCDieselDawg]

I'd hunt with it!  Like others have said, keep the barrel clean. I put the elbow grease into scrubbing the barrels on my guns before I started the chore of finding a choke/shell combo. Then used a bore snake between shots while patterning.

[3" 870 Shell Shucker]

Just for the sake of conversation: If I had a rig that would throw 80 with #4's, 100 with #5's, and 120 with #6's; I wouldn't choose the #4's.

#5's have enough energy out to about 70 yards, and will usually out pattern #4's at 40 yards. 

[owlhoot]

Well you could hunt with that pattern. There seems to be some reservations in some of these posts.
Now i really like the 4's with lead. I like a 3" shell . I like 100 plus in the 10.
Don't know which gun you have. Polish the barrel, deep clean.
But i think you could do so much better. Different loads would be a good start.
Just look at some of the posts here with the Longbeard loads already .
Or if you can still get them , The federal strutshok load with tripleplus wad column.
Different choke tubes , a bit more expensive, but 100 plus in the 10 should be attainable with 4's.
Or like 870 SS said 5's have energy and better pellet count, i get over 100 with a 20g rem and federal grand slams.
If you feel like spending some dough on shells,  nothing wrong with hevi 5 or fed hw 6's or 5's.
just look through some patterns and post on here to help you out. 34 years patterning turkey guns and still learning a ton on here. Good luck.