First time to pattern my 870 opinions please.

[bcuda]

Just went out and patterned my 870 Magnum express.
Used 3 1/2 long beard 2oz #4 shot with an Indian creek .665 choke at 30 yards.
What do you think of the pattern , I dont know enough about these patterns but it looks good to me.

[Old Timer]

use a bigger target to make sur you have pattern centered. Pattern at 20 and 40 yards and that will tell you how pattern is close and farther distance. That said from what I can see you have a dead bird!

[bcuda]

Thank you Old Timer for your reply !


The target is pretty good size click on the pic and that is about the original target size

[bcuda]

104 views and only one reply ?

I did find out that there are about 270 pellets in the shell I am using and managed to get 240 pellets in a 10 inch circle.

I marked the pellet holes in red to help, here is an updated pic. Click on the pic to get a better view.

[ChesterCopperpot]

Pattern ought to hold well at 40 being Longbeards. 30-40yds seems to be the sort of magic ten yard range for that line of shells. 20 and under tends to look about like a tennis ball if you're lucky, a golf ball if you're not. I think that pattern looks good. Like was said, shoot a larger sheet of blank paper—butchers paper works great or shipping paper—just to make sure you're centered. I'd shoot a 20 and I'd shoot a 40. The 20 just so you'll know how tight it is up close and can drop POA down into the neck a bit more if it proves to be stupid tight.


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[tnanh]

Very nice pattern.

[bcuda]

I am wondering if I should go with the long beard #4 shot that I used to get my pattern here or since I have some maybe using the the Apex Ninja Tungsten 3"  #8.5 shot shells.
What do you all think ?

[jrinny]

It is tough to judge a pattern at 30 yards. Everyone sees patterns at the standard 40 yards so that could be why there were few responses. I would move to 40 and try another pattern- and maybe try to find the same shell in 5's. My 870 shot #5 longbeard well with the Indian creek 665

[owlhoot]

I am wondering if I should go with the long beard #4 shot that I used to get my pattern here or since I have some maybe using the the Apex Ninja Tungsten 3"  #8.5 shot shells.
What do you all think ?

If your shots are around 40 yards your good to go. If not?
What you have is a very very tight pattern. If you can hold tight and shoot right your golden. Your 20 yard pattern is probably a golf ball. Longbeards are normally not the best choice for 30 and under shooting.
If you want more forgiveness try the Apex loads.
As previously said , shots at 40 so people can judge.
Its easy to see that your shot is well centered. Good shootin.  Bigger paper helps if it isn't.
It makes no sense to go to a smaller lead size shot with that many 4's in that circle if you can maintain a good 10" count at 40. Unless the small chance it opens up the pattern a bit up at closer distances.

[TrackeySauresRex]

Everyone gave you great advise. Big paper.. Back it out. Make sure your point of aim in on.

JMO I'm not an expert. I was never a fan of the LB's there too tight for my liking. But that paper you shot is a smoked Tom!

[Ranman]

Dead bird for sure. I personally prefer #5 and #6 shot. Like mentioned above, shoot at 40 and see what it looks like.

[Vintage]

Looks good to me. Dead Turkey.

[RemingtonRules]

That would be too tight for my liking.

[dzsmith]

If your choose to shoot led I would say you are good to go. That's a good pattern.

[DMTJAGER]

If you wish to be absolutely certain about patterning and zeroing in your turkey gun may I suggest you go to your local Menards or similar big box hardware store and buy a roll of 36" wide by either (I don't recall) 50' or 100' long contractor paper.
In my experience (unless you have access to basically limitless free cardboard or paper at least 36"s square) it's the cheapest, fastest and easiest way I personally know to make patterning targets large enough to allow your shells entire pattern to print.

To state it bluntly, if you are sighting in your turkey shotgun, especially a dedicated turkey only shotgun and you DO NOT use a paper target large enough to catch 90% if not your entire pattern and especially if you are using only turkey head sight in targets (typically lass then 20"x20") sold OTC you are literally WAISTING your shells and the money you spent on them as well as the time you are spending doing so. Worse of all you will not be able to determine with 100% certainty the center of your guns pattern's POI and what your POA must be.

I cut mine into 3'x3' sheets a minimum of 20 to as many as 50 ( I have to pattern and sight in 3 guns for myself and two sons) at a sitting. I take one and mark it for dead center and place it on top of the remaining sheets and on top of a sheet of plywood or similar material and using a nail and hammer using the top sheets center mark center on the remaining ones.

Some people mark a 3" dead centered circle and color it black and use it as their target, shoot, determine and mark center of the pattern then draw a 10" circle and adjust the PIA of their aiming system accordingly.
I do it a little differently to save time at the range because I pattern test at 25, 35, 40, (sometimes 45) 50, and 60 yards takes A LOT of time. . While still at home, I use a roll of electrical tape that is exactly 2.5" (I feel 2.5" VS 3" is a closer representation of the size of a gobblers head) to mark my POA black circles, then using a DIY compass draw a 10" circle around the 2.5" circle, shoot determine my patterns center and adjust my sighting systems accordingly. I use an extra large Sharpie marker to blacken my center target.

My very first turkey season ever I learned a very hard lesson I never forgot about the importance of patterning and sighting in your turkey gun. At my friends insistence I used his Winchester 1300 NWTF edition dedicated turkey gun and not my 870 Express.

I set up on a field my land owner said was well populated with turkeys. Within the first two hours after sun up in separate instances I called in no less than two Tom turkeys and missed both. I stopped by and saw a farmer I knew who was an absolute turkey killing machine and told him what had happened.
He asked if I had ever patterned my turkey gun, I replied no never even heard if patterning a shotgun. He replied well you wouldn't go deer hunting with your gun or bow without sighting in why would you ever go turkey hunting without doing the same?

He explained to me how to do it but I had no access to large sheets of paper so I went to my local GFS and got 10 paper grocery bags and drew my best version of a turkey's head and neck set the first one at 40 yards using the covered hood of my truck as a rest, loaded  a 12ga 3" WW XX Supreme Turkey 1.75oz #5 shot in the NWTF 1300 and fired.

To my utter astonishment (best guess) over 80% of the pattern was not even on the bag and fewer than 15 pellets were in the turkey target none a fatal hit. The gun didn't have adjustable sights so I pulled out my dedicated turkey gun a 870 Express with a 21" Remchoke barrel complete with Remington's excellent adjustable iron sights and a Remington factory XF turkey choke that added 1" to the barrel making it 22" long. Thankfully it patterned so well I didn't need to adjust the sights.

Next morning same field different spot using my 870 called in to 30 yards to my hen decoy and shot a beautiful 23lb Tom with a 10.5" beard and 1.25" spurs.
Just two years ago my life long friend bought a new camo 12ga 11-87 Turkey gun with a 23" barrel and THS, called in and missed multiple Toms and Jakes in IL and same while hunting in WI with his son. Finally after two days of his dad missing his son patterned his gun and found it's factory adjustable sights to be extremely off, made the needed adjustment and that guns been a turkey killing machine ever since.

With turkey shells having been so Gad awfully hard to find it is in your best interest to pattern your turkey  gun as efficiently as you can and using a pattern target at least 36"x36" is IMHO/IME an absolute must.