These @&$^* Federal 7s.

[savduck]

Been doing some more shooting AND have another gun. Im putting up the same type of numbers in two guns. Im using the same lot numbers that others are. This is a Taped 30 and 40 yards.

Shot yesterday and today. Clean barrells between shots. At williams we used used alcohol dipped rags, today I just ran the bore snake through twice after each shot.

At 30 with Weatherby SA 08 20 ga and a sum toy 562-5 winchoke.

Fed 7s..........233 in 10 (yesterday at Williams off a bench)
Fed 7s............248 in 10 (today off my knee) Also put 80 in head and neck, 26 of those in spine and brain( first shot...clean, clean)

At 30 with Remington 870, sumtoy 562-5
Fed 7s..........224 in 10
Hevi 13 7s............194 in 10 ( At Williams)


Today all off my knee wearing turkey vest at 40
Weatherby....Sumtoy 562............148  in 10, 30 Head and Neck, 7 Spine and Brain( 2nd shot after a cleaning)
Weatherby....ST........108 in 10, 31 Head and neck, 16 Spine and Brain
Weatherby..Pure Gold 570 ported...........110 in 10, 26 Head and Neck, 8 spine and brain)
Remington 870............ST............121 in 10, 37 Head and Neck, 11 Spine and Brain

[savduck]

Alright, I went to Lowes and got some denatured alcohol. Swabbed both barrels and they were real dirty despite looking shiny clean after using the bore snake. Im gonna shoot again and see what we get.


My 40 numbers today didnt make sense. The 233 30 yard pattern I shot yesterday had about a group of about 150 in a 4 inch circle. That pattern ought to be putting up the 140 to 150 at 40. We shall see after this good cleaning.

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

I'm puzzled by your two different averages at 40 yards with the Weatherby.  Are those both with the same choke?  (Sorry, new here, I'm assuming ST means Sumtoy.)  What is the barrel length on your Weatherby?

Wouldn't 233 at 30 translate into 131 at 40, on average  (233 times 9/16)?  I always do a little worse than pure conical spread, so if I shot an average of 233 at 30, I would expect something in the 120s at 40.

[savduck]

Same gun, Same choke, same lot number shells. Bore snaked twice between shots. It is a 28 inch barrell. Again, I swabbed the barrell with denatured alcohol and even with the barrel shining after the bore snake, I still got a punch of stuff on my rags. I dont know what the percentages are, but I would think a 233 at 30 would put 130 to 150. Which one shot was.

My main thing with the feds is the consistancy. I can shoot a hevi 13 with the truglo ssx in the remington and it will put up 150 to 160 numbers every shot. I just dont want to shoot the hevis.

Im going to shoot again in just a little while. Its eating at me.

[Rapscallion Vermilion]

Have you tried a significantly more open choke?  I wonder if we are close to overchoking these loads causing inconsistency with some guns/chokes.   IIRC, you shot without any choke at all and got a pattern that would be pretty decent with lead.

[savduck]

Did some more shooting. After every shot I used the denatured alcohol (except 1), brush and white shirt.

First shot from the weatherby...clean........sumtoy 562-5 at 40.....124, 40 in head and neck, 16 spine and brain
Only shot from Remington...clean....sumtoy 562-5 at 40...........128, 28 Head and neck, 8 Spine and brain

Ok all the rest was with the weatherby

ST 562-5 at 40 with old federal lot number, clean.....168, 33 head and neck, 11 spine and brain
ST 562-5 at 40, this year lot, 2nd shot after clean......151, 41 head and neck, 14 spine and brain

Pure gold 570 ported at 40, clean............95, 24 head and neck, 8 spine and brain
Pure gold tempest 555 at 40, clean......116, 15 head and neck, 5 spine and brain

Swarm 555 (Hevi 13 7s) at 40, clean......113, 12 head and neck, 5 spine and brain.

[savduck]

Couple things I noticed. Clean first shot at forty.....with the remington or weatherby this years lot numbers both go 120 to 130 range with Sum toy. This is the 3V and 3U lots from Midway and Dunns. This is actually the pattern I want. It has some forgiveness to it but still crushes birds if your true on the shot.

2nd shot after cleaning with alcohol with the weatherby was 148 this morning and 151 this afternoon with this years lot number and sum toy. So I may have to clean it, run one round through it to get these numbers on a turkey. Again 3U and 3V lots.


My buddy had a box of fed 7s from about 3 or 4 years ago. The way the hulls were crimped was way different. The old ones the crimp sat down and had a lip. This years lots dont do that, they kind of bulge out a little. The one and only shot I took with that old load went  168 clean.