Why heavy? What am I missing?

[The_Hunter323]

It doesn't matter to me if you shoot lead or HTL  Personally I don't care if you want to pick up a handful of rocks and throw it at the bird.

But what I can tell you is that I get a tighter More consistant pattern at 40 yards with HTL #6 than I do with the Lead #6.  This better pattern will provide more pellets in the head and neck than the lead shot.  The more pellets in the head and neck the better chance of a clean ethical kill.  To me it is worth $2 or $3  a shell (should only need 1 per bird) to get that Clean kill. 

[VanHelden Game Calls]

I bought some to try out. 

Time to let the pattern do the talk'n

[bawana]

Don't forget to get a choke tube designed for htl loads.

[surehuntsalot]

i shoot a mossberg 835.. shot 2 types of winchester shells, 2 kinds of federal , remington nitro and  other shells.all in 5  or 6 shot . the winchester shot very good out to 25 yards . but fell apart( really bad) at 40 . it was not even close to half the pellets in a 10 or 20" circle at 40. i forget the numbers i had at 25 yards  but it would kill for sure.. i was just amazed after 25  yards how terrible the shells were. now for the hevi shells. they shot good at 25 ,30 35,and 40 ,was absolutely amazing compared to the other shells. i think i can push it further but i won't!!!! . i shot the ssx , indian creek an another choke when i tested the patterns last year. i went with a sumtoy choke   cause the choke threw a better pattern than the others. oh i only shot 3" shells think my numbers were 179 or so in a 10" circle at 40

if you couldn't get a pattern to work past 25-30yds in the 835,then you have/had a choke tube problem

[lunghit]

Don't forget to get a choke tube designed for htl loads.

Thinking about giving the magnum blends a try. Does anyone know if my Jellyhead choke will work with these shells out of my SBE?

[ohiostrutter]

Jellyhead should give you decent numbers mine does in a 870

[lunghit]

Thanks Ohiostrutter. I just ordered hevi13 3" 6's  so I will give them a try. Im very interested to see how they compare to the WIN XRHD shells I have been using.

[sixbird]

Thanks Ohiostrutter. I just ordered hevi13 3" 6's  so I will give them a try. Im very interested to see how they compare to the WIN XRHD shells I have been using.

I have a SBE II and it's very particular about what it likes. With the old Hevi shot (Remington) 3 1/2" #6 1 3/4 oz.and a Jellyhead...shoots VERY well. Hevi 13 (old white with overwad) 1 3/4 oz.#6 shoots VERY well with Kicks Gooblin' Thunder .655, BUT not designed for Hevi, Wrights turkey #3 with 1 3/4 oz. 3" Hevi 13 (old white shells) nice tight pattern, some fliers low right.
Allaboutshooting.com is a good resource for SBE II performance

[lunghit]

Lunghit, how did the Hevi13's work out for you?  Did you get a Hevi13 Choke tube as
well?  Let me know your thoughts....
[/quote]

wingseeker The Hevi13's worked out very good. I started a thread and posted my results after patterning my gun. I dont know how to post the link but if you search here you will find it. And yes I did buy the Hevi choke  and found it to be the best combo. I have bought some 3 1/2" 6 hevi shot and 3" 7 to try also but im just waiting for this heat wave to go away. I will post those results too.

[JUGHEAD]

When I go hunting my main objective is to kill turkeys. Paying an extra $3 per turkey for the added efficiency HTL shot gives me isn't even an afterthought.

This.

[bigdale]

I will pay $7 for a gobbling long beard anyday of the week. Hevi13 absolutely has crushed some birds for me. I definitely feel more confident shooting them.

[chatterbox]

I feel the best deal in HTL loads are the Win XRHD's, if you can get find a choke that shoots them well through your gun.
My gun shop has them for 45.00 for a box of 10. 4.50 a round isn't too bad for a premium shell, and they hit like a hammer!

[mohall64]

The cost of these shells is very small compared to the cost of guns, calls, decoys, etc. etc. so there price is worth it for the added advantages to me.  Each shell should be a dead turkey after finding the right combo.  Get a buddy or two to share the cost of trying different shells and possible choke tubes.

[Hooksfan]

many years ago the shot com loded shells called duplex 4  5  6 and tes they put holes in papper to your mag blends just use 7 shot not the 4 shot i have personaly killed over 100 birds never lost one all with LEAD so if your thing is keepen up with the joneses that your call Like the decoy thing  zink dsd y pay that much just to say i got one im still usen feather flex and yes the toms come to them just like they do to the high end ones and yes dead is dead.

Frank,
You may very well be the only person in the history of turkey huntin to kill over 100 birds and have never lost one.  I guess I will have to stop saying that if a fella hunts long enough it is going to happen.
At one time, I was one of the "dead is dead fellas".  And while I still agree that there is only one degree of dead, I also admit there are several degrees of crippled birds and I am going to do whatever I can to insure a clean kill, and whatever ammunition can get that done for me is what I am going to go with.
The turning point for me was several years ago in the NW corner of Nebraska.  I was fulfilling a lifelong dream to finally get to hunt Merriams.  I called what would have been my first Merriams longbeard in.  The wind was howling and I also misjudged the distance a little in the alfalfa field, but he was still well within range for the shells I now shoot and should have been a dead bird with lead--I believe the wind was the real factor. I shot and the bird went down and came up flying.  I shot again and knocked him out of the air and he kept on running.  I found enough feathers to make a pillow, but never found the bird.  I had spent hundreds of dollars for gas, licenses, food, and lodging, but balked at the idea of spending five or six dollars for something that I have no doubt would have been the difference between walking out with that bird slung over my shoulder and doing the dejected hunter walk back to the truck.
I didn't go the heavy shot route, but I now shoot Nitro shells and when I pull the trigger, I know it's going to be a dead bird--No neck ringing involved.
I do have a 20 gauge that is a bona fide killer that my kids shoot.  After reading all of this, it looks like I may be shooting hevi 7's in it.

[gobblergls]

Frank,
And while I still agree that there is only one degree of dead, I also admit there are several degrees of crippled birds

You nailed it down pretty good with that....