Alternative to Hevi-13?

[Cutt]

Getting to be that time of the year, and was looking to buy more Hevi-13 3.5in #6's, like I used last year with great results. Thought I'd never switch after watching the results on one of my birds at 42 paces, which just leveled him?

But now I'm having thoughts of switching, due to the price increase. I know last year I was getting them at 19.99 a box with a rebate, and to me that was expensive for 5 rounds? Now all I'm seeing is 28.00 plus for the same 5 shells. Just having a hard time justifying paying that and considered switching, if I could find a comparable alternative that's priced better? Not sure that's going to be that easy, but are any of you using a different load that is cheaper and does as well as Hevi-13, or don't these two features even exist? 1. Good patterning load 2. at a resonable price? Thanks

[Rockhound]

All of your htl is going to be priced at that range so lead is your cheaper shell

[WildSpur]

I don't think it exists.  I know lead 6's will kill at 40 yards but after being spoiled with htl and many many hits on a gobblers vs. A few hits will be tough.  Just looking at lead pics here you can tell the two are not comparable.  I try to keep my shots to 40 yards.  I just have to realize I might not get as many hits on target in the future.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

[BrowningGuy88]

All of the HTL (H-13, FED HWT, Xtended Range, Nitro's) run $5.50 to $8.00 per shot. I bought a stock pile of 20 gauge Hevi shot last year for $2.20 per shot.

I plan to buy 50 HTL shells for each new turkey gun I get once I pattern it and figure out what it likes and then just check the sights each year.

I just remind myself it costs me $30 in gas to go hunting and I only get a limited amount of hunting days so I want to send the best shot i can send at them.

[goblr77]

All of the HTL (H-13, FED HWT, Xtended Range, Nitro's) run $5.50 to $8.00 per shot. I bought a stock pile of 20 gauge Hevi shot last year for $2.20 per shot.

I plan to buy 50 HTL shells for each new turkey gun I get once I pattern it and figure out what it likes and then just check the sights each year.

I just remind myself it costs me $30 in gas to go hunting and I only get a limited amount of hunting days so I want to send the best shot i can send at them.

There ya go. HTL isn't that expensive compared to other costs of going hunting. I won't mind paying $5-$6 to smack a bird as bad as I mind paying $3.85 for a gallon of gas.

[spaightlabs]

That's my thought too.  If I tag out I'll run 7 shells down the pipe., I'm in at about 2.50 per with rebates and a couple good deals.

To shoot those 7 I will run $500 - $600 in gas through the truck, hunt out of a $200 blind, use $280 worth of decoys, $100 boots, a $230 FF3, an $85 steady grip for theBenelli, a $60 Hevi 13 choke, $30 worth of new mouth calls, $50 worth of sunflower seeds, $100 worth of cigars, $100 of beer, $300 on hotel rooms, a couple hundred on breakfast, lunches and dinners, a few hundred on licenses...

Figger turkey costs about $40 a pound this year...


Hevi 13 is CHEAP!  I will spend a lot more on ice than I do on shells...

[3" 870 Shell Shucker]

The alternative to Hevi13 is Lead.

Pattern some #5's and some #6's.  Winchester Supreme, Supreme HV, or Federal Turkey Thugs.

[Nick_The_Tinkerer]

That's my thought too.  If I tag out I'll run 7 shells down the pipe., I'm in at about 2.50 per with rebates and a couple good deals.

To shoot those 7 I will run $500 - $600 in gas through the truck, hunt out of a $200 blind, use $280 worth of decoys, $100 boots, a $230 FF3, an $85 steady grip for theBenelli, a $60 Hevi 13 choke, $30 worth of new mouth calls, $50 worth of sunflower seeds, $100 worth of cigars, $100 of beer, $300 on hotel rooms, a couple hundred on breakfast, lunches and dinners, a few hundred on licenses...

Figger turkey costs about $40 a pound this year...


Hevi 13 is CHEAP!  I will spend a lot more on ice than I do on shells...

its very very true we sometimes focus our efforts on the wrong aspect of the cost issue. 

[BrowningGuy88]

That's my thought too.  If I tag out I'll run 7 shells down the pipe., I'm in at about 2.50 per with rebates and a couple good deals.

To shoot those 7 I will run $500 - $600 in gas through the truck, hunt out of a $200 blind, use $280 worth of decoys, $100 boots, a $230 FF3, an $85 steady grip for theBenelli, a $60 Hevi 13 choke, $30 worth of new mouth calls, $50 worth of sunflower seeds, $100 worth of cigars, $100 of beer, $300 on hotel rooms, a couple hundred on breakfast, lunches and dinners, a few hundred on licenses...

Figger turkey costs about $40 a pound this year...


Hevi 13 is CHEAP!  I will spend a lot more on ice than I do on shells...

its very very true we sometimes focus our efforts on the wrong aspect of the cost issue. 

Yes we do! It hurts to buy them initially, but if you don't shoot a lot of paper it isn't too bad. Never thought of what it cost me to kill a turkey.

[runngun]

That's my thought too.  If I tag out I'll run 7 shells down the pipe., I'm in at about 2.50 per with rebates and a couple good deals.

To shoot those 7 I will run $500 - $600 in gas through the truck, hunt out of a $200 blind, use $280 worth of decoys, $100 boots, a $230 FF3, an $85 steady grip for theBenelli, a $60 Hevi 13 choke, $30 worth of new mouth calls, $50 worth of sunflower seeds, $100 worth of cigars, $100 of beer, $300 on hotel rooms, a couple hundred on breakfast, lunches and dinners, a few hundred on licenses...

Figger turkey costs about $40 a pound this year...


Hevi 13 is CHEAP!  I will spend a lot more on ice than I do on shells...

Now that is putting things into perspective!!!   

[surehuntsalot]

I don't spend nowhere near that kind of money to turkey hunt

[Cutt]

That's my thought too.  If I tag out I'll run 7 shells down the pipe., I'm in at about 2.50 per with rebates and a couple good deals.

To shoot those 7 I will run $500 - $600 in gas through the truck, hunt out of a $200 blind, use $280 worth of decoys, $100 boots, a $230 FF3, an $85 steady grip for theBenelli, a $60 Hevi 13 choke, $30 worth of new mouth calls, $50 worth of sunflower seeds, $100 worth of cigars, $100 of beer, $300 on hotel rooms, a couple hundred on breakfast, lunches and dinners, a few hundred on licenses...

Figger turkey costs about $40 a pound this year...


Hevi 13 is CHEAP!  I will spend a lot more on ice than I do on shells...

It's cheap if you are just hunting with it. My problem is I got a new 11-87 last year and want to shoot it with what I intend to hunt with. Can't see shooting it with cheap shells just to shoot it? Last year I must of popped of 6 boxes or so at 19.99, and rebates. I can't see doing that at 28.00 to 34.00 a box?

And all my shots were for intended purposes of checking patterns and different chokes, as I was wanting to do some more this year? Shooting a few shells a year, yes cheap, shooting many expensive!

Sure, I could just go with what I went with last year and only shoot a few shells at birds. But Turkey hunting to me involves shooting your shells and trying to improve results, it's just a part of anticapation of the up coming Season I look forward too also, and Hevi is making that part of the sport too expensive!

[alclark2]

That's my thought too.  If I tag out I'll run 7 shells down the pipe., I'm in at about 2.50 per with rebates and a couple good deals.

To shoot those 7 I will run $500 - $600 in gas through the truck, hunt out of a $200 blind, use $280 worth of decoys, $100 boots, a $230 FF3, an $85 steady grip for theBenelli, a $60 Hevi 13 choke, $30 worth of new mouth calls, $50 worth of sunflower seeds, $100 worth of cigars, $100 of beer, $300 on hotel rooms, a couple hundred on breakfast, lunches and dinners, a few hundred on licenses...

Figger turkey costs about $40 a pound this year...


Hevi 13 is CHEAP!  I will spend a lot more on ice than I do on shells...

This is true! We are heading out 3 weeks from today to bama from Indiana for a week. We will spend A LOT on this trip. I'll have to figure up how many turkey I could go to walmart and buy for the price of the trip. That's obviously not why most of us hunt. We talk about this every year when we are deer hunting. How we could go buy a half a beef and save the gas, gear, and misc expenses of a hunting trip.

[Xcal1ber]

Heck boys when I sling an arrow at a deer, I'm shooting somewhere close to 30$ at that deer! Once you figure in the cost of the shafts, fletchings, wraps, lighted nock, and broadhead it becomes pretty pricey..... So 5$ for a shot at a turkey, isn't that bad

[Cutt]

Heck boys when I sling an arrow at a deer, I'm shooting somewhere close to 30$ at that deer! Once you figure in the cost of the shafts, fletchings, wraps, lighted nock, and broadhead it becomes pretty pricey..... So 5$ for a shot at a turkey, isn't that bad

I bowhunt also, but you are missing the point, as I get may practice arrows back. You do not get your practice Hevi- 13 back. If you never got your practice arrows back at 30.00 a piece, I'd bet you wouldn't practice much?

My point was just shooting a few at birds each year is cheap. But for those who like to shoot before Season, just to shoot and compare patterns, chokes etc., Hevi is too expensive for that.