Fed HW 7's or Nitro 7's?

[deerpoo22]

Well I finally decided to start building a 20 ga this year when I get my income tax check, and I've decided to buy Mossberg 500 turkey tactical. I just finished building my Browning BPS 10, and have a finished SBE2 also. I just want to complete my collection of having a mean turkey killer in 10, 12, and 20 ga. I use Nitro's in my 12 and intend to use them in my 10ga too. All I read about on this forum is how awesome Fed HW's pattern in 20s. Plus I like how much denser the shot is too than Nitro's. With money being no concern, would you guys shoot the HW 7's or Nitro 7's?

[jordanz7935]

I've never shot the nitros but, I would definitely shoot the Federal Hw 7s. Harder shot, more payload, and you can buy it at most sporting goods stores. They are probably cheaper than the nitros too. Also the federal load works good through most turkey chokes so it would probably save you time and money finding the pattern your looking for. That federal load is pushing 330 + of those 7s and its by far the best patterning 20 ga load i have ever used. I have had good luck with my rem superfull gettting 130s in the 10" @ 40yds. Get yourself a sumtoy choke and you should be able to hit 150's + with that load.

[jtharpe]

You will get bigger numbers with the nitros. They kill turkeys just fine but I think the feds hit harder and pattern fine and are cheaper.

[savduck]

Feds. I'm not a huge fan of Nitro.

[Philippe]

Fed HW's are all I feed my 20.

[hookedspur]

I think your going to have to try them both , I have never been able to get the
Feds to shoot for me in a M2 .870 or an encore . With a verity of chokes . On the
other hand Nitro 7s are over 200 in the ten @ 40 out of any of the three.

[deerpoo22]

I think your going to have to try them both , I have never been able to get the
Feds to shoot for me in a M2 .870 or an encore . With a verity of chokes . On the
other hand Nitro 7s are over 200 in the ten @ 40 out of any of the three.

May I ask what chokes you've used to get them numbers? 200 plus with a 20 ga sounds awesome.

[hookedspur]

I don't mean to hijack the thread but all Im saying is you have to try each in your own setup .
Indian Creek 555 in M2 & 870
SumToy 562-5 in the Encore

[deerpoo22]

I don't mean to hijack the thread but all Im saying is you have to try each in your own setup .
Indian Creek 555 in M2 & 870
SumToy 562-5 in the Encore

Not hijacking at all. Thanks for the photos. I understand what shoots great for you, might be crap for me. But I'm just trying to get as many ideas for what setup I want to go with as possible right now.

[hookedspur]

Sorry I didn't pay enough attention to who started the post
<<<HAMMER DOWN>>>>> Its almost time to Huntem...

[turkey_slayer]

I would pick fhw. Tss really shines in the 20 if you wanted to go that route and be around the same price as nitro and the feds are about $4 a shell. Never have to worry about them changing the recipe or discontinuing them either. Just an option

[gobblergls]

The Feds are denser shot.  15 g/cc versus 12 g/cc of the nitros.  There have been questions about the actual density of the Hevi Shot in the Nitros.  Also, it's hard to precisely screen Hevi Shot compared with the round fed shot and there is a mix of larger and smaller Hevi Shot in the Nitros.   
There are some who fault the flight control wad of the Feds as being gimicky and unreliable.  I didn't have a problem with them.  I've shot both, but now use TSS.  I've considered using the shot in the 12 gauge Feds I have left in hand loads.  You'll kill turkeys just fine with either.

[sevetts]

Its true that the nitro hevishot loads are less dense but there's more there than just the weight the megawieght loads are almost as dense as the federals. I love the federal loads. I have killed turkeys with 6 different 20ga loads Remington hevi 6s, hevishot 7s, hevishot magnum blends, federal hevi 7s, nitro hevishot blends, and nitro megawieght blends. I'm not trying to brag just telling my experiences. I have spent a lot of time and money with my 20ga's maybe even a lil over bored. If someone would pm me where I could buy TSS I would try that! Lol all these loads eventually patterned well. BUT NOTHING I have ever seen not from a 10 or 12ga hits like the nitro mega blends and I mean nothing wish I had some TSS so I could compare it. If your shooting Federals or nitros your doing something right but the nitro megas I promise ya are in a league of they're own. PS the nitro blends for some reason shoot as good as straight 7s in my experience why not have some larger shot your pattern won't suffer. 1st place nitro mega blends, 2nd place nitro hevi shot blends, 3rd nitro hevi straight 7s/ federal hevi 7s. The others in my opinion where what you would expect a 20ga gun to do.

[turkey_slayer]

The mega weight is roughly 12.5 g/cc density that's figuring lead at 11g/cc and there being truthful about it being 13.5% denser than lead. The federals are 15 g/cc so not quite near as dense. Tss is 18 g/cc. Steel is like 7.8 g/cc that's why it sucks lol

[Rockhound]

Kinda off subject but you should look at the federal heavyweight 7s in the 10 gauge as well, or the magnum blends. The magnum blends put up about 15 pellets less than nitro and hot like a hammer. I killed a fall longbeard with the Magnumblend bit I haven't killed with the heavyweight yet, I'm saving those for hard times when I run out of tss