I am over thinking this!

[deerbasshunter3]

I do not intend to take a shot past 30 or 35 yards. Maybe 40 if a bird just will not come any closer.

With that being said, will Winchester Long Beard XR in 3" shell/#5 get the job done at this range with a Remington 870 Express SuperMag 28" barrel tipped with a Hevi Shot .662 choke?

I know I am posting a lot of silly questions today but I am racking my brain with all of the info online and am having trouble trying to take it all in. Like I said, I do not intend to take long shots, so I just need a combo that will get me in the game.

I am seeing a lot of different ounce sizes being listed. Does that make a difference in anything or just a personal preference?

[silvestris]

It is all about the quality of your pattern at your distance.  Pellet energy determines what that pellet will do.  TSS will cripple one just as well as lead if it misses the central nervous system.

[jakesdad]

In a nutshell,yes longbeards will get the job done at that distance,as well as several other quality lead loads that are cheaper if you're looking to go that route. Like silvertris stated its all about the quality of the pattern at a chosen distance. If your combo throws a nice even dense pattern at the distance you have set as a limit for yourself,then a $5/shell Hevi-13 wont kill anything more dead than a .50 cheap lead field load if both are patterns are there.(apples to oranges comparison but I hope you get what i'm saying about its the pattern that matters more so than just a particular shell)

[alloutdoors]

Longbeard 5's will kill at 40 yards, provided you have an effective pattern. You need to get out and pattern them with your setup to make sure. 100 pellets in a 10" circle at 40 yards is pretty much the accepted minimum benchmark. You shouldn't have any trouble getting that with your setup, but you need to shoot it to see.

[The Cohutta Strutter]

No silly questions and its good that you are thinking about these things. Just wanted to add it's worthwhile after you've chosen your setup to see what your pattern is doing at shorter ranges say 15 and 25 yards to get a visual on the spread at shorter distances. Put time in with getting comfortable at range estimation. In short, gain knowledge of your setup out to the maximun range you feel comfortable taking a shot at. Strutter.

[deerbasshunter3]

It looks as though I am going to have a day or two free next week to go to the range. I am going to pick up a couple of boxes of Longbeard 5s today.

[bamagtrdude]

Yes.

[Marc]

I would think that such a combination would be more than adequate, but the best way to find out is to put it on paper.

Also, and more importantly is to put your gun on paper to figure out your POA (point of aim)...  I use a tight choke and cheap target loads.  Put up your paper with a dot, X, or some other aim point, and fire off three rounds at the same paper...  Look and see where your pattern is compared to the target you were shooting at.  I have had more than one gun surprise me, and most shotguns tend to shoot a bit high...

Once I know where the gun is shooting, I generally put a round of the load I will be using on paper to make sure that the pattern density is adequate at the longest ranges I plan on shooting.

[Red Huck]

Check that LB Pattern on short shots Too. I here they are not very forgiving up close.

[deerbasshunter3]

Check that LB Pattern on short shots Too. I here they are not very forgiving up close.

10 yards:

[ericjames]

Ouch. That's gonna leave him headless.

[zelmo1]

  I did a lot of range work with the longbeards last year and the above statement is correct. They are extremely tight at short range. If I were only going to shoot 25 yards or less, I would try an improved modified choke and adjust choke constriction to the pattern at that yardage. I generally shoot between 25-35 yards and I chose the longbeard #5's 3.5" through a Patternmaster Code Black Turkey choke. This was the best combo for me and my gun. I tried 5 different turkey chokes and 8 different factory turkey loads from WW, Federal and Hevi shot. It was expensive research but I am comfortable that if I do my part that my equipment will perform. I just like taking as many variables out of the mix as possible.  Good luck this year.

[Kylongspur88]

Pattern your gun... I like #5s, but my gun and choke doesn't...

[Struthunter]

Get off the internet and go pattern your gun.

[Gooserbat]

Get off the internet and go pattern your gun.

Pretty much sums it up.  You'll not know until you find out what works and you have to bang a few down range to find out.