Lead 7.5s

[blueridgegobbler]

Several years back I just wanted to prove my point to an unbelieving friend who gave me grief about the federal 7.5 I was shooting, so I tagged out with low brass 1 1/8 oz 7.5 point being its a turkey head and neck not an armored truck. Federal would take the lead world back if they would bring the old loadings from the 90s back in 5,6, and 7.5 and can the flight control wad. People who say a lead 7.5 hitting a turkey head and neck and coming back with a horror story would rather tell you they crippled one because of the shell than tell the truth they just missed. Still not being above freezing here ill be putting up pattern pics when the weather warms a little.

[Longshanks]

Several years back I just wanted to prove my point to an unbelieving friend who gave me grief about the federal 7.5 I was shooting, so I tagged out with low brass 1 1/8 oz 7.5 point being its a turkey head and neck not an armored truck. Federal would take the lead world back if they would bring the old loadings from the 90s back in 5,6, and 7.5 and can the flight control wad. People who say a lead 7.5 hitting a turkey head and neck and coming back with a horror story would rather tell you they crippled one because of the shell than tell the truth they just missed. Still not being above freezing here ill be putting up pattern pics when the weather warms a little.

I agree. Well said. Killed allot of turkeys with the Blue/ Gold box 3/2/6's amd 3/2/7.5's. Those were some of the best over the years.

[owlhoot]

Each to their own, I saw and heard of far too many horror stories back in the late 1990's when Federal first came out with these. I agree that they throw a phenomenal pattern, but 7.5 lead just doesn't have enough down range energy to consistently kill birds beyond 30 yards. Ever wonder why Federal was so quick to discontinue them?

Federal discontinuing those shells in 5's, 6's, and 7.5's was a huge mistake. They switched to the flight control wads which was by in large sub par to the wads they had previously. I would guess the FCW had its place with certain guns/chokes. The HTL 7's are a killer but expensive as it gets for factory shells. They wouldn't touch the patterns of Hevi 13 7's. The Hevi 13 3/2/7's will still pattern better than the Fed FCW 7's in 3" or 3.5". Turkey hunters found better pattern results with Win Pb than Fed FCW Pb with any number of gun/choke combinations. They came out with the Turkey Thugs shells to try and pull the business back in but it was too late. Within a short period of time the Win Longbeards hit the market. Now we have Hevi 13 Triple Beards at an economical price.  Federal Pb is fading.
    Shell companies seem to have a difficult time sticking with something that works just as we saw with Hevi 13 due to product availability. The company that has been able to sustain their consistency is Winchester. Just my experience. Didn't intend to go on a Chevy vs Ford tirade but it's the truth with all the testing I have done out of 15-20 turkey guns and countless chokes.

Bringing back the Grand Slam loads , every exact component and process would put them back in the game. Strut shocks , Mag shock, and Thugs can be had without the flight= dreaded control wad but are not the same. Now the 7.5 lead has not been in any of these or in any of the flight control options, don't know why? 

[bawana]

Each to their own, I saw and heard of far too many horror stories back in the late 1990's when Federal first came out with these. I agree that they throw a phenomenal pattern, but 7.5 lead just doesn't have enough down range energy to consistently kill birds beyond 30 yards. Ever wonder why Federal was so quick to discontinue them?

Federal discontinuing those shells in 5's, 6's, and 7.5's was a huge mistake. They switched to the flight control wads which was by in large sub par to the wads they had previously. I would guess the FCW had its place with certain guns/chokes. The HTL 7's are a killer but expensive as it gets for factory shells. They wouldn't touch the patterns of Hevi 13 7's. The Hevi 13 3/2/7's will still pattern better than the Fed FCW 7's in 3" or 3.5". Turkey hunters found better pattern results with Win Pb than Fed FCW Pb with any number of gun/choke combinations. They came out with the Turkey Thugs shells to try and pull the business back in but it was too late. Within a short period of time the Win Longbeards hit the market. Now we have Hevi 13 Triple Beards at an economical price.  Federal Pb is fading.
    Shell companies seem to have a difficult time sticking with something that works just as we saw with Hevi 13 due to product availability. The company that has been able to sustain their consistency is Winchester. Just my experience. Didn't intend to go on a Chevy vs Ford tirade but it's the truth with all the testing I have done out of 15-20 turkey guns and countless chokes.

Bringing back the Grand Slam loads , every exact component and process would put them back in the game. Strut shocks , Mag shock, and Thugs can be had without the flight= dreaded control wad but are not the same. Now the 7.5 lead has not been in any of these or in any of the flight control options, don't know why?

Maybe because Federal and every other manufacturer knows 7 1/2 doesn't have enough downrange punch to get the job done. 7 1/2's look great on paper, and the manufacturers know great patterns sell shells.......but they also know they have to kill turkeys. If the 7 1/2 lead is such a great load, don't you think at least one manufacturer would be willing to sell them?

[blueridgegobbler]

Well I don't know you would think hevi 13 would try to duplicate the load they had when 3.5 7s were so phenomenal but they didn't. You see people all the time trying to find the magical lot number. It doesn't matter to me whether or not you think they will kill I have personally killed a pile of them with 7.5s even at 40. Hey if they made these the only loads available it would probably help turkey hunting people would learn to call be patient and wait for the bird to be 40 and under. An old man used to hunt around here helped me a lot over the years taught me about wing bone tube calls and the scratch box killed a limit every year and he carried a single barrel 20gauge and shot hi brass 2 3/4 #7.5s. He had just a plain old fixed full choke wore dickies work pants with a camo jacket.

[OldSchool]

Well I don't know you would think hevi 13 would try to duplicate the load they had when 3.5 7s were so phenomenal but they didn't. You see people all the time trying to find the magical lot number. It doesn't matter to me whether or not you think they will kill I have personally killed a pile of them with 7.5s even at 40. Hey if they made these the only loads available it would probably help turkey hunting people would learn to call be patient and wait for the bird to be 40 and under. An old man used to hunt around here helped me a lot over the years taught me about wing bone tube calls and the scratch box killed a limit every year and he carried a single barrel 20gauge and shot hi brass 2 3/4 #7.5s. He had just a plain old fixed full choke wore dickies work pants with a camo jacket.

My Dad gave me a 2 3/4" 20 ga Ithaca Featherlight when I was 16. I'd had a couple single shots before that, but the Ithaca was a dream come true. There was nobody to tell me that a 20 ga shooting an ounce of shot wasn't enough gun to kill turkeys back then, so the following year when I started turkey hunting that's what I carried.

I didn't know most people were shooting turkeys at 40 yards, and accepted my range limits without question. I'll admit there were times back then when I wished I had a little more range, but it was what it was and it didn't take me long to appreciate the rush of having the birds close.

Ten years ago, I switched to lead 7.5's for the added pattern density at the ranges I shoot and I haven't regretted it. I have a deep respect for these big birds and if the 7.5's weren't killing them cleanly at the ranges I shoot, I wouldn't be using them.

We all have our own opinions and we know what works best for us, I respect that. Me, I'll stick with my old Ithaca and my 7.5's.

Bob

[stinkpickle]

Maybe because Federal and every other manufacturer knows 7 1/2 doesn't have enough downrange punch to get the job done. 7 1/2's look great on paper, and the manufacturers know great patterns sell shells.......but they also know they have to kill turkeys. If the 7 1/2 lead is such a great load, don't you think at least one manufacturer would be willing to sell them?

Manufacturers discontinue them, because they don't sell...not because they aren't effective.  When the old blue and gold box ammo disappeared, turkey hunters were still swearing by #4 shot, probably because they were relying on the occasional body shot to bring down birds.

[Gumby]

Have any of yall hunted or had any luck with the old 20ga 3'' hevi-shot 12g/cc #7.5s
I believe they were actually an old waterfowl load but loaded by polywad and confirmed 12g/cc. Just curious. Those would be a real good short range load in my opinion

[turkeywhisperer935]

Here alot of people talking alot of trash about 7.5's on here so here's my take and a true story with a witness go back it up. My ex wife couldn't handle recoil but wanted to turkey hunt. She had never hunted anything before. I let her shoot a 20 guage Charles Daley youth model with 7/8 ounce light 7.5's. I was comfortable with her shooting to 25 to 30 yds with that and a full choke. She killed a 20lb Tom with 9 1/2 in beard dead at 25 yards. With no flopping on her first hunt. If that load would do that in a 20 I'm sure it would in a heavier load in a 12 guage up to 35 or 40. Hunters including myself have got caught up with latest and greatest ammo but I assure all of you if federal would bring the grand slams back I'd quit hevi shot and shoot them. That was a fantastic shell. Federal dropped the ball discontinuing a good thing.

[stinkpickle]

Have any of yall hunted or had any luck with the old 20ga 3'' hevi-shot 12g/cc #7.5s
I believe they were actually an old waterfowl load but loaded by polywad and confirmed 12g/cc. Just curious. Those would be a real good short range load in my opinion

I think some guys tried the 12ga version several years ago.  If I remember correctly, they were rated at 1300fps, which was great for knockdown power, but they didn't pattern as tightly as the 1090fps turkey loads.  The current 20ga load is 1250fps, and I would definitely try them if I could find them at a good price.

[BandedSpur]

Lead 7.5s kill turkeys just fine at reasonable ranges. I've killed a bunch of them with the open barrel of my O/U. Besides experience, one tool I use to predict how far a given pellet will kill reliably is the KPY ballistic program. I use 1.25" of penetration in ballistic gel as a conservative minimum required to reliably penetrate a turkey's CNS. Penetration of lead 7.5s, like all pellets, is dependent on velocity. At 1300 fps, you can expect 1.25" of penetration to 38 yds, at 1200 fps - 35 yds, and at 1100 fps - 32 yds. I limit shots with lead 7.5s to 30 yds, and have had no trouble killing turkeys stone dead. Anything further than that gets the tight barrel and a load of TSS 9s.

[Longshanks]

Maybe because Federal and every other manufacturer knows 7 1/2 doesn't have enough downrange punch to get the job done. 7 1/2's look great on paper, and the manufacturers know great patterns sell shells.......but they also know they have to kill turkeys. If the 7 1/2 lead is such a great load, don't you think at least one manufacturer would be willing to sell them?

Manufacturers discontinue them, because they don't sell...not because they aren't effective.  When the old blue and gold box ammo disappeared, turkey hunters were still swearing by #4 shot, probably because they were relying on the occasional body shot to bring down birds.

Yes, it was a different thought process back then. 4's were what allot of people hunted with. Patterning and testing was rare in turkey world and we sure weren't trying to figure out how to shoot 40+ Yds. We would check point of aim but it wasn't until all the "turkey shells" hit the market that we started testing. Sorta shocked by the pitiful patterns that we put up with 4's. Allot of the guys I knew in the game call, video, hunting industry used those shells.  Those were the people that traveled the country and killed more turkeys than anyone else by far. I hunted with the Gold/Blue box shells out of a customized 870 21" barrel with Hastings .665 non ported choke/ CT 1 threads in the barrel. 5's, 6's, 7.5's were all business. Companies produce whatever sells the most in there product line period.

[OldSchool]

Lead 7.5s kill turkeys just fine at reasonable ranges. I've killed a bunch of them with the open barrel of my O/U. B :thanks:esides experience, one tool I use to predict how far a given pellet will kill reliably is the KPY ballistic program. I use 1.25" of penetration in ballistic gel as a conservative minimum required to reliably penetrate a turkey's CNS. Penetration of lead 7.5s, like all pellets, is dependent on velocity. At 1300 fps, you can expect 1.25" of penetration to 38 yds, at 1200 fps - 35 yds, and at 1100 fps - 32 yds. I limit shots with lead 7.5s to 30 yds, and have had no trouble killing turkeys stone dead. Anything further than that gets the tight barrel and a load of TSS 9s.

Thanks for the velocity/penetration info on the 7.5's.

Bob

[Izzyjoe]

Around here there still hung up on #4's, seems Walmart, and a few other sportshops stock mostly 4's, and a few 5's. And if want some 5's you better now when they put them out or there gone quick! And if you want 6's you have to get them online, I guess they think they won't sell.

[Darren96]

I was actually going to post something like this. Here in NY we can't use anything smaller than #8 or larger than #2, I typically use 6s and being that my ranges typically are about 30-35 yards, I was thinking about 7.5s. But my question is should I do 1 1/8oz or 1 1/4? Both are 2 3/4" shells.


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