Another over/under turkey hunter...

[Ridgerunner665]

Winchester 101...one of the new ones built in Belgium by FN...3" chambers, 28" barrels, and a complete set of Carlson chokes, flush fit cylinder through turkey (.680") and a Carlson Longbeard XR extended choke (.665").

I've only used the shotgun for skeet and trap so far...about 1,500 rounds through it in the last 6 months.

I tried some Remington Premier Turkey loads (2 oz. #5 @ 1175 fps)...screw that!!! 62 ft. lbs of recoil is more than I care to deal with.

I'm gonna use Rooster XR 3" loads...surely one of my 13 chokes will pattern them good enough for 40 yards or so....and their recoil is "only" 45 ft. lbs.

I'm gonna pattern those shells this weekend...I'll post the patterns when I get them done.

[Ridgerunner665]

I should add...I'm not brand new to turkey hunting....but I have been out of it since 1990 or so.

Got invited to a game of 5 stand at the local gun club, and that one trip reignited my old passion for shotguns (grouse/quail hunting, rabbit hunting, turkey hunting)...I was hardcore when I was a teenager.

The 101 is the only shotgun I have...I like it...it seems to shoot where I point it with relative ease.

Every O/U thread here mentions barrel regulation...I've shot and handled several dozen Brownings in the last several months and every one is regulated pretty much the same ...they are designed to shoot 60/40...and the vast majority of them do it seems...but that does largely depend on how the stock fits you.

FN owns both Browning and Winchester, but most Brownings are made in Japan, some are still made in Belgiam, the Winchester is made in Belgiam...on my 101, both barrels hit 4" high at 40 yards...windage is spot on...I've shot everything from reloads with 7/8 oz. #8 shot at 1,235 fps (chrono'd) to turkey loads with 2 oz. #5 at 1,175 fps...it shoots them all the same.

I cannot speak to other brands and their barrel regulation...Berettas are extremely nice shotguns, but they just don't fit me....I nearly bought one of those camo Cynergy shotguns when I bought the 101, but while I like the camo, the space age stock was more than I could bear...I just prefer the classic lines on a shotgun...camo is great, but leave the shape alone, lol.....the Cynergy did shoulder good though, and feel good in my hands.

And...I'm not implying that the Belgian made guns of either brand are any better than the Japanese made guns...both places build very fine shotguns...some very good Winchesters were once made in Japan too (Kodensha).

[Ihuntoldschool]

Nice shotgun.  I agree many over/under shotguns will shoot to the same point of impact with both barrels... at 40 yards with many loads that is. It is the closer ranges and tight chokes that allow  you  to see the noticeable  point of impact differences between barrels. 

[Ridgerunner665]

Nice shotgun.  I agree many over/under shotguns will shoot to the same point of impact with both barrels... at 40 yards with many loads that is. It is the closer ranges and tight chokes that allow  you  to see the noticeable  point of impact differences between barrels.

Thank You

Thats true...on my 101 the bottom barrel is shooting at a very slightly steeper upward angle...but its not enough to cause a miss even with a tight pattern...its never more than a couple inches lower than the top barrel.

I patterned it at 10, 20, 30, and 40 yards...so far haven't shot it past that but I am going to with a full and improved modified choke with the 7/8 oz. #8 skeet loads...curious how far the light loads might be useful for handicap or doubles trap, and which choke to use for them at those ranges.

[allaboutshooting]

First of all, welcome to OG. We're very glad to have you here.

Secondly, congratulations on that new 101. They are fine shotguns with a rich heritage. You've obviously done your homework and know your gun well and that is of course the key to success in any shooting sport.

You might want to try some of the Winchester Long Beard (WLB) shells with 1 7/8 oz of #6 shot at 1050 fps. I'd also recommend the 3" Hevi-13 shells with 2 oz of #6 shot at 1090 fps. Both are excellent loads.

For your patterning work, you may want to consider slipping a "Shooter's Friend" or "Limbsaver" recoil pad on your gun. They really help and allow you to see just how well turkey loads pattern without excessive recoil transferred to your shoulder. Of course, those "Rooster" loads may work just fine and do the job for you.

Again, it's good to have you here and we look forward to hearing more from you.

Thanks,
Clark

[longislandloco]

Fine lookin' gun ya have there, Happy Huntin'.

[Ridgerunner665]

First of all, welcome to OG. We're very glad to have you here.

Secondly, congratulations on that new 101. They are fine shotguns with a rich heritage. You've obviously done your homework and know your gun well and that is of course the key to success in any shooting sport.

You might want to try some of the Winchester Long Beard (WLB) shells with 1 7/8 oz of #6 shot at 1050 fps. I'd also recommend the 3" Hevi-13 shells with 2 oz of #6 shot at 1090 fps. Both are excellent loads.

For your patterning work, you may want to consider slipping a "Shooter's Friend" or "Limbsaver" recoil pad on your gun. They really help and allow you to see just how well turkey loads pattern without excessive recoil transferred to your shoulder. Of course, those "Rooster" loads may work just fine and do the job for you.

Again, it's good to have you here and we look forward to hearing more from you.

Thanks,
Clark

Thanks for the welcome!

The 101 came with a Pachmeyer Decelerator pad on it...it works good...but nothing is going to make 50+ ft. lbs. of recoil enjoyable 

I looked at the WLB loads...hard...but even the new slower loads have about 55 ft. lbs. of recoil, still too much...I can take the recoil OK, but I'm doing a lot of skeet and trap shooting and don't want to start flinching at it...besides, turkeys were hunted almost to extinction with primitive weapons....surely state of the art magnum pheasant rounds will put a few in the freezer for me.

Before, all I had was Grandads old single shot 16 gauge...1 oz. of #5 worked for me then, albeit not at 40 yards....mostly around 25-30 yards...I guess I put a dozen or so in the freezer with that old gun over the years...it was nothing fancy, just an old Victor Special (store brand), full choke, he bought for $1.50, used, back in the 40's...I still have it, but it is flat worn out, very loose, stock is broke and everything.

I'm only going to have the XR loads and a tight choke in one barrel, the other barrel will have a plain old Remington Express 1 1/4 oz. #5 with probably an improved cylinder choke, but maybe modified or light modified...just depends on where/how I'm setup and what I'm expecting.

Hevi 13...I'm not ready to mess with the harder/heavier than lead shot just yet...I want to see (with my own 2 eyes) how it does, in somebody else's barrel, with extended use, before it goes down the barrel of my gun....I've seen what steel can do to a barrel/choke.

[Ridgerunner665]

Fine lookin' gun ya have there, Happy Huntin'.

Thank you!

[Farmboy27]

Welcome to OG!  Just a few thoughts.  Get a good rest to shoot from or shoot from a field position. Recoil wont be as harsh.  Pheasant loads will kill any turkey out there as long as he's close enough, so will dove loads.  If you don't like the recoil then consider Clark's advice and add a better recoil pad (Clark is a straight shooter and knows his stuff).  Don't worry to much about developing a flinch.  I know when I'm shooting a heavy load or a hard kicking gun and my mind reacts.  And I would rethink the idea of running different loads for the barrels.   2 different loads to carry, 2 different loads to pattern, 2 different loads to buy.  And the last thing you want to think about when a bird is right there is what barrel am I on?!  Over unders can make good turkey guns but I think to many people put to much thought into the "multiple situation" card.  Nothing wrong with using that gun for turkeys.  Its a nice gun and it will serve you well.  But I feel that you would be better off with the same trusted load in both barrels.

[Ridgerunner665]

Game plan for patterning today...3 rounds each through full, extra full, turkey, and extended turkey chokes.

Constrictions are as follows, fired from back bored (.742") barrels.

Full is .032" (.710")
Extra full is .042" (.700")
Turkey is .062" (.680")
Extended turkey is .077"(.665")

[allaboutshooting]

Game plan for patterning today...3 rounds each through full, extra full, turkey, and extended turkey chokes.

Constrictions are as follows, fired from back bored (.742") barrels.

Full is .032" (.710")
Extra full is .042" (.700")
Turkey is .062" (.680")
Extended turkey is .077"(.665")

We look forward to learning about your results.

Thanks,
Clark

[Ridgerunner665]

It is done...

I got cut short by a little, ended up only getting shots through extra full, flush fit turkey (.680"), and extended turkey (.665").

The Carlson flush fit turkey (.680") was the clear winner though

[Ridgerunner665]

Pics will be up later...

[Ridgerunner665]

Photobucket is giving me fits...so many ads it has become useless.

[Ridgerunner665]

OK...I give up...I've been trying to resize the pictures for a couple of hours now, it just won't do it.

I can post them, but they will be pretty big...what say you?

The summary is this:

Carlson Longbeard XR Extended Ported choke (.665"):
80 in 10"
151 in 15"
98 outside of 15"
Pretty clearly too much constriction for the Rooster XR round...lots of odd fliers, way out of the pattern.

Carlson flush fit turkey choke (.680"):
118 in 10"
183 in 15"
53 outside of 15"
This was the clear winner, it is in effect a 20" pattern at 40 yards....but I will admit, it is only marginal for 40 yard turkeys....I expected better...this was the choke I had picked to win the whole time, but I thought it would be a little better than it actually was.

Carlson flush fit extra full choke (.700")
87 in 10"
150 in 15"
88 outside of 15"
By the numbers, pretty much identical to the .665" extended choke...but less wide fliers, a better overall pattern, just not up to turkey standards.