Hevi shot question

[slave601]

When hevi shot first come out they were crazy patterns then they kinda slipped away a little. Ppl say they changed their wading and such I dunno. I switched to nitros for a while and I haven't really looked into hevi shot for a while till this year. I got a ventilator choke .655 so I may try some 7s or 6s. Did hevi get their problems figured out and back producing really good numbers or the same ole lot not number problems? Thanks

[dirt road ninja]

I'd stick with the Nitros.

[Longshanks]

 The Hevi 13 3/2/6's and 3/2/7's have remained consistent for me. The 7's shoot really well out of the Ventilator and my 870SM.

[slave601]

What kinda numbers you seeing out of the 7s and 6s

[Fieldturkey]

I get 210-220 with the 3" 7. Sometimes more. Sumtoy 650

[1iagobblergetter]

I hope they have it straightened out my cache of 3/2/7s from when they first came out is dwindling.

[BowBendr]

Never got caught up in the chasing lot numbers thing a few years back...the differences were just not that noticeable, some guys lost sleep over it.
No matter what lot box they've came out of, the 3.5inchers have always shot over 300, if that won't do it, nothing will. I just buy a box when I need them and go mash birds...never stockpiled.

[allaboutshooting]

When hevi shot first come out they were crazy patterns then they kinda slipped away a little. Ppl say they changed their wading and such I dunno. I switched to nitros for a while and I haven't really looked into hevi shot for a while till this year. I got a ventilator choke .655 so I may try some 7s or 6s. Did hevi get their problems figured out and back producing really good numbers or the same ole lot not number problems? Thanks

I've been shooting Hevi-Shot products since 2000 and Hevi-13 since it was introduced. I shot the OW shells that Jay Menefee loaded for them and their first in-house production (red shells) that they loaded. I've shot them in competition and in the turkey woods and fields.

Since the "Bronze" shells were developed consistency has been quite good. All shotshells vary some in patterns from shell to shell. We see that in still target shooting at every match.

I have cases of 12 gauge Hevi-13 shells and I just pull a box or several boxes from a case without regard to lot number, etc. They all work and they all kill turkeys cleanly at all reasonable ranges.

Thanks,
Clark

[SKFOOTER]

You guys sound like Hevi-Shot Pro Staffers.  It was well documented on this forum that Hevi-Shot changed wads in some of their loadings a few years back which definitely diminished 40 yard pattern numbers.  Hopefully they learned their lesson.

[BowBendr]

No, not a pro-staffer, I just remember the clamor.
Most of the documentation that year you speak of concerned the #7 loads. Yes, there were certain lots (300325) that proved to give the highest numbers in the 10" consistently, but the drop off compared to other lot numbers just wasn't that dramatic. It may have been for some people that were already shooting a finicky setup, but for a normal hunting situation it was minimal. It was pure number chasing at its finest, and it was mostly driven by one person.

There wasn't one single thread on this forum that said a hunter didn't get his bird because he got hit with only 295 pellets instead of 335. What was well documented was that a bunch of guys wrung their hands, gnashed their teeth and shook their tiny fist at the sky over nothing. In fact, since one or two of those same guys quit posting on this forum talk of lot numbers virtually disappeared.

For turkey hunting at the ranges we talk about here, there wasn't a dead bird that ever told of the difference. If I loaded a gun and blindly handed it to you to kill a turkey, no person on any forum on the planet could tell the difference between lot #300325 and any other lot. Not being combative, just being honest.....

[Longshanks]

What kinda numbers you seeing out of the 7s and 6s

220's.       3/2/6's
270's.       3/2/7's
300-330's. 3.5/ 2.25/ 7's

200-300 is devastating on the turkey inside 40yds with Hevi shot.

[Prohunter3509]

6 shot 3 1/2" 40 yds. Avg. 180 in 10 " even had a couple 130's
With a lot of dead space around , I discarded them and back too longbeards
I expected better from them
Browning silver ,I.c. 665

[Longshanks]

Haven't been able to get consistent patterns from the 3.5 6's. Shot over 200 with them before but couldn't get consistent round patterns like I did from the 3/2/6's. Have several boxes I would sell cheap.

[Gobble!]

I don't know. After my patterns dropped from 320s to 250s with #7s I gave up on them and never gave them a second chance.  Switched to Nitros and wasn't impressed with their quality either. Patterns were above 300 if I remember right but after a season I had shells leaking buffer bad. Then decided to try loading TSS. Not only is it a FAR superior shell but I get to be my own quality control. I'll never buy an over the counter load again.

[stinkpickle]

I pretty much stick with the 3/2/6's, since they're so popular with the competition shooters.  I'm guessing that would be the last shell EM would want to mess with.