Goodbye Hevi 7's

[roostershooter]

Well, this mornin was strike three for the hevi 7's this year for me. I shoot an 835 with a stardot choke. The 7's patterned great at 40 yards and even farther.  The first two misses were both within 40 yards ranged with open sights. Neither were clean misses. Both birds stumbled but either ran or flew off. I decided maybe I was raisin my head right before the shot. Bought a mueller red dot to  solve that problem. Patterned it at 40 yesterday, got the poa right with the poi, I mean almost perfect. Felt like maybe I had regained my confidence. Put the gun back in the case and didn't get it back out till this mornin. They were tight lipped till about 6:30 then they let loose. Time was limited cause of a good storm that was comin in fast. I got within a hundred yards of a group of toms that were across a creek. Got set up on the fence line, had the gun rested on the barbed wire, ranged the trees across the creek at 37 yards and let out a soft purr or two. It immediately got their attention and they came running. I patiently waited for one to come within the tree line for fear of missing again. The first one within the tree line stopped right in the clearing for the shot. I put the red circle right around his head and slowly pulled the trigger. He stumbled a step or two and took flight. Good thing that was my last 3.5 inch  2 1/4 oz hevi 7 cause I'm done with em. I know alot of folks on here shoot em and love em and drop birds at well over 40 and 50 yards. The patterns are awesome but they just haven't proven themselves out of my gun in the field. I wish I could but its just not workin out for me so goodbye hevi 7's. . . .

On another note I have dropped three birds this year. One at 35 yards and two at over 45 yards. All three with the same gun and choke combination but with the hevi 6's. So no worrys hevi-13, you still have my business, just not with the 7's.

Any thoughts? Bad round of 7's maybe?

[spaightlabs]

It's not the plane - it's the pilot.

[Hognutz]

I concur. H-13 #7's will lay a turkey on it's back, everytime at 37 yards..Everytime. Mike

[WyoHunter]

It's not the plane - it's the pilot.

[Fullfan]

It's not the plane - it's the pilot.

I have taken 5 longbeards this spring with the 3" #7 hevi.

[Turkasaurus]

If you hit one from 0-60 you got turkey, if you pull off you get to see Mr.Turkey fly or run away. I shot a gobbler at 53 a couple days ago and he wouldn't been no deader had you dropped a house on him, a brick house.     

Don't jerk don't yank, squeeze!   

[woodchip]

I concur. H-13 #7's will lay a turkey on it's back, everytime at 37 yards..Everytime. Mike

[AndyH]

It's not the plane - it's the pilot.

[CAMONICK]

Somethings up and it aint the ammo..I killed a bird with the bad lot of hevi shot 7s this year, he was right at 40, and it killed him fine. good luck with the 6s though

[Borden811]

I've killed a few birds with the 6's and this year (yesterday) my first with the 7's. He was at 33 yards, and I can honestly say that i've never seen a bird flop less after the hit. I skinned out his neck just to satisfy my curiosity of the killing power of the 7's. His neck was an unbelievable mess, from his skull to his breast. I mean just wrecked! I've gotta think if the good part of the pattern hit the bird, he'd be layin' beak down in the dirt!

[Longshanks]

Its a tuff pill to swallow when you miss turkeys like that but its not Hevi 13 7's.  Limited out on turkeys this year and that is the most devastating shell i have ever shot at a turkey.  Sounds like you are getting too excited and now you have lost your confidence.  Spend some time at the range and you will believe in your gun/shells again..take your time and squeeze the trigger like a rifle..if you snatch on the trigger you are going to miss and wound birds...

[bbcoach]

I have killed three birds this year with my 835, .670 Pure Gold choke and Hevi #7's and all of them hardly flopped.  I will make one observation that I picked up on when I read the original post though and you stated, "YOU PUT THE RED CIRCLE RIGHT AROUND THE HEAD!"  My question is why are you shooting at the head?  By shooting at the head, about 2/3 to 3/4's of your pattern is useless.  By aiming a little lower, at where the feathers meet the caruncles (wattles), you optimize the pattern.  I've said this before, with today's guns and chokes, it is imperative that we shoot our shotguns like rifles because the patterns are so tight at ranges to 40 yards.  If we think we are shooting a shotgun and we point and shoot, "AROUND THE HEAD", we aren't optimizing our guns, chokes or shells.  

I have FAITH in the Hevi #7's and they have proven to me that if I do MY Job, They will do Their Job.  When we are shooting an animal of any kind, it is imperative that we have 100% CONFIDENCE in all our gear.  As for me, I will continue to BUST SOME BEAKS with the HEVI 7's!!!!!

[SumToy]

I think that they will kill.  I like to see you put the line at 50 yards.  Now that said I have saw them kill past that but hate to see shots taken past 50.   Now one thing is that with some of the chokes that yall have now.  If you move any at all you will miss.

[duckaholic25]

Well this is my first year shooting hevi 7s and both of the turkeys I shoot with them I had to ring their necks. Granted they were both 60 yard shoots but the second bird I shoot again at 20 yards and still had to ring their necks. If it sounds too good to be true it probally is and the hevi 7s  is no exception. I too am going back to the 6s.

[Longshanks]

Shooting turkeys at 60yds with anything you are gonna run into problems..you were lucky to get those turkeys..