Done with 7's

[stinkpickle]

I am more curious to know how many turkeys you have lost shooting 40+ yds with lead..

The answer would be 0.  All the misses (and I've had my share) have generally been within 20 yards and often closer.

[Gobble!]

If you have lost 0 turkeys you havnt shot at many or you are not being honest.The number of turkeys that you shoot wound or have to chase down is much greater at 40yds with lead than it is at 30yds. Little common sense: At closer distance it's either a "for sure kill" or a "clean miss" which I prefer to shooting at marginal distances and losing turkeys which I see constantly being in the hunting business.

this gets so old.
At 50 yards with my setup he will be just as dead as he would be at 20 yards

[stinkpickle]

If you have lost 0 turkeys you havnt shot at many or you are not being honest.The number of turkeys that you shoot wound or have to chase down is much greater at 40yds with lead than it is at 30yds. Little common sense: At closer distance it's either a "for sure kill" or a "clean miss" which I prefer to shooting at marginal distances and losing turkeys which I see constantly being in the hunting business.

I agree with you completely.  I'm just showing the opposite end of the spectrum where good ol' copperplated #7 1/2's have had no problems getting birds to bow their heads out to 40 yards and hair beyond.  Granted, it hasn't been that many....maybe 10 birds total between 35 and 42 yards, but they all flopped their heads with just one shot and rode home with me.  I wish I could say the same for some of the really close shots.     Either way, a bad hit at 40 yards with hevi #7's probably wouldn't end any differently had the shooter been using #6's, #5's, #4's, and so on...

[davisd9]

I take 2ounce6s opinion highly.  That is why I am going to try the Mag blends for next year and on another topic about Fed 7s he brought up a good point about the wads that I knew but wasn't smart enough to think about, so I am going to now try mag blends in the 20 also.  He knows his stuff, no matter what anyone else says on here I take his word as my own and I think you should too, imho.

[stinkpickle]

SP,
What was the barrel length on the gun you shot those 7.5 lead out of? Just curious. I've had to do some running on birds with #6s in lead at 40-45 yards at times. Shooter error, short barrel gun or not but it just didn't seem to have the punch needed. I know longer barrel guns always seemed to put toms down better with lead shot, even believed pumps shot harder that semi autos back in the day. I'd never have considered using 7.5s to tell the truth.
...

It was a 26" Inv+ BPS with a Comp-N-Choke XXXFull tube (I can't remember exactly what the constriction is) shooting the discontinued Federal 3-2-7.5's.  I liked to keep my shots in the 25-30 yard range where I was most relaxed.  When they would get inside of 20, my heart would start pounding, and it was hard to keep my knee steady.  Even with adjustable sites, the tight choke and shaky knee didn't work well together.     What's weird is that the longest shot I ever took with that load (42 yards - stepped off), folded a Texas Rio like he'd been hit with a truck.

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

If what your saying about those back rear pellets were true then the whole top of the breast would have had a lot more hits on that side which was the backside of the bird.  The bird was shot on the right side and I showed that by looking at the feathers that were tore up in the picture. If the shot went through only clean meat and no blood and it is possible that the shot collected no feathers than yes that will happen and appear that way leading to what you said about those few shot.    

All I'm saying is I was amazed at the devastation this shot caused at that distance.  And I think most would agree with looking at those pictures.  

You use what you think will work.  

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

And to better back up what I said just above if the bird would have taken a pattern like this or close to it which is how my gun was shooting at the time by the way and taken that pattern more head on in which you are stating then you tell me what both sides of the breast would have looked like.  The backside(left side) would have been tore up with a lot more shot than I hit the bird with no doubt about it.

[stinkpickle]

I've had #7's blow completely through the breast like that and not pull feathers or cause much bruising, also.

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

I'll add no bird that I shoot will be bad enough to walk away from that pattern at 45yds.  It won't happen.  Period. 

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

I've had #7's blow completely through the breast like that and not pull feathers or cause much bruising, also.

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

I'll blow that 10" from that pattern above so you can better imagine what both sides of the front of the breast would have looked like if I indeed shot that bird headon and in the wattles in which I didn't.  But proving my point.

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

And no I'm not worked up at least yet anyway lol.  What happen to you I don't know, but anyone on here who puts a pattern like the one I showed over the neck of a bird at 45yds and centers it the outcome will be exactly the same every single time.  It's that simple.  

[Longshanks]

The hevi 7's steam roller is in operation.. Ive heard of beating a dead horse ..but y'all are beating a dead turkey and on top of that y'all are dissecting the son of gun ..That's funny!

I'm just curious but does anyone on here work for Environmental Metal..I bet they dont have a sales person with the kind fervor we got going here..Some of the folks on here need to go to work for them and slap people everytime they want to change up the shells.

[jfair]

And no I'm not worked up at least yet anyway lol.  What happen to you I don't know, but anyone on here who puts a pattern like the one I showed over the neck of a bird at 45yds and centers it the outcome will be exactly the same every single time.  It's that simple.  

That was my opinion prior to this happening also.  I was on the bandwagon talking them up to my friends, showing off the pattern papers.  Looks devestating on paper, there was no way a bird could get away.  I knew this post would come to this,  he pulled the shot, operator error, didn't hold in the right spot, and so on.  I'll be the first to admit, it is hard to believe an opinion when it is not your own.  I know what I did.  I have been turkey hunting a long time.  I saw for myself the penetration into the breast.  The shots I found under the skin were just that, under the skin.  The picture you show may very well be from the opposite side.  Just seems funny they passed all the way through the meat and then stop right there.  Looks like four of them.   My opinion is what it is.  My opinion.  This is what the board is for, I think.

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

And you know your right.  You apprently seem like a very smart guy and if the outcome you had didn't work for you then by all means go to something else.  Who is to say what actually happen on that bird.  Maybe he was the exception to the rule for all I know.