Done with 7's

[Longshanks]

In all honesty..if you guys are having a hard time harvesting turkeys with 3 or 3.5 hevi shot out a x-full to xxxx-full turkey choke, regardless of the shot size, that is kind of embarrasing.  If you guys would have hunted in the days when all we had were factory full and mod barrels and shooting lead 4's,5's,and 6's. I'm not sure you guys would have done too well..  Complaining about some of the most high tech equipment available on the market today is kinda silly..having a problem with a gun is one thing and this site is great for that but going out in the woods with a high tech gun you have patterned and know what it is capable of and then having problems with cleanly harvesting a turkey..there is only once place to look for the problem..in the mirror.

[jfair]

23" barrel on mine.  Mine were not even close to passing through.  So you also think the pellets passed all the way through the breast and stopped just under the skin on the far side?  

[jfair]

In all honesty..if you guys are having a hard time harvesting turkeys with 3 or 3.5 hevi shot out a x-full to xxxx-full turkey choke, regardless of the shot size, that is kind of embarrasing.  If you guys would have hunted in the days when all we had were factory full and mod barrels and shooting lead 4's,5's,and 6's. I'm not sure you guys would have done too well..  Complaining about some of the most high tech equipment available on the market today is kinda silly..

You are way off base.  I too started hunting with the 4's and 5's.   Point of the post obviously evaded you.

[Longshanks]

The point you guys are trying to make is that Hevi 7's will not cleanly harvest turkeys at an ethical distance which is absolutely ridiculous.

[Longshanks]

In all honesty..if you guys are having a hard time harvesting turkeys with 3 or 3.5 hevi shot out a x-full to xxxx-full turkey choke, regardless of the shot size, that is kind of embarrasing.  If you guys would have hunted in the days when all we had were factory full and mod barrels and shooting lead 4's,5's,and 6's. I'm not sure you guys would have done too well..  Complaining about some of the most high tech equipment available on the market today is kinda silly..

You are way off base.  I too started hunting with the 4's and 5's.   Point of the post obviously evaded you.

As did most of us here it seems.

jfair,
Yes to your question. ILIKE's picture clearly showed passthrus to me and looked exactly like what I've seen when I've had them (although with different size shot). I think the 23" barrel may make more of a difference than previously thought, even more so on a pulled shot where fewer pellets strike.

One thing I always liked about hunting with lead in the "good old days", you could flat pepper a turkey and still wouldn't make hamburger of the breast!  

I know what you mean..i broke a tooth eating a turkey this year that was shot with hevi 13..turkeys were definately more edible back in the day.

[Longshanks]

I hate the intent and meaning lost in text on forums.

"As did most of us here it seems." Meant I've turkey hunted since starting in '81. Much has changed but I still miss occasionally.

I understood..I was patterning turkey guns in the seventy's and when i see what the guns i have now will do..its comical to hear people complaining about whether the equipment we have will harvest turkeys efficiently. Folks are shooting 45+ plus yards and making marginal shots and the problem to them... must be the equipment. Making excuses about the equipment after making a marginal shot is inexperience or immaturity.

[jfair]

I hate the intent and meaning lost in text on forums.

"As did most of us here it seems." Meant I've turkey hunted since starting in '81. Much has changed but I still miss ocassionally.

I understood.  This year has not been one of my best.  Number one, I finished up a nuclear engineering degree last week at age 35.  Much easier when you are young with no kids.  Point being I just really started hunting this week, two weeks into the season.  This board has been very interesting to me, as it has filled in the missed hunting time.  Number two, this crazy thing happens to me yesterday.  I just got way too far caught up in the hype.  I shot at 45 yards which is a mistake I always was proud of not making.
I do miss the times when it was just pick up the gun and go.  Maybe this is in my future.  At 30 yards it makes no difference in what you are shooting.  You don't have to run after them either.

[jfair]

I hate the intent and meaning lost in text on forums.

"As did most of us here it seems." Meant I've turkey hunted since starting in '81. Much has changed but I still miss occasionally.

I understood..I was patterning turkey guns in the seventy's and when i see what the guns i have now will do..its comical to hear people complaining about whether the equipment we have will harvest turkeys efficiently. Folks are shooting 45+ plus yards and making marginal shots and the problem to them... must be the equipment. Making excuses about the equipment after making a marginal shot is inexperience or immaturity.

Ehh.  You caught me in the middle of my last post.  I guess we then agree.  Again point has seemed to miss the target.  I am showing the facts, in my case, of what 7's accomplished. Take it as you will.

[Longshanks]

Jfair, Congratulations on your degree! That is impressive at 35 with a family to make the commitment and follow through. We take our turkey hunting a little too serious sometimes but congrats on an important accomplishment.  

[drenalinld]

 I finished up a nuclear engineering degree last week at age 35.  Much easier when you are young with no kids.  

You're the MAN, jfair. That's a huge accomplishment at any age.

I'm glad you got the bird even though you had to chase him. Turkey rodeos are some of my best hunting memories......lol

I am still a fan of the 7's, but you find the load that gives you confidence and kill em dead.

[jfair]

Thanks guys.  Just so I am very clear on my point.  I am not bashing the sevens.  It is my own fault for shooting that far.  It gave me some real world experience and testing.  These are my results.

[Reloader]

I've been in turkey rodeos with Hevi 6s, XR 5s, and various other types of shot.  Have a friend that dropped a bird at 40yds this year with 3.5 lead #4s, but on his way to the bird he got up an ran away like nothing happened.  Crap happens.....

[Longshanks]

To each his own..with lead i let the turkey get inside 30yds and with HTL i let the turkeys get inside 40yds.  A slight misjudgement in yardage and im still ok.  Limit out every year and 99 percent of the time the turkey rides home in the back of the truck without a fight.  The stories i hear from hunters all over the country is that 40+ with lead and 45+ with HTL that is where the majority of birds are wounded, lost, or the rodeo starts.  If a turkey is coming to you he can cover that last 5-10 yds in seconds..a little patience is all it takes.  If hes not coming to ya..you didnt fool him..

[stinkpickle]

We should discuss all the birds that I've killed with #7 1/2 lead shot out to 40 yards that magically died.   

[Longshanks]

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