Magnum Blend vs. Hevi13 #7's

[3" 870 Shell Shucker]

At 40, 45, & 50 Yards........Which do you trust more to get the job done?

And please, don't start with the "under 40 only" arguement.  We know that most people aren't paying $4-$5 per shell to stop at 40 Yards.

[drenalinld]

7's for me. I don't think the larger shot count is high enough to be reliable. JMO

[West Augusta]

I get almost identical pellet counts at 40 yards with the MagBlends and Hevi13 #7's so I use the Mag Blends.

[Gobble!]

7s for me
Killed 5 in the 40-52 yard range with them

[stinkpickle]

#7's for me.  Either should kill to the point where its pattern falls apart.

[3" 870 Shell Shucker]

I understand the pattern density arguement for the #7's.  

The Mag Blends are actually marketed as having great pattern density.  They brag about it on the box.

Perhaps having some 5's and 6's loaded in the MB shells encourages people to try Magnum Blend, who would be biased against using the straight #7's?

[gobbler74]

Past 45 I'd prefer mag blends. The question I'd like to see Em answer and maybe they have is why can't they load all at one speed at 1200 plus? When it comes to pellets and energy speed kills. If I could get even a 2oz load of true 7's at 1300 fps mag blend would be obsolete...oh wait a minute we need that "big pellet" market shell too.

[TauntoHawk]

inside 40 my magblends patterned more poi and even, at 50 I was obviously getting more pellets with the straight 7's.. I have confidence in both so i use both.. 7's have kills at 33 and 7yds this year and ill look to fill my last two tags with blends at appropriate ranges.

i will play more with chokes and shells next year, money was two tight this year.

[drenalinld]

I would trust the one that patterned best with my setup. I think the bigger pellets extending effective killing range theory is hooey and a marketing ploy. I totally understand a bigger pellet has more downrange energy, but with the blend it would be tough to prove you could consistently put enough of the larger pellets in the kill zone at extended ranges to matter. Many guys are getting just as good of a pattern out of the blend as they are with straight 7's. In that case I would say absolutely shoot the blend. I would also argue with the proper choke the best pattern density would be achieved with the 7's. For many that get a great pattern at 40 with the blends, it's not worth trying anything else and that is hard to argue.

[coyotetrpr]

00 buck. If you hit him at 80 he will fold. Never wonder if you missed.

[Gobble!]

00 buck. If you hit him at 80 he will fold. Never wonder if you missed.

maybe I should switch to that?
how many do you get in a 10" circle at 80 yards?
Lately I have been using a .243 but I only get 1 in a 10" circle at 80 yards

[WyoHunter]

With my setup I get 255 at 40 with 7's and 175 with Mag Blends. I've killed birds with either one with my last one with 7's. Last year I shot a gobbler at 48 yards with Mag Blends but this year I've been shooting 7's because the pattern count is higher not because I don't think the Mag Blends aren't effective at over 40 yards. As a side note if your gun doesn't shoot to point of aim it's hard to fully evaluate its effectiveness in the field no matter how well it patterns a particular load.

[Dermott]

At 40, 45, & 50 Yards........Which do you trust more to get the job done?

And please, don't start with the "under 40 only" arguement.  We know that most people aren't paying $4-$5 per shell to stop at 40 Yards.

SS -

I used the Magnum Blends in 3 inch and had great results with them in Kansas.  Neither gobbler even flopped but they were both at 20 yards! This really did not address the 40 yard part of the equation and I could have killed either bird with low brass 8s I expect!

Steve/"Dermott"
   

[davisd9]

Mag Blends here.  Have shot past 40 with kills with Hevi 6s, but seen the effects of the Mag Blends and am a true believer.  I have friends that use the 7s with success and I believe them in when they say they can get the job done, but they are too hard to find and I just cannot make myself use them.  Bought a box of them in 3" and just could not do it so I traded them.

[decoykrvr]

I'm not a fan of those who are proponents of taking long range shots at turkeys or manufacturers who promote their products as 60 yard turkey loads.  With that said, I've under estimated the range of gobblers and cleanly killed birds with EM 3". 7's at 54 yards and, I'm somewhat embarrassed to say, 62 yards.  I get an average of 250+ pellets in the 10" at 40 yards w/ 7's, and the pattern holds to 100 in 10" out to 55 yards.  The best I can get w/ MagBlends is 185 at 40 yards which becomes a marginal pattern at 48 yards.  Over 90% of the birds I've killed have been under 40 yards, but I've shot and repeatedly patterned my primary turkey gun enough to know that a 50 yard shot is well within its effective range with EM 7's.  I've necropsied and X-rayed enough gobblers to confirm the penetration and killing power of Hevi-13, 7's at ranges in excess of 40 yards and IMO the kinetic energy delivered by the increased number of pellet strikes of the 7's compared to the MagBlends negates the necessity and advantage of the larger pellets.