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Patterning Info, Results and Questions.


Borch

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+1 on Federal 3". I shoot it out of my Mossberg 535 with a stock full choke and have had excellent results.

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A TIP: Try aiming at the neck area instead of at the head that should take care of the high shots. Worked for me. grin

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Plus 1 on the neck shot looks like your tryin for the head.PS I shoot a 20ga Bennelli with The Undertaker and Federal Premium Turkey loads 3in. I have no problem with the patterns @ 35 yrds

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When shooting my 870 and sighting down the rib I consistantly hit high. Now I aim for the top of the beard instead of the waddles. My first turkey I got with one piece of shot to the brain- I did not keep my head down. For that reason a red dot or a set of sights that you can adjust would be a big bonus.

Good Luck

Steve

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm taking my dad out turkey hunting this spring for the first time - which means I'll be giving him my 12 gauge and scope

I'll now be hunting with my 20 gauge Benelli Montefeltro previously only used for upland. It has a mid-rib bead so I think I should be ok without buying a scope or fiber-optic sights

I got a Cabelas choke with a .575 diameter, rated for lead, hevi shot, and copperplated loads. Any recommendations on shell selection for those that have used 20 ga for turkeys?

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Thats the same gun I use, after buying and trying many different loads the Federal 3" Turkey load #5 with the flite control wad is my choice.Hope this helps.

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great, thanks! I will have to give that a go.

I may have gone just a bit off the deep end and ordered a Double Bull blind, so I suppose I can use my bow hunting out of that smile

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

In my daughter's 870 20 gauge Prinos Tightwad with hevishot # 6 or #7 shot has been devastating on turgets to 40 plus yards. Runs a little tighter that your cabelas choke(.570).

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I've also had great luck with the 20ga heavishot. Its expensive at first, but once you know it patterns you only need one shell. They hit hard and fly well from a 20ga.

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  • 1 year later...

Dumb ? I know but why is there a 4 shot or smaller rule on turkeys ? The only thought I have is the shell companies want us buying this turkey load rather than use what many of us already have in goose or duck loads ? Just curious, have never heard why that is.

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Dumb ? I know but why is there a 4 shot or smaller rule on turkeys ? The only thought I have is the shell companies want us buying this turkey load rather than use what many of us already have in goose or duck loads ? Just curious, have never heard why that is.

Small vital area on a turkey - head and neck only. Shoot your gun at a patterning board and see for yourself. Huge holes in the pattern at 30+ yards, holes that a small turkey head will fit inside of. Smaller shot fills those holes.

The larger shot used on waterfowl is for penetrating deep into meat and breaking bones of flying birds to bring them down. That same shot on a folded up wing of a turkey will likely only cripple.

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Right on thanks Donbo, I'd question penetration by waterfowl loads though, those steel pellets penetrate very poorly, they bounce off geese like crazy, if you don't bust the wing or clip the coconut you get the drift, back in the lead days with a full choke, 30" barrel and the best goose load ever made # 4 buckshot, good night Irene. Now most are upping to a 3.5" 12 or 10 gauge even, those guns were way unneccesary in the lead days. But, I get the turkey thing, you blast like a T shot at a 30 yard target and there could be a hole big enough to fit the turkeys head/neck in when you have those extra pellets in like a number 5 those are on the head of the target because there's more of them, thanks Don for clarifying that. And PS. the Toms were gobbling like mad last night before dark when the sun was just perfect on the woodlines.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

There is also a safety factor as turkey hunters use decoys and do their best to sound like a turkey. One of the reasons that stalking turkeys is often frown upon. Smaller shot results in less retained penetration at longer distances.

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There is also a safety factor as turkey hunters use decoys and do their best to sound like a turkey. One of the reasons that stalking turkeys is often frown upon. Smaller shot results in less retained penetration at longer distances.

+1 you hit the nail on the head. #4 shot and smaller will equal less fatalities for accidental shootings

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  • 1 year later...

After getting a last minute invite for the weekend I grabbed my coyote shot gun and some shells to pattern test it with something other than dead coyote T shot or 3" #4 copper buck.

First let me say you hard core turkey guys are nuts! That had to be the most painfull shooting I have ever done, I'm still sore.

So. Mossberg 535 pump 12ga. Carlsons extended range dead coyote choke. Winchester Super X (or something like that) from wanderer's personal stash, federal copper coated #6 +#5 with flight control, and federal buffered lead turkey loads in #4 +#5. 3.5" shells for all parties. 2shots each at 20 and 40yds.

Ended up picking the regular (cheaper) 4shot hardened buffered lead from federal. It was hands down better than the rest at 40yds.

And unless I decide to put a red dot on this gun I am very happy that I don't need to do this again. Made me wish I could've found something for the 20ga instead.

Here's to hoping for first timers luck.

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Nobody believes me when i say that will be the most recoil you have ever felt. You could have used mine 3-1/2" 2-1/4oz of 5's she's a real gem to shoot

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  • 2 years later...

What do you prefer brand wise for a 20g mosseberg.  12yr old daughters  gun? 

 

Looking for choke info.  

 

Thanks 

Jerry

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
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    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
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    • jim curlee
      I had a guy hit me with a lightly used 1969 BAR, he wanted $1650 with an older Leupold scope. More than I think they are worth, I made an offer, he declined end of story.   You know if you look at the old brochures, a grade II BAR sold for $250 in the late 60s, $1650 would be a good return on your investment.    Why would anybody want a 50 year old gun, they are heavy, have wood stocks, and blued metal.  I guess mainly to keep their gun safes glued to the floor. lol   You can probably buy a stainless rifle that you never have to clean, with a synthetic stock you never have to refinish, is as light as a feather, and for half as much money, perfect.   I'm too old for a youth gun, although I've shrunk enough that it would probably fit. lol   No Ruger 10/44s.   Jim      
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