{"id":2291,"date":"2024-04-29T11:27:04","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T15:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/?p=2291"},"modified":"2024-05-29T11:27:24","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T15:27:24","slug":"shot-and-choke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/shot-and-choke\/","title":{"rendered":"SHOT AND CHOKE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Turkey guns and loads have come a long way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Craig Boddington<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I often claim that I\u2019m the world\u2019s worst turkey hunter. Possibly not true, but when I tell you what I did last week, you\u2019ll believe me. I was trying to get a Rio Grande gobbler on my kids\u2019 place in Texas. Running out of time, I took a final cruise down the power line road, stopped foe one more call. Good grief, a gobbler cut loose. Not far away. Grabbed the shotgun, pumped the action, ducked into the woods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Boddington\u2019s
: Boddington\u2019s first gobbler taken with TSS was taken in Georgia in 2023, using a Mossberg semiauto 12-gauge with Apex No. 8 shot. The shot was past 40 yards; the bird went straight down.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I found a perfect tree to sit against, got the gun across my knees, went to work on the slate. Double gobble, closer. Couple minutes later I saw the red head. Then another. Two nice gobblers, coming straight in. Both were good birds. When they were about 30 yards away I held the bead low on the neck of the larger tom\u2026and heard the loudest CLICK <\/em>ever. Plenty loud for the turkeys, too. They were gone<\/em>. My fault or the gun? I know I pumped the action, but the bolt didn\u2019t pick up a shell. And so ended my 2024 Texas turkey hunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shell that I didn\u2019t fire was a Hornady<\/a> 12-gauge three-inch, nickel-plated No. 5 shot. Those were good shells, shot several gobblers with them. Still have a few, so I may shoot another turkey before they\u2019re gone. Provided I can remember to load my darned gun. I was sad when Hornady<\/a> got out of the turkey load business. I asked why and was surprised at the answer: \u201cTurkey loads are getting ever more specialized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Donna
Donna Boddington and Zack Aultman with a nice Eastern gobbler, taken with Apex No. 9 TSS in a 20-gauge Benelli.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Man, are they. Not being a truly avid (or expert) turkey hunter, I missed much of this. Those Hornady<\/a> turkey loads were good shells, though not much different from good shells I\u2019ve used most of my life: Heavy payload of high-quality nickel-plated lead shot. Today, there are at least a dozen types of shot on the market. I don\u2019t claim to have experience with all. I\u2019ve shot couple of turkeys with bismuth shot, pretty good stuff. One, years ago, with steel shot duck loads. It worked, but I don\u2019t recommend that. HD and Hevi Shot, both tungsten alloys, are excellent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was introduced to HD<\/a> on a writer\u2019s hunt in Mississippi several years ago, with experimental HD shells from Kent. Incredibly impressive on the pattern board, used them for a couple of gobblers, equally impressive. HD and Hevi Shot<\/a> are excellent, and the shells are reasonably affordable. However, they aren\u2019t TSS<\/a>. Tungsten Super Shot <\/a>(TSS) is easily the deadliest shot to date. Just two years ago my Georgia friend and Eastern gobbler mentor Zack Aultman introduced me to TSS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Based in Mississippi, heart of turkey country, Apex is just one of several smaller firms offering today\u2019s increasingly specialized turkey loads. This is the load Boddington used in 2023, a full two ounces of No. 8 TSS in 12-gauge three-inch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As a metal, tungsten is denser than lead. Water has density of 1 g\/cc (gram to cubic centimeter). The old standby lead is 11.3 g\/cc, while tungsten is a whopping 18.1 g\/cc. Tungsten is both heavier and harder than lead. In effect, you can drop down three or four shot sizes, still get more penetration per pellet, and a lot more pellets in your pattern. Because it\u2019s harder and heavier, patterns hold together better. With lead, I\u2019ve always been a No. 5 shot guy on turkeys, although I\u2019ve often used No. 6. Often, I hedge my bet with No. 4 as the second shell in the magazine or in the second barrel. Smaller shot for head shots, larger shot for backup body shots if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
Two beautiful gobblers, plenty close. The bird on the left is offering a perfect shot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With TSS<\/a>, you can drop down to 8s or 9s, no real need for larger shot for backup. It\u2019s that effective. You can also back off a gauge or two. Less recoil in a lighter gun. With TSS<\/a>, serious hunters are confidently taking turkeys with .410s. Me, I\u2019m neither that serious, nor that confident. For years, believing bigger was surely better, I used a 10 gauge. More of a fashion statement than a necessity. I went to a 12-gauge long ago, and today I\u2019m perfectly happy with a 20-gauge\u2026with good shells and a tight choke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Of
Of these five 20-gauge turkey loads, all are TSS except the top center Magnum Blend load, which is Hevi Shot. Only the Federal Premium TSS load is from a major manufacturer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Last year and this, I took Eastern gobblers at Zack\u2019s place, using Apex shells, loaded in Mississippi. Last year I used a Mossberg 12 gauge with two ounces of No. 8 TSS<\/a>. One shot at the pattern board to verify. No turkey was going to walk through that pattern. The gobbler I shot was farther than I like, past 40 yards. Didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, a week before my comeuppance in Texas, Zack loaned me a 20-gauge Benelli, this time with 1 5\/8 ounces of Apex 8 \u00bd TSS<\/a>. Again, one shell to verify the pattern. With young Ben Pickren on the call\u201413 years old and so good I stayed quiet\u2014we had a nice tom come to about 25 yards. Straight down without a wiggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s good, but this struck me more: I held low on the neck and was concerned the pattern might have messed up the breast. Not a single pellet the breast meat, only couple pellets in the head. The pattern centered exactly where I was aiming, low on the neck. That\u2019s tight.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"These
These patterns were shot at 25 yards with four different 20-gauge TSS loads, using a Rob Roberts choke in a Benelli semiauto. No turkey could walk through any, but the second from left Boss Tom, 1 5\/8 ounces No. 9, is clearly the most impressive<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With the turkey business done, we had some time to play. Zack dug around camp, found odds and ends of five different flavors of 20-gauge TSS<\/a> shells. A Federal Premium load was the only one from a major manufacturer. He also found a hatful of 20-gauge turkey chokes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bigger isn\u2019t necessarily better. As I wrote in this column a year ago, I lost a turkey pasted center-chest with a 10-gauge. That was poor shot placement: the head was tucked in, bad decision. In truth, my plain-Jane 10 gauge double that I loved threw terrible patterns. Not much development in 10-gauge chokes (or shells) because it\u2019s uncommon and not essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Today
Today there are numerous options in shotshells and shot. This Kansas gobbler was taken with Kent No. 7 HD load. HD is a milder tungsten alloy, heavier than traditional lead shot, but not as costly as TSS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although the science is hardly new, chokes have developed along with shot and shells. Unfortunately, at the cost of TSS shells, nobody spends a lot of time on the pattern board. Too bad because there is much to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Using
Using a Primos Jellyhead choke, this pattern was fired at 25 yards with Boss Tom\u2019s 20-gauge load, 1 5\/8 ounces No. 9 TSS, an amazing pattern.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

No way I was going to run through six chokes, and we didn\u2019t have enough shells anyway. I shot my turkey with a Rob Roberts choke, so we patterned it at 25 yards with four loads. No turkey could walk through any of those patterns, but a Boss Tom No. 9 TSS<\/a> load clearly patterned better than the rest, including the Apex Ninja No. 8 \u00bd load I\u2019d taken my turkey with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sort of randomly, next we tried Primos\u2019 Jellyhead choke tube. Again, in this choke, in this gun, on this day, the Boss Tom load won. Big time. I\u2019m not sure I\u2019ve ever seen a pattern like that before. About 70\/30 above\/below point of aim, density scary just above point of aim. I prefer high-shooting shotguns and always aim below point of impact. It is said that 60\/40 (60 percent above aim, 40 percent below) is ideal, but I\u2019m okay with 70\/30. As an old trapshooter, I don\u2019t want a flat-shooting shotgun where I must cover the head. My preferred hold is low neck, so I want a high-shooting shotgun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dad and I hunted turkeys in Missouri in the mid-Sixties, when the Ozarks first opened. I maintain my position that I\u2019m not a serious turkey hunter. However, with nearly 60 years of experience, my long-set habits and opinions don\u2019t change easily. Obviously, with better, deeper-penetrating shot and denser patterns, sensible ranges are increased. I know how far some folks are shooting turkeys, but I\u2019m not going there. At 71, it\u2019s like open sights on a rifle. My window has shrunk. I\u2019m a 40-yard guy, do-able with older shells as well as new. Closer is better, but not too close. I\u2019d rather have a pattern to play with, rather than a tight ball of shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Patterning
: Patterning a shotgun off the bench is hard work. With heavy loads, even a 20-gauge has plenty of recoil. It\u2019s not necessary to waste expensive shells, but it\u2019s essential to verify both point of impact and pattern with whatever load you choose.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The most important thing: Essential to pattern your shotgun. We can still kill turkeys with old-fashioned shells. We must be able to because, awesome as it is, TSS has drawbacks. Since it\u2019s harder than lead, it cannot be used in many older shotguns. If okay with steel, it\u2019s probably okay with TSS. I have guns than can\u2019t use either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Boddington
Boddington and Ben Pickren with a fine Georgia gobbler, called in by Pickren and taken by Boddington at 25 yards, using a 20-gauge Benelli with Apex TSS No. 9 load.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then, there\u2019s cost. Frightful. Tungsten is a scarce metal, few mines in the world. Some of the shells we were gleefully flinging at paper targets were ten-dollar shells. Ouch<\/em>. Although tungsten based, HD and Hevi Shot<\/a> are alloys that use less tungsten, less expensive. Not as good as TSS, but better than good old lead shot\u2026which is not damning with faint praise. Despite efficacy, I wouldn\u2019t hunt waterfowl with TSS<\/a>. A turkey, well, kind of a big-game bird. Tasty, but more a trophy hunt than a meat hunt. I baulk hard at a $10 shotgun shell. Much the same cost as .470 Nitro Express. But we only need a few: One to verify pattern and point of aim. One to kill the bird, maybe a spare just in case. With the results I\u2019m seeing, pricey but acceptable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I often claim that I\u2019m the world\u2019s worst turkey hunter. Possibly not true, but when I tell you what I did last week, you\u2019ll believe me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2302,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[7,21],"tags":[8,19,32,111,112,115],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/IMG_3024.jpg?fit=1152%2C768&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2291"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2305,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291\/revisions\/2305"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}