2oz -#7-1/2 lead shot crumples another one

bamaranger · April 27, 2014, 08:00 PM

A big believer in 12 ga, 3" #5 lead shot for spring gobblers, I've been selectively shooting up some of my smaller pellet shot shells that have been taking up space in the ammo chest, on gobblers in ideal set ups, typically with dekes and a blind, or in late season when the foliage is out heavy.

Last year I dumped a jake at 43 paces on a ROW (hey, I've been duped so many times by toms I SHOULD have killed, that I shoot jakes, besides, there were 3 of them). A bit farther than I intended to shoot,but result was a peppered and deceased young gobbler. This year, another pair of jakes came slinking into a decoy set and at 37 paces, the 2 oz of #7-1/2 lead resulted in a VERY peppered head and a quite dead young gobbler)

I cannot in good faith recommend #7-1/2 lead shot on gobblers as a universal load, and actually have some reservation on #6 lead as well (that will get a scorch for sure).

But I post the above as evidence that you do not need space shot and a 3.5 belchfire shotgun to kill gobblers, just good setups, reasonable ranges, and a shotgun with some type of sight beyond a simple bead, that shoots tight. That two ounces of #7-1/2 will consistently place over 300+ pellets on a sheet of typing paper at 30 paces, with 125+ of them being in a hand drawn turkey head from my old 870 with Rem super full tube. Bamaboys 835 will do some better,and that is what did the deed this last time.

Season is all but over here, and bad weather may well spoil the last few days.

Best of luck to all still hunting the spring gobbler!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

eastbank · April 28, 2014, 08:19 AM

my 870 sm will put 240-250 #5,s and 307-320 #6,s on a 14x14 inch square at 42 yards with the new 3.5 mag. winchester long beard shells with a .660 jelly head choke. put a good recoil pad on your shotgun and suck up the recoil, you normaly only shoot 2-3 shells in the spring season. i have killed turkeys with every thing from a 410 at 18yards to a 10ga at 62 yards, but i have limited myself to 40 yards or closer in the last 20 years. eastbank.

bamaranger · April 28, 2014, 05:26 PM

ebank, we are in agreement on turkey hunting for the most part, and if you wanna shoot 3.5's at gobblers have at it. All I'm saying is one doesn't necessarily have to.

Both the boys 835 and my old 870 wear Kick-eeze pads as a matter of course, 3.5" shells or not.

Your season is about to start....yes????

eastbank · April 29, 2014, 07:28 AM

yes,it starts this sat. i was up to two of my turkey stands yesterday and sat on each one for about a hour and saw 6 turkeys(did no calling) between 11;00am and 1;00pm. i bought the 870 rem SM at a flea market last fall from a man who won it in a drawing on a 5.00 ticket and he did not hunt, and wanted 200.00 for it new in the box. its the first 3.5 mag i ever owned and it will be my to go turkey shotgun from now on and it realy shoots very good patterns with the new win long beard shells and whats not to like about 307-320 #6 pellets in a 14" square target at 42 yards or 240 #5.s in the same 14" square target at 42 yards. i have been hunting turkeys for about 50 years and you are right about not needing a mag to kill turkeys. i now limit my shots to 40 yards or less as i want a clean kill, i know hunters that shoot way past 40 yards and do kill them, but they also admit to missing them too. but i don,t think they miss with all the pellets and the turkey runs off and dies a very slow death. i also have a win 1300 turkey 3" shotgun and a H&R custom deluxe single barrel 3" with choke tubes that i have used to kill turkeys with no trouble. eastbank.

bamaranger · April 29, 2014, 09:01 PM

I will PM re PA turkey hunting in near future. Killed my first gobbler in Blair county many years ago.

To stay on topic, that load was 1-1/4 oz of #6 shot, an old Remington black hulled shell, from my Grandad's "Model of 1921" Savage pump That old gun would only put about 60-70 #6 pellets on a sheet of paper at 30 yds. My how things have changed.

Didn't matter to that jake back in 1980..........range, less than 20 yds....and I was ruined for life.

markj · April 30, 2014, 04:43 PM

I use 7 1/2s on easrly pheasants

6 or 5 on turkeys. I got them dang birds trying to get into my chicken coop here on my place. Fields are full of them and nobody hunting them but a few of us. Come kill a bunch, they poop the paint off my truck....

eastbank · May 1, 2014, 07:33 AM

MARKJ, do you want a visitor in hunting season? eastbank.

markj · May 1, 2014, 04:14 PM

Quote:

MARKJ, do you want a visitor in hunting season? eastbank.

Apr 30 - May 18 (Season 4)

Get here soon or it will be all over.

neighbor had a couple toms in his front yard the other day strutting up.

NHSHOOTER · May 1, 2014, 06:03 PM

We got tons of turkeys here in NH also and from what I see not alot of pressure, I know I dont hunt em, I may be missing out but I just cant seem to get the urge.

bamaranger · May 3, 2014, 12:36 AM

That 3", 2 oz. load of #7-1/2 was from an early box of Federal "HeavyWeights" when the 2 oz. loads first hit the market. I don't think anybody loads 2 0z of #7-1/2 (lead) shot commercially anymore. I got these, covered in dust, for 1980's prices in a little shop locally that was closing.

Had a good season this year, as far as killing birds goes, but there was a dark side to it as well. Work commanded 9 mornings, Easter another, and at least one AM I got stormed out. So I hunted 4 less mornings than last year. I also blew a morning to oversleeping, though I eventually dragged myself out of bed. There seemed more pressure on the public land I hunt as well. I suppose I should not gripe,as I probably got to hunt more than a lot of guys none the less. And I did make more PM hunts this year, which paid off, as I took most my birds late afternoon.

My hope is to be able to hunt a couple of states in succession in the years to come, following the "green line" north. Texas, Bama, and PA are likely routes for me. We'll see.

markj · May 5, 2014, 04:30 PM

Quote:

I don't think anybody loads 2 0z of #7-1/2 (lead) shot commercially anymore.

I for one never saw that load, number 2 shot yes. I would keep them or a few for later years to show the youngins

April 27, 2014, 08:00 PM	#1
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,300	2oz -#7-1/2 lead shot crumples another one A big believer in 12 ga, 3" #5 lead shot for spring gobblers, I've been selectively shooting up some of my smaller pellet shot shells that have been taking up space in the ammo chest, on gobblers in ideal set ups, typically with dekes and a blind, or in late season when the foliage is out heavy. Last year I dumped a jake at 43 paces on a ROW (hey, I've been duped so many times by toms I SHOULD have killed, that I shoot jakes, besides, there were 3 of them). A bit farther than I intended to shoot,but result was a peppered and deceased young gobbler. This year, another pair of jakes came slinking into a decoy set and at 37 paces, the 2 oz of #7-1/2 lead resulted in a VERY peppered head and a quite dead young gobbler) I cannot in good faith recommend #7-1/2 lead shot on gobblers as a universal load, and actually have some reservation on #6 lead as well (that will get a scorch for sure). But I post the above as evidence that you do not need space shot and a 3.5 belchfire shotgun to kill gobblers, just good setups, reasonable ranges, and a shotgun with some type of sight beyond a simple bead, that shoots tight. That two ounces of #7-1/2 will consistently place over 300+ pellets on a sheet of typing paper at 30 paces, with 125+ of them being in a hand drawn turkey head from my old 870 with Rem super full tube. Bamaboys 835 will do some better,and that is what did the deed this last time. Season is all but over here, and bad weather may well spoil the last few days. Best of luck to all still hunting the spring gobbler!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

April 28, 2014, 08:19 AM	#2
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	my 870 sm will put 240-250 #5,s and 307-320 #6,s on a 14x14 inch square at 42 yards with the new 3.5 mag. winchester long beard shells with a .660 jelly head choke. put a good recoil pad on your shotgun and suck up the recoil, you normaly only shoot 2-3 shells in the spring season. i have killed turkeys with every thing from a 410 at 18yards to a 10ga at 62 yards, but i have limited myself to 40 yards or closer in the last 20 years. eastbank. Last edited by eastbank; April 28, 2014 at 08:32 AM.

April 28, 2014, 05:26 PM	#3
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,300	agreed ebank, we are in agreement on turkey hunting for the most part, and if you wanna shoot 3.5's at gobblers have at it. All I'm saying is one doesn't necessarily have to. Both the boys 835 and my old 870 wear Kick-eeze pads as a matter of course, 3.5" shells or not. Your season is about to start....yes????

May 3, 2014, 12:36 AM	#10
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,300	Federal That 3", 2 oz. load of #7-1/2 was from an early box of Federal "HeavyWeights" when the 2 oz. loads first hit the market. I don't think anybody loads 2 0z of #7-1/2 (lead) shot commercially anymore. I got these, covered in dust, for 1980's prices in a little shop locally that was closing. Had a good season this year, as far as killing birds goes, but there was a dark side to it as well. Work commanded 9 mornings, Easter another, and at least one AM I got stormed out. So I hunted 4 less mornings than last year. I also blew a morning to oversleeping, though I eventually dragged myself out of bed. There seemed more pressure on the public land I hunt as well. I suppose I should not gripe,as I probably got to hunt more than a lot of guys none the less. And I did make more PM hunts this year, which paid off, as I took most my birds late afternoon. My hope is to be able to hunt a couple of states in succession in the years to come, following the "green line" north. Texas, Bama, and PA are likely routes for me. We'll see.

April 29, 2014, 07:28 AM	#4
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	yes,it starts this sat. i was up to two of my turkey stands yesterday and sat on each one for about a hour and saw 6 turkeys(did no calling) between 11;00am and 1;00pm. i bought the 870 rem SM at a flea market last fall from a man who won it in a drawing on a 5.00 ticket and he did not hunt, and wanted 200.00 for it new in the box. its the first 3.5 mag i ever owned and it will be my to go turkey shotgun from now on and it realy shoots very good patterns with the new win long beard shells and whats not to like about 307-320 #6 pellets in a 14" square target at 42 yards or 240 #5.s in the same 14" square target at 42 yards. i have been hunting turkeys for about 50 years and you are right about not needing a mag to kill turkeys. i now limit my shots to 40 yards or less as i want a clean kill, i know hunters that shoot way past 40 yards and do kill them, but they also admit to missing them too. but i don,t think they miss with all the pellets and the turkey runs off and dies a very slow death. i also have a win 1300 turkey 3" shotgun and a H&R custom deluxe single barrel 3" with choke tubes that i have used to kill turkeys with no trouble. eastbank.

April 29, 2014, 09:01 PM	#5
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,300	PM inbound I will PM re PA turkey hunting in near future. Killed my first gobbler in Blair county many years ago. To stay on topic, that load was 1-1/4 oz of #6 shot, an old Remington black hulled shell, from my Grandad's "Model of 1921" Savage pump That old gun would only put about 60-70 #6 pellets on a sheet of paper at 30 yds. My how things have changed. Didn't matter to that jake back in 1980..........range, less than 20 yds....and I was ruined for life.

April 30, 2014, 04:43 PM	#6
markj Senior Member Join Date: October 27, 2005 Location: Crescent Iowa Posts: 2,971	I use 7 1/2s on easrly pheasants 6 or 5 on turkeys. I got them dang birds trying to get into my chicken coop here on my place. Fields are full of them and nobody hunting them but a few of us. Come kill a bunch, they poop the paint off my truck....

May 1, 2014, 07:33 AM	#7
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	MARKJ, do you want a visitor in hunting season? eastbank.

May 1, 2014, 06:03 PM	#9
NHSHOOTER Senior Member Join Date: November 26, 2012 Location: Concord NH Posts: 1,002	We got tons of turkeys here in NH also and from what I see not alot of pressure, I know I dont hunt em, I may be missing out but I just cant seem to get the urge.