I think you must have misunderstood me hunterjoe. I am referring to a BB shot which is approx. 75 pellets in an 1 1/2 oz. load. Buckshot is an entirely different configured load having some where between 9 and 12 pellets depending on the shell length and would never be my choice for turkey hunting as its just not the practicle ammo for the job. A magnum only refers to the weight of the load and is packing a powerful powder charge.
Gobbuster

gobbuster wrote:

I've developed a deadly shotgun load for the turkey. Its a magnum 2 3/4 inch copper plated BB load that will easily drop a Gob at over 50 yards. In fact I've taken Gobs at over 70 yards on 2 occassions with these 1600+ fps loads. It probably doesn't sound like a typical turkey load to most. But I've found that by sacrificing the larger 3" or 3 1/2" load for the 2 3/4 " offers a much harder hitting load. I had to develope this load when Remington stop manufacturing their copper plated BB Nitro Magnum. They still make the #2 and smaller loaded Nitro mags, but not copper plated any more. Gobbuster( Turkey buster translated)

Gobbuster,

I deleted my previous criticsms of your last post, I read it incorrectly, and apologize for my stupidity.

I still would like to see your targets fired at 70 yards with 12 guage 2 3/4" copper plated BB loads. The accepted "large pellet" load is #4, and it's tough to get enough of them in a "killing" pattern at 40 yards, let alone 70.

If you have some target scans, please post them, or PM me and I will provide you with my email address.

Never feel stupid for what is only the process of understanding and learning. I would never try to compare my intelligence to another for fear I would be exposed as either a smart ass, or simply a stupid smart ass. The only stupid question, is the one we don't ask! It was probably the manner in which I termed my self that mislead you in the first place. But regarding your wanting to see the pattern board for this particular load. What I can do is send you a few rounds of this to try for yourself, thats a whole lot more fun anyway hunterjoe. And bear in mind that I don't favor 60 or 70 yd. shots, this is only something I do if I have a bird that just doesn't want to come any closer. I'll check to see if there is any laws that forbid me sending you a few of those rounds to try, and if its OK, I'll get a few in the mail to you. Make sure you are firing them out of a good stroong shotgun because they are at maximum presures. I shoot them from an 870 express without any problems.
Gobbuster

I'll shoot 'em!

I shoot a Benelli Nova with a Mad Max "Supermax" tube. It has done well for me, I've killed every bird I've ever pointed it at except one, including putting down a wounded bird on the run @ 57 paces. (If the bird hadn't been wounded by my friend [whom I was calling for] I never would have taken the shot)

The one I missed on was too close(I know, another excuse) at 9 yards. At 9 yards my Benelli loaded with Winchester Supreme 3 1/2" #5's pulls about a 4.5" 100% pattern. I was calling for my brother-in-law, and when he didn't shoot, and the bird got spooky, I didn't want to waste an entire morning's work.(We started working him at 8:15, I fired at him at 11:27)

That Benelli is an excellent turkey gun. If I could handle the recoil from one I would use one. But in 191 I was guiding for a fellow and after we finnished the hunt we were climbing back down a very steep slope and I was carrying 2 gobbs, my shotgun and he was carrying his bird and his shotgun. I got going and couldn't stop and ended up taking a tree head on doing severe damage to C-3 thru C-7. That ended my nasty big shotgun hunting unfortunatly. Now I just use the next best thing in effective loads being my own 2 3/4 inch magnums which do the job with a lot less recoil.
Don't feel bad about the 9 yard miss. I missed one at about 10 feet and yes it was because he was so close. When I called that bird in he flew down from the roost and nearly landed on top of me! I had just had major knee surgery and wasn't even supposed to be out of bed for another week. But when you live in Arizona if a major accomplishment just to get drawn for a tag and so you sure don't want to waste it. We hunters will do anything to get that hunt in. I went back out the next morning and called him in again and this time nailed that bad boy.
Gobbuster

Sorry to hear of your injuries. At least you can still get after the birds.

Recoil from any light fixed-breach shotgun firing heavy turkey loads is brutal. The only thing I have that hits harder is my Mossberg 500 slug gun.

I installed Benelli's mercury recoil reducer, and a limbsaver recoil pad to help, and finally have it down to "acceptable" levels. I've been considering buying a 20 guage for a few years. My wife shoots a Remington 1100 LT, which I've also been thinking about converting to a turkey gun. The only problem with the LT is it only shoots 2 3/4" loads, and no factory 20 guage 2 3/4" turkey loads exist. I've fired decent groups with Winchester SuperX #5 copper plated pheasant loads, but find the maximun effective range to be about 25 yards.

Thank for your condolences regarding my injuries, but thats just life and I still manage get after the birds.
How do you like that limbsaver recoil pad? I installed one for a guy and he said he couldn't feel any difference from the factory one that I replaced. Personally I think the recoil pad is only the begining of what can be done to reduce the painful recoil from these big bad guns. Of course the mercury tube and a muzzle break really help. I shot a 330 Win. mag. that had both rewcoil reduction systems on it and it was really nice to shoot after that. You still knew you were shoot6ing a big bore magnum high power, but not reminded the next morning when you reach for your coffee.
Have you ever considered reloading? Shotgun shell reloading is really a very simple process and doesn't require a lot of expense to get set up like reloading brass. The quality you get from your own reloading is far beyond the factory off the shelf stuff. MEC make a reloader called the 60 Jr. and it is the most reliable reloader on the market and has been for many years. They sell for around $100. I've been using mine since 1981 and will never go back to factory. The paterns, velocity and some decent savings are the benefit you will quickly realize. If reloaded a 20 ga. will do just fine for turkey in 2 3/4. A 40 yards shot would be within the ability with reloaded 20 ga. That #5 copper plated reloaded will do a fantastic job.
Goibbuster

Regarding the Limbsaver recoil pads, I bought a Rem 700 CDL in .35 Whelen and it came with Remington's R3 pad. I was impressed with its performance. I found out that the R3 is made by Limbsaver so I bought Limbsavers for my Encore .50 ML and a Marlin 1895 .45-70. It makes some difference on the Encore, haven't had a chance to try the Marlin yet.

Hey, Tirkey hunters,
Can we induce the Staff guys to put a Turkey Forum back on the HN
DallanC told me there used to be a Forum but no one used it......
Let's get a Forum for those of us who hunt the elusive Bird....
Like to see your comments.

Hey, I'm all for it. I've been hunting these birds sucessfully for many years and would live to have one just for these absolutly dumb, easiest animals on the planet to hunt! ( For some)
Gobbuster

We have a lot of the FL variety turkeys around here. They are smaller birds mostly. Very few folks hunt them. I have gone out with a crow call and had turkeys hopping mad in short order. Give them the crow fight and here comes the gobble. The older folks used to hunt them a lot but now days the younger folks just stop by the grocery and buy a Butterball.

As to the Turkey forum, it is all Dallan's work so up to him if he wants to do more work. I would also like to have an Upland Bird Forum... perhaps it could be combined. We do have a good many more folks on the site now than we had back awhile ago.
Ed

I liked the limbsaver so much I also installed one on my Encore, but I also made some other minor mods to that stock, and plan to put one on the Mossberg before next deer season.

As for shotgun loading, I still have trouble finding enough time to load and shoot for 222, 22-250,243, and now my 308.

And I'd like to see a bird forum on here also, but can live with using "small game' if need be....

I can understand time not being in good supply. But even with the Mec 600 Jr. one can load up to 125 rds. per hr.. And if your loading for something like turkey your only going to spend a few minutes at it, once you've set up your reloader, ie; shot bar, powder bushing, filled your shot and powder drop canisters, and adjusteed the crimp. In all you might spend 15 minutes to do the whole process. There isn't any factory on the market that will compare to what you can reload. If you have a chrony you will see the major difference. I've checked the so called good stuff magnum loads through my chrony compared to my magnum loads and it leaves me wondering how the manufacturers can call them magnums. When I can get around 1500 to 1600 fps and they're stuff is only pushing 1200 fps. on a good day. Not only that, but I've weighted the powder charges with factory and found a major inconsistency of as much 15 % +/- which is not even safe variations in powder charge. I'll tell you what really makes me nervous is the high power rifle charges being dangerously inconsistent in powder charges. Weigh a few rounds of any factory ammo on your scale and you will see what I'm talking about. And its not a variation of the projectile weight, projectiles have always weighted nearly perfect in my studying of this problem, its always the powder charge thats bad. This is a topic I will defend to the biter end. I absolutly hate factory ammo and have no faith at all in that crap. I only shoot it to aquire the brass. I've never had one single mis- fire with reloads in almost 30 years of reloading. But considering the very little factory I've shot I honestly can't count the number of mis- fires, or even worse, cases cracking and splitting. I had a 30-30 round that lodged in the barrel from a factory load not getting a powder charge at all. Thanks for the lending of your ear.
Gobbuster