If you’re a turkey hunter, at some time you should have “patterned” your shotgun. Gunsmiths will tell you no two shotguns are alike. Each hunter needs to learn the “personality” of his or her own hunting firearm. Although shotguns my have the same gauge, be the same model, and same brand, but all will perform differently with various brands and loads of shotgun shells.
I recently headed to the range at the Chief Cornstalk Wildlife Management Area. The mission was to pattern my Mossberg Model 835 Ultra-Mag. This shotgun is manufactured with turkey hunting in mind. It’s a pump action shotgun in full camouflage. The receiver can accommodate 2 3/4″, 3″, and 3 1/2″ shells. However, for the purposes of this story, I stuck with 3″ shells. Naturally, 3 1/2″ inch shells will offer a little more shot and 2 3/4″ a little less. That will have an impact on the size and performance of your pattern.
Ammo makers produce several shells that are marketed as “turkey loads.” However, don’t limit yourself to what they suggest. It’s possible your shotgun could perform well with other ammo that may not be specifically designed for turkey hunting. I selected eight different shells to test and limited myself to the three most readily available brands, Remington, Winchester, and Federal. All three are reputable companies producing a wide range of quality products. They are also the shells you’ll most certainly find at any sporting goods counter in West Virginia.
I tested Remington’s Nitro Turkey Loads with #5 shot. I also used Remington’s copper plated Nitro Pheasant Magnum #5 and Remington’s Wingmaster HD #4. Those two are typically marketed for other hunting applications, but it doesn’t necessarily rule them out for spring gobbler season. The Federal offerings were Premium Mag-Shok high velocity turkey loads, #4 and #6 shot. I also chose Winchester X-Treme Turkey Loads in shot sizes #4, #5, and #6.
The target doesn’t have to be fancy. Truthfully, you could draw a picture on a piece of paper roughly the size of a turkey head and that will suffice. However, for the first time I used an impressive product from Birchwood-Casey. The kit includes a corrugated cardboard backing with a drawing of a wild turkey. Fitting perfectly over the head and neck of the drawing are adhesive backed squares that feature the turkey’s head and neck in neon green with a black background–the black turns to a fluorescent green with each shot penetration. After each shot, you’ll be able to easily detect, even at a distance, the pattern of the shell.
Lining up the shells, I fired one round of each at a fresh target. You can see the results below.
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Remington Nitro Pheasant #5 Copper Plated |
Federal Premium Mag-Shok #6 |
Federal Premium Mag-Shok #4 |
Winchester X-Treme Turkey Loads #6 |
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Winchester X-Treme Turkey Loads #5 |
Winchester X-Treme Turkey Loads #4 |
Remington Wingmaster HD #4 |
Remington Nitro Turkey Loads #5 |
In summary, for my particular shotguns The Federal #6, Winchester #5, and Remington Nitro Turkey Loads in #5 appear to be the most effective in placing pellets in the head and neck area.
Such a test will give you great confidence in your shotgun and in the loads you choose for spring gobbler season.