HEAVY WEIGHT 13 SHOT & GEESE

[Jerry Harlow]

With raw Hevi-shot out of sight in price now I gave HeavyWeight 13 a try. This stuff is heavier/denser than Hevi-shot and far denser than lead. I could only find a 1 3/4 ounce load as the heaviest load data for the 3.5" 12 gauge using the Sam1 wad with 31 grains of Steel and Win 209 primers. While you New England PGCA members were snowed under Saturday we had a bluebird day and cold. Two flocks of geese produced a limit of five with two birds killed with one shot, one killed dead as a doornail and the other flying beside him getting a broken wing from the HeavyWeight 13. I was impressed. I counted 205 pellets in the 1 3/4 ounce load of 4s, and that number of pellets would mean the number 4s weight about the same as a load of number 3s would be weight wise in lead. I'm convinced it is good stuff, as the picture below will tell.

After calling a half dozen used to be hunters and no one would go, I took one of the cannons instead of a Parker since I was shooting all by myself and wanted to try the shot (so there was no one else claiming my birds!). Had limit by 8:30 and time to go after rabbits a little while that afternoon after a lot of skinning birds. Parker was one for two on rabbits.

[charlie cleveland]

J. A. if i had been in hollering distance i woulda went with you on the hunt for those birds but looks like you done alrite on your own....what kinda black gun you shooting there
looks like you were using low brass for those rabbits....whats the price of thesenew shells..or are you loading it yourself.... charlie

[Jeff Christie]

Me too, me too on the geese. No bunnies need apply. It teaches the dogs very bad habits. Nice geese. Where were the shot? Our season in NW Iowa closes 4 Jan.

[Jerry Harlow]

Charlie,

Wish you were close by. Die hard hunter like you and me, the kind that go every day possible no matter the weather, are impossible to find around here. My kids thought I was too crazy about hunting and would not go for a million bucks now (got mother's genes when it comes to hunting), and the young boys who used to hunt with me and go no matter what are men now and as one described it to me, only hunt the red-headed double-breasted split-tail mattress thrashers (hope that endangered species does not get me censored).

It's a 12 gauge Browning 3.5 inch BPS I parkerized. I've got three barrels for it (26, 28, & 30). I'm loading the shells myself. At $200 for 10 pounds of HeavyWeight 13 the shells with 1.75 ounces cost me $2.22 just for the shot. Add 10 cent for the Sam1 wad, 4 cent for the primer and I'll just say 10 cent for the powder, a filler wad and overshot card and I've got at least $2.50 in each shell. Probably would be better off to buy them off the shelf! Last year when the blended 5,6,7 factory Hevi-shots for turkeys cost me over $6 apiece, something had to give.

Jeff,

South and east of you. Rabbit dogs for the bunnies.

[Theodore LeDurt]

Thanks for the positive info. I am looking for a 10ga 2 7/8" Heavy Shot load that can be converted to Heavy Weight, as I here the load data is similar.

[charlie cleveland]

j. a. theres one thing that factory loads cannot do and thats bring you the satisfaction that yoy got that big tom with your own load.. i looked at the turkey ammo this morning at walmart prices ran from 7 to 15 dollars a box of 10 shells...those 3 1/2 inch shells were 2oz of lead and listed at 1300 feet a secound...did not buy any yet for ive got enough to last me a long while..may have to buy some though if i dont quit shooting them cans... do you have screw in chokes on your barrels...i really like heavy loaded shells for turkeys some people dont only things that bad is the recoil.i put a slip on limb saver on my old stevens 3 1/2 inch double makes the recoil managable... i think ill go reload a few short tens for turkeys now... charlie