Think I have found my spring turkey load!
 

I loaded up a few light loads with DuPont FG and worked my way up in powder charge weights/loads today. My left barrel definitely has a tighter choke than my right. I started with 1 3/8 oz loads of #6 and worked my way up to a square load of 4.5 drams (116 grains of FG) and 1 5/8 oz load of #6 listed on track of the wolf. The best patterns came from a powder charge of 100 grains of FG along with 1 5/8oz of nickel plated #6’s. The recoil with the 100 grain, 1 5/8 oz load was pretty comparable, if not just a hair more recoil, to the RST 1 1/4oz loads. It was the funnest time I’ve had in a long time with my pants on.lol

Here are my best two targets out of the 10 rounds I tried today. They were patterned at 25 yards. I had 40 hits using one single 1/4” nitro card over 100 grains of DuPont FG and 1 5/8 oz of BPI nickel plated #6’s. I glued a shot card over the top. The second best load was exactly the same accept I split one of the nitro cards in half and seated it on top of the first nitro card.


https://i.imgur.com/5uuuikL.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/rTcnQDs.jpg


A few other targets with left a d right barrel comparison patterns. The right kept blowing the pattern.

https://i.imgur.com/WyFYjHx.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/AmHeRAY.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/COy8CDc.jpg

Here were my loads...


[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/DjKc4K8.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/DjKc4K8.jpg[/IMG]

Dead bird!

I videoed myself while trying them out. It makes impressive fire clouds.



https://i.imgur.com/5lp9RGv.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Syo7ofL.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/A8oa4Hu.jpg

Try this skinny turkey!

Nice flame thrower.

I just printed up a few of these targets and try my load across a chronograph at the same time.

I went out today and tried 40 yards and 50 yards with my same RST hulls using 692 grains of BPI #6’s and 100 grains of Fg. The only difference was I roll crimped them this time VS just gluing in an over shot card.

I had 12 hits in my turkey head target at 40 yards and only 5 hits at 50 yards. I then tried the same load but in a federal hull. I had 13 hits at 40 yards. I put a pop can behind my 50 yard target. Thd #6 BPI nickel plated pellets passed through the cardboard box my target was stapled to and then completely through the pop can I placed in the box to test for penetration. I don’t plan on taking a 50 a yard shot but if for some reason my bird hands up at 40 yards I won’t hesitate to shoot it. I can tell you if that was a real bird at 50 yards today it would have been dead as a door nail IMO. One pellet to the brain and one in the neck vertebrae. Same with the RST hull 40 yard shot. I guess I just get lucky a lot with a pellet to the brain.


My first target i shot with a roll crimp RST hull at 40 yards...


https://i.imgur.com/mErXePO.jpg

My second shot with the same load at 50 yards...


https://i.imgur.com/mLoJ4lv.jpg


And here was my last test at 40 yards with the same load but with a federal hull...

https://i.imgur.com/If2YL78.jpg

I must have had a “hot” pellet or piece of powder melt part of one of my RST cases. Here is picture of the fired hulls after I slid them onto my dowel and heated the crimps with a heat gun to straighten them out...

https://i.imgur.com/ZlZBRns.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/s6LoIP5.jpg

When I inspected it the hole did not burn all the way through but I took the shell out of service just to be safe. The other two cases look great yet. I might order some brass case in the near future.

So in the future if I didn’t burn a hole completely through a case I would assume I can still load it again?

Try using paper hulls and a fold crimp. I load 95% of my BP shells in paper and don't use plastic wads.

Never knew 10 gauge paper shells still existed. Where can I buy them? I plan on buying some 10 gauge brass shells in the near future.

That’s a fine load.

William

Forgot to show a photo of the 40 and 50 yard ammo I used for the targets. They were roll crimped with a quad pin roller instead of glued in shot cards.

https://i.imgur.com/GKqhYG9.jpg

The load is now proven. I dropped a doubled bearded Tom yesterday on my opener. He was approximately 25 yards.

https://i.imgur.com/9zjfSVV.jpg

Someone was selling a kit you could make your own 10 gauge paper hulls . You remove the plastic part of the hull and replace it with a paper 10 gauge tube . Not sure how well that actually works . I've been thinking of ordering some Rcc 10 gauge brass but you have to order 50 cases at a time ,which is more than I need or want to spend haha.

I can’t find a “for sale” or “ wanted to trade” section here on the forum. Does anyone have ant BPI nickel plated #5 ,and, or, #4 shot I could buy or trade a pound or two of #6 for? I also have approx 13 pounds of lead #2 to trade as well. I’d like to load a few up with my same load and pattern them to use for my turkey season tags weeks 4 through 6. Thanks

You must become a member @$40.00 a year to participate in the members only section. It’s worth the price.

Just finished mounting it. I used an old wood picture frame. I fabricated some wood pieces and a leather string to make a fan and beard mount holder. I never noticed it till today when I mounted the beard that the main beard was starting to separate into two separate beards. I’m guessing it would have been a tripplebearder next season.

https://i.imgur.com/oiykzmi.jpg

I took a big old bird yesterday, 1 1/4" spurs, and 11 inch beard. Put me in first place for our big turkey contest

It’s a few weeks from my upcoming season. I got my hands on 5 pounds of copper plated lead shot yesterday. I plan on loading up my same recipe with #5’s and see how they pattern VS my proven #6 nickel plated shot load. If I can get #5’s to pattern close to how the #6’s do I’ll try the heavier shot this year.

nice turkey s they sure are beautiful birds.....I never tire of hearing about a fellows hunt and loads and guns used for the job....charlie

Loaded up 4 to try with #5 copper plated shot. Left the hulls a little longer. Hopefully I’ll get out Monday to try them. Fingers crossed they shoot similar patterns to my #6 load or better.

Sure do love my 4 pin roll crimper. Third time using it…

https://i.imgur.com/0LgKhjc.jpg

those are fine looking shells...if they shoot as good as they look yu ve got a winner for sure......charlie

Tested the above loads the other day….


https://i.imgur.com/9mF5RiR.jpg



Here are my targets from a few days ago. I tested 100 grains of FG in a Winchester hull. I loaded with a 1/4” nitro wad and 1 5/8oz of #5’s. It didn’t group as tight at 25 yards than my #6 load but IT DID have more hits at 40 yards than my test with #6 nickel plated shot. That was kind of confusing to me. It didn’t pattern any better than the RST load at 25 yards but patterned better than any load I’ve tried at 40 yards to date. At fifty yards I only had 3 hits VS with the #6’s.

I then tested all brass hulls with the same exact load but added a 3/4” fiber cushion was over the 1/4” nitro wad. The groups were poor compared to the plastic hull loads.


Plastic hulls…


25 yards…

https://i.imgur.com/1itc69r.jpg


40 yards….

https://i.imgur.com/n5Z8wyk.jpg


50 yards…

https://i.imgur.com/wPDPsA6.jpg



All brass…


25 yards…

https://i.imgur.com/EYoaIWX.jpg


40 yards…

https://i.imgur.com/ZBqjhsu.jpg


Looks like my #5 Winchester plastic hull load works good enough for spring gobblers but I’d like to see a little tighter group at 25 yards with it.

I wonder why the plastic hull does better than the brass null.....charlie

"I wonder why the plastic hull does better than the brass hull..... charlie"


Probably the plastic helps cushion the shock of the combustion a tad better helping to stabilize the shot column.





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That is why i was asking what he loaded over the top of the shot. If you put anything thicker than a over shot card at .070 the pattern will open up like a spreader wad. I put some filler wading over the shot and it opened my patterns up to 50%.
Scott

I couldn’t find any OS cards that fit tightly in the all brass hulls so split a 1/4” nitro card to thin pieces that were maybe a hair thicker than a normal OS card. Maybe they were still to thick? I found some OS cards that fit now but probably won’t test them till turkey season pre opener next year. Loads are already in place and season starts Wendsday. Probably going to use my modern 10 gauge first season and will switch off to my other shotguns 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th seasons so they all get some fresh air. I have ONE #5 BP load left and a dozen #6’s loaded up. Will probably try the #5 this year in my Damascus when it gets its chance…or at least in the right side barrel for backup.