Question about damascus barrels and turkey loads

[Jawjadawg]

Jerry,

When you wound a bird do you honestly know why you wounded him? What went wrong? The discussion I started was about using low pressure shells in a vintage gun and maintaining velocity of the pellets out to 40 yards for a proper kill, not about using cannons. Other people have expressed an opinion in other places that the low pressure loads contributed to their wounding of a bird. I don't even know that their thoughts can be proven wrong without seeing velocity data at the distance they were shooting.

I am mainly just trying to be properly prepared so that I can continue to be a responsible hunter. I wish I could find some 4's or copper plated 5's to run down the other tube of this old gun. I don't know what the pattern would look like at 40 yards, and probably won't unless someone knows of a source for 2-1/2" 16ga shells in that shot size. I do not see them offered by RST or Polywad. If I can't find an alternative to test then I guess I will be using the #6 copper shot.

[Marc Retallack]

Will, if you're choosing to hunt turkey with the gun you mentioned, you've already chosen to limit your shots. Buy the 1200fps RST's in 6s and pattern them out to 30 or 35 yds. If they CONSISTENTLY pattern well, they will kill any turkey at that distance if you place enough pellets where they're supposed to be (head and neck).

I've patterned close to a hundred different loads (factory and handloads) through a dozen different guns (12s and 16s) in the last decade in search of the perfect combo. Without fail, the high velocity/extra heavy payload shells I ran through my guns had horrible patterns. The best patterns for me have all come in the 1200-1250 fps range.

Turkey hunting is a short range game in spite of what the modern "turkey thugs" might want us to believe.

Cheers
Marcus

[J. A. EARLY]

[QUOTE=will evans;100496]

When you wound a bird do you honestly know why you wounded him? What went wrong?


Number 1. Too far. Since a mature gobbler is so big, he always looks closer than he is. My uncle used to say if one cannot see a bird's eye, he is too far. Heck, I can hardly see their heads anymore.

Number 2. Not on target, perhaps off by just an inch or two with the bead which at 30 yards out puts the center of the pattern way off. Usually jerked it off target. Shotgun triggers are not rifle triggers. When you practice and pattern, practice with your back to a tree and butt on the ground just like you will be in the woods.

Number 3. Got turkey fever and forgot to aim, believe it or not.

Number 4. Something in the way I did not see, like a sapling (these obstacles are always out there near the turkey, but not in my vision since I've looked at the turkey for a long time with both eyes open).

Number 5. Turkey moves his head at the last second and I am already in the process of pulling the trigger.

Number 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 all at the same time.

Never the fault of the gun or shot size.

Charlie C., chime in here you old turkey killer.