Denser patterns

[Cold Spring]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

Frank, what do you and your friends consider to be "fine shot"?

4's are the "max allowed", meaning the largest shot size allowed? Wouldn't that have been a wise decision, considering 4's and smaller would allow for a denser pattern than 2's and larger?.... keeping in mind not every turkey hunter uses a gun choked 'extra full' or tighter.

Dean, some good questions ..... I consider fine shot for turkeys to be 6's and smaller diameter. Surely, fine shot will create a denser pattern and is very effective for turkeys at moderate range, but as the yardage stretches, the velocity and thus energy/penetration of fine shot drops off much more quickly than 4's or better yet 2's. There's just no substitute for body cavity penetration at longish ranges. The largest diameter allowed in PA is size 4 lead. And if it were legal today for turkeys I'd be shooting hard lead 2's in my 3-inch 12's and short 10's - both with heavy, high velocity loads. As I do for called predators in the winter. Again, all this is my opinion only but it's based on years of fox hunting with trailing hounds when I was a kid, and having hunted turkeys even when we had to drive to the deep mountains to find the few that were around then. My hunting mentor "Goldie" used 2's, period, he killed hundreds of foxes for bounty, and a fox is a whole lot smaller than a turkey. How I wish I might once again hear the baying of his hounds as they got closer, the adrenaline got to pumping, and I knew that '97 was loaded with Peters 2's. It's just too easy to misjudge range when in the woods, and see wounded heavier game run off or fly away.

[wayne goerres]

I do have Pete's data and it is good data I just have a lack of loading components in Ga. And for the record I wouldn't wast the shell to shoot at a Turkey at fifty yards. thirty is about max with the 4s and 5s I have on hand. My problem is that I have tried these same loads in several of my 10s (and I have many 10s) and I am getting the same results. I am more inclined to think it is something I am doing during the reloading process. I would love to try some paper hulls just for comparison. Unfortunately I have no hulls to try.

[William Davis]

I like the 1 1/8 oz short 10 loads for Clay targets. Game it needs more shot. Go light with larger shot not many pellets in the load to fill out the pattern.

William

[wayne goerres]

Just for kicks I drug out the old 10 and a set of pin gauges. Now I know this wont be 100% accurate but it should be close. Both barrels measure the same. they measure .796 all the way down to about 3" from the muzzle and .730 to the end. So there is .030th constriction in each barrel. I am not positive what that equates to but it sounds like full and full. If that isn't correct some one please say so.

[10 bore]

Originally Posted by wayne goerres

Just for kicks I drug out the old 10 and a set of pin gauges. Now I know this wont be 100% accurate but it should be close. Both barrels measure the same. they measure .796 all the way down to about 3" from the muzzle and .730 to the end. So there is .030th constriction in each barrel. I am not positive what that equates to but it sounds like full and full. If that isn't correct some one please say so.

yes, you should get 70 to 80 % patterns with that gun.

[J. A. EARLY]

Originally Posted by wayne goerres

Just for kicks I drug out the old 10 and a set of pin gauges. Now I know this wont be 100% accurate but it should be close. Both barrels measure the same. they measure .796 all the way down to about 3" from the muzzle and .730 to the end. So there is .030th constriction in each barrel. I am not positive what that equates to but it sounds like full and full. If that isn't correct some one please say so.

Wayne,

.796 and .730? That's a .066 difference. So either the barrels have been honed or they are oversized/overbored right from the factory (which is possible). At some point right before the last 3 inches of choke they may come down from .796 for a little bit and then go down to .730.

That would be some choke if it is .066. An XXXX full? .045 is very tight in the ten. Maybe blown patterns due to the constriction? Or did you mean to type .766 since you wrote that you had .030 choke?

[Steve Havener]

Harder shot such as high antimony (magnum) lead, "good" quality copper plated not the current copper washed stuff or the newer non toxic shot like Nice shot will go a long way to tighten your patterns.

[wayne goerres]

I tried that load. It made my W&C Scott hammerless double. Your are almost at my 8ga light load. 1 3/4 oz no 4s and 38gr blue dot.

[wayne goerres]

I have a little 7625 powder. Are you using a roll crimp and will a win 209 primer work with this load Pete.

[J.B. Books]

Originally Posted by wayne goerres

I have a little 7625 powder. Are you using a roll crimp and will a win 209 primer work with this load Pete.

Yes I roll crimped it with the Win 209 primer. The Sherman Bell load for 1 1/4 was a folded crimp, since I was upping the shot weight which would increase pressure I opted to offset some of the increase with a roll crimp. You could probably back off the powder a grain or two but I don't think you have to. Understand though you venturing into unpublished reloading recipe territory with this loading.

One thing about 7625, no matter the loading it has a very loud boom.