Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Winchester Longbeard XR 20ga.

I'll never be in the woods without my HW#7's in my 20 but I'll damn sure grab a box each of 5's and 6's just to see.

Shout out to everyone when and where they pop up.

Good luck and ground shaking time to everyone this spring.

I read on another forum where they were only 1000fps. That's pretty anemic for lead, but will work fine for the ranges a 20 will be useful with lead.

I wish I could buy some TSS loaded shells. I need to get my hands on some I guess and load a box or two.

Yep

Lead is as useful in a 20 gauge as it is a 12. Pattern density and pellet energy is what determines the usefulness of a load. A great pattern is one thing, but dropping the velocity that low to get it doesn't seem like a smart move. Guys are going to be having good patterns at ranges where the pellets lack the energy to get the job done. I see wounded birds in the future with that load. Not good.

For me, LB in 12s nearly matched Hevi factory loads. If the same holds true for the 20s, I can't see them giving density past 40. I could be wrong. All 20ga lead loads prior to the LB sucked at 40. If these will make 40, I can see them having enough energy there. If they make density past 40, it could be iffy unless it's 5s or 4s(which further inhibit density in the 20).

Have you tried the HW7s? While not TSS by any means, they'll easily get to 50yds in the 20.

I've got one rig that will take them even further, but the close range patterns are too small to hunt.

You oughta give TSS loading a try, it's simple. I'll help you load them.

Yeah, I dropped a bird last year at 56 yards with the HW7's in a 20 gauge.

I still like to shoot birds closer, but he wasn't going to get closer and I had seen what it would do at 50.

To be frank, I didn't think he was quite that far, not sure I would have shot if I KNEW it was 56 yards, but he dropped at the shot.

Still would like to try some #9's in the TSS.

I've killed a couple in fields with the HW7s a lot further than I should have shot. They penetrate crazy good. The TSS is even better. I don't really need it since I kill most less than 40, but it's nice to have when I go out of state and hunt fields. It's much easier to misjudge than many think and you damn sure can't touch a LRF when they're headed in.

I have my 20 ga sighted in for 50 yards with the #7 heavyweights. Never shot at paper past that. Longest kill was 48 ranged yards. We have taken a bunch of birds with that load and have yet to loose one. What a great set up for youngsters too! That is how I started out using it.

Here are some #'s from allaboutshooting on old gobbler. I'd like to see what a 20" barrel would do over the 28" but in this case the numbers look good.

That's pretty dang salty for 20ga lead, even better than Hevi 6s.

I think I've killed 11 birds with 3.5 inch #5 12 gauge longbeards..after lots of pattern testing at various ranges I see no reason to spend the money on HTL loads.
..I'm going to put a 20 together for when I take youth hunters and I am looking forward to the 20 gauge longbeard loads

I've never shot a 3 1/2" at anything, God willing, I never will.

Last time I shot a 3 1/2 turkey load I was 15 and had my shoulder pinched between a oak tree and a mossy 835 with a 2.25oz load of 5's.
it still hurts and I'm 41

I spent a ton of time, and money patterning my 835.

3.5 #5 longbeards were the most dense and consistent.
combined with a .675 Indian Creek tube


I used to shoot a lot of 3.5 inch steel, still do on big divers on occasion, but since I bought thay Gold lielte 10 gauge I doubt I'll ever shoot 12 at a goose again

Shot a bunch of 3.5" over the years. Since I've started loading my own 3" or 2 3/4" is just fine.

I think I'd spend a little more and shoot the Federal Heavyweights.

A little Benelli M2 20 gauge properly choked with Federal HW 7's is a hard combination to beat for turkey hunting where you're packing the gun up and down cross steep country.

I shot them. they were not notice ly tighter than the lb. and we're a lot more inconsistent

I LOVE to kill gobblers. I LIKE to chase numbers.

I am currently running HW7 in my 20's. But I run LBXR in my 12's. So I will definitely snag a few boxes of the new 20 LBXR to at least try. The 1000 fps doesn't exactly thrill me. But, I suspect, at 40 yards, the 1000 fps lead load is not going to be travelling significantly slower than had it launched at 1185 fps like the older Win Supreme load. Be that as it may, I would not consider the 20ga LBXR to be any more than a 40 yard load, no matter HOW well it prints.

One up side might be that it could be a gentler round to shoot for the youngsters in these feather light 20ga rigs while still having a stout amount of whoopass on a bird down range.

The 20 and TSS are a deadly combo, without the TSS its just a 20, still easy to tote, will kill etc but nowhere near the same killer.

I reckon when I get really old I may go that route.

Until then its 12ga and Fed 7 HW.

I was looking at the Winchester Super Pheasant 3 inch 20 gauge #6 and #5 today. It is supposed to have the same technology as the longbeard loads but traveling at 1250fps and $22 bucks for 25. Am I missing something hear. I'm thinking this should do well at 40.

This thread gets into the 1000fps vs 1300fps thing. Says the faster a sphere is launched the faster it lose velocity so at 40yds there is basically zero difference in velocity between the two: http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,68704.0.html

Mind blown

Two years ago I killed one at 50 that I didn't know was that far. Killed it as fast as anything else I've shot closer. Same situation, it wasn't going to get any closer. That was Hevi-shot, but #7's as well.

I too will be shooting a 20ga this spring. Have shot a 12ga since 1976. I bought a SA-495 topped with a Fast Fire3 and chokes with a Sumtoy custom choke. Shot is several days ago w the federal heviweight #7's. Put up 165-170 in the 10" at 40. No doubt a great light weight hunting combo. I also started shooting TSS last spring. My crew killed 11 long beards from 12 out to 47 yds with #9 shot. I have the components and 6 pounds of #9 shot on the way for the 20ga.

I know years ago we all killed gobblers with lead. And dead is dead. But I want every advantage I can get when hunting. I will not buy or shoot lead ever again.

I need to reload tss for my benelli m1 20 except I know nothing of reloading shotshells . I am currently shooting heavy 5's and have no trouble to 35 yards which is about as far as I have patterned it. Need to shoot the fed 7's or go TSS.

What choke would you recommend for a m1 and fed 7, also what for tss?honestly I have a primos tight wad which is a cheap choke, but it patterns very nicely with the 5's. not so much with 6's. when hunting thicker woods I shoot 4's for the ability to shoot through vegetation.

For the youths my ass! lol you'll be using it after you build it.

I only use my 12ga when I have both kids with me because they're using the 20's.

And that's going to change soon. My son is getting one of his own for his birthday.

I shot a few Longbeard 20's today. I'm a TSS shooter, but a buddy picked up a box at the NWTF show. He and I shot them through 870's with Indian Creek .555's and .562's. Also shot a few through a Jeb's .570.

I wasn't impressed. Patterns we're sporadic and pellet counts in the kill zone were really low. This was at 30 yards....

Seems to be the consensus on OldGobbler as well when talking about the LB's in 20 gauge.


It's Federal HW #7's for me until they decide to make some HW #8's.

Same here, tried the 20 gauge LB's and they weren't impressive but the hevi shot #7's were amazing.
Put 81 pellets in a turkeys kill zone at 40 yds and a total of 155 in a 10" zone around the bird.
I think it will work for my daughter.