Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting #5 shot in 12 ga?

Does anybody use #5 shot. I got good results at 40 yds, but was wondering what range this would be good for. Shooting them close is my preferance, but is 50 too far with this load?

I was patterning my new turkey swatter last week with Hevi-Shot #5 in a 3".

I can't remember ever using anything but #4's in a 12 before. Have used 6's in a 20, but never shot a bird much over 30yds with that.

I patterned the 12 #5's @ 40 and had a great, pattern with no holes of any kind, and 36 bb's in the head/neck. Will this cut the mustard @ 50yds if I need to?

I use #5 for damn near everything I hunt with a 12ga. Turkey, duck, rabbit, squirrel, pheasant......It's the .30-06 of bird shot, if you ask me.

35 yards is the furthest I've shot at a turkey with it. That was a lowly 2-3/4" 1-5/8 oz load. I can't imagine it not working for you, with the pattern density you're getting.
Of course, you'd have to pattern it at 50, and see if it's still dense enough.

Like you, close is my preference, and if I can't get one within 35 yds, I'll try again another day. Shooting one at 50 yards, would be about as exciting to me, as shooting a deer, at 500. Just not my bag.

Jeff

If you hit him in the head, he's as good as stuffed. Heavy shot is great stuff.

I misspoke in my post about my bird, I used the Federal loads with Heavyweight shot. That must be there brand name?

In the past I have used #4, #5, #6 and the old Remington Duplex loads. I've been back to #6 for the last few years due to the claim that this new shot is 38% denser than lead and the improvement in wad design. I paid $45 for a box of 10 two years ago for them, crazy. Marketing is a wonderful tool!

#5's will absolutely work!!

I've used this shot size for several years on turkey, and find it to be the ideal shot size- large enough to carry some pellet energy, small enough to make for very dense patterns.

I killed a turkey last week with Hevi Shots #5s. I have killed a bunch of birds with this load and have never lost a bird with it.

I have tried other loads that look better on paper,but those Hevi 5s are real killers. I have killed turkeys at over 50 yards with them and would not hesitate to do so again with the right barrel and choke tube.

#5 shot works great Federal #5 3 1/2" 12 ga

5's have been magic in my guns, its all I use. But Im not one to take the super long shots either, 40 yards is about max for me but I have pounded them at 40 with #5's.

I dont feel like 6's will retain the payload at 40 yards and 4's seem to be just a tad bit to thin a pattern at 40, but if I could not find 5's I would go to 4's and not look back. Rather have 5 pellets of #4 shot in there head than 10 pellets #6 shot at 40 any day.

Thanks guys.

I don't intend to shoot past 40yds. I have twice in the past but neither was on purpose. 1 with a 20, 1 with a 12. 40 is a long poke for me, but if those suckers are in a field, I seem to misjudge them a bit.

I used to use Duplex in a 12 quite a bit. #4's really never patterned great. Not like this heavishot does.

#5's are my favorite sized shot for turkeys. (Copperplated)
Not too big as to have a smaller # of shot in the shell and Not too small as to still have a decent amount of energy per pellet.

Maybe next year I will use #5's in Heavy shot.

tzone

#5's is all I use for turkey in a 3" 12ga. A guy I hunt with (guess who?)uses #5's too but in 3.5". I shot a coyote with his gun at 30yds last week---the fur flew!

WN

Winchester Supreme Number 5 3.5 is all i use in my Benelli Super 90 for Turkey.

Federal #5 2 ounce 3" Patterned it a 50 yds out of a comp-n-choke in my Beretta extrema the choke was a xxx turkey. I had 35 pellets in the head and neck on a lifesize target.
That was good enough for me.
I have never shot out to that far on a bird but it is nice knowing that it will do the job if needed.

It doesn't matter the size of the shot(as long as the energy is there), your max distance should be the distance you can consistently get 100 hits in a 10" circle. Range time is the only way to determine the effective range of a combo.

#5s are not needed in HTL shot types, they are overkill and actually give less range. Will they work? Absolutely, but not as far as 6s or 7s. Go with #6s if you want to reach a bit more. The HTL 6s still are overkill, but better than 5s.

Shot that carries its killing energy further than its killing pattern is useless. Kind of like deer hunting with a rifle that shoots 2 foot groups. It becomes a "hope for a lucky pellet" game when the patterns play out at short distances. That leads to many problems, such as when a guy gets lucky at 50+ yards and then feels his set-up will kill anything walking at long range...

#6 in htl is more than enough. Even #6s in lead carry energy further than killing patterns.

Good Luck

Loder

Not to be stupid, but what is HTL?

Heavier Than Lead

Hevi Shot
TSS
XRHD
WM
HW
etc etc

Sorry about that.

Reloader

Got ya, I need to give some HTL stuff a try. I usually run standard copperplated 5's and go kill stuff.

#5 shot has always been my favorite size shot. Have used it for squirrel, rabbit, pheasant, turkey, etc. Love it. However, with Hevi-shot being about 20% more dense than lead, I've been using #6 of Hevi-shot for turkey. I figure it has the density of between #4 and #5 shot lead pellet, plus you have more of them. I use them in my 3 1/2" 12 ga. Benelli. Hevi-shot now makes them in 2 1/4 oz. of shot. That's a lot of #6 going out there with the sting and weight of a #5 shot at least. Maybe even approaching the density of a #4. The older 3 1/2", 12 ga. Hevi-shot loads had 1 7/8 oz. of shot. They really crunch those turkey. That's just my take on why I now use #6 shot in a Hevi-shot load. Just something to think about.

Good hunting,
Hunter01

I bet.

My gun is a Super Mag, but I really don't see the need to shoot 3 1/2". After season, I can work with some loads and see what is really the best. I was never impressed with 3 1/2 over 3". I didn't see much if any advantage.

Some good tips here guys thanks.

I killed one bird w/ #6 pheasant load out of my 20 ga. w/ a modified choke, but she was at 30 yds. on a fall season. So not much of a test for anything.

Maybe I should start to look into 3 1/2" again. I tried it in the past and as I said before, it didn't impress me none. It wasn't htl though either.

My seasons starts tomorrow, and ends on Sunday, so after that, I can work on some loads and see what she likes.

Thanks again, good stuff here.

Not pushing the 3 1/2" over the 3" or 2 3/4", just pointing out that there are more #6 than #5. Plus when using Hevi-shot, (aka htl) the #6s are as dense or denser as the #5s.

I knew you weren't pushing one over the other. just offering up suggestions. That's all I was asking. I will also give the 3.5's another shot, since last time they weren't htl loads.

I'm all for more shot being in the pattern. Realisticly, 40-45 yds should be my max range anyway, with my eyes. That is a poke.

Hunter01, those 2.25 H13 6s are mean shells.

I've used several boxes of them in a variety of guns & chokes and never could get the numbers that the 3-2-6 H13 loads gave, but several guys I know had the opposite results.


Tzone, you might should try those 3-2-6 H13 loads I was talking about. They are good shells and the recoil isn't bad at all.

Hunter, the #6s in H13 penetrate better than #4 lead at higher velocity in catalogs. They are more dense and have less surface area so the PSI is pretty wild.

The TSS and T15 stuff is down right mean when it comes to penetration, but TSS is not loaded in factory ammo. T15 is the same as federal HW, but they use the FC wad which doesn't work well in most hunter's set-ups.

I've loaded h12, h13, t15, and tss in handloads and all are amazing. TSS will consistently kill turkeys and give kill patterns twice as far+ as lead, but most don't need to shoot that far.

HTL is a whole new ball game when it comes to turkey hunting.

Have a Good One,

Reloader7RM

Thanks for the info on the 2 1/4 oz. loads. I can't wait to use them. I'm on my second box of Hevi-shot. The first box was 1 3/4 oz. and the second box was 1 7/8 oz. I know the turkey don't argue with any of those loads. I can't wait to use them up so I can start using the 2 1/4 oz. Nothing but the best for our turkeys, right???? They aren't cheap, but a small price to pay for taking out one of our great American birds. Thanks again for the info.

Hunter01

Hell Standard #5 copperplated shot has worked consistently out to 50 yds and rarely will I shoot that far can't see paying for the Heavy Shot when the standard stuff wacks and stacks for me. JMO

I agree. I stepped off a 50 yard kill last year with my Mossberg 835, 3-1/2" and #5 Nitro Magnums.
Stock, X-Full choke.
There is no need to get fancy with the 835 Mossberg.

This year? I cannot get the hens away from the gobblers (yet).
I had a tom RUNNING at me on Saturday when a hen he was with started calling from behind him. He stopped, whirled around and went back to her. LOL.

The P-51 was good and fast too, but the F22 is faster and better. Hevi-shot is all my turkey gun will ever see.

Yep.

Flintlocks will kill deer just fine, but a scoped bolt gun....

Longbow will kill, but a Mathews Drenalin......

etc etc etc etc

Modern technology is a good thing.

loder

You're a man after my own heart. I shoot a Mathews too! They too are hard to beat.....

I love my Mathews. I shot High Country for a while, switched to Pearson, went to a Bow Tech Patriot, went to a Mathews LX and man, I was in love. I bought a Mathews Switchback XT last year and smoked two with it last fall. I love the way they shoot, the lack of vibration, fast arrow speed, quiet, etc etc. I just flat shoot Mathews bows better than the bows I've owned or shot with in the past. Hard to beat.

Have a Good One,

Reloader7RM

Yes, I've shot recurve and compound for 40 years, then tore up my shoulder (rotator cuff) and have been shooting a crossbow for about the past 10 years. Crossbows are nice, but I like the compound. Decided to try to go back to compounds, and see if my shoulder would take it. I looked at all the different bows out there. There were a lot of nice ones, but the Mathews DXT just felt better to me than all the rest. I had to have one. Shoulder got a little sore at first, but I think I'll be ok with it. The Mathews has such a smooth draw cycle, is quiet, and fast. I love my Mathews DXT.

Good shootin,
Hunter01

Here's back to back shots at 40yds with the Hevi-13 3.5" #6 loads out of my Moss 835 and a Star Dot choke.




The 3" Hevi-13 2oz loads don't shoot near as good for me at least in this gun.