Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Well that sucks

Back in 1996 I bought a Mossberg 500 from Dick's out of the scratch and dent bin. It was the only firearm I ever bought from Dick's. It's been serving me now for over 20 years as my main turkey gun. While I was at the store, I grabbed a couple of boxes of Federal 12 GA 3 inch 2oz #4's. They shot really well out of the gun. I later added an extended choke tube, and they shot even better. That was that. I've been shooting them ever since.

Sometime in the early-2000's they added the Flite-Control wad. It's a long plastic cylinder with fins on the back. The fins cause drag and it pulls the wad away gently. If the turkey is close enough, the wad ends up sticking in their breast feathers.

The local shops stopped selling that load ages ago. I had my LGS order it for me, and a couple times I'd order up some boxes from Grafs.com.

This year, after paying off the Christmas bills, I looked online. Nada.

Even the Federal website doesn't mention the load. They've got 2 oz loads, but they are only in 3.5 shells. They've got 3-inchers, but no bigger than 1 7/8 oz.

Drat! These were $1/round loads that would stand up to a lot of the fancy $5 loads. After 20 years, I'd mostly stopped the local turkey population from laughing at me with those loads.

Remington still makes an old-school load that's 3-inch 2oz #4. I guess that's what I'll try next. I still have enough of the Feds to last through this year.

Bet that 1 7/8 oz. load will shoot every bit as good as those 2 oz. loads. 15 pellets won't be missed.

I have tons of the Turkey Thug #5s and they shoot as good as the old Flite Control #4 and #5 loads I used for several years.

If you are set on a 2 oz. load I would go Winchester XX before I spent anything on the Remington loads.

Turkey shells have come a long way since then. I could beat the pattern on your 12 with a .410. No joke. It ain't $1 a shot, though!

Try Winchester 1 3/4oz #6 with your turkey choke or one of the Federal Flite Control loads of fives or sixes. The factory full might do better than the turkey choke with the Flite Control loads.

If you insist on hunting with lead #4, check out the Winchester Longbeard loads.

There are so many good turkey loads today that it's silly to stubbornly cling to 20+ year old technology. Not to say that the old stuff won't kill a turkey graveyard dead because it certainly will if you do your job. A few years ago I wasn't having a good year. It just seemed as if I was jinxed. Nothing was going right for me in the turkey hunting department. I decided to heck with it all. I dumped my Benelli automatic, turkey vest full of custom calls, ect. I grabbed my old silver worn 2.75" modified choke 28" barreled 12 gauge 870, stuck a slate pot call and one striker in my cargo pocket, slipped a couple mouth diaphragm calls in my chest pocket, took a water bottle, some jerky and a handful of red Winchester XX 2.75" Magnum 1.5 ounces of #6's and hit the Mark Twain National Forest. Around mid morning I struck a tom called him to around 30 yards and killed him as clean as you could wish for. It was a fun morning and enlightening. It's more about the Indian than the arrow. Pick a load that you like and shoots well from your gun and choke combination and have fun. There are lots of solid choices out there today.

Interesting responses. I dunno about how everything is so much better than 20 years ago.

I few years ago I made the mistake of taking a shot at a turkey that was 80 yards out. There were 3 of them coming for me down a fence line. I got my gun up as the lead bird went behind a tree. He must have seen me and run out into the middle of the field. All I know is that when he emerged from behind the tree he was 70 yards further out in the field. My eye was pressed to the scope, so I couldn't tell.

Those old useless antiquated Federal #4's knocked him down. I'm not saying they did the best job, but they worked. It was a dumb mistake.

Last Tag Filled. . .

20 years ago I still had a turkey hunting buddy. Poor old Kip was a lousy shot, and a bit of a dolt, but he was a turkey hunter when there weren't too many turkey hunters around and he'd follow me wherever I'd try to go, and outside of drinking every drop of liquor I had, he was good company. It was right around 20 years ago Kip's drinking started to get the best of him and his health and his judgment started to wane. It was about that time one April, sitting on a picnic table close to our tent that I offered to take him to an AA meeting, and he declined. The next morning he forgot how the safety of his Browning Citori worked and managed an accidental discharge about 10 yards behind me as we were walking out to hunt.

I stood there for the longest time thinking to myself that a) I was still thinking so that meant I was still alive and b) I really didn't want to see what was behind me.

As it turned out Kip had at least had the sense to have the gun barrel pointed in a good direction. He was scared and embarrassed, but that was all. We had a bum hunt and then came in. That was it for Kip and me.

Now you'd think that when I'd been so afflicted, the last thing you'd expect I'd do is choose Kip's load when I finally treated myself to a new turkey gun, However, I'd seen everyone most Kip's family shoot those #4 Federals. Kip's family were legendary turkey hunters. They hunted off a 1,000 acre plot that used to be a turkey hunting mecca. Sadly, it is now a gaming casino.

Kip died this past year of complications from a life of falling off the wagon. He did finally get to AA and got sober, but he died of a heart attack at the family duck camp down in Arkansas. I hear they just put a blanket over him and went out for the morning hunt before calling anyone. The widow has been giving my sons Kip's hunting gear. He was their godfather, as I was to his kids.

The world has turned a lot in 20 years. I've gotten good enough as a turkey hunter that I really hadn't noticed that my #4 Federals weren't doing the trick. In the intervening years, I've blown plenty of shots, but it was usually because I missed close in. I can't remember those #4 Federals ever being the problem.

A #4 probably does have the energy to work at 80yds. I wouldn't let the fact that you got a pellet into his head overshadow the fact that it was pure and simple luck at that distance.


Lots of birds die to #4 lead every year, I used to shoot them and 5's and 6's. I switched to HTL 7's years ago because I got much better patterns and better penetration from the small 7's than I did lead 4's. I don't turkey hunt to save money so a few more dollars for a box of ammo doesn't bother me, especially since I switched to a 20 gauge.


If you're looking for a lead load I'd look at the Win Longbeards. I've patterned 4's, 5's and 6's and the numbers they turn in are great. I have several boxes of 6's as I'm a believer in a bunch of pellets hitting a bird vs 12 pellets.

try googling rogers sporting goods. I found some old federal shells there.

Thanks! I gave them a try. NoGo.

Oh well.

I checked my stock; I've got enough for this year and maybe next year. It'll give me time to research and sample a few.

I remember those loads, that's all a buddy of mine shot, I remember watching the wad wacking a turkey once

I don't skimp on shells. I can kill 3 birds in Ga, and maybe a coupe pattern shots with a new gun if needed. Giving TSS a try, whats 30 bucks for 3 birds, nothing when considering the gas traveling, tractor, foodplots, etc....

I miss the old Win supreme elite extended ranges, shot my last of them up last season.

THIS !!!

This, right here !!!

The Winchester LBXR shells are the schiz in lead shotshells !!! Pair them with an Indian Creek Black Diamond Strike choke tube and your eyebrows will raise. Your old skool 2 oz. Federals (no disrespect) NEVER shot like that !!!!!

Hear me now and believe me later.

I bought a bunch of those old Federal premium 3 inch 2 ounce loads in #6 copper plated shot years ago for $3.00 a box. I'm still killing turkey with them.

Get a turkey in good killing range and a 2oz load of #6 is hell on them.