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Gun Patterning
Larger shot penetrates better at longer distances but smaller sizes deliver more pieces of shot.
Most missed turkeys with a sighted in shotgun are due to the shooter not keeping their head down on the gun.
Be sure to check your state regulation book for any shot size restrictions.
The ideal pattern for turkey hunting is 100 pellets in a 10-inch circle at 40 yards.
A. Schedule ample range time, and then gather your patterning gear to include:
1) Choke tubes (turkey chokes, X-Full)
2) A wide selection of ammunition (shot sizes, charges, hulls, brands)
3) Hearing/eye protection, and a recoil pad
4) Stapler, masking tape, black magic marker
5) Small set of screwdrivers for adjusting sights
6) Turkey targets and 30” square pieces of white butcher paper
7) Heavy cardboard and target stands
8) Gun vise, sandbags, or similar device
Facts & Tips:
B. In the center of a piece of white paper, make a golf ball-sized black mark – this is your aiming point. Tack/tape the paper to the cardboard, put the cardboard on the stand, and place the stand at 30 yards.
From a rested gun, fire 2-3 rounds to determine your shotgun’s point of impact (center of pattern density). Adjust any sights – iron, Red-Dot, Aim point, scope, etc. – to correspond with the center of the pattern.
C. Patterning for effect. Replace the white paper with turkey-specific targets, and using your shot shell/choke of choice, fire a minimum of three rounds (30 yards) until you’ve found a shot shell/choke/shot size combination that performs consistently; that is, the ideal turkey load will place a consistent number of pellets within the target’s vital (head/brain and spinal column) area every time you pull the trigger.
D. Once you’ve achieved consistency, fire rounds at distances ranging from 15 to 50 yards. How does the gun pattern at close range? At what distance does the pattern fall apart? Answer these questions, combine with consistency, and you’ll be armed with total confidence and the ultimate turkey thumper.
Patterning a shotgun provides information about three factors critical to turkey hunting success:
- Which loads deliver the best killing patterns?
- How far you can reasonably expect to shoot at a turkey and be certain of a clean kill?
3. Whether your shotgun delivers shot to the aiming point.
This last factor can be surprising. Shotguns normally are used on moving targets, and shooters develop instinctive skills to put the shot where it needs to be. But turkey hunting guns are aimed more like rifles than scatterguns.
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