Has any one noticed the improvement in shotshells for wild turkeys in the last few years?

I always hand-loaded my shells to be sure I had the best patterns with high velocity. But these days times have definitely changed. I no longer hand-load my turkey loads. I can’t even come close to the performance that these new shells give us.

Some even suggest that we shoot them in a bit more open choke barrels – to avoid disruption of the shot in creating the ideal pattern. This is news to me. I always thought we needed to squeeze the shot together to get a tight pattern at longer distances. But what do I know? I only hand loaded and took a boat load of turkeys for the last 50 years or so by using my now antiquated methods. I did not have the knowledge the new boys have – like shot that weigh more than lead. Oh, yes! I learned that the heaviest metal God made was lead and that was it!

But some very smart human learned that you could mix lead with another substance (neither of which weigh as much as lead) and get metal that weighs more than lead! When I get that one figured out, I too will be able to kill turkeys much farther awat.

When I look on my wall, I see a whole bunch of turkey beards. There are a few (precious few) that I took over 40 yards away. That was about the range beyond which you were risking losing the bird. I made such shots because I misjudged the distance, and felt fortunate when I stepped the actual distance.

There were other reasons the new shells have brought so much more efficiency to turkey loads. Notice the wads in the new shells are several times heavier than the old wads. I haven’t tested the new shells to learn why this is important, and this is still a mystery to this old timer. But the new wads work better and that is that.

I know that historically if you increase the velocity in turkey loads, you always “blew out the pattern.” The new shells are stoked up with perhaps new powder that fits well in the new formula. Formerly, an increase in powder, tore my patterns all to bits.

And because the new shells get more push behind the shot charge, the manufacturer can put several size shot in the load. This season I have taken two birds with shells that are loaded with numbers 6, 7 and 8 shot.

The new shells seem to have taken a long time coming. Seems to me we could have figured some of these things out long ago and seen greater success.