Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips

So last year I ran out of Winchester LB #5s and ordered a couple new boxes. I'd already patterned the gun and everything was still on, that gun having always shot that load really well. Anyhow, I patterned with the last two shells I had of the old stock and planned to hunt the new shells. First mistake! Last year I wound up missing two birds. After the second I tried to pattern the gun and realized it wouldn't pattern like it had. I didn't know if something with the choke had changed or what, but anyways end of season comes and that's that. I tell some friends I think it's a bad lot of shells and they all laugh at me and say I can't shoot (On some days them being absolutely right! Okay, maybe even most days ).

Well I bought a new gun this year and the other week a friend and I went to pattern my new gun and his gun. We used the LB #5 I had. Neither gun would pattern. And when I say wouldn't pattern I mean at 20yds it looked like dove loads through an improved cylinder at 40. I tell the same group of friends again that I'm positive at that point it's a bad lot of shells. They all laugh at me again and tell me I can't shoot. I tell them let's run them out of their guns and see what happens and they won't.

Today I got a couple new boxes of LB #5s and so the first thing I did was went outside and shot the gun at 20yds. This is my new gun and it's running a Rob Roberts .660. Honestly the pattern is too tight for my liking, which is what I was worried about, but it was the final nail in the coffin on my point. That lot of shells was bad. Like BAD BAD. I don't have any idea what was wrong with them I just know that none of the guns we fired them through patterned and they were all guns that had been tweaked to run that load. All this to say, always pattern your gun, pattern every year, and if you're moving into a new lot of shells pattern again.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210120/db37210fa549a531f6640dc8d81235e0.jpg)


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Do they rattle any?  I know there was an issue of the resin breaking up causing issues at one time.

Quote from: davisd9 on January 20, 2021, 03:39:36 PM
Do they rattle any?  I know there was an issue of the resin breaking up causing issues at one time.

Had a box and a half left so I just went and checked. In the open box some rattle very noticeably, some a little, and some not at all. More like that in the open box than the unopened box. Also handling them all one after the other I noticed some felt lighter.


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You don't need your slug gun anymore with that baby...lol

Quote from: Tom007 on January 20, 2021, 03:51:39 PM
You don't need your slug gun anymore with that baby...lol

Given where and how I hunt, and the fact the birds tend to get inside twenty, it's going to be way too tight I'm afraid. I still want to pattern it at 20, 30, and 40 just to see but I'm leaning toward trying a Sumtoy .675.


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Looking forward to you pics. Good luck..

Looks like typical 20yd longbeard pattern to me. This is why lots of guys miss with longbeards.
40yds is close enough with those shells.

Quote from: Roost 1 on January 20, 2021, 05:16:12 PM
Looks like typical 20yd longbeard pattern to me. This is why lots of guys miss with longbeards.
40yds is close enough with those shells.

That pattern is the new ammo, not the bad lot.


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Quote from: Roost 1 on January 20, 2021, 05:16:12 PM
Looks like typical 20yd longbeard pattern to me. This is why lots of guys miss with longbeards.
40yds is close enough with those shells.

Agreed


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My pattern is tight like that with longbeards so I put a rear sight on my gun.

I think I need to go take a picture of a pattern with the bad lot. YES, the above pattern is a typical LB pattern. As was stated, it was shot with the new box of shells. The patterns with the bad lot stretched 30" or greater with no continuity at 20yds.


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Quote from: ChesterCopperpot on January 21, 2021, 08:05:34 AM
I think I need to go take a picture of a pattern with the bad lot. YES, the above pattern is a typical LB pattern. As was stated, it was shot with the new box of shells. The patterns with the bad lot stretched 30" or greater with no continuity at 20yds.


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That's the one we want to see.

Be interested in seeing a pattern from one of the shells that do not rattle from the box of the "bad" lot.  I bet it is because of the resin being shattered in the shell.

Quote from: davisd9 on January 21, 2021, 08:15:13 AM
Be interested in seeing a pattern from one of the shells that do not rattle from the box of the "bad" lot.  I bet it is because of the resin being shattered in the shell.

You may very well be right. I'll try to shoot them today if it'll quit raining. Maybe I can shoot one that rattles bad, one that rattles slightly, and one that doesn't rattle If your assumption is right I guess I'll have to start shake testing every box.


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Were they 20 gauge? I had the same experience last uear with a box of 20 gauge #5s.  Sent em back to Winchester and they gave me a coupon.

Quote from: Extendo Clip on January 21, 2021, 11:25:49 AM
Were they 20 gauge? I had the same experience last uear with a box of 20 gauge #5s.  Sent em back to Winchester and they gave me a coupon.

These were 12ga. Seems like it might not be an uncommon thing the more I read. Makes me hesitant to keep using the shells, though I've used them for years and taken many birds with them. Issues with the resin make sense to me. Do you remember if the shells you had rattled if you shook them? I'd never thought to do that until the comment above in this thread. Sure enough they rattle and the new ones don't.


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I know I did a rattle test when I had them, but I can't remember if they did or not.  I still use a box if 12 gauge from three years ago and kill turkeys with it. I think as long as its not a bad batch they are good shells.

Read some old post on this subject it will have some interesting facts. I have been shooting LB#5 since they hit the market. Every year I'd buy a few boxes to start the new turkey season and every year a different pattering result. I always try to look back at saved pictures of old patterns with temperatures and winds to stay consistent, there definitely has been a chance in the manufacturing from when my first box's where patterning. I also tested the shells that rattled, I found no significant difference in the pattern next to the ones that did not. Also I want to say that I tested with a clean barrel also with a dirty barrel the result was evident the clean barrel on the first shot was as good as the second but fell off after that. My suggestion is try to clean your gun barrel after every shot see if that improves your pattern and keep in mind temps make a difference too. Good Luck with moving forward as I for one know it can be frustrating.

I've read the old posts and can tell this has been a consistent issue since they released the shells. Makes me hesitate to ever load them in the gun again. Cleared up enough today that I could shoot a little and so I patterned a couple out of the bad box to show the difference. Both of these are at 20yds, LB #5s through a .660. As said above, the above photo is what I'd expect out of that choke and that load. These, all I can say is a bad lot. The first one was a shell that rattled noticeably. The second was a shell that didn't.

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210122/965937214320aa78565fde7c1f1ae02c.jpg)

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210122/ceb15d25155bc16835d76ea00259d0c0.jpg)


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Call Winchester with the lot number and tell them what happened. Maybe they'll take care of it.

I have seen it in the past with Hevi shot.  watched a friend "miss" a bird, went to camp to check his gun, 40yd pattern was just awful, 3 rounds in a row.  hevi shot mag blends, I think they were leaking buffer too.

One of many reasons I decided to roll my own!

I have used and like Longbeards, till TSS hit the market it was my go to turkey round. I carry a TSS in the chamber and follow with Longbeards 6!!

I have 3 12 gauge turkey guns and they all love longbeards

had the samething happened to me. I went to tss if I had to shoot long beards I would stay home when I buy shells now I open the box and look to make sure the lot# numbers are same...

Quote from: ChesterCopperpot on January 22, 2021, 04:39:35 PM
I've read the old posts and can tell this has been a consistent issue since they released the shells. Makes me hesitate to ever load them in the gun again. Cleared up enough today that I could shoot a little and so I patterned a couple out of the bad box to show the difference. Both of these are at 20yds, LB #5s through a .660. As said above, the above photo is what I'd expect out of that choke and that load. These, all I can say is a bad lot. The first one was a shell that rattled noticeably. The second was a shell that didn't.

That is bad!