I tried some Hevi-13's for the first time last year, in #7 and the Mag-Blend. I didn't get all that good a pattern with the 7's in my guns, and wanted to try some 6's before this spring. I just checked Cabelas, and they are now $26.99 for a box of 5, 3 inch! Yikes! I'm sure they were under $20 last year, plus had a $5 rebate per box. With shipping, that would run me over $6 a shell.
When I'm actually hunting, I don't mind the cost that much, but geez, it is tough for me to blow 6 bucks patterning on a piece of paper, not to mention the expense if they don't work out, which is often the case.
I'm sticking with the lead myself! I've been on the fence for awhile about switching to the heavy's. Yeah, the price is my main concern with having to find that shot/choke combo. I have 4 turkey guns and could set anyone of those up for the heavy stuff but I can't seem to find the heavy type brands locally without having to order them, which adds to the price per shot.
I enjoy just shooting the guns but if I paid $6 or more a shot, I wouldn't be shooting as much LOL. I've done well with lead so far. I won't switch over until its a mandatory environmental thing, which I think we'll see here in Indiana very soon.
So your not the only one! Good Luck!
I no longer shoot Hevi-13's either. I switched to Winchester HD loads!
I bought a choke and hevi 5 and 6 shot.I could not get it to pattern in eather of my turkeys guns,so I don't use it.I didn't want to move the sight on my pump and my auto is a bead sight.I only gun hunt turkey in the fall and impress myself with some of the birds I have taken at ranges with lead.(40-45 yrds)I hear a lot of BS about peole shooting birds a 70 plus yrds.with hevi shot.I think that takes out some of the fun.
You won't see this boy dumping $6 a shell either. Not when I can catch Win HV's on sale for around $10 a box and kill the same amount.
Quote from: guesswho on January 05, 2012, 01:15:48 PM
You won't see this boy dumping $6 a shell either. Not when I can catch Win HV's on sale for around $10 a box and kill the same amount.
My Local Wal-mart has been sellin the Winchester High Velosity 3" 5 and 6 shots for $9.97 abox. I been buyin it up! I was also able to get it in 20ga. at that price too!
If 45yds is all a man needs, lead will do just fine.
never switched to hevi and never will lead has worked for many years and if you bring them in close like i was taught a 410 will do the job i cant see anythrill with shooting birds at 40 to 60 yards i love 20 and in
I use the htl loads some,but I still love my lead loads also
I use lead very often every season
Quote from: link=topic=15346.msg169084#msg169084 date=1325857320
The biggest difference I've noticed since moving on from lead is that they don't do a lot of back flips and somersaults and stuff with the TSS, like they did with lead. They lay a lot stiller after I shoot them now. And it gives set up cushion that is kinda nice. Even though I shoot the most expensive stuff out there, ammo is by far the cheapest component of my annual turkey hunting expenditures. And I don't see the point in skimping at the moment of truth on the one thing that will make the most difference. I figure I can skimp at McDonalds a couple times a year to save up for the ammo....
Feel the same way man, same as when people complain about a $40 3-pack of broadheads for their $1000 bow.. im not skimping on the one piece of equipment that actually does the killing
My birds were killed at 29 and 33 last year, easy lead range even with a factory choke but their heads looked like I shot them with buckshot at 6ft and thtas a piece of mind you cant buy. No flopping no need to stand on their necks
Price of shells does suck some of the fun out of patterning though
i would be shooting lead if i had'nt found some mag blends really cheap im gonna try'em out and see
If you're lucky like me, and your rig shoots the same POI with Lead and HTL, you can both practice and hunt with Lead, but when an extra edge is required, it sure is nice to know that you have HTL loads in your vest for more open setups.
Location, setup, calling, and gun-choke-load combo; in that order.
I'll gladly pay for the stone cold dead performance I get out of hevi13.
If ya shoot 10 turkeys a spring, you'll have exhausted 60 bucks. That's a negligible amount in contrast to total investment in turkey guns, calls, camo, tags and travel cost each spring.
I can't see denying performance in favor of saving a couple bucks.
I feel ya.. its hard to drop that kind of money on 5 shells.
Did Tungsten prices jump again, or are we still feeling the effects of last years price increase? I'm glad I stocked up on Hevi 3-2-7's last year. Looks like the prices are $4 to $5 more per box than last year. :bike2:
go back to lead...I thought turkeys had evolved where it wouldn't kill em anymore ???
I'm going to shoot what I feel is the deadliest load out there regardless of price. When you figure $3 a gallon gas, lease prices, etc., Spending $50 a year on shells is chickenfeed.
as some others said i personally like hevi better, if nothing else just the confidence factor. I also agree that with all the money in a turkey gun and calls why not get the best ammo you can. Once it is sighted in a box can last a full year or more (depending on your limits)
also i got hevi #6 and magblends from academy just a few days ago for $19.99 a box. there is nothing wrong with lead and i hunted and killed with it for years though, to each his own.
I will stick with lead.
Might as well buy Nitros if its going to cost $6 a shell.
Quote from: Gobble! on January 09, 2012, 07:26:23 PM
Might as well buy Nitros if its going to cost $6 a shell.
$5 divided by $20 = $4 a shell. if you look around you can find them for $20 a box pretty easy and i am sure Hevi will do the rebate again this year.
now i will agree 5 shells for $35 bucks (nitros) is a bit more then i am willing to go.
quote author=gaswamp link=topic=15346.msg170800#msg170800 date=1326133927]
go back to lead...I thought turkeys had evolved where it wouldn't kill em anymore ???
[/quote] :OGturkeyhead: :lol: Me too!
Quote from: VaTuRkStOmPeR on January 09, 2012, 09:30:59 AM
I'll gladly pay for the stone cold dead performance I get out of hevi13.
If ya shoot 10 turkeys a spring, you'll have exhausted 60 bucks. That's a negligible amount in contrast to total investment in turkey guns, calls, camo, tags and travel cost each spring.
I can't see denying performance in favor of saving a couple bucks.
I hear ya! :agreed:
I won't argue that lead kills turkeys. I killed my first bird with it, but what has been show in many threads here that many have able to increase the number of pellets in their patterns by switching to smaller HTL shot while maintaining the energy to ethically kill a bird. My time in the turkey woods is very limited and I feel that the advantage HTL gives me is worth the added expense.
I am not going back. Hevi 7's put a pounding on birds.
http://www.mackspw.com/Item--i-ENV130S
Quote from: reynolds243 on January 09, 2012, 07:31:04 PM
Quote from: Gobble! on January 09, 2012, 07:26:23 PM
Might as well buy Nitros if its going to cost $6 a shell.
$5 divided by $20 = $4 a shell. if you look around you can find them for $20 a box pretty easy and i am sure Hevi will do the rebate again this year.
now i will agree 5 shells for $35 bucks (nitros) is a bit more then i am willing to go.
$5 divided by $20 = $.25 a shell. But I know what you mean :TooFunny:
Quote from: Gobble! on January 11, 2012, 08:48:08 PM
Quote from: reynolds243 on January 09, 2012, 07:31:04 PM
Quote from: Gobble! on January 09, 2012, 07:26:23 PM
Might as well buy Nitros if its going to cost $6 a shell.
$5 divided by $20 = $4 a shell. if you look around you can find them for $20 a box pretty easy and i am sure Hevi will do the rebate again this year.
now i will agree 5 shells for $35 bucks (nitros) is a bit more then i am willing to go.
$5 divided by $20 = $.25 a shell. But I know what you mean :TooFunny:
hahaha Touche
Like others have said, I don't mind having an extra few dollars when I pull the trigger. I have "missed" plenty with lead, my federals are batting .1000.
I just shoot what patterns best..the cost of the shell is minimal considering i can only shoot 3 turkeys here in MS. It cost 20.00 in gas everytime i go hunting locally. Hevi 13 3-2-6 , Hevi 13 3.5-2.25-7, and Hevi 13 3-2-7 pattern the best out of all of my guns by far.. I have found Hevi 13 6's numerous times for 19.99 for a box of five. Thats about 4.25 a shot. 12.75 to kill three turkeys doesnt exactly break the bank and if it did i would have to find another hobby. I agree with VATKYStomper..Anyone traveling around the country to kill 10 turkeys is definately not concerned about the bottomline when it comes to hunting expenditures. Thats kinda like saving 50.00 and spending 5,000.00. I can sleep in a couple of mornings when there are adverse conditions and more than pay for my shells. I would say shoot what ever shell patterns best and provides the cleanest most ethical kill. Its about respect for the wild turkey. I have friends that bowhunt them and lose a significant number of birds. It is fun to bowhunt them but not worth crippling them to me. When i pull the trigger i want to do everything i can to have to best chance of putting him down cleanly and effectively. :boon:
Great post Longshanks!
:z-winnersmiley:
Quote from: Longshanks on January 12, 2012, 11:39:35 AM
Its about respect for the wild turkey. I have friends that bowhunt them and lose a significant number of birds. It is fun to bowhunt them but not worth crippling them to me.
A good post, but I would say if your friend is losing a
significant amount of birds, then he needs to hang up the bow up or practice more. Bow hunting them is a lot harder than hunting them with a gun, but if the correct amount of practice and patience are put into the hunt a bird should be put down routinely. Not saying that the occasional mistake won't be made, but instead of routinley laying birds down with a bow they are routinely being crippled, its time to stick with a gun only.
Quote from: buck_hunter21 on January 12, 2012, 04:09:12 PM
Quote from: Longshanks on January 12, 2012, 11:39:35 AM
Its about respect for the wild turkey. I have friends that bowhunt them and lose a significant number of birds. It is fun to bowhunt them but not worth crippling them to me.
A good post, but I would say if your friend is losing a significant amount of birds, then he needs to hang up the bow up or practice more. Bow hunting them is a lot harder than hunting them with a gun, but if the correct amount of practice and patience are put into the hunt a bird should be put down routinely. Not saying that the occasional mistake won't be made, but instead of routinley laying birds down with a bow they are routinely being crippled, its time to stick with a gun only.
Losing any turkeys due to crippling is significant to me..Among the hunters i know..on average there are more turkeys crippled per kill on average with a bow than with a gun. The numbers are not even comparable. For instance i may kill 20-25 turkeys before i miss one with a gun.. Not so with archery equipment. Some of my friends that turkey hunt with bows are professionial hunters and 3D tournament shooters. The degree of difficulty when it comes to clean kills with a bow is so much higher than shooting with a high tech turkey gun... the errors cant help but be higher.
Sorry, i didnt mean to turn this into an archery/gun discussion but the percentage of lost game ..whether it turkeys or whitetail deer..is much higher with archery equipment. Just ask any outfitter in the midwest and most will tell you that the losses can be high.
Quit crying! Your ammo is by far the least expensive part of your turkey killing machine! I use h13 3 1/2" #7's! I dont mind paying the extra money a bit if it makes my guns perform better!
$700 LEASE, $500 GUN, $20 IN GAS, CONFIDENCE IN $4 HEVISHOT-----PRICELESS!!!!!!!!
I've got seven shells left from my box of WinXRHD last year. If those run out, I'd be comfy switching my choke and using up the remaining Winchester HV lead 6's hiding somewhere in the gun cabinet! They have accounted for most all of my birds before the HTL craze.
Love my win hv 3.5 no.5's. The ole 835 with a kicks .670 tears em up.
Nothing wrong with lead
nope?
Who besides Cabela's has jacked up the price anyway? I'm finding tons of H13 boxes from other places that are about the same price as last year.
I bought 3 boxes of Mag Blends two weeks ago at BPS. $21.99 ea. Went up there last night and it's still the same price. 3 in is $19.99 ea. Same prices as last year.
I have always used lead and don't intend to change at this time.
thats all i ever shot was LEAD :newmascot:
pat :chucknorris: