I went over to my buddies house to pattern some turkey load yesterday and found the winning combination. I was planing on shooting Federal Turkey Thugs 3 1/2 #6 out of my 835 with Jellyhead choke. I was getting 150ish hits in 10in. circle at 40yds. He tells me he has a SSX choke he used with his 935 he had back in the day and I should try it in my 835. The end results were 172 hits at 40yds and a very good even pattern.
WOW! I just bought that choke and it's in the mail. Thanks for posting this. MY IC BDS .675 put up 147 but that is significantly better.
Yeah, it blew my mind. I was more than happy with the Jellyhead, but he just happened to have the SSX laying around and told me to try it because it done very well in his old 935. I'll take it.
I believe I will try one of those in my 935!
Man you guys are getting some awesome patterns with those thugs!
Makes you wonder what the heavyweight 7's would do in a conventional wad.
Federal has finally produced what looks to be the best lead load ever made with this new ammo. That is very impressive. Was that 40yds tape measured or stepped off or lasered? Just curious.
Since these thugs are not copper plated pellets, do you think maybe they are smaller than normal and have more pellets per oz. than copper plated shells? Is this a reason they pattern so well?
Quote from: VAarrowslinger on March 13, 2013, 09:04:25 PM
Since these thugs are not copper plated pellets, do you think maybe they are smaller than normal and have more pellets per oz. than copper plated shells? Is this a reason they pattern so well?
Only way to know is to cut them open, weigh and count. But CP is too thin to make an appreciable size difference in shotgun pellets.
Quote from: ILIKEHEVI-13 on March 13, 2013, 08:54:26 PM
Federal has finally produced what looks to be the best lead load ever made with this new ammo. That is very impressive. Was that 40yds tape measured or stepped off or lasered? Just curious.
Range finder.
If I didn't already have a stock pile of hevi 13, I'd be hunting with them.
Quote from: VAarrowslinger on March 13, 2013, 09:04:25 PM
Since these thugs are not copper plated pellets, do you think maybe they are smaller than normal and have more pellets per oz. than copper plated shells? Is this a reason they pattern so well?
They are normal #6 size i have opened them, the copper coating isn't enough to make. Difference
Are the Turkey Thug shells the same as the Federal Strut Shok shells in the blue box? Bass Pro and Cabelas don't say if they are Turkey Thug. Local Wal Mart don't have them. Thanks
Yeah, where can we get these turkey thug shells at?
"Turkey Thugs" are only sold at Walmart. I can't tell any difference in the thugs and the strut shok in the blue box. Me and a buddy shot both back to back out of his gun the other day and had pretty much two identical patterns. The same??? You tell me.
Great pattern!
Picked some 3.5 6's up today at 13.00 for 10 shells. If I can get a patern like that with my 11-87, I'll definitely be dropping the hevi-13.
Heavy 13 6's was getting a bit over 200, but if I could get anywhere like that I'll consider the price difference. I'm one who like to shoot and practice with the shells I hunt with, and refuse to do it at 30.00+ dollars for 5 shells. I might shoot 6 or seven boxes before the Season just for the fact to shoot and prcatice, and have no probem with that at 13.00 for 10 shells, time will tell?
Quote from: Matt81302 on March 13, 2013, 03:36:52 PM
I went over to my buddies house to pattern some turkey load yesterday and found the winning combination. I was planing on shooting Federal Turkey Thugs 3 1/2 #6 out of my 835 with Jellyhead choke. I was getting 150ish hits in 10in. circle at 40yds. He tells me he has a SSX choke he used with his 935 he had back in the day and I should try it in my 835. The end results were 172 hits at 40yds and a very good even pattern.
WOW thats good! I tried some in my 835 today after seeing the hype and only wound up with 85 in the 10 at 40yds, and it wasnt very even. I have posished my barrel, so I dont know what the problem could be. Oh I was using a ssx also.
shot excatct same set up yesterday and got nowhere near that amount of hits,cant understand whats the diff is. :(
Quote from: scastle on March 30, 2013, 08:55:07 AM
shot excatct same set up yesterday and got nowhere near that amount of hits,cant understand whats the diff is. :(
No two guns will shoot the same. Have you deep cleaned and polished that barrel good?
I got some gonna see how they do on paper still shy about shooting a turkey with lead 6's, lost a lot in the past with lead 6's and from a 10 ga. and 12 ga. that patterned great, we'll see.
Quote from: Lucky Clucker on April 02, 2013, 12:57:41 AM
I got some gonna see how they do on paper still shy about shooting a turkey with lead 6's, lost a lot in the past with lead 6's and from a 10 ga. and 12 ga. that patterned great, we'll see.
One of two reasons why you lost birds on 6's. Those guns didnt really pattern like you think they did or you were taking some really long shots.
:agreed:
I love the SSX......had one in two guns so far, 1187 and mossy 500.
in BOTH guns I tried most of the big name chokes and the ssx won me over every time
Very Nice Pattern I like the evenness....
I hope mine is like that when I finally get a chance to get out to pattern.
Quote from: Lucky Clucker on April 02, 2013, 12:57:41 AM
I got some gonna see how they do on paper still shy about shooting a turkey with lead 6's, lost a lot in the past with lead 6's and from a 10 ga. and 12 ga. that patterned great, we'll see.
All shots were 40 yards to 35 yards,a few were thru small brush but most were clear shots,the ones I killed with 6's were tore up, but a lot of the shot was stuck in the bone or cracked it,flatten out and deflected off the vertebra,withHevi shot it goes all the way thru.