A friend of mine and I were talking about turkey loads tonight at the store... We were mainly talking about the Hevi 13 3.5" 2 1/4oz 6s (1090FPS) vs the Hevi 13 3.5" 2 1/4OZ Mag Blends(1200).
We had several thoughts... First the MagBlends... We both agreed that we really liked the velocity of the Mag Blends, 1200FPS, vs the 1090 Speed of the Hevi 6s... We all know that a lot of the slower loads do pattern better(a lot of the time), seems they don't have the "blown" effect, resulting in holes in your patterns. Another concern with the MagBlends was the shot count and inconsistency in the load. Just how many 5s and 6s and are in the load as well as how many 7s? Hard for me to answer that one. It seems the LOT #s differ somewhat.
The Straight 6s... We both loved that it was a full load, 2 1/4oz of the straight hevi 6s, that usually result in a great even pattern, and usually result trouble for a longbeard. However, the speed is slower as we discussed.
Of course pellet counts are higher on paper it seems with the blends bc of the 7s in the load. I have used Blend for 2 years and have no reason to change. He has used the 6s for 2 years and said he had no reason to change..
Whats your opinion, which do you like better and why? Does the 1090 vs 1200 make that much difference in the field(not on paper). Would you rather have a full load of 6s, a consistant load, that doesn't change from lot to lot, or would you rather have the blends?
Rememeber guys, we are NOT talking about Straight 7s here on this topic.
It was just friendly gun counter talk and I really enjoyed it. I have ZERO problems with either load and believe the company makes some of the finest turkey loads available to the hunter today.
So.. which and why? Even though the pellet count seems higher with the blends, would you rather have the full load of 6s in a hunting situation? Fill us in...
:popcorn:
I'm going to let someone else say both those loads are good, but no comparison to the straight HEVI #7 :popcorn:
the magblends will kill a turkey just as dead as the all mighty,holly than thou #7's
dead is dead no matter how many little holes that are in the piece of "paper"
I have never used the blends, I am sure they are a fantastic load. The straights 6's are great and will destroy a tom. Between the two I will choose a load of straight 7's 100% of the time. I figure if it will put a bunch of little holes in paper it will put a bunch of little holes in the head of a turkey. Since I know what the 7's will do at distance, I'll choose the 7's.
It always amuses me when people get mad over what someone else shoots. The guy I hunt with shoots Xtended Range #4's, do I like that choice, no. Is he using my money to buy them, no, so he can shoot whatever he wants.
Shoot what you have confidence in and be done with it.
I like the idea of the 7s. But they aren't readily available in my area so I stuck with 6s and MagBlends in my setups. Basically on the idea if I forget to pack the shells I can swing by a store in my hunting area to get more. I killed two turkeys this year. One with 3.5" Hevi 6s the other with 3" MagBlends. Both around the 35 yd mark. Neither one knew what hit them.
The last time I shot my 835 a few weeks ago I got 190 in the 10 with the 3.5" magblends and 180 with the 3.5" Hevi 6's. That was with my Star Dot choke that shoot the 7's in the 3.5" loads so much better. I say it really ain't gonna matter much what you pick. The blends are 1/3 of each 5's, 6's and 7's. That came straight from Kelly Sorensen who is VP of Sales/Marketingfor Hevi-Shot.
I myself would rather just shoot the straight 7's.
As Surehuntsalot said, both the #6s and Magblends will kill turkeys. DEAD! I killed a turkey this year with the Ext. Range 3 1/2 #4s this year at around 40 yds. When I went to get him, where he laid it looked like a deer had been shot there was so much blood. I am CONFIDENT that I do not need 300 holes in a ten inch circle at 40 yds. to wreak havoc on a turkey's head. As Tom Foolery said to each his own as to what you shoot as long the confidence factor is there and the end result is an ethical kill.
Took my ohio and pa birds this year with turkey thug 3" 1-7/8-6s.Hit the oh bird so hard he did a backflip!About a $1 per shot.Now if i were going to choose to shoot hevi,i would probably go with the Blends for the simple fact i can find them on the shelf locally and they are between $4-$6 a box cheaper than the straight 6s or 7s which nobody carries around here anyways.So add in shipping costs and the price difference is even greater.The 7s put up some awesome numbers and patterns and will surely ruin a gobblers day,but i will have to respectfully state that 120 plus in the 10 at 40 with any load will kill stone dead any bird out there.Now that said,i don't cheap out on equipment,and if i were travelling far to hunt i would probably be packing hevi 7s for the performance on what may be a one chance deal.But for hunting locally i shoot lead cause i can always pick and choose my shots,an option i may not have on a hunt with a limited time frame.So in so many words,Blends it would be,lol!
Quote from: the Ward on May 02, 2013, 06:04:47 AM
Now if i were going to choose to shoot hevi,i would probably go with the Blends for the simple fact i can find them on the shelf locally and they are between $4-$6 a box cheaper than the straight 6s or 7s which nobody carries around here anyways.
The Blends are $9-$10 per box more around here than the 6's or 7's and they almost never have the blends in stock. That's odd that they are cheaper in one place and more expensive in another.
Yea,that always puzzles me about pricing of stuff by retailers in todays internet shopping world,especially when it comes to geographic locations.I understand the retailers probably have a higher overhead,and taxes vary state to state,but sometimes the markups seem absurd.And i have to correct my post as i was comparing the Magblends to the Federal heavyweights,both of which are available locally.My bad,didn't have enough coffee yet when i posted lol!...ward
I've been shooting the 6's for 3 years now. I've missed a couple but not because the bird ducked the load that was only traveling 1090 FPS. I would'nt have killed him with a load that was traveling 2000 FPS.
By the way, the Blends are $2 - $5 per box higher than the straight loads here in Ky as well. One guy that runs a small gun shop here locally says that nothing is even available to him right now. I'm calling BS... I can order it from anywhere, why couldn't he...
Guys,
If you want the 7's in your area, all you got to do is make a request to the the gun shop or store in your area like I did. Then you will no longer have to say that the blends or the 6's are the only thing in your area available.
And I, too, could care less what you shoot. Shoot lead if you want. It works. But the Hevi-13 loads at least most of it works a lot better. The 3" Magblend loads that I have shot were not that impressive. I like the 7's due to the fact I can typically get a lot more hits inside a 20" circle at 40yds. To me, that just stacks the odds in my favor even if I misjudge the yardage.
I got quite a few of the Hevi-13 3.5" 1 and 3/4oz #5's that I paid I think $9 a box shipped for. They shoot pretty good too. I couldn't pass them up for the price. I bought them from a gun shop in GA.
Ive shot both and they both patterned well out of my 870SM with .665 jelly head. A slight advantage in my gun with the MB's. For me it worked out where the highest velocity shot better. Im shooting 3.5in shells.
A clean barrel and a sumtoy choke with anything HEVI is bad news.. I've killed with the Blends, 6's, and straight 7's
I shoot the 6's because when I found them at $18/box I bought 6 boxes
I have ZERO complaints with the 3.5" 2.25 oz #6! They will flat out crush one! I did try #7's a few years ago but missed (no fault of the shell) both birds I shot at with them. They are certainly impressive on paper and I'm confident they'll do the job on a gobbler as well. I have no experience with Mag Blends but I know people who like them as well. If you can stand the cost, I'd say any of the above offerings from Hevi would kill just as good as the other. I stocked up of the 3.5" 2.25oz #6 at Academy last year for $19.99 per box. Looks like I made a pretty good investment and they should last me quite a while at the rate I'm using them. lol
Killed allot of turkeys with Hevi 6's ever since they were on the market. Killed allot of turkeys with hevi 7's and mag blends. Cant tell the slightest difference in which one kills better. They are all bad to the bone..literally. I have more confidence in the 7's due the density of the patterns. Less gaps means more shot in the turkey.
6's, 7's, or mag blends...they all work for me. I use whichever I find the best price on. I seriously doubt I will ever say, "I would have killed that turkey if I had used [insert any choice here], instead of [insert different choice here]."
I have come to the conclusion that pretty much any turkey load marketed today
would have killed all the turkeys I have ever killed. What i mean to say, is i dont think
it would have mattered whether i shot the bird with 4's or 5's or 6's or blends or 7's ,,, I really think the kill shot would end up with the same result.
All of my misses, had little if not nothing to do with the shotshell but rather decisions I made
at the time of shooting. I doubt my turkey tally would be much different if I had exclusively used a 20 ga or a 12 ga all these years.
I jsut dont think the equipment (gun or shell) would have made much difference.
That being said, i prefer to use lead 5's in my 12 ga and #7 fed HW in my 20.
most of my shots should be in the 30yrd range... I typically hunt with my 12 when turkeys are scarce and hunt with the 20 when they are abundant.
Quote from: archdriver on May 02, 2013, 02:49:41 PM
I have come to the conclusion that pretty much any turkey load marketed today
would have killed all the turkeys I have ever killed. What i mean to say, is i dont think
it would have mattered whether i shot the bird with 4's or 5's or 6's or blends or 7's ,,, I really think the kill shot would end up with the same result.
All of my misses, had little if not nothing to do with the shotshell but rather decisions I made
at the time of shooting. I doubt my turkey tally would be much different if I had exclusively used a 20 ga or a 12 ga all these years.
I jsut dont think the equipment (gun or shell) would have made much difference.
That being said, i prefer to use lead 5's in my 12 ga and #7 fed HW in my 20.
most of my shots should be in the 30yrd range... I typically hunt with my 12 when turkeys are scarce and hunt with the 20 when they are abundant.
I like all of what you said, except I would have had to hunt with the 12 gauge all year if abundance makes the decision.