Last Year, Federal was all the Rage with the Turkey Thug loads at Wal-Mart. For many, they were the best Lead loads available, period. And they were cheap to boot. $10.00-$12.00 per box.
Now Winchester, who has a long history of good Lead shells, is introducing a new Long-Range Lead Turkey load. They claim significant increases in pattern density at long range. But they will be about $20.00 per box. If they appear to beat the numbers put up by the Thugs, but the Thugs are available again this year at Half the cost, which one will you buy?
Just asking what I am sure will be a popular question on here this coming year.
U DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO LOOSE BY TRYING THEM OUT , IVE BEEN HAPPY WITH Turkey Thug LOADS , BUT , I TURKEY HUNT WITH MY M2 20 Ga. , IM GETTING MY MOSSBURG 930 SET UP TO TAKE A 12GA. WITH ME FOR A BACK UP ..
I am def. going to give them a try. Have plenty of Win. HV 5's to shoot for the rest of my life but from what i've read these shells look promising. I am curious what the Shot Lok will do with a load of 4's? The articles have mostly focused on 5's and 6's, but I assume 4's will be an option also. Like I said in another post, these look like lead with a turbo charger. I think that like everything else, the demand for HTL loads is so high that the market is setting the price like any highly sought product and as consumers we want the best and we want it to be affordable. Lead has proven it's reliability as a multi use load in shotshells and I'm glad to see Win. step up and use that technology and make it better. Hope it works out for them, I'll support it.
I hope it patterns awesome. But Federal managed to get a simple cheap load with unplated lead to do so at half the price. Why can't Winchester?
I've only bought the previous Winchester loads at Wal-Mart, because the HV shells are $11.97 there, versus $17 at BPS. If this load costs even more, I hope that they are still cheaper at Wal-Mart.
These are only in #4,5,6 lead in 3" and 3.5" 12 gauge , so with my 12 gauge being on the back burner they won't be selling me any shells. I would like to try them in 20 gauge as they would still be one-half to one third the expense of any HTL loads . A box of 10 3.5" shells for $20-$22 isn't that bad really.
What I don't like is the implication that you can kill turkeys using #6s at 70 yards due to its pattern on paper.
This can and has happened but it is just way past my limit on distance.
6 shot lead at 70 yards, at 1200 fps muzzle. Will not be trying that !
Didn't most go to 5's and 4's for better penetration even at 40 yards?
Will try the load for patterning but at 40 .
What was the problem in the video, he said 1 shot at long distance wasn't worth counting?
I'll give them a try because I have always liked Winchester shells
I'll probably try them.
I hope they still have the thugs, I need some more.. I still have like 4-5 boxes, that's what I plan on shooting
The thugs were federal loads. i would hope they keep that load out there and don't change it up with powders and wad changes. Do not need to be chasing lots!
i think i will try both
Truth About Guns did a test and the #4's put up #'s like a #5 Win HV load at 40 yards. I like the fact that they are adding new technology to a proof tested load like lead. It's really up to the hunter to keep his shots within the 40 yard range. HTL has gotten outrageous and the big companies like Win. and Federal are seeing that with this load and the Turkey Thug load.
Im going to try the 3.5" #4s in my 935. I'm curious to know if it'll out do the XX #4s.
Quote from: SCDieselDawg on December 16, 2013, 04:35:34 PM
Im going to try the 3.5" #4s in my 935. I'm curious to know if it'll out do the XX #4s.
They will out shoot any other lead shell that we have tested. :icon_thumright:
Quote from: SumToy on December 18, 2013, 08:38:18 PM
Quote from: SCDieselDawg on December 16, 2013, 04:35:34 PM
Im going to try the 3.5" #4s in my 935. I'm curious to know if it'll out do the XX #4s.
They will out shoot any other lead shell that we have tested. :icon_thumright:
that is good to know
I do love a good pattern of #4's
I saw some testing done with these shells done on drury outdoors natural born killers the other day and they had good patterns at 60 yards with the 3 inch 4's in an encore and mad max choke. They were saying how they could possibly have an 80 yard gun. I would never think of shooting one that far with any shotgun, but from what I saw the 4's would pattern like 5's in a normal Winchester lead load at 40 yards. A nice even swarm of 4's at 40 yards equals a bad day for a Tom!
It is amazing what Winchester has done with lead in this load. I know that the turkey thugs from Federal perform well also but the Longbeard XR is worth the $$ in my opinion. Alot of old school turkey hunters used #4 shot because of the knockdown power, looks like we can start hunting old school again!
If they got to shoot at 60 or 80 yards their hunting skills suck. Period. Or maybe there just afflicted with the "have to have something dead in the back of the truck no matter what" syndrome of the t.v. "pros" ::)
Has anybody tested at closer ranges like 20-30 yds ... Just wonder how the "glued" pellets separate at close range.... Is it an even pattern or a golf ball size pattern at 20 yds?
i have no plans of switching from my Winchester supreme 3.5" -5's...killed every bird with this setup i have shot at with my Bps...
Quotei have no plans of switching from my Winchester supreme 3.5" -5's...killed every bird with this setup i have shot at with my Bps...
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Gotta love those Lead #5's.
I completely understand that HTL turned almost every shotgun into a bonafide 40 Yard pattern machine. HTL gave an instant pattern improvement in most of the guns and chokes that wouldn't post up big numbers with Lead. But if a person finds a combo that rocks with Lead, it's hard to justify paying for HTL.
Continued improvements in Lead loads, and future price increases in Tungsten-based HTL may put a squeeze on the demand for HTL loads; unless people then use the logic that if these new Lead load technologies were applied to HTL loads, they would pattern at 80-100 Yards. What if the Longbeard technology were applied to a load of #6 HTL pellets? It's a slippery slope. When will it stop?
I like Lead myself.
I may be wrong, but with HTL being harder than lead, it wouldn't benefit from the resin. The htl doesn't deform upon acceleration inside the barrel. So, I don't think it would help. JMO...
Quote from: 2much2loud on January 17, 2014, 07:43:59 PM
Has anybody tested at closer ranges like 20-30 yds ... Just wonder how the "glued" pellets separate at close range.... Is it an even pattern or a golf ball size pattern at 20 yds?
The resin apparently pulverizes upon the round being fired, basically turning it into a dense buffer. Shouldn's have any issues like that. However...what happens if you DROP one of these rounds on a hard floor or rock and shatter the resin if that's even possible? Will the patterns suffer or will pressures spike?
I can see safety issues with the long range shots at over forty yards. Will everyone want a long range load if they make you wear hunter orange to protect yourself and others who you share the woods with? With to days camo and a fifty or seventy yard shot, they won't call it an acident. I can still remember when and why they changed the laws in Missouri that outlawed the use of number two shot for turkeys. It was for safety reasons. Be careful what you wish for, we might get more than we want. Just my two cents. cluck
Quote from: 2much2loud on January 17, 2014, 07:43:59 PM
Has anybody tested at closer ranges like 20-30 yds ... Just wonder how the "glued" pellets separate at close range.... Is it an even pattern or a golf ball size pattern at 20 yds?
At 20 yds it looks like any other shell.