Hevi Shot Magnum Blend

[Tommythreetoes]

I'm a mag blend fan.  I have an 870 with a .665 indian creek tube and it is deadly with the magnum blends.  I get 200+ hits in the 10" at lasered 40 yards consistently.  I had one shot early this spring that I counted 235 in the 10".  I have not polished my barrel yet.  From what I can tell, the shot size is not split into thirds.  There seems to be a little more of the 7s than 6s, and more 6s than 5s.  I'm no expert, but that's the way it looks to me.  They are moving a little faster than the straight 7s or 6s, so that's a plus as well IMO.  I can't tell much recoil difference between the magnum blend and straight 6s.  Federal flight control 3.5 inch 7s hurt...magnum blend doesn't for me anyway.  I've killed 4 turkeys with mag blend this spring...it kills them dead.  All 40 yds or closer for me so far.  I try to keep it at 40, but if a guy misjudged one by a little, he'd be just fine from what I've seen.  Fudge factor.  Oh, those 200 + hits were coming from 3 different lot numbers, and I haven't seen a huge difference from one to another as of yet.  Hopefully they stay consistent.

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

The 1/3 of 5's, 6's, and 7's came from me talking on the phone complaining about how bad these 3" magblends shells shot to Kelly Sorenson who is Vice President of Sales/Marketing for Hevi-Shot.  That came straight from her.  Kelly said all the magblends are loaded with that ratio of shot.  And I could of played around with some chokes and found maybe better results with both of my guns with these loads.  They in my opinion ought to do 1/2 7's, and 1/4 each of 5's and 6's.  Then they would shoot a lot denser patterns.  But I can't see getting 240 to 250 out the 3.5" magblends I have.  Nor can I see getting 200 shot with the 3" magblends.  But I may be wrong.  Like I said the 3" magblends only did 125 and 156.  The 156 was with a Mad Super Max .675 that has shot 297 shot in the 10" at a tape measured 40yds witha the Hevi-13 3" 2oz #7's.  I have gotten other patterns of 283, 264, and 250's with a lot of these same loads and different lot #'s from different chokes from my 870. 

[Turkasaurus]

For those interested.... I just # counted my 870 Super mag 23" barrel w/ .665 Jellyhead at 40 lasered yds from tip of barrel to target. Low 60's degrees, Mag Blend put 219 hits in 10".

[jrmcclure]

125 out of magnum blends is unheard of I don't think I've ever heard of anything less than 160.  I've got a few boxes iv stocked up for the next few years all with different lot numbers and from what I've seen mag blends are pretty consistent from box to box. And I have shot lethal patterns at 65 yards although I'd never shoot a turkey at that distance.

[01Foreman400]

I've got 24 boxes of 3" Mag-Blends but have yet to shoot any yet.


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[ILIKEHEVI-13]

125 out of magnum blends is unheard of I don't think I've ever heard of anything less than 160.  I've got a few boxes iv stocked up for the next few years all with different lot numbers and from what I've seen mag blends are pretty consistent from box to box. And I have shot lethal patterns at 65 yards although I'd never shoot a turkey at that distance.

Trust me you ought to know by now I know what I am saying.  Not saying you are saying that.  That was with the Haymaker(Indian Creek) .670 choke.  125 shot in the 10" circle.  I went and double checked my patterns the last time I shot just to be sure before I threw them away.  And only 156 in the 10" from my best 870 choke which is the MAD Super Max .675.  156 is terrible.  And look at how the MAD Super Max .675 choke would shoot some of the old stuff of Hevi-13 3" 2oz #7's at a tape 40yds.  Now granted this was probably about 3yrs ago.  And temp was about the same.  It was 72 degrees when I shot this one.  And this is what I call a barnburner choke for my 870 28" polished barrel.  And I taped that from tip of choke to target myself at exactly 120ft pulling the tape as tight as I could.   



And here's the whole 20" of that pattern which was 501 shot.  Now those that know patterns will know that is smokin for a 3" shell of #7's.

[Rockhound]

I dont believe the 1/3 ratio myself. I call bull on that no matter who says it, just the same as how they still say they are 13/g/cc shot. I'd be willing to bet that lot #s that are loaded during the spring have less #7s than they do the rest ofthe season due to having to load and sell so many that they dont use as many as the shells they load other times of year when they can focus more on quality rather than quantity.

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

I dont believe the 1/3 ratio myself. I call bull on that no matter who says it, just the same as how they still say they are 13/g/cc shot. I'd be willing to bet that lot #s that are loaded during the spring have less #7s than they do the rest ofthe season due to having to load and sell so many that they dont use as many as the shells they load other times of year when they can focus more on quality rather than quantity.

And you probably have a point.  But I would also bet money that the magblends I have shot so far with the guns I used that a lot of other guns wouldn't shoot the higher numbers that they may have shot with other blend loads that may have had more 7's in them.  I think what your getting at is the variance of shot size that is sometimes produced.  I don't know all of how they make this shot, but I sure would like to see some one take the 3" loads I have left and see in person a 200 10" at a true 40yds.  I'd bet money it wouldn't happen. 

[Rockhound]

I have a couple boxes of 3" but I've never patterned any of them. I also have a box of 10 gauge. I need to pattern and if they shoot good I'm gonna put up 10 boxes or so

[turkey buster]

I would bet a magnum blend is filled with a 1/3 of each...but with7's being the smallest it will have more of them the fill its 3rd on down to less 5's than even 6's.

[Tommythreetoes]

I dont believe the 1/3 ratio myself. I call bull on that no matter who says it, just the same as how they still say they are 13/g/cc shot. I'd be willing to bet that lot #s that are loaded during the spring have less #7s than they do the rest ofthe season due to having to load and sell so many that they dont use as many as the shells they load other times of year when they can focus more on quality rather than quantity.

And you probably have a point.  But I would also bet money that the magblends I have shot so far with the guns I used that a lot of other guns wouldn't shoot the higher numbers that they may have shot with other blend loads that may have had more 7's in them.  I think what your getting at is the variance of shot size that is sometimes produced.  I don't know all of how they make this shot, but I sure would like to see some one take the 3" loads I have left and see in person a 200 10" at a true 40yds.  I'd bet money it wouldn't happen.

To clear things up.  My numbers were with a 3.5" load.  I'd be happy to shoot one of your 3s.  Probably gonna be similar to what you saw with your gun.  Who knows though.  So far it's working fantastic for me...I hope they can resist the urge to monkey around with the recipe.

[Terry]

I think they should skip the 6's, and load 65% #7's and 35% # 5's.

[Rockhound]

I would bet a magnum blend is filled with a 1/3 of each...but with7's being the smallest it will have more of them the fill its 3rd on down to less 5's than even 6's.

Yea but what I'm getting at is spring time when handloaders are buying #7s by the 7 lb bag and nitro rah orders a few hundred pound you never know what you might get

[turkey buster]

Yea but what I'm getting at is spring time when handloaders are buying #7s by the 7 lb bag and nitro rah orders a few hundred pound you never know what you might get
[/quote]


I got ya

[ILIKEHEVI-13]

Your right that if they are using a 1/3 recipe on each with the blends that natrurally since the 7's are lighter there will be more of them to equal the 1/3 like the 5's and 6's.  But what I also didn't state is there are some 5's and 6's already in the straight 7 loads of Hevi-13.  I say this because the I dug them out of the turkey I shot back in 2010.  I think I dug out 23 shot or so and posted a picture of it.  Some of them that were buried way deep in the breast of the brid looked almost as big as proably a #4 lead.  But all the shots looked like to me that they shot plum throuh the neck of the bird aond out the other side.  And I will just say that turkey was a good 40yds and few extra for misjudging. 

I do think they need to just dump the 5's altogether, and go with what the one guy said like 2/3 7's and 1/3 6's or 3/4 7's and 1/4 6's.  They would pattern way better if they did for hits at 40yds for 10 and 20" numbers. 

But I honestly believe that the folks(customers) callling Hevi-Shot about offering them a blend of say 5, 6, and 7 shot would be the best of both worlds is the reason why Hevi-Shot went to offering the Magblends.  They probably had no choice to give those customers what they ask for even if they really and truly didn't need it.  And it could be that Hevi-Shot came up with this idea themself.  But think of all the folks that used to talk a bout making a blend years ago.  There is truth in numbers is what I say.  I'm sure Hevi-Shot got flooded with calls and emails to do this.

But at least now I have tested the blends and seen what they would do.  I have a few more boxes to test later as well.  I'll try some different chokes like the Hevi-Shot choke and Pure Gold in my 870 and see how the other 3" Magblends with a diffrent lot # than this one will do.  I do believe I can improve on the 156 that I got with the MAD Super Max .675.  The Hevi-Shot choke is .662 and the Pure Gold is .670.  Maybe the blends want a little tighter choke.  But typically from what my pattern experience has taught me shooting lead over the years that the larger shot will like a little more open choke.  But that isn't written in stone. 

Great chatting with you guys on this topic. 

Brad