A while back I thought it might be interesting to put all the different loads I and and another fellow have tested on sheet metal to get an objective look at the relative penetration power of the various shot.

For easier reference, I broke them down into five groups based on the percentages of pellets striking the tin passed completely through.

At 40 yds,
group #1: zero or less than 5% pellet pass through;
group #2: 10-25% pass through
group #3: 30-50% pass through;
group #4: 50% -75% pass through;
group #5: >90% pass through.

Note that the brown sheet metal blong used was slightly thicker than the gray I used, so the comparison between the two different colored tin is not exact.

GROUP #1: zero to less than 10% pellet pass through

#9 lead at 20 yds
(high brass Rio)
[img]http://forum.gon.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=185502&stc=1&d=1221533540[/img]

#6 copper plated lead at 40 yds


#4 copper plated lead (high velocity) at 40 yds
(Federal Hi-Velocity Magnum 1-7/8 oz. turkey load)



GROUP #2: 10-25% pass through

#7 Hevi-shot (1200fps) at 40 yds
(Nitros #7s)


#6 Hevishot at 40 yds (1300fps duck loads)
[img]http://forum.gon.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=185503&stc=1&d=1221533540[/img]


GROUP #3: 30-50% pass through

#9 18g/cc tungsten (1037 fps) at 40 yds



GROUP #4: 50% to 75% pellet pass through

#6 Hevi-13 at 40 yds (1090 fps)


#9 18g/cc tungsten at 40 yds (1180fps)



GROUP #5: >90% pass through

#5 Hi Density (Win XR) at 40 yds (1300fps)


#7 15-16g/cc tungsten at 40 yds (1180fps) (note the tin is incorrectly labeled 7.5)


#8 18g/cc tungsten at 40 yds (1180 fps)
[img]http://forum.gon.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=185501&stc=1&d=1221533540[/img]

#7 18g/cc tungsten at 40 yds (1180 fps)
[img]http://forum.gon.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=185500&stc=1&d=1221533540[/img]



And these are some 18g/cc 9x8s (1180fps) at longer yardage just for reference to see what the pixie dust is capable of.

18g/cc tungsten 9x8s at 50 yds



18g/cc tungsten 9x8s at 60 yds

Thanks for that post, lots of useful information right there. It is a wonder we used to kill birds with lead and copper plated lead at all. The Win XR shells look good too. I would like to see what a Nitro 4x5x7 do because the Nitro 7's don't look good at all.

I bet some farmer was pissed that ya'll shot so many holes in his barn roof

Not that much of a wonder. I shoot them at 40 regardless of what I am shooting - no more. Putting a pellet into a turkeys brain is much more like penetrating an eggshell than tin and lots of penetration leads to an exceptional ability to cripple one out where folks think they can kill one. I would hazard a guess that there are many more cripples now than when folks knew to limit their range. MHO

Not that it matters, but I kinda think differently on that. I think its hard for people to let that turkey walk away that hangs up at 60-however far. Especially with all the weekend warriors there are these days. All I mean by that, is its easier if you know you can come back the next day and stand a good chance of fooling with him again. Of course, they may have just peppered them at that distance before, where they are fatally wounding them now?? Who knows....maybe that is correct.

Gobbler, do you aim right at the head all the time? I've seen you make references to how easy the head is to penetrate before, so I wonder if that is always your target?

I usually aim halfway up the neck and most of my turkeys are killed by shot in the neck more than the head. And I think the extra penetration power of the HTL shot really helps to break the neck. I guess if you are gonna aim only at the head, then penetration really doesn't make that much difference. Get you some TSS #9s and shoot them in a 20 gauge and you can bust every noggin you see at 40 yds.

And 50 and well never mind.

I am impressed that anyone can tell the difference between 39 yds and 41 yds without a range finder.

I would guess that the folks who cripple the most birds are those that just grab a shell that says "turkey" on it and go out and hunt with it because heck its a shotgun.

I used to go by the 40 yard limit when I was using lead #5s and #6s, even though the pattern and penetration energy of those shells gives about 30 yds less range than what I shoot now. I reckon it ain't so much the range limit per se as it is the actual effective range of what comes out of the barrel.

40 yds became the "standard" maximum range because of the limitations of the guns and ammo back in the day. It's a pretty meaningless number outside of that context. I'd rather guys shoot 50 yds with my current 20 ga setup than 40 yds with what I used to shoot in the 12 ga. They'd have less cripples.

I've never shot but a couple birds over 40 yds, if that many, if I recall correctly. My hunting style doesn't offer me many long shots. In 2011, I shot birds at 29, 28, 29, 50, 35, 30, and 35 yds. But I no longer worry much about the range anymore when I set up, because I know I'm good to go well past it and have lots of cushion and make cleaner kills.

Hal, gobbler is a forester. He spends most of his days in the woods with a Biltmore Stick, so he's pretty good at guessing ranges.

But don't let him fool you; he's been known to shoot Nitros. I'm sure its just to make sure they are really dead instead of just dead.

>>>40 yds became the "standard" maximum range because of the limitations of the guns and ammo back in the day. It's a pretty meaningless number outside of that context.<<<

Now that statement is just pure blasphemy! The 40 yard number comes from the Bible. It rained for 40 days in the Great Flood, Moses was on the mountain 40 days, Jesus was in the wilderness 40 days, and turkeys are not to be shot over 40 yards. That's the only reason I can think of that the number could be so widely used.

Think I'm on the right track?

Most times where I hunt I won't ever see him until he gets inside 40 anyway, but I like overkill.

You may be on to something there Preacher.

I like them between 30 and 40 most of the time, and since it's the way I learned to hunt, my set ups instinctively are such that he's about that far when I can see him. But I don't sweat it anymore when an approaching tom is apt to be a bit farther than that at first eye contact.

I aim for the neck/feather line, like you do. Not because I want pellets in the head and not the neck but gives me some "room for error" in case I pull high, low or to the side

I been known to do that every once in awhile.