# Hevi shot and blended loads



## DTrain

Whats your take on loads like;
http://www.cabelas.com/product/HEVI...t=Heavy+shot&WTz_l=Header;Search-All Products

Is hevi shot really necessary? You need a special choke tube that allows the use of hevi shot correct?

Whats your lots on the blended loads in general. I think Remington premier also has a blended load.

I wonder what kind of performance you would get if you paired up that magnum blend with the Hevi-shot choke tube; 
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shoo...Rprd708493&WTz_l=SBC;BRprd708493;cat104202180

Thanks!


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## DEDGOOSE

Is hevi shot necessary, No lead has been killing turkeys for years.. But the benefits of heavier than lead ammo are numerous. 

The denser heavier pellets pattern better, they retain their velocity better and they out penetrate lead of 1 size larger or even more for Fed Heavyweight and TSS which are denser yet than Hevi.. By allowing you to drop in pellet size you are increasing the number of pellets in the load and thus improving your chances of improving your patterns. 

Hevishot has allowed us to greatly improve our patterns and our range (if you choose to, I do not) Before the advent of heavier than lead ammo 125+ pellets in a 10 inch circle at 40 yards was considered a good pattern.. With heavier than lead ammo we are now seeing patterns over 300 in that same circle. 

As far as the lethality, kinetic energy is only part of the equation when talking about a pellet. To get an idea of penetration you need to consider the Energy Density (Energy Density= Kinetic Energy/pellet cross sectional area) Basically a denser smaller pellet will out penetrate a larger pellet of equal mass because less surface area must break through for penetration. This is why a Fed HW #7 15 g/cc with a mass of 2.01349 will out penetrate a lead 5 with a mass of 2.58660, less surface area.. This is not taking into account that lead deforms and tungsten based shots do not. 

As far as chokes.. Their was a large hysteria that these dense pellets were going to blow guns up and scratch barrels.. But with the wads we have and the buffer used these fears have been unfounded.. In order to survive every major aftermarket choke maker has had to approve their chokes for HTL ammo.. It is easier on your barrel and choke than steel. 

Blended loads.. Myself have never been a fan.. The large pellets are for marketing to ease the fear and ignorance of folks that are scared of small pellets.. The makeup of these blended loads are usually skewed to the smallest pellet to improve patterns and thus the small pellets are doing the bulk of the work. 

If you were going to consider hevi shot for a 12 gauge.. I would consider the new #7 offerings from Environmetal.. Here are pics from KLR and TSS Caddiss guns that I patterned this past spring.. 

TSS Nova at a tape measured 40 yards
3.5 inch 2.25 7








KLRs 870 3 inch 2oz 7


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## FireDoc66

And there you have it.


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## DTrain

Dedgoose,
Thanks for the information.

To summarize is this basically what you are saying?

The benefits of heavier than lead ammo are numerous. 

The denser heavier pellets pattern better, they retain their velocity better and they out penetrate lead of 1 size larger. You can drop pellet size and increase pellet count. 

Hevishot greatly improves patterns and range (but you don&#8217;t use it).

Basically a denser smaller pellet will out penetrate a larger pellet of equal mass because less surface area must break through for penetration. 

It&#8217;s not necessary to have a specific choke for Hevi-shot.

Are you recommending the HEVI-Shot® HEVI-13 in #7 for a 12 gauge turkey load?

Thanks!


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## DEDGOOSE

Yes I would recommend that load.. Essentially there is no load on the market right now that is going to compare on paper based on sheer number of pellets.. The 3 inch 2oz load has 508 pellets and the 2.25 oz load has 572.. 

Folks are getting good results with the Mag Blend as well but the 7s have proven to be more forgiving in a wide range of guns and choke constrictions. 

Those pellets will kill out to 55 yards all day long and maybe further when properly choked I wouldnt push um past that.. 

What gun do you intend to shoot them through?


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## DTrain

I have a Remington 870 pump with a turkey barrel. 

I have the factory Turkey choke, an HS Strut Undertaker choke (non ported), a Primos Tightwad choke, and a Truglo® Gobble-Stopper choke.

Last year I seemed to get the best pattern with the Undertaker choke and Winchester High Velocity #4s. It got the job done, but wasn't super happy with the number pellets out past 35/40 yds. I think the best patterns I had were with the Undertaker and Tightwad chokes.

Which choke would you suggest trying with the HEVI-Shot® HEVI-13 in #7. I also think the new Hevi-shot choke looks good and wouldn't be opposed to trying it unless there really is no need based on my available choke selections.

What combination would you suggest I try?


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## anon12162011

hey dedgoose, what choke tube are you throwing those 3.5 inchers through? I was just curious, I may have just read too fast and missed it...Those are some impressive looking patterns!

I would be shooting a Beretta Extrema and currently I have no aftermarket chokes and I would intend on shooting 3.5 inchers.


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## DEDGOOSE

BigR said:


> hey dedgoose, what choke tube are you throwing those 3.5 inchers through? I was just curious, I may have just read too fast and missed it...Those are some impressive looking patterns!
> 
> I would be shooting a Beretta Extrema and currently I have no aftermarket chokes and I would intend on shooting 3.5 inchers.


Actually they are Caddis and KLR's Gun.. 

Caddis is shooting a Nova with a Tru Glo SSX tube.. Its a great bargain tube at 35 bucks.. Its extremely tight at 643.. It has straight rifling to slow the wad.. It doesnt work in every gun but when it does its a great bargain.. 

KLR is shooting an Indian creek 665 out of a 23" barreled 870.. Indian Creek chokes are a little pricey, but they are American made and offer a money back guarantee.. 

These Shells perform well with Jellyheads, SSX, Pure Gold and Indian creek in most guns.. Jelly head and SSX are a lil cheaper whereas Indian creek and pure gold offer money back guarantees and top notch customer service whereas they will swap out constrictions till you get it right.. Most anything in the .665 range should provide some great patterns, but the above listed chokes should get you ultimate performance.


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## DTrain

Dedgoose,
Out of the chokes I listed below, which would you try first with the HEVI-Shot® HEVI-13 in #7

Thanks



DTrain said:


> I have a Remington 870 pump with a turkey barrel.
> 
> I have the factory Turkey choke, an HS Strut Undertaker choke (non ported), a Primos Tightwad choke, and a Truglo® Gobble-Stopper choke.
> 
> Last year I seemed to get the best pattern with the Undertaker choke and Winchester High Velocity #4s. It got the job done, but wasn't super happy with the number pellets out past 35/40 yds. I think the best patterns I had were with the Undertaker and Tightwad chokes.
> 
> Which choke would you suggest trying with the HEVI-Shot® HEVI-13 in #7. I also think the new Hevi-shot choke looks good and wouldn't be opposed to trying it unless there really is no need based on my available choke selections.
> 
> What combination would you suggest I try?


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## DEDGOOSE

DTrain said:


> Dedgoose,
> Out of the chokes I listed below, which would you try first with the HEVI-Shot® HEVI-13 in #7
> 
> Thanks


D-Train it is very very hard to beat Pure Gold or Indian creek based on the fact they offer a MBG or are willing to work with ya swapping chokes to get to where ya want.. It doesnt hurt that these two companies shoot alot of ammo to insure they are making a great product.. 

I know Bill at Pure Gold fairly well and he subscribes to the theory he doesnt want the tightest pattern in the world, he wants a nice even pattern that provides for margin of error.. His standard constriction in every thread type is 670 due to his thoughts.. If I were to go Pure Gold I would opt for a 665 for this loading as a starting point.. He has all types of different constrictions and will build to suit if need be.. Indian creek will as well and their standard constriction is 665.. One of these two would be my recommendation if you are willing to spend 60-75 dollars whereas the hevishot choke is 60.. 

As for the hevi shot choke.. It is made by Carlsons, never shot one but the results I have seen from others has been so so, not bad, not great.. 

If you do not want to spend this much, I would try the SSX.. As stated before it is not a miracle tube, but when it works it is a heckuva bargain.. 

Than again your gobblestopper and Tight wad are decent chokes and may provide something you are happy with.. These loads possess enough shot to make a decent tube look good.. If you want ultimate performance see above.. 

Rogers has the H 13 7s http://store.rogerssportinggoods.co...hevi-dsh-shot,-hevi-shot,-hevi-dsh-13,/Detail

Plus Hevi has a 5 dollar a box rebate available.. Might seem expensive butt the expense only occurs the first year and than after that it is one on paper if you are happy, one on a bird.

And what you were experiencing with your lead 4s is exactly what I alluded to in the original post.. You have a bunch of energy for long range shooting, but the lack of pellets in the load does not provide the pattern density to use it.


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## DEDGOOSE

D Train- One more thing, I have shot plenty of HV.. You are really really really going to appreciate the decrease in felt recoil..


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## DTrain

That's good to hear!

I was just checking out the Indian Creek web page and the Black Diamond Strike for turkey's looks pretty awesome. I see they recommend 3&#8221; 2oz #6s Hevi-13 for .665 constriction, but I guessing the #7s work just was well based on the results of KLR's 870 and you get more pellets.

I think right now I am leaning towards the Indian Creek and 3" 2oz Hevi-13 in either #6 or #7 based on your information and the results shown with KLR's 870. I just would like to get a solid, quality choke tube and know I am getting the best performance I can.

Thanks for all the great advice Dedgoose.


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## DEDGOOSE

DTrain said:


> That's good to hear!
> 
> I was just checking out the Indian Creek web page and the Black Diamond Strike for turkey's looks pretty awesome. I see they recommend 3 2oz #6s Hevi-13 for .665 constriction, but I guessing the #7s work just was well based on the results of KLR's 870 and you get more pellets.
> 
> I think right now I am leaning towards the Indian Creek and 3" 2oz Hevi-13 in either #6 or #7 based on your information and the results shown with KLR's 870. I just would like to get a solid, quality choke tube and know I am getting the best performance I can.
> 
> Thanks for all the great advice Dedgoose.


 No problem Indian creek is a great tube.. The #6 recommendation is due in large part to the long standing success of that load and the legality of 7s in some states.. The 7s will outperform the 6s on paper..


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## KLR

I ordered another 2 boxes of 7's two weeks ago....they are awesome.
The IC is great choke...I am really impressed with the patterns using 7's.
I did spend a fair amount of time and elbow grease polishing the bore/forcing cone, but that's not a critical step.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## duckcommander101

What Dedgoose says is right.

I got awesome results with 3" Hevi 13 7s through a Jellyhead and a HeviShot Turkey Choke in Remchoke and INV+ configurations.

Results were similar to the pics of KLR and Cadiss guns, pushing 300 pellets in the 10" circle at 40 yards.

Awesome stuff!


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## 410001661

I've patterned several different loads (lead plated and HEVI) and found a variety of different patterns - this was the short list. I am shooting a Benelli Super Nova and using a Indian Creek choke. In Ontario we can only use #4, #5, or #6.....so #7's are a no, no.

"Nelli"









Here are some of my results (all shot at 40yds):

Winchester HV 3-1/3" #6










Winchester XtendedRange 3" #6









Hevi13 3" 2oz #6


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## TSS Caddis

Which scope is that? Nikon?


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## KLR

Heck with it - I ordered a box of 3.5" 2.25oz of 7's as well. I want to see if I can break the 300 pellet mark @ 40.


Actually 297 would make me happy. :evil:


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## TSS Caddis

KLR said:


> Heck with it - I ordered a box of 3.5" 2.25oz of 7's as well. I want to see if I can break the 300 pellet mark @ 40.
> 
> 
> Actually 297 would make me happy. :evil:


Good, because I was embarassed for you with that 272 count. That 272 could explain any missing that happened last year though.


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