My brother Joe asked me to do this little project after we had had several conversations about patterning our turkey guns prior to spring gobbler seasons in the past. We were always amazed at the number of hunters we had met while in the field who had not patterened their guns nor had any idea of really how or why to do so. As strange as it may sound to some of you, there are plenty of guys out there who will just buy ammunition off the shelf and assume that it will all perform the same regardless of manufacturer, shot size, powder charge, shot type, etc.

Generally with a shotgun, patterning does not tend to be as critical as it would be with a rifle or handgun, however, in todays turkey hunting world with increasingly tighter choke tubes leading to tighter and tighter shot patterns it could mean the difference between filling your tag and scatching your head. On those truely up close and personal shots of less than 10 yards and for those shots that some might take out past 40 yards, knowing just exactly how your gun will perform is extremely important, for not only your confidence but also for your ability to deliver the quick clean kill necessary for a responsible harvest.


The few features that will follow this introduction will highlight the patterning I recently did to evaluate a new set of fiber optic hunting sights (HI-VIZ) that I had just put on my gun. I used three of the markets new "High Density" or heavier than lead loads, referenced against a standard lead turkey load. All testing was done with my Remington Model 870 Express Super Magnum Turkey Camo 12 gauge equipped with a Extended Super Full Straight Rifled choke (0.665”), and with 3.5 inch shells.


When you do pattern your gun it is important to make sure you do it from a steady resting position, whether that be in a sitting position up against a solid backing using your knees as a rest or from a bench with an actual gun rest attached. Having a good taget holder, whether store purchased(above right) or homemade, is also a must. The target holder will help ensure that your shot distances remain consistent from one to the next, as well as save you time and frustration from having your targets fall down or blow away when your preparing for your next shot.


Over the next week or so we will be showing the comparision results for;
1)The Federal Premium High Velocity Heavy Weight Mag-Shok,
2)TheWinchester Supreme Xtended Range Hi Density
3)Remington Premier HEVI-SHOT High Velocity Magnum
So watch for each on to be featured.


To print a turkey target click here then scoll down through the targets on the left.


Below Tom demonstrates patterning using a tree for support and his knees as a rest.