Anyone still shooting 12 gauge 3.5”

Iglow

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I shot a gobbler at about 18 yds with that 10 ga with it's screw in turkey full choke and copper plated #6s.....the pic wasn't ...well, lets just say it was messy. That's the last time I used it.
 

Soft Talker

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disclaimer this is not directed at you personally, however this is the one "reason" ive always found interesting.

MOST people shoot at 1 turkey a year with % wise people who kill 2 is lower. Guys will have a $100 turkey vest, $300 in calls, brand name camo, $120 boots, spend on leases and gas to drive all over, pay for onx service, have $400+ shoguns, $100 choke, $200 red dot and countless other things to get into the woods. But $10 per shell for shooting 1-2x per year is just to much $$ :)

if you hunt other states and kill 8-10 turkeys a year then you should be relaoding anyways and that cost is much much less then $10 a shell.

AGAIN not at anyone personally and if you have a combo you have confidence in and trust then awesome, Im not implying people SHOULD switch to TSS, Just I never understood the COST being the issue to do so.
If I have no interest in shooting past 35 steps, regardless of what gun or load I am shooting, why should I pay $10 a shell to kill a Turkey, that my lead 6's or 7.5's will kill just as dead, for way less.
 

REN

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If I have no interest in shooting past 35 steps, regardless of what gun or load I am shooting, why should I pay $10 a shell to kill a Turkey, that my lead 6's or 7.5's will kill just as dead, for way less.

Like I said, if you have a combo that works for you then fantastic. If you feel you dont NEED/want to do it then great, its not a requirement to kill turkeys.

I think most people either forget or dont know why or how TSS got started in the first place. It was a way to use a sub gauge gun that would out perform a traditional 12 gauge load. AT THAT TIME sub gauges had little to no good options for turkey shells to maximize their kill %

as Ive stated on here before, I personally wouldnt shoot them if I still carried a 12 gauge cause there are decent options out there to kill in the ranges I generally shoot at. I reload my own shells though so the cost isnt what most are paying to get me shells up for the season.

My point is much more to those that say they wont due to cost, when in reality long term the cost isnt really the issue when put into perspective.

and to add to the "dead is dead" you are correct in that statement. However maximum efficiency is always the goal hunters go down. If you had a rifle that held a 2" group then technically yes it is fine to hunt with and will kill an animal dead but most all strive to get the most accuracy we can out of our gear. Turkey ammo is no different, if I can send 500 pellets down range with the physics of lead 4, wouldn't that be more effective and efficient then 200 lead pellets going down range with less energy and killing power? some say yes and some say its not an upgrade they prefer to use which is fine.
 
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Soft Talker

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Like I said, if you have a combo that works for you then fantastic. If you feel you dont NEED/want to do it then great, its not a requirement to kill turkeys.

I think most people either forget or dont know why or how TSS got started in the first place. It was a way to use a sub gauge gun that would out perform a traditional 12 gauge load. AT THAT TIME sub gauges had little to no good options for turkey shells to maximize their kill %

as Ive stated on here before, I personally wouldnt shoot them if I still carried a 12 gauge cause there are decent options out there to kill in the ranges I generally shoot at. I reload my own shells though so the cost isnt what most are paying to get me shells up for the season.

My point is much more to those that say they wont due to cost, when in reality long term the cost isnt really the issue when put into perspective.

and to add to the "dead is dead" you are correct in that statement. However maximum efficiency is always the goal hunters go down. If you had a rifle that held a 2" group then technically yes it is fine to hunt with and will kill an animal dead but most all strive to get the most accuracy we can out of our gear. Turkey ammo is no different, if I can send 500 pellets down range with the physics of lead 4, wouldn't that be more effective and efficient then 200 lead pellets going down range with less energy and killing power? some say yes and some say its not an upgrade they prefer to use which is fine.
Keep pushing it on the sheep bud, unfortunately I ain't one of them.;)
 

Iglow

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Occupied Tennessee
Like I said, if you have a combo that works for you then fantastic. If you feel you dont NEED/want to do it then great, its not a requirement to kill turkeys.

I think most people either forget or dont know why or how TSS got started in the first place. It was a way to use a sub gauge gun that would out perform a traditional 12 gauge load. AT THAT TIME sub gauges had little to no good options for turkey shells to maximize their kill %

as Ive stated on here before, I personally wouldnt shoot them if I still carried a 12 gauge cause there are decent options out there to kill in the ranges I generally shoot at. I reload my own shells though so the cost isnt what most are paying to get me shells up for the season.

My point is much more to those that say they wont due to cost, when in reality long term the cost isnt really the issue when put into perspective.

and to add to the "dead is dead" you are correct in that statement. However maximum efficiency is always the goal hunters go down. If you had a rifle that held a 2" group then technically yes it is fine to hunt with and will kill an animal dead but most all strive to get the most accuracy we can out of our gear. Turkey ammo is no different, if I can send 500 pellets down range with the physics of lead 4, wouldn't that be more effective and efficient then 200 lead pellets going down range with less energy and killing power? some say yes and some say its not an upgrade they prefer to use which is fine.
I'm finding I don't want any more "progress" in turkey hunting stuff. I don't want TSS shot that kills farther, I don't want a crystal glass call that emits sounds at 10k kilohertz or whatever it is. I don't want camo that makes me invisible in the woods or most any of this other crap that's come along. What I want is a reverse gear to back away from all this stuff.
 

Spurhunter

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Munford, TN
lol, i didn't give much thought to the yardage. i like to be able to call a bird in and shoot it close. maybe thats a better way to phrase it. idgaf what others do...shoot the thing at 70...i'm still gonna get tickled when i hear the story...btw all but 1 of my kills has been inside 20...and yes, 40 in the woods is a distance
Closer is always more fun. That's for sure. I won't shoot one past 50, but that's way too far for a true up close and personal turkey kill. If I had a stellar place to hunt I would eyeball the spurs and make sure they were long enough before I shot them. 😅
 

megalomaniac

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Oct 28, 2005
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Mississippi
The way some of you are thinking :p
I'm surprised you're not shooting a 10 ga throwing a 3 ounce payload!
You could probably gain a whole nother yard in range!
Hey, now, don't poo-poo the 10g. It's still the king of patterns with lead. Shame noone ever made 3oz loads, 2.5oz was the most you could get. No telling how many crippled toms I cleaned up for others at 50+ yards with #5 lead.
 

REN

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Oct 24, 2007
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9,340
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Wilson County, TN
I'm finding I don't want any more "progress" in turkey hunting stuff. I don't want TSS shot that kills farther, I don't want a crystal glass call that emits sounds at 10k kilohertz or whatever it is. I don't want camo that makes me invisible in the woods or most any of this other crap that's come along. What I want is a reverse gear to back away from all this stuff.
I get that and a big part of me feels the same way just in a slightly different way. camo and calls etc dont bother me, and even the shift to TSS as an ammo option doesn.

FOR ME its more in the techniques taught, stretching what is ethical, and the drive that success is a product of the kill. Obviously social media, youtube and others are a part of the blame for that but IMO the bigger part of the blame goes to the mother or father thats not passing along what it means to be a turkey hunter.
 
Joined
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Location
Branchville
disclaimer this is not directed at you personally, however this is the one "reason" ive always found interesting.

MOST people shoot at 1 turkey a year with % wise people who kill 2 is lower. Guys will have a $100 turkey vest, $300 in calls, brand name camo, $120 boots, spend on leases and gas to drive all over, pay for onx service, have $400+ shoguns, $100 choke, $200 red dot and countless other things to get into the woods. But $10 per shell for shooting 1-2x per year is just to much $$ :)

if you hunt other states and kill 8-10 turkeys a year then you should be relaoding anyways and that cost is much much less then $10 a shell.

AGAIN not at anyone personally and if you have a combo you have confidence in and trust then awesome, Im not implying people SHOULD switch to TSS, Just I never understood the COST being the issue to do so.
I have a surplus of turkey shells, IF I ever shoot them all, who knows. I don't spend money on turkey hunting. I have a Mossy Oak heavy made vest I bought in 1991, a 835 bought in 1991, I hunt my own land, so no lease or gas. I haven't bought a new call in 20 years.
 

themanpcl

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Joined
Aug 28, 2012
Messages
880
Location
Lebanon, TN
Closer is always more fun. That's for sure. I won't shoot one past 50, but that's way too far for a true up close and personal turkey kill. If I had a stellar place to hunt I would eyeball the spurs and make sure they were long enough before I shot them. 😅
i wish my eyes were that good...lol...
 

TheLBLman

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Jun 12, 2002
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38,072
Location
Knoxville-Dover-Union City, TN
I have a surplus of turkey shells, IF I ever shoot them all, who knows. I don't spend money on turkey hunting. I have a Mossy Oak heavy made vest I bought in 1991, a 835 bought in 1991, I hunt my own land, so no lease or gas. I haven't bought a new call in 20 years.
They make GREAT big river bottom SQUIRRLEL LOADS! :cool:
The tallest cypress, the tallest oak, no problem (other than the punitive recoil).
 

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