20 gauge turkey loads

[huckfinn]

I was getting a big hole in my pattern with my 20 gauge.  I was using felt wad with wonder lube.  70 grains 3f and equal volume of shot.  copper plated #6s at 25 paces (yards)
      From suggestions here I tried a few things.  Here's what I found out:
1.  The pattern improved with wasp nest wadding.  No more hole in the middle of the pattern!  Shot a big tin bean can with it but the pellets didn't go through the can like the felt wad did.  Less power?
2.  Tried just using the paper over shot wad (cardstock material) between powder and shot.  Similar to wasp nest wadding.
3.  After 6 (?) shots The barrel got dirtier than anything I have ever seen in a muzzle loader.  It had really hard chunks of black stuff in it!!!  (The wonderlube must clean the barrel a little, without using it, it must have gotten extra dirty!)
     I also upped the powder and shot to 80 grains and an equal volume of shot.  I think for turkeys I am going to try this with just the card stock wad between powder and shot.  More trials to come! 

     

[roundball]

For what its worth, my .62cal/.20ga Flintlock turkey load is:

80grns Goex 3F
Two 1/8" Oxyoke prelubed wool wads
120grns magnum #6's
Circle Fly OS card

Good penetration at 40yds and Kills them dead

[Daryl]

RB - don't you mean a 120gr. powder measure filled with #6 shot?  What does that weigh?  Just a question, not a judgment.

[roundball]

I'll be more precise:

POWDER
The amount of Goex 3F that fits into an 80grn black powder volumetric measure.

SHOT
The amount of #6 shot that fits into a 120grn black powder volumetric measure.

[huckfinn]

That much shot must be almost 2 oz, isn't that a little high for a 20 gauge?  I was thinking that a 30 yard shot was about the maximum for turkey with an open choke.  Is your gun choked? 

[jim moore]

120 grain measure filled with #6 shot = 1 1/2 oz
My load in my 20 ga.  70grs. 3fff geox
                                  2 ox yoke felt wads
                                  1 1/2 oz #6 shot
                                  1 ox yoke felt wad on top
At 30 yards consistently 3 bbs in head and 6-8 in neck bones

[roundball]

That much shot must be almost 2 oz

No, its in the area of 1&1/2-1&5/8

isn't that a little high for a 20 gauge? 

High compared to what?

I was thinking that a 30 yard shot was about the maximum for turkey with an open choke.

Probably closer to 25yds

Is your gun choked? 

Yes, Jug Choked 'Full'

[rdillon]

I use                          120 grain measure filled with #5 and #6 shot mixed
                                  80grs. 3fff goex
                                  3 over the shot cards between shot and powder
                                  1 over the shot card on top

I have killed several Toms with this load at 40 yards.  My barrel is not choked and is 45" long and I always get a "doughnut" in my pattern when I used felt wads.  I never get a "doughnut" now.

Works for me.

[roundball]

This is what got me started with my turkey load...

http://members.aye.net/%7Ebspen/SmoothboreLoads.html

[huckfinn]

Thanks for all the ideas!  And the link about smoothbores.  One gun for everything is why I started this project.    I need to shoot some more this week end and try more shot (1 1/2-1 5/8  oz shot) I lent my Dixie Gun Works catalog and can't recheck my information but I think that is where I got the 1 oz load as being a maximum for the 20 gauge.  I will let you know how I make out.  We had tracking snow here this morning (McKean county PA) and the turkeys were gobbling! 

[Daryl]

7/8 and 1oz are standard 20 bore loads from way back as they are today.  Today as well, we have a 1 1/4oz. 3" magnum load.  The 7/8oz load is pretty much a 'square' load, that being the shot charge is roughly 20 bore long and 20 bore wide, sitting in the barrel.  This charge of shot will give the shortest shot string - the more shot you put in, the longer the shot string.  On a passing bird, ie; duck, grouse or pheasant, the longer the shot string, the less pellets of the shot cloud that are available to put on the bird. Where one throws a disk of pellets, the other throws a strung out cloud with fewer pellets able to hit at any time. On stationary targets, the long shot string makes no different - it's on moving targets that escape due to few pellets passing at any given time - huge holes in the cloud of pellets.

[bob in the woods]

Daryl, I have found that same thing through experience! That's why I would prefer to shoot my 10 bore when the stuff I'm after is flying!  So many here think that a heavy loaded 20 or even a 12 is just as good, but I have't found that to be true. The 10 puts out a wall of shot rather than a string, and that has helped me ; once getting 2 ducks with one shot.

[bob in the woods]

When I take the " big guy" out, it means I'm doing some serious hunting. Either with a round ball, or shot!  Honestly, I'd rather shoot an ounce and a half load of shot from the 10 than the 20. It just seems to work better for me, ie I hit what I'm shooting at. I'm using a Chambers New England Fowler
in 10 now, but I used to shoot a "Bess" and it worked for me as well. The Bess swung like a 2x4, but I still did better with it than the 20 when the target was in the air.  I'm certain that the 20 will work well on turkeys.and I think the load info given is on the money. My 20 likes more shot [volume] than powder. I usually shoot 70 gr 3F with 100 gr volume of size 6 or 5 shot.