Has anyone shot a turkey with a round ball?

[Kurt]

.395.  How much powder did you use, and what was the damage like? Blown up?

[smylee grouch]

Four of them. Three with 395s and one with 570. All were hard cast with wheel weights. Head shot with the 58 and center breast shot with the 40s. No real meat damage of any consequence.  55 gr of 2f swiss on all 4.

[James Rogers]

Many with head shots using a .45 and .50, and a few to the breast straight on with .36.

[Daryl]

Generally speaking, the velocity is too low in a ML to get the demonstrative blow-ups with round balls.
However, a .32 to .40 with a heavy pdr charge will do just THAT to a grouse's body. Head shots only.

[Tilefish]

I have killed two with a 36cal using 40gr of 2f powder. No damage to speak of. Both were body shots facing me.

[JBJ]

In the southern mountains, there was comment or decriptions about turkey rifles/calibers, deer rifles and bear guns. I don't remember where the breaks occurred but I think "turkey" rifles went to about .40. It took a big bore to qulaify as a bear rifle. Perhaps Cades Cove Fiddler or one the other southern members can remember the break down in calibers.

J.B.

[Ben I. Voss]

Smylee, wheelweights? Why and what kind of patch?

[smylee grouch]

Hi Ben, I used a 50/50 mix of wheel weights and lead. My thought at the time was a little harder ball would spoil less meat. I used an 18/1000 patch instead of th usual 20/1000.

[elk killer]

lots with a .40 and 60 grains of fff

[Hungry Horse]

 This reminds me of a story my grandad told me about killing a turkey with his .36 caliber squirrel gun. He was hunting rabbits, and squirrels, and stumbled onto this turkey in the tall grass. He said it was the first one he’d seen in the wild. It flushed and flew straight away from him, he swung the little rifle up, and as he crossed the turkey’s back he fired. He said it was the most perfect shot he’d ever made, and the turkey just folded up and crashed to the ground. This was in Missouri in about 1920. He said he was hunting for small game for the family table, and the turkey really was a treat. I think he was about thirteen years old at the time.

Hungry Horse

[Kurt]

Thanks for relating your experiences. Good stuff!

[Darkhorse]

I built this rifle to hunt turkeys with about 15 or  more years ago. It  has a Rice "B" profile 40 caliber barrel. Large Siler lock, Davis set triggers. My load is 60 grains of 3fg, .018 pillow  ticking, canola oil lube, and .395 ball.
I shoot them in the wing butt and it just leaves a small clean hole in and out. Hardly any damaged meat at all. I've killed many birds with this rifle and load and never lost a one. The most distance one has covered after the shot was 10 yards.

[okawbow]

Only shot 1 turkey with a round ball. .36 caliber and 40 grains 3f. Was a younger, fall turkey and it nearly was split in half. Was only 15 yards away and that may have been why it was damaged so much. Also was a pure lead ball.

[Kurt]

Darkhorse, nice picture composition.

[Robby]

I wish hunting turkeys with a flintlock and roundball was allowed here.
Robby

[Joe R]

A 0.395 roundball and 65 gr. of GOEX 3f at 23 yards with this Kibler mountain rifle. (Earlier model with the 46” barrel.) The ball went through the base of the neck, top of breast area and did not damage much meat.

I have shot other turkeys, some being smaller fall birds, and none of them were appreciably damaged by being shot with a roundball.

My thoughts are if you mostly hit meat and organs you’ll get holes without too much tissue damage. Hit bones and all bets are off.

[Kurt]

Another great pic. I like it.

[Darkhorse]

This was a bigger bird. I took this one the year before our population crashed. There hasn't been any turkeys as far as I could tell on our property in over 3 years now.

[sonny]

Yepper, about 10 years ago while posting for squirrel’s, a small flock of turkeys stepped over the hill top that i was hunting on. Sitting on the ground against a large oak tree they walked straight towards me. At about  45 yards they noticed me an did a 180 back over the hill. One- just one at about 50 yards stopped an stuck his head up at the hills crest. Offhand, 45 cal, i aimed for his eye. ‼️. The ball caught him square plumb center of his noggin. I smiled at every mouthful eating that critter…… $#*!’ that was a shot ill never forget……