3 Turkey Loads to Snipe a Longbeard
Spring is upon us in Minnesota and with the melting of the snow comes new sightings of turkeys. Toms and jakes everywhere will soon be strutting their stuff trying to romance all the hens in every hill and valley. So now comes the time to buy your turkey license, rifle through your gear bag, and see what you’ll need for this new turkey season.
For most people, it ends up being that we need more ammo. Turkey loads are produced by pretty much every shotgun ammo manufacturer out there, so what’s the best? What’s your effective range? 20 Yards? 40 Yards? 60 Yards?!
To clear the confusion, here are the Top 3 Turkey Loads you should be eyeing the next time you stock up on ammo!
Federal Premium 3rd Degree 12 Gauge 3″ & 3.5″
Federal Premium 3rd Degree™ – Federal Premium tends to make great ammunition in all capacities, and they seemingly flipped the idea of turkey loads on its head with this one! They engineered a turkey load with 3 distinct shot sizes in precise proportions to shoot well over ALL ranges. It utilizes their coveted FLITECONTROL WAD to maximize accuracy and consistent patterning. Federal Premium describes this new ammunition as such on their own website:
“The leading section of the payload – 20% of the total pellet count – is made up of No. 6 nickel-plated FLITESTOPPER® lead. Because these pellets release from the wad first and have a deadly cutting ring, they disperse quickly and create a larger effective pattern inside of 20 yards than standard loads. The next 40% of the load is copper-plated No. 5 lead shot, which creates a dense, even pattern at moderate ranges. The final 40% of 3rd Degree’s payload consists of No. 7 HEAVYWEIGHT® pellets. The tungsten-iron material’s high density gives the shot more energy than No. 5 lead shot at 40 yards and beyond. Plus, its increased pellet count results in more hits on target at long range.”
So there you have it! You’re now dropping longbeards with #6 shot (Nickel-Plated lead), #5 shot (Copper-Plated lead), and #7 shot (Tungsten-Iron) all from the same shell regardless of your distance!
Winchester Long Beard XR Lok’D & Lethal
12 Gauge 3″ & 3.5″ in #5, #6 & #7 Shot
Winchester Elite Long Beard™ XR™ – If a big tom is too shy to approach that’s no longer an issue with Winchester’s Shot-Lok™ Technology! They developed a turkey load that has all of the lead pellets encapsulated in hardened resin. This ensures stability while the payload accelerates down the barrel, remains grouped tight over significant distances, and if you’re looking to snipe a longbeard out near 60 yards, you’ll get twice the number of pellets to impact within a 10″ circle! Another benefit of Winchester Elite Long Beard™ XR™ is the price. You can get a box of 10 shells at nearly half the price of other brand name loads making it an economical and potent turkey medicine!
Federal Premium MAG-SHOK Lead 12 GA 3″ 4, 5 & 6-Shot
Federal Premium MAG-SHOK® Lead – While Winchester Elite Long Beard™ XR™ and Federal Premium 3rd Degree™ are newer, phenomenal turkey loads, Federal Premium MAG-SHOK Lead has been knocking down turkeys for years! With its patented FLITECONTROL WAD more of your pellets stay true to their path and hit their mark. The FLITECONTROL WAD also produces 30% tighter patterns than normal wads. The shot is also a Copper-Plated lead which improves accuracy and consistency in patterns. I personally bought a box of these maybe 5 years ago. After 6 successful seasons (between fall and spring hunts) I have 4 shells left from a box of 10. You can’t ask for much more than that! A bird with every shell is accuracy and dependability I can trust!
So there you have it! Federal Premium is pushing the industry with 2 top-notch turkey loads and Winchester has a great ammo developed as well! In my personal opinion (take it like a grain of salt):
- Federal Premium 3rd Degree™ – I can’t wait to shoot it! It seems like a truly revolutionary ammo!
- Winchester Elite Long Beard™ XR™ – It set the industry on fire in the spring of 2014, but its been quiet ever since…
- Federal Premium MAG-SHOK Lead – Great standby, no complaints, and I know this stuff works!
If you need any of these flavors of turkey loads, we have them in stock at The Guns and Gear Store in both Rogers, MN and St. Cloud, MN. We’d be glad to share our experience and expertise with you and get you setup for a successful hunt!
