16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 17 Feb 2015 Posts: 32

I just picked up a Lefever Nitro 16ga. It's choked F/F and is a 1946 gun, so it should be able to handle just about anything I can put into it, except steel shot....

Was thinking about using it for Turkeys this year, and wondered what turkey loads are available in 16ga.

Federal makes the Premium wing shot high velocity shells in 16ga. 1 1/8 load 1423 fps. They come in 4's and 5's, either of which should do a number on a turkey....

Any others out there to look at, anything specifically made for the 16 and turkeys?

Joined: 28 Aug 2014 Posts: 924 Location: Eastern Tennessee

It your not in to reloading, and understand I have not tried them all, but this is a topic I take to heart, here are a few I would try (I reload #4's and #5's for this purpose so I stick to those sizes):

Rio Bismuth #4
Remington Express Extra Long Range #4
Hevi-shot Waterfowl/Upland (they also make a classic doubles but I have not heard any good feedback on the patterns) #4
Fiocchi Golden Pheasant #5
Federal Wing Shock #5

I perfer #4 in 12 gauge and #5 in 16 gauge.

I am reloading 16 gauge 1-1/8 oz #5 mag lead at about 1300 FPS for this coming season out of a BPS 16 ga 24 in barrel with Trulock Precision Hunter .060 turkey choke. The patterning has been pretty good. You could try the tape trick and get closer to extra full choke yourself I am sure.

One important factor in turkey ammunition is avoiding running out of pattern before running out of penetration. A good rule of thumb for reliable patterns is 100 pellets within the center 10" of the pattern at whatever distance that may be. Some folks believe that 75 pellets in the 10" ring is good enough for reliable head and neck shots, but the pattern must be even with no ragged gaps.

Joined: 17 Feb 2015 Posts: 32

I reload, just not for the 16ga...... Yet.

I will look at those you mentioned and pattern them to see what's looking best.

I like 5's from my 12ga, but will pattern them first.

The gun is a Full/Full (.640) choked gun, so it should make for a good turkey gun.

Joined: 17 Feb 2015 Posts: 32

Couple pics of the gun, probably paid too much for it, but you don't see many Lefever Nitros in this good a condition... So, I figured, what the heck.

I know turkey hunters who prefer #7.5 lead, but restrict shots to 30 yards and under. The problem can be estimation of distance. Nice looking gun. Paying to much for a gun is only a problem if you couldn't afford it or you are buying to eventually sell it. If not, yep, what the heck. Gil

Joined: 17 Feb 2015 Posts: 32

No plans to sell it, and it wasn't so much it hurt....

I just ran across it, and thought... That's the best 16ga Nitro I have seen in a long time, had the cash laying around, so what the heck.. Very Happy

I would think, a 1 1/8 load of 5's or 6's will do for my needs.

The point is to get them close, I have not intention of taking 40+ yd shots.

25 yds or less is the goal.

Joined: 28 Aug 2014 Posts: 924 Location: Eastern Tennessee

Joe,

If 25 yards is it, then I think any 1300 ish lead shot in #4-6 through a full choke will do the job more than enough.

I tend to view my talents as questionable and find myself trying compensate to add confidence to my hunt.

I did take a 26 pound double beard last April from 45+ yards using hevi-shot. I had patterned to 50 yards with the shot and therefore felt I could do it. The bird was hung up and was as close as I figured I was going to get.

My second bird was a 18 pound jake last May from 25 yards using hevi-shot. I felt like I was wasting my expensive ammo, but hey, it worked!

Joined: 17 Feb 2015 Posts: 32

What is that stuff, like $43 for a box of ten?

But, I rek'n if it kills the turkey, it's worth it. Very Happy

Joined: 28 Aug 2014 Posts: 924 Location: Eastern Tennessee

I only bought them because I stumbled on a Dunham that had a box all torn up. Between hevi mail in rebate and the store clearance price I have $14 in the 10 shells.

Joined: 03 Sep 2014 Posts: 398 Location: Rochester, MN

This past fall, I shot 4 turkeys, all hens/jakes.

All birds were shot with a 16 gauge Savage 720. I had opened the choke from full to modified (0.652"). I shot all 4 birds at ranges form 15 yards to about 25 or 30 yards.

When my father died, I inherited most of a box of 16 gauge Federal Wingshock Magnum 1 1/4 oz of #6. These pellets are copper plated and the shot is buffered.

3 of the birds, I shot with these shells. The 4th I shot with 1 1/8oz #4 lead shot (reload). I only have 10 more of the Federal shells left.

When I hunt turkeys in the spring, I usually use a 12 gauge Winchester 1200 with an extra-full Winchoke tube. I reload 1 1/2 oz of #5 lead at about 1200 fps. I do not think that it requires a high speed load to kill a turkey. I have patterned this gun/load at 40 yards. The farthest that I have shot a turkey is about 37 yards and I would not want to shoot at one much past 40 yards.

With your f/f choked gun and your self-imposed range limit, I would think that any 1 1/8 oz load of (7 1/2, 6, 5, 4) shot should cleanly kill any turkey that you choose to shoot. They are only turkeys. They are not bullet proof.

BTW: That gun is a beautiful LeFever.

c-joe, my experience with turkey guns and turkey loads is that some guns pattern all turkey loads well and some are quite picky when it comes to various loads. To me, patterning is more important with turkey guns and loads than for any other game we hunt with a shotgun. Turkeys are a big prize that you don't want to cripple!!! Get a turkey head/neck target and try a load or two out at 30 yds. or so. It may take a couple of shots with one load type to get where you need to be (several pellets in the head/neck zone), or it may take lots of shots with numerous shell types to do the job. When I was a turkey whacker I mostly used two guns, a Benelli Super 90 that shot all kinds of loads from various manufacturers about the same and a Mossburg 500 that shot most turkey loads terribly, except Remington 4 x 6 turkey loads (which seemed like a manufacturer's gimmick to me). So that's what I used in that gun. Pattern that beauty and see what it likes!!!

Member Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 1863 Location: Wisconsin

If I could ever find a barrel that patterns a load of fours like my 3" 12 used to in its full choke pipe, I'd be a happy pup. For a while I used a 25 round box of duck loads that were devastating to forty yards. Fours kill real hard and I've shot birds with fours that never flopped. All in all, you might consider using fours or fives in the left barrel and 7.5's in the right, and shoot 7.5's to twenty five yards and the other barrel to forty. You might also consider a brush load of sixes to open up a barrel in case the bird gets closer than twenty yards. You might be surprised at how easy it is to miss a head shot at close range with a full choke. I've forgotten how many times I've done that myself.

Patterning is hugely important and always worth the time, trouble, and money. Half of the job is getting a bird in range and the other half is killing him. However, the first half is such a costly effort that to waste it by shooting an ignorant pattern borders on stupidity. Reno

Joined: 17 Feb 2015 Posts: 32

Thanks for all the advice. I had been thinking about the 7.5's in the right, 5's in the left sort of thing. Heck, I have two barrels, may as well utilize them.

Where I hunt turkeys, is pretty thick cover, getting them close is the goal.

I've been using my Dad's Browning B-80 for Turkey's with a turkey choke. I had the barrel shortened to about 25" and had nu-line guns install their turkey choke. It's worked very well, but I would like to kill one with a 16SxS just to say I did, and for the cool pics afterwards.. Very Happy

Joined: 28 Aug 2014 Posts: 924 Location: Eastern Tennessee

Interesting here in Iowa I can use #4-#8 in lead, but can use #2-#8 in non toxic.

You also can not use a shotgun under 20 ga.