Coach Report post Posted April 5, 2014 I don't make it to the valley all that often, but last week I went to Bass Pro with a $25 gift card and figured I might as well pick up some ammo. I ended up with a 10 pack of turkey loads and 20 Hornady Personal Defense rounds in .45 ACP, and still paid an extra $18. Do the math. What blew me away were some of the turkey loads going for $42+ for a package of 10. This is where I get to sound like an old codger, but my grandpa and cousins killed more turkeys out of break-over .410 and 20 gauge shooting quail and duck loads than most of our die-hard turkey hunters will ever see. And they rarely, if ever, lost a bird. So what exactly justifies spending $5 per round on a turkey load? I mean, I get it if you are hunting cape buffalo or rhinos or hippos with your .404 Jeffrey, or other H&H Nitro Express rifles, designed specifically for stopping a charging elephant or African Plains lion, but for a ... turkey? Maybe I'm missing something. Fill me in. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PatrickJr Report post Posted April 5, 2014 my dad reloads tungsten super shot and each shell comes out being $2 and he will have the satisfaction of he or I killing a bird with something he made with his own hands. good luck though Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Little Creek Calls Report post Posted April 5, 2014 Its the price of tungsten that is driving up the price to $40 plus. Some of them even try to fool you by only selling you a box of five for $30. Crazy. You can still get lead or copper coated lead from $10 to $20 for 10 shells. If you want tungsten it looks like your best option would be to have PatrickSr load you some for $2 a shot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yotebuster Report post Posted April 5, 2014 Do you really need 10? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PRDATR Report post Posted April 5, 2014 I just use lead shot and my gun's pattern is about maxed out at 35 yards, my personal limit. I still have some old duplex loads of 2x4 and 4x6. This year I picked up a few boxes of Winchester Turkey loads at 1 3/4oz if #5 shot when Sports Authoring was closing out the Ammo. They were marked $15.99 for a box of 10 but I think they were on clearance for 25 or 30% off. Three boxes will last me many, many years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted April 5, 2014 My Grandfather died back in 1967, I moved here 42yrs ago, and I'm still killing turkeys with the shells he bought that are probably 50yrs old and cost per shell was in the cents. You can hardly read the writing on them and my family and friends have killed a lot of turkeys here in az. with them. Been trying to shoot'em up before they go bad. I hear ya Coach. There's no doubt most of these new shells group more accurate at longer range than gramp's old shells and when they're gone I'll just use my dove loads. Some people just have to have the newest thing on the market. I've actually had hunters show me their shells in the field and brag about how much they paid for them. These new outrageous priced shells certainly enhances the ability for those less fortunate in their turkey skills that's for sure. Don't get me wrong, if you can afford them they will kill ya a turkey but so will your average #6 dove & pheasant loads. TJ 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huntswnm Report post Posted April 5, 2014 I agree with TJ, some people just have to have the newest and latest. I just shoot shells that I have had for years. I have some 4x6 duplex loads that have always worked well. For me personally, I love getting them in close, twenty yards and under. You can kill a turkey with #8 shot short brass with a full choke at 15 yards easily. Once took a guy out who was patterning his gun at 100 yards!!! Couldn't believe it. But he felt he had the best gun, best shell, best choke....blah blah blah. He got cocky on a tom coming in and took a long shot and did not make a fatal shot, at least one that wasn't immediately effective. I relate it to archery equipment. Some people have to have the $1000+ bow a dozen high end arrows, latest broad heads with the best sights and stabilizers release, etc then there are others who are very efficient with a long bow, cedar arrows with turkey feather fletching and a two blade broad head. To each his own. Jeff 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elpepe25 Report post Posted April 5, 2014 Buy the best product for the mission that you can afford, period. Cheap products are rarely great and great products are rarely cheap. Tasco optics can get the job done but it's common for us to preach "buy the best you can" I don't know why we would scrimp on the actual items that knock a gobbler down when you consider everything else we buy and consider investments. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Couzer Report post Posted April 5, 2014 />Do you really need 10? I guess you don't if you don't want to pattern your shot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seldom Drawn Report post Posted April 8, 2014 I don't make it to the valley all that often, but last week I went to Bass Pro with a $25 gift card and figured I might as well pick up some ammo. I ended up with a 10 pack of turkey loads and 20 Hornady Personal Defense rounds in .45 ACP, and still paid an extra $18. Do the math. What blew me away were some of the turkey loads going for $42+ for a package of 10. This is where I get to sound like an old codger, but my grandpa and cousins killed more turkeys out of break-over .410 and 20 gauge shooting quail and duck loads than most of our die-hard turkey hunters will ever see. And they rarely, if ever, lost a bird. So what exactly justifies spending $5 per round on a turkey load? I mean, I get it if you are hunting cape buffalo or rhinos or hippos with your .404 Jeffrey, or other H&H Nitro Express rifles, designed specifically for stopping a charging elephant or African Plains lion, but for a ... turkey? Maybe I'm missing something. Fill me in. No you don't need to spend this kind of money,we to were the guys whacking them with 7 1/2 and 8 shot growing up,we didn't know any better or have the money for high dollar shells.The internet has changed a lot of things when it comes to hunting. Buy the best product for the mission that you can afford, period. Cheap products are rarely great and great products are rarely cheap. Tasco optics can get the job done but it's common for us to preach "buy the best you can" I don't know why we would scrimp on the actual items that knock a gobbler down when you consider everything else we buy and consider investments. Most equipment is only as good as the hunter,my brother still shoots a gun with a Tasco and another with a weaver scope he still uses a cheap crappy pair of binos, I on the other hand have sold enough elk sheds to buy 10 X 42 and 15 X 56 Swaros and a 1500$ Vortex razor HD and I will bet you a Hundred bucks my brother can out glass 90 percent of us on this site.we really get caught up on what others tell us we need.sure it's great to buy the best but is it really needed.heck I bet I have shot more Gobblers with cedar arrows then most have ever shot with a shotgun. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
