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HEVI-SHOT Pattern Tests

"Jesse" James - JHO Pro Staff
March 20, 2003

SHOTGUN USED

Testing was done with my Remington 870 Express with a 26 inch barrel with the forcing cone NOT lengthened. I will later have the forcing cone lengthened to see if there is any change. The shells used are 3 inch magnums. A Leupold Vari II 1 x 4 scope was used for aiming. Scope mount was a B-Square.

The barrel was deep cleaned with "Shooters Choice" and wiped dry with a patch only . Between every shot the barrel was scrubbed with a brass brush and a clean patch. After 5 shots the barrel was re cleaned with Shooters Choice and wiped clean with a dry patch only. The barrel has not been polished.

CONDITIONS

Temp 70 degrees F, humidity 60%, elevation 1450 feet. No wind.

A ProChrono chronograph was used to measure velocities. Keep in mind my measured velocities are a bit higher than the factory ratings due to my chrono reading the faster, leading pellets of the shot string.

Shots were taken from a bench using sandbags for a rest. Distance measured with a Bushnell 600 laser rangefinder.

PATTERN #1

Remington Premier High Velocity HEVI-SHOT Magnum Turkey Loads # PRHSHV12M5, #5, 1 1/2 oz. 3 inch magnum, Rhino choke with a .660 constriction. 40 yards. There are 78 pellets inside the smaller 10 inch circle and 126 pellets in the outer 30 inch circle. Velocity was measured at 1350 F.P.S. Box had 1300 F.P.S labeled on it.

I counted 325 #5 HEVI-SHOT pellets in inside a shell. I couldn't find any pellet counts on Remington's website.

PATTERN #2

Remington Premier High Velocity HEVI-SHOT Magnum Turkey Loads # PRHSHV12M5, #5, 1 1/2 oz. 3 inch load and Rhino .660 choke. 40 yards. There are 58 pellets inside the smaller 10 inch circle and 133 pellets in the outer 30 inch circle. Velocity was 1377 F.P.S.

I counted 325 #5 HEVI-SHOT pellets in inside a shell. I couldn't find any pellet counts on Remington's website.

PATTERN #3

Nitro Economy Turkey Load with the same 2" extended Rhino choke with a .660 constriction. Nitro Load #301A, 3 inch, 2 1/4 oz. #4 copper x 5 copper x 7 HEVI-SHOT. 40 yards. There are 180 pellets inside the smaller 10 inch circle and 245 pellets in the outer 30 inch circle. Nitro lists total average pellets in a 10 inch circle as 180 to 200.

Velocity was unknown as chrono stopped reading due to clouds moving in. Load rated at 1,170 F.P.S.

I counted 133 #4 copper pellets, 13 #5 copper pellets and 390 #7 HEVI-SHOT pellets for a total of 553 pellets in the shell.

PATTERN #4

Nitro Economy Turkey Load with the same 2" extended Rhino choke with a .660 constriction. Nitro Load #301A, 3 inch, 2 1/4 oz. #4 copper x 5 copper x 7 HEVI-SHOT. 40 yards. There are 179 pellets inside the smaller 10 inch circle and 256 pellets in the outer 30 inch circle. Nitro lists total average pellets in a 10 inch circle as 180 to 200.

Velocity was unknown as chrono stopped reading due to clouds moving in.

I counted 133 #4 copper pellets, 13 #5 copper pellets and 390 #7 HEVI-SHOT pellets for a total of 553 pellets in the shell.

PATTERN #5

Nitro Economy Turkey Load with Remington Super Full Turkey choke with a .665 constriction. Nitro Load #301A, 3 inch, 2 1/4 oz. #4 copper x 5 copper x 7 HEVI-SHOT. 40 yards. There are 140 pellets inside the smaller 10 inch circle and 260 pellets in the outer 30 inch circle. Nitro lists the average pellets in a 10 inch circle as 180 to 200.

Velocity was unknown as chrono stopped reading due to clouds moving in.

I counted 133 #4 copper pellets, 13 #5 copper pellets and 390 #7 HEVI-SHOT pellets for a total of 553 pellets in the shell.

PATTERN #6

Nitro load #H378, 3 inch, 1 7/8 oz., #4x5x7 HEVI-SHOT load with the same 2" extended Rhino choke with a .660 constriction. 40 yards. There are 261 pellets inside the smaller 10 inch circle and 149 pellets in the outer 30 inch circle. Nitro lists the average pellets in a 10 inch circle as 170 to 220.

Velocity was unknown as chrono stopped reading due to clouds moving in. Box has it rated at 1,200 F.P.S. This is the tightest pattern I've had to date out of all my turkey guns at 40 yards.

I counted 22 #4 pellets, 81 #5 pellets and 382 #7 pellets for a total of 495 pellets in the shell.

Cost Of Shells

Nitro load #H378, 3 inch, 1 7/8 oz., #4x5x7 HEVI-SHOT load. $41.00 box of ten, $95.00 box of 25.

Nitro Economy Turkey Load #301A, 3 inch, 2 1/4 oz. #4 copper x 5 copper x 7 HEVI-SHOT. $36.00 box of ten, $79.00 box of 25.

More info and to order http://www.nitrocompany.com/index.htm

Nitro load #H378, 3 inch, 1 7/8 oz., #4x5x7 HEVI-SHOT load Remington Hevi-Shot

http://www.remington.com/ammo/shot shell/am...evishot_tky.htm

Cabela's has the Remington Premier High Velocity HEVI-SHOT Magnum Turkey Loads for $19.99 for a box of 10.

MORE TESTS TO COME

For more comparisons to the hot Hevi-Shot loads I'll be testing the Winchester, Kent, Fiocchi, Federal and even some of my old Activ loads. I'll also be patterning as many chokes as I can get my hands on too. It seems there are now more turkey chokes on the market then Carter has liver pills.

DISPELLING THE RUMORS AND NAY SAYERS

BARREL SCRATCHING

There is no barrel scratching with HEVI-SHOT. When Hevi-shot was introduced by Environ-Metal back in Jan 2000 there were reports that some of the loads made by Poly-Wad were scratching barrels. The current loads use a mylar wrapper around the shot and have a special coating on the shot to prevent this.

YOU MUST GET A CHOKE MADE FOR HEVI-SHOT

There are some choke companies that are claiming you need to use steel shot chokes when shooting HEVI-SHOT or the choke will get blown out of the barrel. THIS IS NOT TRUE!!

HEVI-SHOT is made out of Tungsten, Iron, Nickel, and two alloys. The reason that you can use lead shot chokes is because the HEVI-SHOT is made with a high volume of nickel and the two alloys. Even though the nickel and alloys are hard, they do have a give. The shot will basically conform to the size of the choke as it is passing through, but it will spring back into form after leaving the choke.

HEVI-SHOT ADVANTAGES OVER LEAD, NICKEL AND COPPER PLATED SHOT

Where HEVI-SHOT really shines is in penetration (down range energy), more pellets in comparable loads and tighter patterns. With HEVI-SHOT shells, you can shoot a smaller shot size with more lethality. More pellets at a higher energy means more knock-down power. I've used the old ACTIV ammo for years in #5 since it was a bit smaller in shot size and had more pellets compared to a REM or WIN load because of their shot shell design.

If you turkey hunt long enough you will eventually wing a bird. Whether it's from bad range estimation, you wobble at that crucial moment, the bird suddenly moves or just Murphy bites you. I've lost a couple birds in my years of turkey hunting and it still makes me sick to think about it. With HEVI-SHOT, if you do hit low for some reason, this stuff can punch through the heavy wing feathers and bones. Turkeys are even harder to kill than big honker geese and these loads are stoning geese for me.

Some say their present load whacks turkeys already, what could be better? Very true, but refer to the Murphy scenario. Do you want the best load if you're off target a bit or one that only works if you hit the 10 ring. Is this saying HEVI-SHOT is a crutch for poor shooting? Nope. It's just a good Plan B if something goes wrong, which happens in the real world of turkey hunting.

HEVI-SHOT does not pull feathers like lead, nickel or copper plated shot so meat damage is less if you get into the breast or drum stick.

THE PRICE FLAT KNOCKS ME OUT

Too pricey for your blood? Well, at first look it appears so. When I got my first HEVI-SHOT duck and goose loads I compared shots per retrieved bird. I was retrieving more birds with one shot since I didn't have any cripples to shoot 2 or 3 times. After two years it was actually cheaper for me to shoot HEVI-SHOT compared to steel. Almost the same costs per shell as Bismuth and Tungsten.

So, name a piece of turkey hunting gear that is very high on the crucial list that can effect success as much and that will cost $2.00 to $4.00, which is approximately the cost of 1 HEVI-SHOT shell? Even mouth calls are more than that. I can only think of chalk for my box calls which is cheaper, and not by much. We spend hundreds on camo, guns, tags, calls, packs etc. but yet people claim the cost of HEVI-SHOT is too much. Maybe my math is off but claiming this shot is too expensive doesn't make any sense to me. Bottom line, you'll pay about $1.00 to $2.00 more per shell. Is this too much too pay for some extra insurance on a dead bird? Not in my turkey hunting book. As the shot becomes more popular and the demand goes up, more production and competition should lower the price per shell.

YOU'RE UNETHICAL IF YOU SHOOT HEVI-SHOT BECAUSE IT ENCOURAGES LONG SHOTS

Am I one of those who now thinks you can shoot 50 or 60 yard shots now? Not really. I practice out to 40 yards and feel most comfortable under that. It's all about how much you practice and knowing you guns capabilities. I've shot hundreds of different rounds out of my Rem 870 3" with about 10 different chokes. HEVI-SHOT has the tightest patterns for me and the penetration on geese, coyotes and tin metal at 40 yards is something to see for yourself.

RECOIL

There is less recoil with HEVI-SHOT compared to the copper and nickel high velocity loads. Do yourself a favor and get a ported choke and install a good recoil pad. There is no need to pound your shoulder while testing your patterns. Shooting your gun should be fun and you're only as good as you train as they say in the military.

WHAT DOES HEVI-SHOT LOOK LIKE?

As you can see the shot is not really round. These are #4 shot from a Nitro load #H378, 3 inch, 1 7/8 oz., #4x5x7 HEVI-SHOT load.

CONCLUSIONS

HEVI-SHOT has proven in patterning and in the field to be the better ammo of choice for turkeys and waterfowl for me. With lead being phased out in the shooting world HEVI-SHOT is the best choice for an alternative right now. Hard hitting and tight patterning are 2 of the biggest benefits. With the cost really not being a factor it's easy to see the future of turkey and waterfowl shells.

WHERE TO GET NITRO AMMO AND RHINO CHOKES

You can find Nitro ammo and Rhino choke tubes in our JHO Store here.

Nitro ammo

Rhino chokes