this year I have purchased a leupold for my 870..it is totally set-up to hunt...but i have been so in love with the results from the red dot on the NEF 10 guage that i have nevr taken the 870 to the field yet...that red thing has really given me a lot of confidence in the shots, as older eyes can play tricks on me with open sights...may try to 870/leuopold this week just for a change...

loaned my gun to my son for a may hunt with me and he loved the red dot too..I spect the holosight is more durable and smaller, but with the same effects as far as being a great aid to those who have eye issues..buthe holosight is a ton more money...I may have to travel back to alabama and look for that red dot I threw away down there some years ago..I think that thing must have been busted or something...

I know this post is a year old but thought some new info might help and others new to the site might could use this info.

Stoeger Model 2000

Ok I went to the range today and yes with 3" Winchester HV loads and the factory xtra-full turkey choke it kicks!

26" barrel with factory red bead sight, factory xtra-full turkey choke, 3" #5 HV Winchester shells. Target was an 11"x11" HS Strut target with an 8.5x11" piece of paper behind it. I'll give the pellet counts as 8.5x11"/head&neck shots.

Overall observation was that this gun shoots low and slighty left with the factory choke and this load. I may try the tru-glo sights to try to get something adjustable.

@25 yards shot 1 (a bit low) 119/12
" " shot 2 (still a bit low) 166/32
" " shot 3 " " 161/26

@ 40 yards shot 1 (still a bit low) 69/13
shot 2 " " 76/17

When I say "a bit low" especially @25 yards there were a bunch of pellets concentrated in the lower 4-5" of the target ever when putting the bead just barely over the head on the HS Strut target.

Another vote for the Rhino/Nitro Hevi load. H378 out of a 3" 1187. Been shooting Nitro's for 4-5 years and I've never seen anything like them. Like a lot of you, I burned countless bucks on Winc, Fed, Rem loads coupled with 8-10 different chokes.

I tried to avoid the "cost" of the Nitro's by shooting typ. loads. I wish I would have NEVER of done that. I ended up with empty pockets and a very tender shoulder.

If any of you are sweating the price and still shooting typ. loads, yet thinking about Nitro's, go ahead the bite the bullet. Well worth it.

40yds....10 circle....H378 load (4x5x7)....averaging 225+/-.

They hit like a HUGE Mack Truck as well. Dead is dead yes, but you really need to see this load hit an alert half strutter at 40yds. Unbelievable when you walk up to them and begin counting the holes oozing blood.

I went and priced some of those Nitro loads, $11.00 a shot . I don't think so! $2-3 on regular hevi-shot is one thing but darn! I think I'll be sticking with lead.....

Being married for 9 years now, I've become accustomed to eating some crow here and there, in fact, I feel like I've done something wrong if I don't get a plate-full. With that said, a friend of mine(I thought he was my friend) let me borrow his Rhino choke, and let me take a couple of shells with me. I couldn't believe the difference. It's so much difference, I can't hardly describe it. I thought the Win XR's were impressive, these things pattern better and hit harder than any shell I've ever use. So, I ordered the Rhino and Shells....This my take: they're expensive as "H", ridiculus expensive, BUT they perform....These shells WILL NOT go out fall turkey hunting.....I don't know, I put my money where my heart is.....ridiculus or not.......BUT THEY SHOOT!!

Yes, they are pricey, but....it's not like shooting ducks. You'll burn far fewer turkey loads a year. Lots of folks dont look at it that way. Nothing is better than confidence when you squeeze off and thats the main reason I'm shooting those loads. Nothing seals the deal better in my opinion at 40yds. Not to mention when you make a dreaded yardage error of 5-10yds. The shells pay for themselves when you step off 48yds to a dead bird all the while thinking it was 40yds.

A box of 25, shipped to my door, was $130. $5.40 a piece I believe. That is 3". You must be shooting a 10?

I'd pay $11 a piece for them and not bat an eye

Nitros at "only" $5.40 are still way to high for this boy. I can't justify that and I'm not married.
I thought Win. Xtended Range at $2.50 a piece were too high. I'll shoot the XR 3" or the Win. XX Supreme 3''at a mere .80 cents a piece.

Here are the stats from my last years patterning session with Winchesters' Xtended Range (XR) and XX Supreme. I was shooting at an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper with a 7 1/2" circle on it. Inside the circle was the head of a turkey and part of the neck, small by turkey target standards. I make my own targets in my graphics program, that is why the targets are this size.

Results were.... # shot in paper.....# shot in 71/2" circle.....# shot in head/neck
XX Sup 3" #6's.....40 yds.- 121..........40 yds.- 75....................40 yds.- 26
XX Sup 3" #6's.....50 yds.- 60............50 yds.- 32....................50 yds.- 15

XR 3" #6's............50 yds.- 74...........50 yds.- 46....................50 yds.- 25
XR 3" #6's............60 yds.- 34...........60 yds.- 20....................60 yds.- 10

Now first of all I'm not gonna shot at a turkey at 60 or even 50 yards on purpose. I passed on one last year at 54 steps with XR shells because he didn't do like I wanted him to and we were filming. If you like the Nitros and are happy with them, then by all means shoot them.
Good luck this spring,

barry

Barry, what gun & choke gave you those results?

sometimes guys forget why we hunt these birds anyway, to get them close. most of these guys are not interested in hevi nitro data, ive been through it already, seems to offend some for some reason, these hard core traditional hunters call every bird to 30 or dont shoot em, most use 20 gauges, because the like em close!

regardless of the shell/gun/tube combo you shoot, THE KEY IS TO KNOW YOUR GUN! and the only way you can do that is shooting holes in paper. Freddy and I just returned from a hunt in SC where a gobbler was shot at 45 steps without hesitation for the primary reason being the folks involved in the shot knew what the gun would do. the only thing more important than knowing your gun is being able to accurately judge distance. had the distance been estimated at anything >45, the shot would not have been taken. seems like more and more guys are now carrying a small range finder with them to know exactly the yardage of a few key trees right after they set up. i think that's a great idea...thinking about doing it myself. with the kill on video, the shot dumped the gobbler in his tracks hard...lifted him off the ground no less.
remington 870, backbored, leupold 1-4x scope, primos .665 jellyhead tube shooting 3" hevishot 6's.

I didn't buy the dang gone shells to shoot gobblers at 50+ yards.......I like em as close as anybody, but around here, when you get a shot, you'd better be squeezing off on it. I bought em cause they shoot better than anything I've ever shot before in my life. We've all talked about patterning shotguns and I don't ever recollect anyone saying to try different chokes and loads and shoot the 2nd best pattern you come up with. I know I'm singing a diffrent song than I was a couple of months ago, but it ain't no comparison. Like Barry's earlier post, I haven't sat down and counted, but I'd estimate that I could multiply everything by at least 3, I don't know that for sure, but I'd say I'm close. No comparison....just like I didn't really know what a good bow was until I got a Mathews, no comparison.

peacemaker,
Sorry I didn't include that info before.
My gun is a Browning A-5 mounted with a M8-4X Compact Leupold scope.
The choke was custom made by a gunsmith here in Bedford, he has since given up gunsmithing.
I just told him the brand and size shot I would be shooting and he built the choke accordingly. He was a match shooter, built his own gun, he would blow the whole "X" out of the target.
Sorry but I do not know the constriction of the choke, could borrow some calipers I guess just to find out.
Wish I could have been more help.

barry

Barry,

Thanks for the additional info. Looks like your investment in some custom work is paying off! Too bad your guy retired though. 26 pellets in the head & neck will do the job and then some.

peacemaker,
Yeah he was good, health issues forced him to quit. Would like to have more of his chokes.

barry