Posted by jcs on March 15, 2007, 7:31 am, in reply to "Re: Turkey Loads"
I hunt turkeys with a "Long Range" gun. I dont hesitate to use any commercial lead or bismuth load. My gun has been restocked with the much discussed reinforcing of the inletting.
I also reload. Until recently the IMR powder manuals were unbelievably comprehensive, and gave myriads of detail about multiplr combinations of wads, powder, primers powder, and shells. Unfortunately it appears that such expansive information will no longer be provided by IMR's new owner - Hogdon. The best shell to reload is the Federal Gold Medal that you can probably pick up at any trap or skeet field. The pressures can always be the lowest with this shell, and the load flexibility is the greatest. Windjammer wads usually give the lowest pressures. I would rather spend my money on the guns than on custom shotshells. That said, the IMR site lists a 1 1/4 oz. load with Remington 209P primers, a Federal 12S4 wad with 33 grains of IMR 4756 in a Gold Medal shell. This load is listed at 1275 fps and 7600 psi. There were numerous other faster, lower pressure loads listed in the old beige IMR manuals. I think Hogdon's "trimming" of the reloads is a disservice to reloaders.