Winchester Longbeard XR

[lbehm482]

Hey Fellas!

Just curious on if there is a way I can test which load from Winchester would be optimal when shooting turkeys anywhere from 20-60 yards?

I am shooting a Remington 870 Super Mag with Jebs Headhunter .655 choke

I was looking at the 3.5" 2 1/8 oz #6 Magnums but I am not sure if they are better or worse than the normal 3.5" 6's

Not worried about about recoil or anything like that, I just want to know if there is a way to test velocity and effectiveness on all these loads before purchasing

Thanks!

[Hognutz]

Velocity is probably on the box. As far as effectiveness, you gotta pattern them at your given distances. You may need to experiment with different chokes/constrictions. There really is no definitive answer.

[lbehm482]

I guess what I am asking is for a ballistics calculation to determine penetration down range with the different varieties provided by Winchester.

[Hobbes_mobile]

It seems like some of that data has been posted before.

I suppose that you didn't ask, but my two cents is that 60yards is a long way for lead #6, regardless what the manufacturer claims.

[Hognutz]

That I can't help you with.

[WV Ridge Reaper]

I can confirm 2 kills at 60 yards with lead 6s from a 3 inch LBXR...Those shells like to be choked down from my experience with em.


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[lbehm482]

Would you think I am getting any advantage by shooting the Magnum loads?

[WV Ridge Reaper]

Couldn’t tell ya..From what I “remember”tho the magnums was slower then the original loads


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[Stinky J Picklestein]

Couldn’t tell ya..From what I “remember”tho the magnums was slower then the original loads


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Yep, with Winchester loads, it seems velocities and payloads pretty much go hand-in-hand. XX mags usually have heavier payloads, so their velocities are slower. I think the Longbeard XRs and the HV versions are close, though.

[southpaw]

According to my lyman book at 1200 fps they will be going 600fps at 60 yards with 1.6 ft/lbs of energy. It didn't go down to 1050 fps but my guess is they would be going 550fps with 1.3 ft/lbs of energy. This is for number 6 shot.

Maybe someone with a ballistic program will chime in.

[Spuriosity]

Armchair turkey ballistic junkies have generally come to accept 1.25" penetration in ballistic gel to be the minimum required to cleanly kill turkeys. Penetration in ballistic gel is a much more useful metric than foot-pounds of energy because it is accurate across all different pellet materials (lead, HS, HW, TSS, etc) For example, a TSS 9 will penetrate as deeply as a lead 4, even though the lead 4 carries significantly more ft-lbs of energy. The TSS penetrates so deeply because of its greater density and small size (reduced surface area). So now for your question...

Per KPY Ballistics, lead 6s at 1200 fps yield 1.25" of penetration in ballistic at 0' elevation and 70 degrees to 52 yds. At 1050 fps (magnum load) they will do it to 47 yds,

Lead 5s at 1200 penetrate 1.25" to 64 yds and when launched at 1050, 58 yds,

My takeaway is that to maximize range with Winch LBs, one should choose 5s. The only way to choose between the standard and magnum (slower) load is to buy a box of each and pattern through your setup. The range at which your pattern density falls to 100 in a 10" circle is your max range. Sixes may put more pellets on target but I would not trust them with regards to penetration and killing potential beyond 50 yds.

[jsh909]

I agree. But I am partial to lead 5's. They my favorite regardless of gauge for woods hunting.

[jsh909]

If your gun patterns lead well there is no reason to not shoot 5's especially when they are longbeards. Your penetration will exceed your pattern density.

[KyKRAZEE]

Or...just get with Brice and let him hook you up with some trotting fox loads!!!