Turkeys with cast

[beefan]

Anyone here hunt turkeys with cast boolits? Information on calibers, velocity and boolit shape would be appreciated.

[FergusonTO35]

I wish we were allowed to here. My Marlin 1894 with a big flat point boolit would be dandy.

[runfiverun]

never seen a wild turkey,so i can't comment but my 25-20 with 72 gr flat points will make a goose flop over,or just go stiff and tip over with a head shot.
they are in the 1550 velocity range.

[Wayne Smith]

50 cal round ball at the base of the neck works.

[MDC]

I'd like to shoot one with my 256 Winchester but haven't started casting for it yet.
Would also like to find a carbine bbl for my Contender in that caliber.

[x101airborne]

I know that my 22 K-hornet with bullets works great at the base of a 22 pound Rio Grandies neck. Havent tried cast yet. My son's Tikka 223 with the RCBS 55 FP over a healthy charge of 322 knocks the heck out of em.

[303Guy]

I have.8-) I started casting for the 303 Brit and just had to try it on turkey. I did make sure I had enough boolit - 220gr HN. [smilie=1: They made a big hole going in and a small hole going out. Killed them on the spot.

Then when I started on my Pig Gun I devised a 'universal boolit' specifically for small critters like rabbit and turkey and of course, pigs - large pigs. Well, I shot two turkey with those and they worked! They had a wide but fairly shallow and thin rimmed hollow nose and were 220gr or so. Velocity shoulf been around 1500-1600fps.

The idea of the large cavity on the nose was to kill the little critters quickly but form an essencially flat nose when used on pigs. I'm still to shoot a pig with the gun. I did dispatch a pair of goats with head shots and the they were impressive. I've lightened the boolit and might just settle on a flat nose with wide meplat in order to speed up casting and shorten the boolit for reliable magazine feeding. The final boolit weight is 206gr FN over 40gr H4350 (AR2209) which produces around 1800fps in the short barrel. I may reduce the charge if accuracy requires or I might harden the alloy.

[HBAR2989]

I would love to shoot one with my .32 muzzle loader and a maxi ball. That's not legal in Ohio, so I'll probably never get to find out.

[Leslie Sapp]

A 320 gr .50 maxi-ball will knock one over pretty quick!:bigsmyl2:

[Goatwhiskers]

I shot my first turkey this year. Caused quite a stir in the meat section, and I'm not allowed to shop at Winn-Dixie anymore. GW

[richhodg66]

I shot my first turkey this year. Caused quite a stir in the meat section, and I'm not allowed to shop at Winn-Dixie anymore. GW

That's funny!

I've only ever killed one turkey in my life and it resulted in a $1700 body shop repair bill, LOL.

What states besides Texas can you legally use a rifle for Turkeys? Kansas won't let you and Oklahoma wouldn't either when I used to hunt there.

[waksupi]

That's funny!

I've only ever killed one turkey in my life and it resulted in a $1700 body shop repair bill, LOL.

What states besides Texas can you legally use a rifle for Turkeys? Kansas won't let you and Oklahoma wouldn't either when I used to hunt there.

It's legal in eastern Montana.

[45 2.1]

Several friends hunted them when they lived in more western states. They all said about any cartridge going over 1700 fps with a shot to the wing butt brings them right down.

[smoked turkey]

I am with the others in that I wish it was legal here in MO to hunt with a rifle. I have talked to the Conservation Commission about a small caliber muzzleloader season. I think a .32 or .36 cal muzzleloader season would be great.

[pergoman]

I have been casting 55gr boolits for my dad's 222 turkey loads for years. He has killed at least 20 in the fall season in Pa. Light loads moving pretty slow. Typical velocity is 1800-1900fps. He shoots them in the back and breaks the spine.

[10 ga]

Rifle for turkey in VA is legal if the particular county or municipality allows rifles. My favorite was my 1894 marlin in 32/20. Any 32/20 boolit or load should do the trick. Was a light and handy rifle for the long walks of fall hunting. With judicious shooting it could take about anything legal at the time cept I was reluctant to try it on bears unless they were in a tree over the hounds. Best, 10 ga

[Got-R-Did]

FergusonTO35, I am with you. I would love to try my .30-30 with cast on some of those 24+ pounders hiding out at the Anderson Co. Sportsman's Club range. Of course mine is a Contender 10" Bull handgun. The irony was not lost on me when I was patterning my then new Benelli Super Nova for the upcoming spring season only to have to stop to allow the small flock to pass undisturbed into the cedars behind the pistol silhouette targets. It was a surreal experience.
Got-R-Did.

[Hamish]

never seen a wild turkey,.

I am heartily sorry for this run, I hope someday you will be able to rectify this.

[jrgift2]

I have been using a Lyman 90 grain boolit for a few years now for turkeys and tree rats.Using either 4198 or H-116 and 14 grains I get 1 inch groups at 100 yards and 1400 fps. Plenty powerfull for both.This is in a 250 Savage

[fliintlock555]

Any cal black powder rifle is allowed in Georgia. Also like the black powder shotgun.

[bubba15301]

I would love to shoot one with my .32 muzzle loader and a maxi ball. That's not legal in Ohio, so I'll probably never get to find out.

legal in pa

[TCFAN]

I have never hunted wild turkeys because in Missouri you have to use a shotgun and that is something I just don't want to do and we have lots of turkeys here.............Terry

[bowfin]

Rifles are not legal for turkey hunting in Nebraska.

[telebasher]

I am with the others in that I wish it was legal here in MO to hunt with a rifle. I have talked to the Conservation Commission about a small caliber muzzleloader season. I think a .32 or .36 cal muzzleloader season would be great.

The 32 or 36 round balls do not have enough weight to penetrate the feathers/wing butt on a mature tom. If you wound a turkey with a muzzleloader the track meet is on . Its darn near impossible to get another clean shot at that bird, the coyotes or bobcats will finish the job you started. I know this from experience. My minimum is a 45 or larger round ball and with decent placement your turkey dinner is assured. Here in the northeast Texas panhandle when you call turkeys you just about always call in predators too! This makes the birds extra spooky. But I am a die hard predator caller and it suits me fine either way.

[waksupi]

I have shot turkeys with small bore rifles. Shoot them in the head, and it is a done deal.

[gcsteve]

Can't use boolits in NY.

From their turkey hunting regulations:

You may hunt with a bow.
You may hunt with a shotgun or handgun only when using shot no larger than #2 and no smaller than #8.
You may use a muzzleloading shotgun.
You may not take a turkey with a rifle, or with a handgun firing a bullet.

[popper]

never seen a wild turkey Try that deserted lead mine on the Buffalo in Arkansas. 20 or 30 in a flock there, but of course it's a no hunting zone. Kinda look like turkey buzzards but don't smell as bad. You think that Amarillo feed lots smells bad, you haven't been near a flock of T B. and the buzzards are uglier.

[Dr. A]

we can't use a rifle legally for turkey in Kansas, and in fact have to buy tags. Can't move around out in the country without bumping into them. They are considered a pest here. I wish we could use a rifle.

[1Shirt]

Like Bowfin said, rifles are not legal for turkey in Ne, but sure wish that they were, at least for the fall season!
1Shirt!

[35remington]

The early settlers weren't dumb. The rifle was preferred over the shotgun when taking turkey, and the real turkey gun isn't a shotgun. Never has been. Only regulation made it the choice for turkey hunting in current times and it is a pretty poor choice, really.

I'd rather have a 25-20.

[Hogdaddy]

Let alot of turkey walk & I mean ALOT. Never shot one guess I never will ; ) PS I'll shoot one with a camera ; )
H/D

[kelbro]

Killed many with an 86gr or 75gr from my 25-20. Grew up in S. Texas and never knew that anyone shot turkey with a shotgun until I saw it on a cable TV hunting show.

[WaywardSon]

Always wanted to take a turkey with a rifle...unfortunately it is not legal in Kentucky.

[**oneshot**]

22Hornet, 60gr(62 with my alloy), mediumfast velocity.

[292]

Not legal in NC either, that would be the best of both worlds.

[Doc_Stihl]

Not legal here in NH either.

[**oneshot**]

We are legal in the fall season with centerfire's and rimfire handguns and rifles. Our spring season is shotgun only.

[blaster]

never seen a wild turkey,so i can't comment but my 25-20 with 72 gr flat points will make a goose flop over,or just go stiff and tip over with a head shot.
they are in the 1550 velocity range.

Hope they were tame geese. Seems dicey to admit to taking a migratory game bird with a rifle in violation of federal law using toxic ammo.

[reloader28]

We can use 22mag and larger in Wyo.
Last year I took my 357 pistol loaded with 165gr FN. Shoots great, but we never seen a bird.
I do know that it is WAY nicer to carry around than my shotgun.