#4 shot might be alittle light for coyote however. Ok, for fox.

GC I was wondering when you pattern at 13 yards would a lead load of say 4 buck show POI vs POA about the same as dead coyote. The dead coyote is getting more expensive and any thing I can get done with lead I would rather use it. I am considering getting a Super Nova so your Benelli info has proved interesting for me. I have a Stooger 2000 that I use now and it shoots all over depending on what you put through it. Even different brands of 4 buck shoot different. I had to go to a speed bead to use it. I sight in for one brand of shell and just stay with that. Right now I am using Dead Coyote as that has patterned the best and seams to have the most energy left at longer range. Longer range being 55 yards. I agree 70 yards is a rifle shot.

I screw in a full choke and shoot a field load or trap load at 13 yards to give me an idea of point of impact vs. point of aim. It works really well too. If the gun shoots in line left/right and no higher than 2" it is probably going to pattern pretty well to point of aim at 40 yards. If it is off to the side or much more than 2" high you are probably looking at trouble at longer ranges. You can make stock shim adjustments or sight adjustments here with inexpensive shells and be really close to where you need to be when patterning the high dollar shells at longer ranges. There is no need to use the expensive shells at 13 yards, save them for the longer range pattern testing. It is surprising how far off some guns can be even at that close range. The worst I've ever seen was my son's new Winchester SX3. It was 8" - 10" high and about four inches left at 13 yards. That worked out to about 30" high and 16" - 18" left at 40 yards. Since it had some serious jamming issues he swapped it back to the dealer and bought a new Benelli Vinci. That shoots a beautiful 60/40 pattern right on the bead.

Thanks for the reply. Thats good to hear. With dead coyote at $45 for ten at Cabelas now I didn't want to have to use that if I could help it. I have heard lots of good things about the Benelli guns one being they usually end up with the poi being the same as poa. The Stoeger I have shoots everything a little different but so I dont know if I could use lead close on that one but I will try next time I go out to see how it patterns close. At a distance it patterns the bird shot different than the buckshot. I think this one is possessed. It will only misfire with a live target such as a coyote or fox in front of it.

Thanks for the tip Rich!

I just ordered all the HD 3" 2's and HD 3" T shot they had.



Here is the pattern picture of Rem 3" HD 2's. I was very impressed with this pattern and the HD 2's out penetrated the Copper coated lead BBs by quite a bit.

I have only shot a few coyotes with the HD #2's and they worked great.

Thanks for the tip Rich!

I just ordered all the HD 3" 2's and HD 3" T shot they had.



Here is the pattern picture of Rem 3" HD 2's. I was very impressed with this pattern and the HD 2's out penetrated the Copper coated lead BBs by quite a bit.
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Looks like you are ready to roll my friend. Call em in close.

Bob,
Have you had any luck getting good patterns with the HD-T's? I never did get that load to pattern worth a darn. Dead Coyote T's I can get decent patterns with, but not those from Remington. On the other hand, the Remington HD-BB's always patterned beautifully.

GC, I don't remember if I patterned the Rem HD T shot Predator loads. I will try a few through my Carlson's DC choke and my Imp/Mod Sporting Clays choke.

The Rem HD T shot Predator load has been a great coyote load for me while using the Imp/Mod choke in my Rem 11/87.

GC, I guess I did pattern the Rem HD T shot loads because here is a picture of one of the patterns I did.

I had one target that shot that well. It seemed to be a fluke and I could never get that same performance again.

My son and I bought 30 boxes of these Rem HD T Predator loads a few years ago when one of his suppliers closed them out for $16.00 per box.

I only use the T shot loads for my third shot and use the HD 2's,BBs or Hevi-Shot B shot on the first two shots.

Yesterday I patterned some 3" Remington #4 Buck through a few chokes and guns at 40 Yards, with the temp in the low 80's.

My best pattern was 20 pellets in a 10.125" Circle at 40 Yards, very close to being dead on POA/POI, using a 3" 870 with a 28" barrel and a .675 Indian Creek Non-Ported special order only turkey choke.

Same 870 with a .665 Gobblin' Thunder choke gave me 15 in 10.125" at 40 Yards.

Twenty No. Four Buck pellets in 10" @ 40 yards is a dandy pattern! Did you try any 50 yard patterns?

No, I didn't think to back up any farther, but I was also out of posterboard at that point anyway.

With Turkey loads, I get good results using .665 Indian Creek Ported choke tubes in my BPS and 870, and somewhere along the way I picked up a Non-Ported .675 RemChoke which wasn't tight enough for the turkey loads, but appears to be just right for #4 Buck.

That choke is about .055" constriction from your bore which is right in that area that I have found to be pretty consistent for good patterns. When asked my usual advice is to search in the .050" - .060" constriction range for a sweet spot for 3" .12 gauge lead No. Four Buck and tungsten T's or BB's. With some juggling of constrictions in that area and load checking usually a guy can find a sweet spot. I'm shooting a .670" from my tight Benelli bores which gives me... are you ready? Yep, exactly .055" of constriction.