Extra Full w/ lead vs. Full w/ Steel

**MMH** · April 7th, 2010, 09:56 PM

The 12 ga. 870 turkey gun I bought had a extra full screw in tube that says lead only. I bought a full choke tube is good for steel or lead. What are the advantages of steel when hunting turkey?

**MaxPower** · April 7th, 2010, 11:31 PM

NONE! STEEL SUX! Lead is much heavier/denser and retains its energy farther downrange. THIS is what you want w/ a turkey gun-big heavy shot w/ a dense pattern out to 40-50 yards. Turkeys are tough old birds, I've seen two birds killed this past fall that had both been shot prior to meeting their demise to a .22 mag. In fact the gobbler I shot had several wounds from a shotgun blast and the hen my stepdad shot had a broken leg from either a 22 or illegally large birdshot(can only use #4 or smaller in PA for turks). #4 copper plated in a 3" mag will do the job out to 40 yards if the pattern is dense enough. Also keep in mind that choke constriction isn't the primary pattern determinant. It is the choke constriction in relation to the bore diameter that determines the pattern it will throw.

**Lycanthrope** · April 7th, 2010, 11:42 PM

It says lead only because steel will trash that choke.

Steel usually shoots about one choke size tighter than lead....that is, Modified with steel acts like full with lead.

Lycansteelcanbehardonchokesthrope

**SCoutdoors1000** · July 17th, 2010, 01:04 AM

Another good thing to remember is to pattern your gun. USUALLY you get a tighter pattern with a tighter choke but as max said you have other contributing factors, such as the length f the forcing cone. (distance the shot takes to be forced from the barrel diameter to the tightest diameter of the choke. On occasion you find large holes in your pattern that you either must compensate for or trash the choke and get a new one.