Hevi-Shot "Dead Coyote" pattern tests

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ExCavTanker

New member
First off I'd like to thank Byron South for recommending Trulock chokes. I used a Benelli Super Black Eagle and started off ordering an extra full .685 and the results were not what I was hoping for, at 50 yds only two pellets ended up inside the paper plate and the remainder were very spread out on the large paper I used as a background to see the pattern. I contacted George at Trulock chokes and explained the results and he indicated that he had shot everything Hevi-Shot makes EXCEPT the "Dead Coyote" load. He told me to try a turkey choke and he would send me one in a .670 size as based on his testing with #2 and with buckshot that it should be pretty close to what I need. I only had a couple shells left so I installed the .670 choke and tried the first shot at 50 yds, the result was 14 pellets in the paper plate and the bulk of the remaining pellets were were pretty concentrated outside that area, producing a MUCH tighter pattern than the extra full choke. The center of the pattern dropped about 18" below the aim point at that distance. For the last shell I set up at 60 yds and ended up putting 10 pellets in the paper plate and while the pattern size did increase somewhat over the 50yd pattern there were still other pellets that would have hit a coyote sized target outside the paper plate, in fact the pattern at 60yds was noticably tighter than the extra full pattern at 50, the "Dead Coyote" load indeed likes tight chokes. At 60 yds the center of the pattern was about 24" below the aim point. I'd like to thank George of Trulock for a great product and excellent customer service and would highly recommend him if you're looking for a choke to try with the "Dead Coyote" load.
 
Does Trulock have a website? Very interesting....when Heavishot first came out I tried some and it didn't pattern good at all, but I didn't know at the time that you had to use full chokes. Thanks for the info.
 
www.trulockchokes.com

berettaman,

It looks like you have to go tighter than full as even the extra full didn't do it. The pattern didn't end up where I wanted until I tried the .670 turkey choke, btw, the choke looked brand new after being shot with the "Dead Coyote", no worries.
 
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I agree the people(george Trulock?) at Trulock chokes are very helpful. I use a trulock .675 in my Browning Gold with Hevi-shot. I have been very satisfied with my hevi-shot patterns. So far I have rugged out 2 yotes with my set-up. Yes H.S. costs more than Buckshot but once the patterns are confirmed I don't get enough coyote shots to go broke & when I do get a shot I want a dead dog.
 
I use a remington 870 with the 3 1/2" dead coyote at 30 yards I had 43 pelletes {there are 54} inside a 10" cirlce and I had pulled a little left! I haven't patterned it any further but have killed a coyote at 68 yards! I also use a trulock choke extra full .690 ! so far so good !
the hevi shot load is awesome!
I do intend to play with different chokes out of the remington 870 and the mossberg 835 ! I have 10 chokes to play with and would like to try it from 20 to 70 yards for comparison! I'll let you know what I come up with as soon as my arm recovers enough I can type again!
 
muskrat30-You're exactly right about the price, it blows me away that people will spend up to $1,000 on a shotgun yet go cheap on shells. My testing at 60 yds confirms what guess already knows, with the RIGHT choke "Dead Coyote" is a legitimate 70 yd round.

guess-just for grins, try a Trulock TKY .670 and let me know how it patterns at 70yds for you. No one around here has the 3 1/2" yet but hopefully soon. All I know is that I have never shot a 3" shell that comes anywhere close to the recoil that the "Dead Coyote" produces and I'm even using a Sims recoil pad, I can only imagine what the 3 1/2" does:)
 
I got a suggestion for patterning these devils. After my 3-1/2 kiked my hat off my head, and crossed my eyes, I went back to the pattern board and carried my Fishing life vest. It doesnt slow the gun down but it gives it a wider range of impact area. no more bruised shoulder for me.
 
Never tried "Dead Coyote".Sice you brought up scattergun patterning I just wanted to tell you gentlemen about some patterning I did this year.I purchased a new Rhino choke(.690)and some ammunition from the Nitro company for my mossberg 835.The nitro shells contained 4x5x7 heavyshot.This was for my turkey hunting this past season.I've tried a variety of chokes/shells in the past but have to say nothing can compare to the results I achieved with this choke/shell combo.At 45yds I was putting close to 300 pellets in a 10"circle!Absolutely devastaing patterns for birds anyway. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Hevi-Shot and Trulock chokes are a devistateing combination no doubt. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

17 shooter,

That's a great idea with the life jacket. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Byron
 
The chokes must be the secret because I can't get that stuff to pattern well at all past about 40 yards with the standard Benelli full choke. The people at Hevi Shot told me to use my modified choke for better patterns at longer range. So I am somewhat confused as to why they don't reccomend the super full chokes? I'm not impressed so far. I get better patterns with copper coated BB's at 50 than I do the Hevi shot.
 
I'm not sure why they are doing that (recommending full chokes) because as I stated in my earlier post even the extra full choke didn't do it. The Hevi-Shot "Dead Coyote" definitely likes very tight Turkey chokes. I should've listened to Byron South the first time and went right to the Turkey choke. Try the TKY .670 and see what a difference that makes, I'm sure you'll be pleased. Just a reminder, this is for the "Dead Coyote" load ONLY, do not use those tight chokes on any load with a tungsten-iron mixture as they use the same chokes as steel shot.
 
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The chokes must be the secret because I can't get that stuff to pattern well at all past about 40 yards with the standard Benelli full choke. The people at Hevi Shot told me to use my modified choke for better patterns at longer range. So I am somewhat confused as to why they don't reccomend the super full chokes? I'm not impressed so far. I get better patterns with copper coated BB's at 50 than I do the Hevi shot.



If they told you to use a "modified" choke why are you trying to push it through a "full" choke?

Hevi-shot is super hard and doesn't deform like lead BB's. It tends to bounce off itself when it is overly constricted through a full choke that is why the pattern opens up too soon. It will also destroy chokes that are too tight after awhile. I have been shooting hevi-shot for 3 years on waterfowl and I have been using a "patternmaster" choke with fantastic results.
 
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I have been shooting hevi-shot for 3 years on waterfowl and I have been using a "patternmaster" choke with fantastic results.



Is the Heavy shot you are using for waterfowl "T" shot like the dead coyote loads,or #2 or #4 birdshot?
 
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I have been shooting hevi-shot for 3 years on waterfowl and I have been using a "patternmaster" choke with fantastic results.



Is the Heavy shot you are using for waterfowl "T" shot like the dead coyote loads,or #2 or #4 birdshot?



I have used #6's, #4's, #2's, and T's (dead coyote recently). I bought 6 cases of the stuff before Remington bought the rights from "envirometal" and have bought several cases since becoming a Remington product. I think its fantastic!
 
Sorry I didn't clarify that better bl00dtrail. I have tried the modified choke and wasn't impressed. That was what they reccomended and what I tried first. Then I went to the full choke, because I had read on here that it was working better through tighter chokes, and I'm still not impressed. I think the shot size and weight is right, but I am obviously going to have to try some more of different chokes. The other point I was trying to get at was that since guys are having such good luck with the super full chokes, why Hevi-Shot wasn't reccomending them. How many coyotes have you shot at with it? And what were your results? I'm not interested in what it does with birds, I'm not a bird hunter.
 
OK, I just had to call Envrionmetal to confirm my findings "inquiring minds want to know":) Bl00dtrail, good news, Environmetal is still mfg the Dead Coyote load themselves and has not farmed it out to Remington (again, this is the Dead Coyote only, not the waterfowl stuff), and they are still using the translucent hulls. After that I went right to the choke question, and the rep did say that they are in fact finding the best "long range" results with the tight turkey chokes, he had personally tested it with his Mossberg 835 and tried a modified with mediocre results and then went to a turkey .675 and as he said "night and day" difference. He also went on to say that Dead Coyote is tungsten-nickel powder bonded together with a resin and if for some reason it was compressed too tightly by a choke the shot would disintegrate before doing any damage to the choke. He indicated he had shot numerous boxes with no damage or wear marks to the choke or barrel. I hope this clears up a little of the mystery of Dead Coyote load, and as stated earlier, with a tight turkey choke this in fact is a consistant 60+ yard (I would say truly a 70 yard) coyote killer /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif.
 
sweet job on the homework ExCavTanker! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
When I first started using the Hevi-Shot loads (for waterfowl) I had to rework all of my shot#/choke/shell" combinations and hit the paper targets hard. Because it is totally different from steel and lead shot. Because of Michigans coyote season closing I was only able to do a small amount testing on the "dead coyote" load but I shot some at paper and was impressed with its patterns at extended ranges compared to lead buckshot. I just never gave it a thought to go "tighter" because remington says not too (and I noticed patterns got worse with the #2,4 & 6 shot). But I will try a tighter choke now!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif thanks agian for getting the info and posting it!

have a good day /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif!

p.s. I have noticed some "wear" on my choke but thats a lot of shooting and who knows it may have worn just as much with steel or lead...? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
Not a prob bl00dtrail, I just wanted everyone to fully realize the capability of this load. I wonder how many people secretly thought "yeah right" when guess posted he killed his yote at 68yds with the Dead Coyote load. I have no doubt after seeing my pattern at 60. Based on what I saw it do to 1/2" plywood at 50 yds, this stuff hits like a freight train and that was the 3", I'm working up the courage to try the 3 1/2", better get my life jacket:)


Noel, interesting info. It appears the Remington waterfowl stuff (#4 and #6) like the same chokes as the "T" sized Dead Coyote load.
 
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