r/canadaguns • u/SadCicada9494 • Jun 25 '26
Misc Mossberg 3-Barrel Combo Ammo Setup
Main use would be turkey, grouse and deer.
I'd like to know if I'm overthinking this regarding ammo for this new boi.
I want non-toxic for what I eat, so the plan is:
Bismuth #5 for turkey (24" turkey choke)
Steel #7.5 for grouse (28" IC choke)
Copper Sabot Slugs for the rifled barrel.
Might also get a box of cheaper Challenger clay shots for target shooting.
Does that make sense?
1
u/BisonCompetitive9610 Jun 25 '26
I personally find #4 to be the sweet spot for grouse. Shoot right above the head.
1
u/isanthrope_may Jun 25 '26
I use #5 copper plated shot for turkey at around 30-40 yards. Bismuth is expensive and unnecessary IMO. You will be picking any errant shot out of the meat anyways.
Steel #7 for small game. Steel #4 for ducks, steel BB for geese.
I still use lead foster slugs for deer, trust me you won’t be eating anything the slug damages - it’s pretty devastating. I use the 2 3/4” 1oz Federal Trueball, but they also make a copper-plated slug, again I find it unnecessary for deer inside 50 meters.
My coyote load is Hornady Varmint 2 3/4” nickel-plated #4 buckshot.
I shoot flats of lead target load at clays as well.
Most of my hunting is done with an 18.5” Remington 887 Nitromag, and a variety of chokes.
Good luck!
1
u/BillHenry 29d ago
Does that make sense?
Not particularly. While I understand not wanted to eat lead, for at least turkey and deer, you're not eating any parts that would be contaminated anyway. For Pb poisoning, you have to ingest a not-insignificant amount, typically over a lengthy period of time. Think of the millions and millions of animals harvested every year by hunters, and the super low incidence of Pb poisoning.
I LOVVVE bismuth, but it's not at all necessary for Turkey. Sabot slugs and a rifled barrel is a fantastic set-up regardless, so stick with that. For grouse, that steel from an IC will shoot closer to Mod, which is waaaayyy too tight for ruffed grouse. If you must, use a Cyl choke with steel. Or use the bismuth for grouse, it will pattern similarly to lead.
5
u/BowFella Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
You're overthinking it. You're not going to get lead transfer from a couple lead pellets in your meat. Also lead is heavier, it is more likely to pass through. And if you bite a lead pellet nothing will happen whereas you can chip a tooth on steel.
As for bismuth, unless you plan on shooting a turkey no further than 40 yards then dont. Or at least use Tungsten which is also nontoxic but will pattern better and have way more penetration. With turkey you are aiming for their head anyways. I might have found a pellet or two in the breast once or twice out of all the turkey I killed, and I've shot them past 60 yards.
As for Sabot slugs. You're lucky if you find a specific shell that will group well, you can't be that picky because your gun will already be more picky. You can spend the extra money to try whatever copper slugs you can find but I'm doubtful that a copper slug will be accurate in your gun. Copper bullets will have a far lower ballistic coefficient always.