Since most of us can remember, our options for turkey loads have been limited to No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 shot. And rightfully so. Go any smaller and the shot lacks the density needed to maintain sufficient velocity for killing birds cleanly downrange. Go larger than No. 4 and you loose the dense patterns needed to swarm a longbeard's vital head and neck area.

Perhaps the surprise of the season is that Federal has announced the availability of a No. 7 load for turkeys. It will be available in the company's Mag-Shok Heavyweight with Flitecontrol turkey loads. The shot is 35 percent denser than lead and their patented Flitecontrol wad cups the shot column farther out of the barrel for tighter patterns at greater distances.

Federal's Jason Nash says the company once offered a No. 7 loading many years ago, but because lead was the only option at the time, hunter's shied away from it. The load was ultimately discontinued. Now with the denser pellets, No. 7s are once again a viable option.

"At forty yards, these number sevens hit with the same impact as lead number fives, but with a much higher pellet count," says Nash. A box of 10 Mag-Shok No. 7s will sell for around $30.

I have a couple of boxes on hand that I hope to try out in the coming weeks if I can get away from this dang city. For some reason they're not too keen on dudes testing loads out in Central Park! If anybody out there has put them to paper, I'd love to hear what you thought. If you've actually smacked a bird with 'em, I definitely like to hear how they did.

How about you? Let us know if you will try out Federal's new load on the Comments link below.