Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting 12 Guage turkey load

I use an 870 with a 28" barrel as well and have never had a problem out to 45 yards with 2 3/4" shells. One is a tight modified (measures closer to improved modified) choke. It's an older gun and only chambered for 2 3/4" shells. When I used screw in chokes in my express (cheap 870 with matte finish), I still used 2 3/4" shells and 3" on occasion. The 2 3/4" turkey loads still performed just fine. I used the undertaker turkey (super full) choke and got excellent patterns with the federal turkey loads. The older ones with flight control wads worked great. For the op's shotgun, this is probably how I'd roll:

1. Super full turkey choke
2. Federal copper plated turkey loads: #4 or #5 shot with flight control wad.
3. Synthetic camo stock:




BTDT a time or 2..

Federal premium turkey load

Those lefty 870 hard to come by..

I've killed turks with ordinary #6 12 gauge Remington Express loads through a plain old full choke at 35-45 yards too many times to count. You guys with your magnum 12's, whiz bang tighter than a rats azz chokes and super duper magic turkey loads crack me the fugg up. You don't have to make a turks head look like a window screen to kill it.

My sentiment as well. Just use a regular hunting load. Although I would never begrudge anybody trying to get it down to a science and as much of a certainty as can be done for success.

I just grab a gun, get out there, plunk down and start calling.

If i have a hole in my pattern, or misjudge the distance,the Dinosaurs win that day.
One time, I didnt pull the trigger on a bachelor group of three strutting gobblers I called in cause I just wasnt sure how far they were. My barrel blotted all three out, so I let them walk. Got a kick out of foolin them with my calling though.

Some days hurt more than others when nothing is seen or heard, and theres no shooting. But somehow, it never kept me from going back out.

I just like the competition, guessing game, and intensity.

i will add one more thought to all this and yes i understand everyone has their own idea or preference on what they think works best. i remodeled our house a bit this past fall and replaced all the doors. i took the old ones out to my buddies place where i hunt as we will use them in a bond fire one night. well i patterned a couple different loads at about 40 yrds and besides the size of the pattern the other interesting item was the penetration of various types of shells. i can say will absolute faith that the #6 heavi shot penetrated better than the #5 copper loads did. just a thought.

It is worth pointing out that those who feel light loads and loose chokes work to forty yards and beyond are speaking from a narrow band of experience. If you want to get it done every time, in all conditions, approaching the exercise from such a direction is setting yourself up for heartache. If birds are easy to come by, that might be alright. I miss lots of doves and so what. Gobblers are different. It took me three seasons to get my public land Osceola on my terms. No way would I consider taking anything but a tuned up turkey gun on such a hunt.

I started with a factory choke and a not-so-heavy load of #5s. I never patterned it until I watched a bird run off that should have been an easy kill. Patterning that combination told me I had been running the ragged edge the whole time. It was only consistently useful to about thirty yards. I was killing up to forty and probably could have further if I were willing to gamble on a magic pellet. This is why some of the older birds I kill will have a few different types of pellets already in them. People shoot at these public land birds too far and with crap patterns all the time. They whang away and shrug their shoulders when the bird runs off. Those of us who regularly take our limit are apt to do differently.

Measure your distances accurately and test your set-ups on paper before shooting at birds. Don't just shoot at a small turkey target. That pattern needs to kill that bird all over the pattern, not just in the center. Test in conditions similar to when you will hunt. Test at the maximum distance you intend to shoot and don't shoot further. It is astounding to shoot a nice pattern at one distance and see it fall apart when tested just five yards further. Same thing in different weather.

Personally, I like a combo that will kill to fifty yards, so I know it will do to forty regardless of conditions. I like a combo that is not too tight, just tight enough. The Flite Control wads and Longbeard loads can be amazing, but are not entirely consistent. I'm using the FliteControl in my 20ga, but I bought a choke that pretty much defeats the wad to get it to act normally. It'll dump them lights out at forty. If they're in close, I either let them walk back out or just put the bead lower on the bird.

An example of a combination that would work in all conditions would be an 835 with factory extra-full and Winchester Supreme 3.5" 2oz #6s. I have seen several guns using that combo that were utterly reliable to forty in all conditions. A rig like that, you can be all twisted up with the bird at forty and still get him if your head is down on the stock and the bead is near the middle of his neck.

It is worth pointing out that those who feel light loads and loose chokes work to forty yards and beyond are speaking from a narrow band of experience.


Those of us who regularly take our limit are apt to do differently.

Another simple option that will kill birds near and far is to use Hevi/Heavyweight/Tungsten type shot, waterfowl loads with #2 pellets, and body shoot them.

In other words, use goose guns/loads. It may not be pretty, but it works.

Another simple option that will kill birds near and far is to use Hevi/Heavyweight/Tungsten type shot, waterfowl loads with #2 pellets, and body shoot them.

In other words, use goose guns/loads. It may not be pretty, but it works.