Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Lets talk about Chokes and factory loads that patten best in your shotgun????

Remington 870 12 ga Express Super Magnum
Undertaker .665 choke
Winchester Supreme 3" 1300 fps 1 3/4 #5 shot.

Have tried other chokes and ammo combinations and this is the best load in this gun to date.

Round oak, I played around with turkey loads a lot with that choke too and settled on the Federal flight control 2 3/4 and 3" #5 shot as well... Patterns real tight out to 45 yards. I have shot birds in excess of 50, but don't like doing that. I'd rather they came in to around 40 yards..

I'd rather they be around 25 - 30 yards!

BSA, I have grown a little complacent with that combination, I need to get off the couch and try some latest and greatest ammo.

My buddy uses the Winchester supreme ammo. It works great for him...

In a perfect world, that would be just about right...

Pure Gold .670 and 3" 12 gauge Hevi-shot Magnum Blends. Use that set up for Invector/Winchoke, Invector Plus, and Crio Plus.

Keep in mind that the choke has no bearing on distance. All it does is constrict the shot as it leaves the barrel. A full choke will give you a tighter pattern at a given distance than a Modified or open. choke, but won't increase or decrease the velocity of the shot itself. That is determined by the powder and size of the shot itself. A lot of people think that the choke has something to do with "Killing Power". That is true only to the extent of placing more or less BB's in a given area. If you want to kill birds at 50+ yards, by all means use a restricted choke, but if you use light loads, you gain nothing.

Good combination... I always recommend the Undertaker chokes to new guys... they're cheap and outperform all the more expensive chokes...

Ok, Ill be the odd man on this thread. I have shot a few turkeys with a shotgun but for the past 15+ years I have bow hunted them, quite successfully.
When I shotgunned them, I used 2 3/4" shells, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 ounces of 5 or 6 shot, in a modified choke 12 ga. They worked great.
I think there is a lot of "marketing" in the extended, titanium, ported super full choke tubes with 3" or longer shells with multi shot size, buffered nickel plated shot at 1400+ fps.

I use a Remington 870 with either factory full or extra full. It's an older 870 and will only shoot 2 3/4" shells. I've killed them with 1 1/2 oz and 1 5/8 oz loads of #4,5,6 and duplex loads of 4x6. Copper plated, nickel plate and plain lead shot.

IMO---they all work. I prefer 4's but whatever I shove in is what I shoot.

Before the advent of the specialized "turkey shotgun" I used either my Belgian Browning Auto Five or Remington Wingmaster 870. Both are 12 gauge, 28" modified fixed chokes with 2.75" chambers. The old bright red hull Winchester XX short mags with 1 1/2 ounces of #6's killed a bunch of birds for me. With that said, non glossy finishes, shorter mid-size barrels and sling equipped guns do make for an easier packing and more effective gun for chasing Ozark Mtn. ridge runner gobblers.

Mossberg 500, 28 inch ported barrel
Carlson's Dead Coyote choke
Federal 3in, 2oz #4 lead w. FliteControl wad.

3" Mag Blends and IC .665 from my SA-08...makes easy work inside 50 yards. I won't shoot past that. The gun/loads would handle it. I just won't do it. He will live to enjoy another day at that range.

I use the Browning factory full with 3" mag # 4's. There is so many turkeys where I hunt, doesn't take nothing special to kill some. I mostly hunt with bow. I like the way pigs squeal when stuck!!

If your shooting a Remington then I would go with the Primos JellyHead in .665!

In my 870 I use a HS Strut choke I got on ebay for $18 works great i believe it called the undertaker. Great low cost option imho With the new WW xr turkey loads it would about decapitate a turkey at 40 yds.

I have a couple of 2 3/4" guns and tried the WW rooster xr loads similar to the turkey loads only shorter and carrying 1 1/4 oz. Very tight patterns at 40 yds. out of both mod and full chokes. Something to try if you are not wanting to buy a turkey specific gun and have a 2 3/4 " gun already available. At 40 yds any turkey would be in grave peril.