Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting 20 gauge Turkey Loads

I killed 80 western turkeys with a Mossberg 20 gauge, with a Mossberg full choke(measures the same as today's Xtra full), and always used 3" Winchester Supreme copper-plated 4s or 5s. To get less recoil since a shoulder replacement, I've switched to Winchester Supreme 2 3/4 inch high velocity 5s with an ounce of shot. Inside 35 yards with a Rhino choke in a gas-operated semi-auto, it kills turkeys just fine, at 40 cents a shot. You don't need Hevi-shot to kill turkeys any more than you need TSX bullets to kill big game.

i personaly like winchesters, but i do have to agree nitro comp has great products but it hits your wallet really hard, thats why i havent taken my lil .410 hunting..

Indian Creek is the best with Hevi shot......it simply is incredible. I have tried at least 5 chokes, nothing compares. Worth every penny.

I too like the Indian Creek and I also prefer the Federal Heavyweight over the Hevi Shot. I tried both with #7 shot and like what I see better with the Federals.

The Federal HW #7s w/the Flite Control Wad out of a 20 gauge is a killer. You just have to be careful and not use a choke that's ported or has wad-catchers. That Flite Control Wad is designed to stay with the shot for several yards after the wad+shot exit the muzzle. The wad has 4 little pockets that spring open and act as an air brake, allowing the shot to continue on as the wad drops off. Ports and wad stoppers tear up those little plastic pockets and can cause the wad to yaw to one side or the other, releasing the shot in anything but an ideal way. The best choke for the Flite Control Wad is the factory full choke. You don't need to squeeze that wad down any more than a full choke would.

My daughter got a gobbler last Spring at 68 yards with her 11-87 in 20 gauge, using the Federal #7 HW Flite Control Wad. I had Rhino Chokes make a choke for me that had no ports and the constriction was identical to the factory full choke.

IC choke with Rem. #5's out of a Rem. 1100 20ga. Youth Turkey gun. Wife & G'kids have done well with it. Have never tried Fed #7's but will get some and do a pattern comparison.

I called Federal and talked with one of their technical specialist, and he recommended a factory modified choke for the HW Flite Control Wads.

Thanks, I'll give them a whirl with a regular Rem. Mod. factory choke.

Hunter,

Do you reload?

Not Turkey loads, due to so many good factory choices that have been on the market in the last 10-15 years or so..

I reload for my 10 gauge Remington SP-10 because I can reload with Tungsten shot. Lead is 10g/cc, HeviShot is 13g/cc and the Federal Heavy Weight is 15g/cc; Tungsten is 18g/cc. I can't get as many pellets in a 2.25 oz load, but the Tungsten patterns tighter and more evenly than anything I've shot out of my SP-10. It's some awesome stuff.

I could see loading for a 10ga. The options available in factory loads in 10ga. probably aren't as prevalent as they are for 12ga. Especially in Tungsten. It's funny the first Turkey loads I ever used were 2 3/4 length. Then the 3"'s came out, it really made a difference, now it's 3 1/2".

My go to Turkey gun for years is a 11-87 3" 12ga. Turkey Special with a 24" brl. Last year I bought a Ben. SBEII 26" brl. 12ga. to shoot 3 1/2 Turkey loads through.

I use the Hevi-shot #6. My 870 20ga patterns it beautifully out to 40 yards.

I've also used 3" Federal Premimum Pheasant loads in #6/20ga as well. Both have killed birds dead.

An excellent choke for the remingtons is the factory super full in the 20 ga. You can find the factory SF choke on the internet for around $15 for the one rated for heavy shot. Combine this choke with the federal HW #7 or the Hevi-13 #6 or #7 and you will have an excellent turkey slayer without dropping major money on the choke. This combo is hard to beat in the rem choked guns. I have also had very good luck with the federal HW #7 load from a NEF 20 ga youth single shot with a fixed full choke. That gun routinely puts 110-120 in a 10" circle at 40 yards with that load. It is the lightest most compact shotgun I own. You might get some funny looks from other hunters but do not feel undergunned with a 20 ga and these new heavier than lead loads.

Yep. Factory Rem turkey super full choke with the Federal HW #7's. I bought a youth 870 compact camo last spring to set up for my boys. Dad had to try it first.

Exactly 40 yards, last day of my KY season...




Look at the damage to this guy:

Nitro