Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting What make of choke would you buy for an 870 20 ga. for gobblers?

I mostly have used 12 ga. guns for turkey, but would like to try my 20 ga. 870 sometime soon.. In the 12's I mostly used the Rem. heavishot choke.. It was deadly.. But I can't locate one for the 20.. with so many chokes on the market, what do you 20 ga. guys prefer.. I have several Brileys for this gun, but the Imp. Mod. is the tightest I have..

Undertaker..

Whatever choke and shell combo nitro ray recommends

Get an Indian Creek and don't look back. Best $ you ever spent.

Great choke, I have one for my wife's youth model 870. Throws beautiful center dense patterns.

Third approval for an Indian Creek. That choke and some Hevi 7s and roll wvery bird within 45

Indian creek is the best by far. That plus #7 heavyshot 3inch mag and no bird is safe out to 40 yards.

Sumtoy choke with the Fed #7 HWY is another good option. My M2 and friends 870 like that combo.

If using the fed heavyshot load with the flitecontrol wad, you will get the best results by not going too tight. I have had great results in a 20 with an inexpensive carlsons tube and the fed load. Do not hesitate to try a factory tube first.

This goes against conventional wisdom, but the most effective tried and true combo for a 20 gauge 870 is federal HWT 7's thru a truglo SSX .550 choke.
I know theoretically the flite control wad likes a more open choke but I've never heard of this combo not working beautifully in an 870

I've yet to find a Primos Jelly Head HS that doesn't pattern like a house afire.

I use it on my Rem 870 20ga and my Benelli SBEII. There is no turkey safe witin reason.

Last year I popped a bird at 48 yds with my Rem 20ga and Hevi-shot #5 3".

Thanks for all the ideas.. I will have to look for some 7's.. May have heavy shot.. again thanks..

another place to research your question is Oldgobbler forums. There is a section just for 20 ga choke options. The issue with the Fed #7 Hwy shells is the flitecontrol wad. The general concensus is to use a non ported choke with this wad. I would try the factory full choke first with this load as suggested above then move onto your other choices.

Pure Gold is pretty good as well. .570 constriction. That is with Hevi-shot loads.

i have and have used Comp-n-Choke and Indian Creek. i bought the Indian Creek because C-n-C said not to shoot heavy shot out of their chokes and i had just acquired some heavi shot ammo. both throw very very nice patterns. i have not used a 20 ga before for turkey hunting so my experiance is only with 12 ga.

Sumtoy .562-5 and Federal Heavyweight #7's.

This is a 40yd pattern from a 20ga 870 Youth with 21" barrel using the Fed HW 7's and a .575 Carlsons. The Sumtoy is a great choke too.

The most consistent performer from my youth 870 20 gauge is the Primos Tightwad. It does great with Hevi13 6's, Hevi13 7's, Fed HW 7's and is solid with leads Win HV 4's and FCW Fed #6's.

I have been using a 20ga 870 youth model for the last 6 years, I use the .570 Tightwad or the .575 Carlson in it, she really likes the Carlson

Really silly questions, so please bear with me. Some of these choke suggestions are ported. From some other reading I've done, this is apparently a no-no with the Federal Flitecontrol wad. Yet, folks are reporting good success. So, his having a non-ported choke that big of a deal? Is the porting just for recoil reduction?

Follow what the manufacturer of the ammunition suggests. No ports for the fed heavyweight/flitecontrol.

I think the problem with flite-control wads comes not from the porting. It comes from the wad-stripping facility built into many ported tubes. I had a ported barrel with an older ported choke for many years, and shot lead Federal #4's through it just fine. In fact, I did not notice the addition of the flite-control wad until I fired one at a gobbler and it stuck in his breast.

When my son came online, I gave him my choke tube and bought a Carlson's Dead Coyote and we both were happy with the results. My barrel is still ported.

I think ports tend to catch the wad and or rear wad fins. Found this article below. I love the Trulock choke for the Fed #7 load in my Benelli and am buying another Trulock for my son's Benelli. I know it's not needed, but the 3.5" #7 shell and the Trulock tube will absolutely put a dense deadly pattern out to 50 yards. I have not tested it any farther.

http://www.turkeycountrymagazine.com/12MA/MembersOnly/shootingsavvy.html

^^^ This ^^^

Now if I could only find a Rhino .575 for the Benelli M1 Super 90, 20ga that's been crying to be shot with some of Ray's Nitro 7's, I'd be happy.

If you plan to use the Federal HW 7s(The most lethal 20ga factory turkey load on the market period), a good cheap option is the Remington Extended Super Full. It's a non-ported, extended, .572 choke and does quite well with the HW 7s as well as others. Walmart online sells the choke for $23.

I've rolled many heads with that combo and it flat pulverizes them.

+1

Nitro Company Ray will not lead you wrong!!

Steve

Indian Creek or Kicks Gobbling Thunder

This one. Find the Rem chokes and don't look back. Spend the money you save on more shells...

Really surprised no one mentioned Kicks. Both my kids still hunt with their 20ga. 870 Youth's using Kicks Gobblin' Thunder .560's and Hvy 13 #7's...

Does birds just fine to 40yds.....


X-VERMINATOR

My benelli m1 20 shot best with tight wad and heavy shot. Tried 5 diff chokes and a bunch of ammo and it consistently put the most in the ring at 40. The Indian creek shot 2nd best but cost way more. Plus money saved bought more ammo. I was truly surprised that the cheapest choke performed best consistently during patterning. I have killed 13 turkeys with the gun now, and no longer feel handicap using it instead of the 12. Longest kill was layered at 47 yards.

I set my 12 gauge 870 up before the 20 craze or the explosion of non lead shot. I called Kicks and followed their suggestions, with very good results. Even win an X-card shoot once in a while with my 21" barreled red dot sighted turkey gun. It pisses off the guys with 30 odd inch custom barrels and high power extended focus rifle scopes that cost more than my whole setup, including gunsmithing.

Yea I started my 20 before the craze too. Just liked the gun so I started using it. I actually killed quite a few in the woods with ful choke and lead shot. Then converted when I started using it all the time instead of a 12

We over think things now. My pap hunted deer with an open sighted marlin 30-30. He wore his winter work clothes with a brown and red small game vest. He smoked and carried pine knots for a fire when it was cold. No grunt tubes, bait, scents, tree stands or blinds. He had an old Winchester 37 12 gauge and used #6 low brass 1 1/8 Oz for rabbits and high brass 1 1/4 oz #5 for everything else. Of course the turkeys were not as smart as today's birds. Ours need a small cannon.

Ain't that the truth... Old men in blue denim bib overalls and packing an assortment of shotguns from ragged single shots and pump guns to various SxS shotguns dang near shot turkeys into extinction with paper hulled shells. Woodsmen...

Your absolutely right and your post reminds me that I need to quit spending so much money on guns and gear and more money on gas and tags!

X-VERMINATOR

My 870' forcing cones have been lengthened and polished, mounted an expensive choke, buy expensive shells, drilled and tapped receiver for a scope. However has anyone else thought about how turkey hunters are trying to get the bird to come close, we brag about being good at calling and how we are responsible in our shots. Then we try to make a shotgun into a rifle????????????????

sumtoy. The great thing with William is if the choke does not shoot like you want he will gladly send you different ones to try

Trulock does the same. Great company and great chokes at a decent price

Kick's and Indian Creek will exchange chokes with you also until you find the pattern you are looking for.

Amen...

I think if a hunter is trying to find the best choke and shell combo for his firearm it's shows a lot of respect for the game he is pursuing.

It's another aspect of hunting that I enjoy doing it. Lots of time between seasons and I don't knit so this is what I like doing.

I guess I don't take turkey hunting seriously enough. Having that out of the way, here is what has worked for me:

CLOTHING- jeans, drab shirt, gimmie cap ( no white lettering) or a drab ( read that well used) western hat.

SHOTGUN- walnut / blue. Generally used a 12 ga A-5 shortie with a Lyman variable choke set on full.

Last three were killed with a Benelli Montefeltro (still blue-walnut) 20 ga 24" bird gun with the factory full choke tube loaded with 3" #6 shot.

We have the option of using rifles in Texas. A good, accurate ..22 to the head works, as well as a shot to the center of the back. Neither wastes meat.

Jack

Jack,

Congrats on your success!

What load do you plan on shooting? I've had the best patterns from the Rem Super Full non-Hevi shot choke, but I'm loading TSS.

I have several other chokes I don't use that I tried with TSS if you are interested.

Sand Man, I haven't really decided on what I would shoot in the 20.. I used regular lead 3" loads in my 12 when I used a shotgun.. there is so much new stuff out there it is difficult to make a decision.. Plus each gun is a law unto its self.. So that is another problem.. In this area, Turkey loads are pretty limited.. It is not a real big thing due to the low numbers of birds in the state.. But I have about decided to try a tightwad and some of the Hevi shot, if I can find it.. But we will be taking a trip next mth, though good turkey country, so I can probably locate some ammo there.. Thanks for all the replies..