Thinking of picking up another turkey gun but don't feel like taking a 2nd mortgage. Any of you guys have an opinion. Thanks

870,rhino choke,nitros = dead turkey

Thanks tb. I've always been a fan of the 870 too. I had been thinking about the Browning BPS. Any thoughts?

My dedicated turkey shotgun is a BPS NWTF version - well built shotgun, but heavy to lug all day while run and gun hunting. You won't find a new one under $500.00, I would imagine used ones should be around for that price or under.

Thanks Odessa. I hear ya on the price issue with the bps. Cheapest I've seen is 6-650. They seem to be a little more friendly to a lefty and I've shot almost as many birds with the off hand. What length brl are you using?

With your budget in mind, my vote goes to the 870.

As stated above, the BPS is nice, but too heavy.

Best of luck with your purchase.

Thanks for the BPS info. The last thing I need is a third leg to haul up and down the hills.

socko1, my turkey hunting shotgun is the camo NWTF edition of the 12ga BPS shown on the right - it has a 24" barrel and an extended Pure Gold choke tube on it - it has been a very dependable shotgun. As I prefer to run and gun a lot when turkey hunting, I have decided that I am going to try my 12ga Benelli M-2 duck gun for turkey this season; it's got a flat camo finish and a 26" barrel - I think it is going to be fine as a turkey gun too and is much lighter. If I like using it I may just get rid of the BPS (I'm getting where I HATE to carry any more weight than I have to). Odessa

I second the BPS. Get a BPS and a 670 Pure Gold that will shot anything you run thru it.

If you buy a Browning you wont have to polish the bore the factory does that for you...

In my opinion the finest turkey gun ever made is the 870 compact in 20 gauge. It weighs just over 5 pounds and has a 21" barrel. With federal HWT #7's mine will kill a turkey stone dead every time out to 40 yards with ease.
I think brand new ones cost $365 when I picked mine up a couple years ago

Mine has been tricked out a little but it was a stone cold killer right out of the box. $500 will almost get you an 870 compact and a Burris fastfire to put on top of it.

They might be heavy but I'll never own another turkey gun. BPS with 21" "Game Gun" barrel with Hevi #6

Mossberg's are usually found pretty cheap.

Looks like you shot that one's head clean off
That's a pretty shotgun

Great info guys. For the last bunch of years I've been running my 870 wingmaster with 28" tube. It'll only take 2 3/4s but patterns #5s really well at 40 yds with the full choke. The downside is that the finish is real glossy and am convinced the shine has cost me a couple of real dandys. Love the gun, but these NY easterns are spooky enough without me giving them more advantage.

Benelli Nova with an Indian Creek Black Diamond Strike choke tube, Hevi-Shot Hevi 13 no. 6 shot. That being said the 870, Mossberg 835, or Browning BPS would all work great. You should have no trouble finding a used shotgun with enough left over to send it away to get hydro printed and pick up a choke for well under 500$.

Or why not just send your shotgun away to get hydro printed. Turkey's can be killed with 2 3/4 shells plenty easy.

I've kicked the idea around LazyV. I'm just thinking it may be time to let her rest and only bring her out for special occasions. Figured it was time to catch up with the rest of the gang and get one of them newfangled things. Grin

Gotcha. I've gotta couple guns like that. Always fun to buy a new gun though...

Lazy, you out in Washington, state of? Got a close friend who's a pro fireman in the Seattle/Everett area. He's always complaining that the hunting is sub-par out there. I think he's just gotten soft and lost his ambition. What's the real scoop?

If a guy works for it there is plenty of good hunting in this state. Trophy quality yada yada yada isn't as good as other states, but there is all kinds of good hunting to be had. This states around 50% public land so if a guy wants to hunt there's room to do it.

10-4 Lazy. Sounds like he just needs to buckle down. In his defense he's got a young wife and 2 little ones so I'm sure he's busy. Also here in NY where he's originally from, he got spoiled hunting out our back door. I'm suppose to get out there in the next year or two so I'll see for myself. He's talking about meeting in Montana for some trout fishing so we'll see

I just started using the Mossberg 530 auto last year and was really impressed with it. For factory turkey chokes, you can't beat Mossberg. They are priced very reasonable. It also has a Burris # 3 red dot on it as at 77 it helps me in the heavy timber we hunt sometimes. I also have a Beretta camo Pintail and a 870 20 ga youth camo. I got it for my Granddaughters but they like shooting the 12 gauges. My only wish is that Winchester would bring back the elite supreme shells. Anyway, look at the Mossberg Turkey 530.

Remington 870 by a wide margin.

Did they quit making them altogether or are they just a seasonal run?

charlesdaily is a fine gun

They are, but IIRC, KCI went out of business; so no warranty and spare parts may be hard to come by.

Remington 870! It's the Chevy of shotguns. Everyone who is anyone makes something for it to make it souped up. I have several and they all are deadly on long beards. A Indian Creek or Rhino choke and you are golden!

Academy has then for sub $300. Catch Remington this spring offering a $20-$30 rebate and you'll be in a new shotgun for mid $200's...

D2D, your making me drool with those low #s (grin). Looks like I'm gonna have to get these Christmas bills squared up and and get serious about this dedicated turkey gun idea. Thanks for all the input guys

Think about this if you do as for modifications over time;

1) Indian Creek .665 Choke for Hevi shot #6 or larger, .660 if you want to shoot the #7 loads (special order for the non standard constrictions). ( http://www.indiancreekss.com/choketubes.html _

2) Timney 870 trigger kit ( http://www.timneytriggers.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=87 )

3) TruGlo StarBrite Deluxe in Green ( http://www.truglo.com/pc_product_de...p;catid=CC464CC39D4E4360BF05DD8A38F256EC )

4) Gun Dipped - Hydro Graphics - in a early spring pattern with lots of greys and a splash of green here and there ( http://www.hydrographicsinc.com/patterns/camouflage/wtp-380.html )

5) Nitro Company Custom Turkey Ammo - MH378i ( http://nitrocompany.com/ammunition.htm )

6) Rob Roberts Custom Barrel Work - Forcing Cone, Entire barrel polished, EDM porting ( http://www.robrobertsgunworks.com/turkey.html )

They stopped making them altogether. They said cost was a factor on the components.

Dang. Those pattern better than anything in my 870. I've got a few boxes left that should last awhile but may have to start testing some other stuff.

Guys, if you keep shots within 40 yards - you owe it to yourself to try #7 Hevi Shot. It smashes turkeys!

I wouldn't pay upwards of $5 a shell for something that I had to keep my shots within 40 yards. Any modern 12 gauge with a turkey choke should be able to kill a turkey every time inside 40 with lead 5's or 6's.
I'm not an advocate of shooting turkeys at long distances. I like for them to be right around or just inside the 30 yard mark. If they get much closer than that a lot of stuff can start to go wrong.
That being said, if I'm on a wide open bench in the mountain or a river swamp where you can clearly see 100 yards plus thru the woods and one hangs up at 47-48 yards cause he can't see a hen he's coming home with me anyway.
I don't want to step in here and start a war but #7 hevi actually has less energy than a lead 6, especially when launched at the low velocities that hevi-13 loads them at.
To each his own though, I know some real turkey killers that absolutely swear by them, they just aren't for me.

Rem 870 with rem #6 nitro I have only found 17/8 oz but they leave a rag hole in the target head of a turkey at 30yds.

Remington 870, for a reliable economical semi auto I got a Remington SPR 453 (Baikal MP-153) a few years ago for 399. It is 3.5" and the recoil with 3" shells is about non existant. It is threaded for Tru Chokes though, so you don't have the choke options of Rem, Mossberg or pretty well anythin else. Kick's and Carlson's make chokes. I use a Carlson's .665" (it might be .660) which works well. Benelli Novas are a dime a dozen used also, but I like the 870 better.
You could also use "Camo Form" wrap on your current gun which won't mar the finish and comes off easily. It's very similar to 3M Vet wrap if you are familiar with that product.

Thanks TakeEm. I am not very familiar with the camo wraps. It was something I've considered tho. Does the wrap come off with ease? No residue? It's an option that I've thought of due to the fact that the gun does hold a great pattern and I'm a little concerned with hanging it up and buying a new turkey gun, then finding that I went backwards.

Best Pump Shotgun for Turkey Hunting on today's market is the Browning BPS 12 GA Stalker with 24 or 26 inch barrel .

I've got a black matte Mossburg 930 semi-auto. Makes the 3 and 3 1/2" loads a bit easier to shoot.

Yes, it only sticks to itself so it comes off very easily, it's about $14 for a roll of it, comes in lots of different camo. No residue at all.

http://www.mcnett.com/tactical/camoform#19503

Give it a shot. Don't expect a dipped gun look like you can get with vinyl tapes or 3M kits, but it will camo it up for turkey season and you can take it off the rest of the year if you want.

I'm using a BPS now and it does well, one of my sons carries one too. My other son uses a 870 that I passed to him several years ago. I couldn't tell u how many turkeys or ducks that 870 has accounted for. To my knowledge its never failed to function properly.
Go to a gun store and feel which one you like, buy it & don't look back.

Samco Global is now the distributor for the Akkar shotguns, which made the Charles Dalys. Samco will sell the parts for a Charles Daly, but they seem to order small lots and there is a wait time.

Interesting.....didn't know that, thanks.

The weakness of the Charles Dalys was the pot metal locking block. I have a friend's 12 gauge auto in the safe waiting for the next shipment of forged locking blocks to arrive. My pump has been flawless, but the autos seem prone to break that one part. The guy from Samco that I talked to said Charles Daly demanded a certain price point on the guns and Akkar cheapened some parts to meet that price, hence the breakage.

I've been using Mossbergs in various flavors for years. I currently have 2 - an older M9200 I bought the first year they came out, and a recently acquired 935. The 935 is heavier but groups better than the 9200. Admittedly, I don't shoot either of them alot, although I've killed a bunch of turkey's with the 9200.

My current 935 was bought used for something like $350 and is the all black version. With a Carlson tube and 3" Hevi-shot 6's, it throws a great pattern. I consider it an honest 50 yard gun if the need arises. I bought it for the 3.5" capability but discovered with Hevi-shot, you don't need the punishment of the 3.5" shell. The worst kicking gun on the planet is an 835 with a 3.5" shell. I bought one when they first came out. It killed out both ends. I like light guns but no so much when shooting baby mortars.

Ive got a pawn shop 870 Magnum, with a camo tape on job, Hastings barrel, .665 choke. Gun was 150, barrel 200, fact that it was my pa's, priceless. Ol Osceola sho b scared of that rig

870. Jellyhead or black diamond choke.

I never understood why somebody would want to spend more than $500 on a turkey gun. You're gonna carry them a lot and shoot them a little so as long as they are light maneuverable and go off every time you pull the trigger anything else is really irrelevant

870 for me...

Best is a matter of opinion. This is my 870 super mag.



And THIS is my other favorite. It is a New England Firearms (H&R) 10 ga. Both shotguns have Kicks Gobblin' Thunder choke tubes. I'd rather carry the 10 ga single personally. Spring hunting rarely requires a second shot. BOTH WAY UNDER $500.00

Longbeard King, you need to change your name. That's 3 jakes.



Here's what your looking for.
Just kidding brother. Any bird is a good bird

Ummm, not so much. Plus factor in that with the hevi 7s you have two to three times as many pellets on target, the 7s have a much smaller surface area, and they are hard like steel, not soft like lead. When they hit something they don't flatten out or deform, they penetrate like crazy. I've zipped hevi 7s clean through the top part of a breast of a big gobbler that was between 40 and 45 yards, broken wings with a stray pellet, and shot another flying away from me that my buddy had rolled, at well past 50. It hit the ground stone dead. I don't purposely advocate shooting at birds past 40 yards, but inside 40 or out, hevi 7s will kick leads butt every time.

Mossberg 835 20" barrel 3.5" 12ga with x-factor choke. I've never pulled the trigger and watched a bird get away. They always drop right there, sometimes headless, sometimes 2 cobblers with one trigger pull. Great looking super tough camo finish, easy handling short barrel, bright fiber optic front and rear sights. Bought it lightly used for $225.00

You remind me of my SON............. He calls me "jake wakka" When you BOTH get to be my age, you'll understand. I do NOT practice "catch and release", if it's brown, it's down, (can't eat antlers) and if a bird comes to my call, I play the game and attempt to kill it................No offense. Remarks add to the fun.............

If you don't mind used, and can find one, the old Winchester 1300 N.W.T.F. guns [with the laminate stocks] are nice. Pretty to look at, and the 'Turkey' barrels are back bored. My buddy has the grey laminate, I have the spring laminate, and both shoot well. He uses and old .640" Hastings, I have a .640" Carlson's Card Shooter, we both shoot plain 3" lead #6's. Kills birds dead out to 40 yards. He has made a few miracle shots, I think his longest was 50-something yards.

I believe I picked mine up a few years ago for $3- or 350. They seem to be getting rare these days.

I have used a Winchester 1300 camo turkey gun for about 15 years. It has a 21 inch barrel with factory rifle sights. I have tried a few choke tubes and settled on a Truglo Strut Stopper. The gun is light and the shortness is nice when pointing at an incoming gobbler. I especially like the rifle sights. They make you keep your head down on the stock.

NEF single shot--- I have both 12ga. tube and 20ga. tube-- interchange in minutes --20 ga with proper shot is easy a 40 yd killer. Survivor Stock and rattle can spaghetti cammo

Walmart carries the 870SM dipped in RT HDWDs with their newer light weight stock and forearm for $347. Something along these lines:

Camo 870SM $347
Patriot Sear Spring $10
Tru Glo Pro Series Magnum Gobble Dot sights $40
Primos Jelly Head .660 choke $40
Claw sling $25

That beats your budget and will be a stone cold killer.

20ga 870'd the heck out of this one last spring.
]

same gun, 2 springs ago.

I picked up a lightly used Marlin 120 12 GA. 3" several years ago. I was shooting a $2000 o/u and was tired of being too careful with it. Camo taping each season was also a pia. The barrel on the Marlin only had one choke tube and it was full so I took it out and patterned it, and finding that to be good, I camo painted it with flat spray paint in earth tone colors. If I remember correctly that Marlin was $160 then. Probably $200 now. Works good for me but if I were to buy new- It would be an 870.-Mike

How about a 200 dollar beater and a rattle can paint job..

Sorta like this one?

Yes I love that...

Looks like something I would hunt with.

Mine is an old 2 3/4 Ithaca 37 with tape, Lupy M8 2.5, flat black Rustolium spray, dobbed on brown latex paint spots, thinwall Colonial 665, Win #6's or Fed Flight Control #6. Works for me. You would have to pay me more than $500 to buy it.

Jim

I roll with a $150, 870 magnum I bought at a pawn shop. Put a Hastings barrel on it, .665 choke and a camo decal kit. I'm under $450 and it's the best damn turkey killer I've used.