A friend has taken three turkeys so far with whatever 1 oz load of #5 shot she had left over from pheasant season. She hasn't fired at a bird more than 25 yards away so the load used really didn't matter.
Which is the key- the closer the bird, the less important ammo becomes. We hunt in the woods where visibility is limited. Basically, if one can see a bird, it is in range. Typical turkey chokes and ammo is not an advantage and often a disadvantage in these conditions. I used my old lead waterfowl loads for many years with no problems. I might break some out again if I decide to use my dad's A-5 on a turkey.
When I first started turkey hunting, I read everything I could get my hands on trying to learn more. I read an article by one of the long time turkey hunters that said that it takes a lot more skill to call one in close and kill it, than it does to make a long shot. I didn't really understand that until I'd been hunting a number of years, but he was right. For a few seasons, I used a 3 1/2 12 gauge Benelli SBE2, and made some long shots. I've since switched to a 20 gauge, and find myself having a much better feeling about it when I kill a bird.
