Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Choice of Shotgun

I'm not particularly interested in exactly what model you all are carrying or what choke. I'm sure we'll have threads like that from now until June. I also don't want to make this a pump vs. semi-auto thing. I'm more worried about the oddballs.

I'm just wondering how many of y'all are using:

SXS?
Over/Under?
Single shot?
Bolt?
Muzzleloader?

If you would, please share your reasons for picking that platform in a turkey gun, and give details on your experiences. I'm now 21 years shooting with the same Mossy 500, and I'm wondering if I should mix it up a bit with something more exotic.

Stick with your 500
I hunt 90% of the time with my Mossberg 835 pump and 10% with semi SP10

870 pump, turkey special.
Always goes bang.
LOVE the sling.
A buddy's dog knocked it into the water one morning in the goose blind,
fished it out (by the sling) and continued going bang.
Mud, subzero or dirt....
bang, bang, bang.
Killed a limit of mallards yesterday.

I mix it up. It's just a damn bird and anything will do. Have killed them with a 12 gauge Ithaca 66 SuperSingle, 12 gauge Ithaca 37, 12 gauge 870, 12 gauge Mossberg 500, 12 gauge Wards WesternField 550,12 gauge J.C. Higgins bolt action, 16 gauge J.C Higgins SxS, 12 Gauge Winchester 1300, 20 gauge Winchester 1200, 20 gauge Browning BPS and probably a few I forgot. None of the above guns are turkey specific models and most have 26 or 28" barrels. In recent years I've mostly been using the 20 gauge BPS.

I'm still using the Remington 870, I bought when I was 14. That was back in 1970. No reason to change.

I've shot a couple turkeys with an Iver Johnson single shot but gave that up after only wounding a bird and getting into a foot race with it. Trying to load the gun and not trip or get clothes lined while running through the woods is not something I wish to repeat. A second instantly available shot might have stopped it all right there.

I have also used an O/U successfully for turkeys. I actually like that as it gives me the option of two chokes. I hunted a mix of cover types and having a more open choke when hunting the woods and a tighter one for a field can be an advantage. I would switch back to an O/U in a heartbeat if I went back and hunted a mix of covers.

Currently a Browning Gold w MOBU camo 24" barrel with a Star Dot tube or a BPS 10 gauge, 26" barrel.

Started with an 870 in late 80s and received the 10 as a graduation present in '93. Carried the 10 exclusively for maybe 5 years then mixed it up with the 870.

Got a Gold 12 gauge in 2002 and have had an auto 12 ever since.

Packed the 10 again for the last 2 spring seasons, not needed but I love the way the gun shoots and is so heavy it helps steady any jiggles I can develop as a gobbler approaches. Sitting on over 100 10 gauge lead loads so need to kill a bunch of birds with it.

I have killed birds with the 10 gauge that you could have killed with a .410, several under 20 yards.

They will all work.

Currently thinking of adding a saddle mount and a Meprolight to my Gold.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2...uick-release-picatinny-style-mount-matte

My shotguns for turkey have all been 12’s except my BPS 10 killed a couple.. All most all the guns are pumps.. 870’s, model 12’s and one model 97.. I like trying different stuff.. I would like to get one with my model 31 12, and my20 ga. In 870.. Turkey hunting is kind of taking a back seat to other hunting, but still fun..

I have used a Winchester 1300 pump-action camo turkey gun in 12 ga for the past many years and love the way it handles and shoots with its original rifle sights. Every once in a while I think it would be neat to find an old 12 ga bolt gun and have it modified into a turkey gun. I think a bolt action would be geat as a turkey gun.

Remington Model 1100 12 gauge magnum auto 28" barrel, with extra full screw in choke.

An 870 Turkey Express, lengthened forcing cone, Kicks .665 choke, red dot scope.
I have always thought a double trigger o/u would be the chizz, fast second shot, choke choices and super short.

Turkey hunting should be a close range, one shot game so any shotgun with the right choke/shotshell combo should do. My personal favorite is a Browning BPS Upland Special pump with 22" barrel. I love short-barreled turkey guns for maneuverability . It's nice to know there are a couple more shells in the magazine too if you ever need them. They've come in handy when coyotes come in to the decoys to make sure they don't leave.

"
Turkey hunting should be a close range, one shot game " - the operative word is "should". But sometimes they are not close enough for a shotgun.



Rifles are legal in Texas and wild turkeys are plentiful, so many turkeys are taken with rifles early in the deer season for Thanksgiving table fare. Yummy!

The above Savage combination gun, a .22 Hornet over 3 inch 12 gauge became my primary turkey gun after having to pass up a lot of shots that were not in shotgun range. I have taken hill country gobblers with it from 50 yards out to 150 yards; never lost a bird hit with the Hornet. When the birds do come in to a call, the shotgun does the job.

It should be apparent that I am hunting turkeys to eat, not to display my calling prowess.

Do you body shot them or neck with the rifle?

I have the same thing in 223 & 12 gauge and the rifle accuracy is amazing.

I currently run a 28 inch barreled browning BPS that I cam wrapped, added a 665 choke tube, sling studs, Allen slip on squishy recoil pad, and williams rib sights with a ghost ring and fiber optic and thats my primary gun. All these mods cost me less than $100 total because many came from the cabelas bargain cave.
I like the sights because they focus my aim and force me to keep my head down on the stock after a "bead only" miss a few years ago.

But the bigger question is guns I am toying with...

I have my O/U browning citori 725 field gun I trap shoot with and bought a extra full and turkey choke for it to experiment with. It worked great... 50 yard good patterns, the double bead acts like a low drag sights, and it gave me choke choice. Hopefully I would remember to change the barrel choke on close shots, BUT...
After sitting in my tiny blind in the rain with roof drips and a inch of water flowing through the bottom convinced me the 725 is a good weather gun at best.

Now Im contemplating a cynergy camo gun as my universal non-upland hunting gun for coyotes, ducks, & turkey. Not sure if I will do it.

My current concept gun for short blind set ups is a rem 870 express tactical with XS ghost ring sights that pulls bedroom closet and potential turkey duty.. I'll pattern in the ghost rings and eventually put a burris fast fire on as my eyes decay. I upgraded it with a black pistol grip shur shot stock set from remington for $60 and now I need to do range time. I'm keeping it flat black. I am concerned about velocity loss with the 18.5 inch barrel, but it seems to pattern well at 40 yards still. Not sure if this was a good decision or not on the barrel length.

And finally...

My old age I-cant_take-The-recoil-anymore gun will be my browning BPS upland special 20 gauge with bolt on williams ghost ring sights or a b-square rib cantilever mount. Its currently my wifes grouse hunting gun so I can't convert it yet.


Side story:

My father in law uses a $27 single shot 20 gauge harrington & richardson that is deadly. I asked to buy it from him the day he decides not to keep it because it also does yard stray cat removal duty.

Good 'ol Rem 870 20ga or the tried and true Benelli M2 24" barrel 12ga long range turkey swatter.

Humdinger,
Using Winchester jacketed soft point ammo that looks like a miniature big game soft point;
Broadside in the heart
Going away in the back/pelvis (same as with .308)
head on in the heart.

The bullets do very little damage to the breast meat. The scope was made for turkey hunting - if the head fills the circle, use shotty - if not, use crosshairs and rifle.

This gun is also handy for prairie dogs, coyotes, and varmints out to 150 yards.

I bounce between a Mossberg 500 and a Stoger M2000. Both have served me very well. I use an undertaker choke in the Mossberg and a factory turkey choke in the Stoger.

Rem 11/87 that I won on the K of C raffle about 10 years ago. It is paired with a .655 Hastings choke that I bought back in the early 90's. It has been 100% reliable and shoots the Federal 2 ounce loads out to 45 -50 yards with authority.

1100 SP magnum. 26" steel shot bbl, Remchoke Superfull.
870 Express Supermagnum, 23" Remchoke Superfull.

Have about $500 in the pair.
I'll take the 1100 first day or so, then switch to the 870 (lighter).
Shoot same 3" shells in either one.

No breakdowns, but I take both anyway, in case somebody else in turkey camp needs one.