Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Choice of Shotgun

At 21, you can probably handle the pain a little more, I was shooting a 835 at that age...with the old Federal 3 1/2 #6 2 1/4 oz loads. They would stomp you. Auto gas gun for me now. Got tired of the 835 knocking me around, went out and got an Xtrema2. Been shooting it for 10 years now. Everything you mentioned other than the muzzle loader is gonna start hurting at some point when you get older...think ahead. My dad broke his collar bone shooting a single shot 12 with turkey loads at an odd angle.

Thanks CR.

Does your shotgun aim close to the rifle shot?

I have to raise mine up a few inches.


I like the gun for beaver & truck duty when Im back at the farm and only need to pack one gun.

In hunted for years with a 12ga Ithaca 37 (pump) that shot only 2 3/4" shells. I've hunted with a Stoger 2000 12ga semi and I now hunt with a single shot 20ga TC Encore. It'll be my final choice.

dvdegeorge was the first one to reply with, "Stick with your 500." I concur - unless you'd just like another gun. Owning a Mossy 500 is akin to owning an Estwing hammer. It works.

Remington 1100 2 3/4” with a 24” Hastings extra full turkey choke barrel I bought from Cabelas in the mid-80’s.

"Does your shotgun aim close to the rifle shot? "

It does now. After the gunsmith reconnected the front of the rifle barrel.

The gun was leaned against a wall and slipped down, cracking the solder/weld. The repair made it better than new!

I use Rem and Mossberg pumps in 12 and 20, SxS in 12, single shot in 12. Its is fun to mix up the game a bit. Don't like the semi's as they make a lot of noise when properly seating the round in the chamber and I carry my guns a lot more than I shoot them out here in CO and NE. The single shot and SxS are quieter to operate in the field once situated. The pumps can be almost as quiet once you get the hang of each individual shotgun.

I really change it up in early season with a compound and/or xbow. That really makes it interesting, fun, and much more challenging.

I use an O/U and a single barrel. The reasons for using both are weight savings, field safety and reduction in muzzle blast. The O/U is just over six pounds. The single isn't much over three pounds. Both can be broken open fairly quietly when crossing obstacles. Both have tang safeties, the position of which is easily verified by sight without movement. Both have 28" barrels. Standard velocity loads from a longer barrel are easier on the ears than high velocity loads from a shorter barrel. And we all know how important our hearing is for turkey hunting.

I have seen where people use SxS guns. I like the idea, but there's an issue. The turkey's head and neck are vertically narrow. The sxs has horizontal variance in regulation. Unlike an O/U where one barrel hits low at short range, the SxS guns hit left and right. So, typically a shooter will plan to shoot distance shots sighted with one barrel and have the other choked more open to avoid missing left or right at short range. With the O/U on the other hand, you just aim at the head. The top barrel is on it. The bottom barrel is low, but still centers on the neck.

Yeah, that may be the way I go. It's just so darn pedestrian.

My one thought was a double-barrel SXS with one barrel choked X-Full and the other choked Modified. That way I could chose.

I've got the solution for you. Take your Mossberg 500 and put a Benelli sticker on it! Then you'll have reliability with a coolness factor.

I'd stay away from the double barrel for reasons listed above by Urbaneruralite.

Yeah, you're probably right. Urbaneralite is probably right.

As to the Benelli sticker, I might consider it, but I put a spray job on the gun some time ago, knowing full well that this was absolutely the worst thing I could do for the Mossy's finish. It was a very freeing experience. Scratches? Rust? No problem, just add more Krylon. If I put the Benelli sticker on it, and then I scratched the decal somehow, then what?

Bubba Paints his Turkey Gun

Nice articles, Shaman. One man's bubba job is another man's custom finish. Consider your gun to be one-of-a-kind custom folk art with a distressed sticker and you'll be the only one to have one like it. Carry it with pride! 😜

*70 wingmaster 12 gauge with the forcing cone worked on.

1 5/8 oz. of hard number 5 shot,works.

Yeah, I kind of like that! Custom folk art-- sounds almost legitimate!

My first turkey gun was a 500 Viking turkey special. Similar gun, similar vintage, different forearm and 24" barrel. I didn't paint mine. I used it about a decade before the forearm started to rattle. Putting furniture slider material inside the forearm tightens them back up so they don't rattle. I'd still use it if I couldn't do just as well with lighter guns and less recoil.

For the 2017 season, I updated the Mossberg to have a better back up gun. At the same time, I got a single barrel .410 going with handloads, turkey choke and mini reflex. Having successfully hunted with the .410, I can't see carrying more than a 20 gauge anymore. I have a hard time leaving a 3.3# gun at home when there is walking to do.

Outside the long range, kill 'em at any cost crowd, there are going to be a lot of turkey hunters toting little .410s in the coming years. Federal's .410 TSS load is where it's at.

I use a Mossberg 500 3" 12 ga with factory camo, 20" barrel and fiber optic open sights. It's light, powerful and throws a deadly pattern out to 40 yards even with lead.

I like it.

870 12 gauge.

I like a pump or a semi-auto, 12 or 20. I have never used anything else to turkey hunt with, and have no desire to. If I was starting a kid out, a single shot 20 would probably work, but then so would a youth model pump. The key to it all is not really the choice of the gun, but matching the choke, and shell up to the gun, and having a rig that will consistently kill a turkey.

Well tp keep the economy rolling along, I have 4 dedicated Turkey guns. First is a Mossberg 930 Turkey special with a Burris FF3, second is a Beretta pintail camo short bbl with open sights for rainy days, third is a camo 870 20 ga youth modes for any youngsters I might take out and lastly, new Winchester 20 ga. pump again with a Burris FF. With my age I will probably lean more to the new 20 gauge this coming season. Anyone with only one dedicated Turkey gun is not doing their part to keep the economy rolling along. As you can see I am doing my part

I'm a 1 gun turkey hunter. I go to TX, KS, CO & OH to hunt gobblers. That's my part to keep the economy rolling. Bob

Little different method than mine but very good