Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting How many don’t use a “Turkey” choke?

All I’ve ever used has been an 870 Express with a Super Full Turkey choke. This year I am toying with patterning some older guns that are fixed choked modified, etc. How many on here are using a plain mod or full choke or fixed choke barrel? I imagine you loose some range, but up to 25-30 yards pattern should be good? How about a 20 gauge with fixed choke?

You will be fine at that range with a factory full. If you deep scrub your bore and find the ammo your gun likes 40 will probably be doable.
I’d spend the money and try Hvy13 or TSS. Especially in the 20.

Thanks, I’ll add those to the list. I am also planning on trying the Longbeard by Winchester this year as I’ve heard so many good reports. I’ve always used the cheap Remmy nitro, it works, but always fun to tinker.

Tom- for a 12 gauge I wouldn't hesitate to even run a modified with the right choice of shell. I had to do it one year, when I moved and didn't have anything but my duck gun with a MOD. I used a 3" Hevishot with zero issues at 25 yards.

The Winchester Longbeard XR and anything from Federal with the "flight control" wad-- will give you the best range from a 12 or 20 if you aren't running a super full. Tested both in both bores with great success.

I shot my MN turkey last spring with a Modified choke in my 12 ga using Federal Premium 3", #6 shot. The only problem I had was waiting for enough separation between the bird I took and the others in the flock.

I typically chose the choke and load for the distance I expect to see a bird. Most of my hunting is in the woods so distances are close. Most often I end up using whatever choke was last put on which means I've used Skeet through X-tra, super duper turkey Full. If I get ambitious and check my chokes before the season opens, I'll consider if I am hunting very early in the year or places I can see further for which I may tighten up the choke and use larger shot. I've only shot three turkeys further than 40 yards with a shotgun and only one of those was around the 50 yard mark. I'd say I come close to averaging 2 birds a year since 1988 with the vast majority taken at 30 yards or less. That even includes fall turkeys taken with a shotgun.

Turkeys were nearly wiped out with mostly fixed Full and Modified choked shotguns and unbuffered loads utilizing felt wads and no shotcup. What worked for decades "back when" will work just as well today. As always, skill and woodsmanship is a greater factor than equipment.

Good info and food for thought guys, appreciate it.

I've killed a shytload with a modified choked 12 gauge and #6 Express loads.

Over the years it has amazed me how far a shotgun will kill a turkey.. I shot several with trap loads of # 7 1/2 out of an improved cylinder choke... One I remember was 44 yards away..
Last fall I shot my gobbler with a mod. choke in my old 870 12 and WW # 5 pheasant loads.. If I go out for turkey and take a shotgun, it is usually a 12ga. with a full choke.. Last spring I used my model 12 heavy duck and 3"5's..

Maybe a side track, but I pondered buying a western field bolt action 20 gauge that has a external adjustable choke that screws down to .542. The shotgun has a bead and rear u-notch so Im tempted to make a project gun if the gun shop will sell it under $100.


Anyone try a project like this?

Haven't been turkey hunting in a long time, but I alway used an imp. cyl. choke in my 870 express 12 gauge and 3" #3 steel shot (what I shot ducks with). The cone of death it put out on a turkey's head was rather spectacular. But, I think those thicker cups surrounding the steel shot held it together tighter as the shot string left the barrel.

I have not, but I did pattern an old poly choked 870 barrel one time and was extremely surprised at the patterns it threw. Very good at multiple settings, still not my favorite though as far as aesthetics.

Never really saw the need for the super full turkey chokes. I have taken dozens of toms with modified choked 12 gauges and about as many with a full choked 20 gauge. I use a 90 year old Model 12 16 gauge with a poly choke for most of my hunting now. The ammo has always been the thing for turkeys, I use a copper plated buffered load of either 4 or 6 shot.

Not as experienced as some but I've taken four turkeys with my Beretta 391 with the standard full choke tube that came with it. It patterns fine out to 40yds with Remington Nitro Turkey 3" #5 shot. I would pattern your shotgun with a couple of different loads with the standard full choke. I'm pretty sure you'll find something that would work just fine.

I sometimes use one, but I think it can be like other bird hunting where a lot of people use too much choke. So I use the factory full or modified the gun came with. Seems patterns are often more uniform.

I believe I've killed 50 or so turkeys over the years with a shotgun, and I have never bought a "turkey" choke.

I did buy some 10 gauge turkey loads and used them out of a full choke for 15 or so toms, but other than that the rest have been killed with regular pheasant loads and normal bird hunting chokes. 20 gauge, 16 gauge and 12 gauge...out to 50 yards. No problem.

As far as fixed chokes, I believe only my 16 gauge Ithica 37 has that issue, a fixed full choke. It is ruthless on turkeys with pheasant loads out to 50 yards, maybe longer.

A friend bought one in college for $50. It worked just fine on turkeys, though I don't remember any turkeys he shot with it being further than 30 or so yards.

I used a 20 ga SxS, nice and light, and took a big tom at about thirty yards. Fixed chokes: IC/IM. But,...I used Federal Heavyweight turkey loads — 1 1/2 oz 6’s at 1300’s. Basically it’s a “12 ga.” load stuffed in a 20 shell and a pretty incredible load. Not necessary but sure works.

Took it out of the IC barrel.

Personally have no interest in LR Turkey shooting. Run of the mill IC or Mod works fine at around 30 yards and under.

A quality dove load of 7.5s will do what you want. They're gonna flop a lot. Make sure the gun is unloaded before you dash up there and buttstroke them.

There's a lot of horse manure spread around on this topic. Do be sure and pattern this stuff on paper in conditions as bad as you will hunt. It is astounding how quickly a pattern will fall apart with a small change in distance or due to bad weather.

My first gun was a Model 12 12 GA trap gun. My wife at the time used a Model 12 16 GA. Both were full choked, and they did just fine. After the first year, I switched over to a Rem 1100 TB Trap 12 GA and my wife went to a REM 1100 20 GA-- all full choked. Everything was cool for about a decade.

Back then, you took a large dixie cup and put it on a stick and set it out at a given yardage and counted the pellets going into it. You'd keep moving the stick back until you were only getting 1 or 2 pellets, and that was your maximum range. I remember mine were always good out to 40 yards. My wife's were good out to 30.

I'd say only about 3 turkeys I've taken over the intervening years might not have been taken with any of those shotguns. Most of mine have been taken inside of 20, and a good number of them have been inside 10.

I still hold to the old school when it comes to loads. I went to a dedicated turkey gun in 1996 and switched from a 2 3/4 #4 lead Remington to a 3" #4 lead Federal. I'm still shooting those Federals as are both my sons.