Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting 10, 12 or 20? What's your "gauge"

Remington SP-10
10 Gauge
Rhino Choke
Nitro Hevi-Shot Ammo - straight #4s
Switching a US Optics 1.5-6x26 for the EOTech that's in the photo.

I would go with my 11 gauge flintlock. Or my 32 caliber flinter when rifle is an option. Open sights of course. I don't know of an upper limit to gauge allowed for turkeys, unlike waterfowl's 10 gauge max.

22 hornet or 300 whisper

Two 870's with Kick's chokes for me. I shoot Nitro 4x5x7 3" hevi shot and 3" Win HV #4's.

Remington 11/87 Sportsman 12ga full Mossy Oak Camo with 25" VR RC Turkey 3" Winchester # 5.

Also having a 28" blue VR cut to 23" Rem-Choke then off to Jim Crumley's for Mossy Oak Camo job.

4 turkies in 7 years. The other 3 years the toms were just hened-up and couldn't pull them away. 2008 bird was 20 1/2 lbs 9" beard and 1 1/8" spurs.

Ken

MKW,

I got a couple of questions for you.

What size load are you shooting in your 20GA? And second, how many #7 shot total are in one of them loads? I can shoot a 12GA 2oz #6 load that has I believe approx 450 shot in each shell and only consistently put 300 shot in a 8.5"x11" piece of copy paper with a turkey head on it at only 25yds. And that is with some great shooting 12GA shotguns. I personally find it hard to believe that you can truly put 256 shot in a 10" circle consistently at a legitimate 40yd distance. I have some great shooting 12 GA guns, and none of them even with 2oz of heavy shot will do this with a bigger back bore barrel than a 20GA which by the way will only allow the shot more breathing room thus producing tighter patterns at farther distances. I for one don't use 6 shot. I use 2 and 1/4 oz Win Supreme #4 loads with Undertaker .695 choke on a Mossberg 835. I get consistent 90% patterns at 40yd. I have killed gobblers at 53 and 59yds with this set up. 4 shot just kills turkeys farther when you get out to 50yds and more from my findings. 6 shot is like pepper spray at that distance on a turkey. A gobbler at 50yds with this setup doesn't have a prayer. I guess I have tested a lot of shotguns on cardboard to know that something ain't right in Denmark.

I am just plain drawn to doubles.
This O/U Merkel was nice to carry,shot a nice full pattern but kicked the snot out of me. (2 3/4" ). I wanted it for pheasants as well, but it was not fun to shoot.
So my next bird will be hopefully taken with a SxS.

I don't count all the holes in my target but my 20ga bangs the hell out of turkeys out to 42 yds. makes 'em dead. Patterns better than most all of my 12ga.'s

I have several shotguns but my turkey gun is an 1100, matte finish with black synthetic stock during turkey season (it wears some nicely figured skeet B wood the rest of the year).

I use a Briley extra full turkey tube in a 28" barrel and it shoots just about anything I feed it just fine.

I might break down and a new turkey gun this year, I don't know though. If I run across a deal on a 3 1/2" 870, I might pick one up.

My Mossberg 835 kills turkey dead at 50yds consistently in the woods or on cardboard, the turkey is dead. No 20GA will come close to that. None! Like I said, I get 90% patterns at 40yds. I can consistently put 33% of my load inside a piece of standard copy paper at that distance. A bird ain't got a chance. And I don't need Hevi-Shot loads to do it to try and improve my patterns.

Hey Brad, what load do you use?

I am using several different rigs, 10,12, and 20 myself.

Remington SP-10
Rhino Choke
Nitro 4x5x7 shells

Stoeger 12 ga
IC choke
hand loads

Browning Gold
Comp-N-Choke
#6 Hevi shot

Benelli M1 20ga
Pure Gold Choke
Hand loads (but looking to try some Nitro's)

That is funny right there.

I'll pound 'em all day at 50.

Winchester Supreme 2 and 1/4oz #4 loads
H.S. Undertaker .695 choke

I would love to see a 20GA that could pound them all day at a legit 50yds and not stepped off either. I can pound them all day long at a legit 55yds from what I have seen from actual shooting them in the woods. 53yds and 59yds and both went straight down.

My 835 will laugh at a 20GA on paper and in the woods.

And I don't have to rely on the expensive Hevi-Shot loads to do it.

Take your good shooting 20GA and put 33% of your shot in a piece of copy paper at 40yds with a #4 turkey load. There is 305 #4 shot in a 2 and 1/4oz load. I can put anywhere from about 100 to 120 shot in a 8.5" x 11 piece of paper at 40yds. #4 shot simply will kill turkeys better at longer ranges. It takes a great shooting shotgun to consistently hit vertebrae of a turkeys head and neck at 50yds with even 6 shot loads. And if you don't hit the small area, the bird is gone with these 6 shot loads. Its' that simple. I can miss vertebrae which I doubt that I do, and still break wingbones, leg bones and penetrate into the vitals. On the gobbler I shot at 53yds, I had a shot actually penetrate the heart. I broke wingbones and leg bones as well. The bird was immobilized. The same thing happened on the bird at 59yds. I'll take a gun that shoots 90% patterns with heavy #4 turkey loads over one that shoots 90% patterns with heavy 6's or 5's anyday. My Mossberg 835 actually shoots 90% patterns with all 3 shot sizes if I change to a tigther choke tube for the 5's and 6's. But I know what kills better. That's why I use #4's. 4's are where it is at in my book. Most shotguns with a .735 backbore barrel like a Rem 870 or 11/87 won't shoot the heavy #4 turkey loads very well. The 835's have the 10GA .775 backbore barrel which improves the pattern substantially when using these heavy #4 turkey loads.

Me:

A Mossberg 500 in 12 GA with a 1.5-4.5x scope and a Carlson Dead Coyote Choke shooting Federal 3" #4

Moose:(16)

A Mossberg 500 in 12 GA with True-Glo choke and sights shooting Federal 3" #4

Angus: (10)

A Mossberg bolt action in 20 GA shooting Federal 3" #4

Mossberg 535 ATS, 12 ga, 3 1/2" chamber, stock fiber optic sites on the 22" barrel, Primos .660 Tight Wad Turkey Tube, Federal 3" #5 Mag-Shok High Velocity Lead with FLITECONTROL.

Haven't shot paper with it for two years... only turkeys.I don't know the % of hole in the paper at 10,20,30, or 80 yds. Don't care. There were 30 holes in the turkey head silloette at 40yds, and that will kill any turkey that walks, puts, or struts. I shot it twice to see if it was a consistant, and that was all I needed.

No heavi shot. Remington Express Long Range 2 3/4" #5 shot.

No that wansn't a misprint. I have only shot two birds with it beyond 40yds, 1@ 43 1 # 49. both were dead. I don't think another 1 yd would throw the pattern off. I also misjuded the distance, because I would not ever shoot a turkey that far away on purpose with any guage. Getting them in close is where the fun is at for me.

I thought I should note. That is not my usual turkey gun. But for two years ago it was all I had to use.

I do like the 12's mostly for the ammo choices, but that 20 is so nice to carry and it I know it like my own hand. It may not be the best choice, but it was all I had for a while.

Last year I used a Mossberg somethig or other 20" barrel 12ga with 2 3/4" Federal #5 with Flite control wad. Shot my bird at the super long range of 7yds.