Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Small Game Rifles for Turkeys

In Oklahoma turkeys can be hunted in the fall with a rifle or handgun, .22 WMR & .17 HMR are both legal but the .22 LR isn't. Muzzleloaders of .36 cal and up are also legal. Unfortunately many of the public lands do not allow only shotguns and bows. Spring is shotgun or archery only. An old friend of mine hunted them used a .22 Hornet with great success.

Of course you can use a 17hmr! Ive shot two in the head with the hmr.The thing is accurate as heck!Can drill out the center of a golfball at 150 yards!Now thats accurate!

I used to have trouble with turkeys hanging up just out of shotgun range - then when I took a rifle, they would run by at 20 feet or fly overhead. So I got a Savage 24V in .223 over 20 gauge.

I load the .223 down to about 1900 - 2000 fps using a 40 grain Nosler Ballistic tip. Doesn't ruin much meat (too slow), but drops them on the spot.

I have also used the rifle/load on feral pigs (30 lb and 150 lb) and coyotes that I encountered while turkey hunting with good results. Seems to kill better than I would have expected. I also use the same rifle load over 1 oz of #5's for a squirrel getter. The shotgun barrel usually carries 1 1/4 oz of # 5's during turkey season, and a stiff load of #3 buck during coyote hunts.

Winchester model 43 in .25-20

Ultimate turkey rifle

Well this got me thinking of something I read a few years back. In California a person can use an air rifle using pellets powered by compressed air or gas. The minium cal is .20. I made a call to the DFG and talked to a warden and asked is this was true and he stated yes, as long as the cal is .20 or larger. Although I think taking a turkey with a rifle or pistol would be a different thing, I think I'll stick with my bow or shotgun they don't make as much of a mess. Thats why they call me the meathunter......