Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting THINKING ABOUT A 20?

I have never owned a 20 gauge. In 55 years of turkey hunting I have killed turkeys with lots of other guns even single ball flintlock muzzleloaders. All the 20 gauge talk has me thinking, I am getting a little older. Recently looked at a Remington 1187, 26 barrel in a 20. It felt pretty good. My question is this? Will this heavy shot everyone talks about work in a semi-auto? Will I need an aftermarket choke tube and will the tube and heavy shot work in the semi? All answers welcome.

I switched to a 20 gage a few years back . Remington 1187 with 28 in. Barrel . I use Nitro Company hevi shot tri plex loads with a Primos Jellyhead choke tube. I've had no trouble whacking a tom at 30 yards.

Give Ray at Nitro Co a call, he'll guide you thru the process on what will work best for you. Try www.nitrocompany.com

Thanks,
Steve

A 20 will do the job for you if you work them in which is half the fun anyway. I have a Remington 870 20 that my Granddaughters and Grandson got their first birds with. Lend it out to friends whose wives or children want to use it. It has a com-u-choke on it and shoots #5 or 6 Winchester Supreme ammo. It has never failed to drop a bird. Most shots have been around 30-35 yards

Forty yards isn't out of the question for a properly set up 20 gauge. And that just about covers what is necessary for the vast majority of turkey hunting shots. The 20 gauge guns are smaller, trimmer and lighter to handle and pack around. While I don't use one... yet, a 20 gauge Benelli M2 is looking awfully good when I think about clambering around the mountain after these Ozark timber ridge running gobblers.

30-35 yds no problem with a good load. I would shoot the factory chokes to see how they do before buying an aftermarket. Factory ones might give good patterns. Take a good look at federal HEAVYWEIGHT (not hevishot) loads. Comes in #7 shot (in 12 probably 20 also), great reviews and #7s claimed to hit with same energy as #4s out to 40 yds but the smaller shot gives denser patterns. Also available in #6s too. If these would shoot good in your gun heavyweight 6 or 7 would be my pick.

Go checkout Old Gobber.com. There's a 20 ga section with lots of information. Also a 20 ga pattern pic section.

I just patterned a 20 BPS with a Primos Tightwad choke shooting Fed Hevi
#7. Great out to 35yds, a little schetchy after that with this combo. But guys on Old Gobbler are doing well out to 40

You want to use Federal Heavyweight #7, 3" magnums. You won't ever miss your 12 gauge.

^^^^ This, with a factory Remington turkey super full choke, might be all you ever need.

I shoot the youth 870 20 gauge with a Primos TW .570 and the Fed HW #7's and H13 #6's.

I started culling 12 gauges after the 2nd pattern session with the little 20.

I have killed at least 50 turkey with a 1960's 20 gauge 870 wingmaster with a factory barrel full choke. I shoot Federal pheasant loads of copper plated 7 1/2 shot in 1 1/8 ounce 2 3/4 inch shells. This gun has never failed to kill turkey.

It's difficult for me to understand all the specialized paraphernalia some think they have to have for a "turkey gun".

Perhaps that's because all that stuff didn't exist back when I started hunting turkey.

It wasn't complicated back then, you patterned your gun with a few different loads to learn how far your gun would hold a killing pattern then you learned to call the birds into your killing range.

Nothing complicated about it.

This is the gun. My eldest son at age 12. He called both these gobblers in together using an easy yelper and one hen decoy at 2:00 in the afternoon. Two shots and two dead gobblers. Fairly nice gobblers too.

I use a Benelli M2 20ga. With Nitros or Mag Blends, its a 45 yd gun easily. I've killed several at that distance. With the TSS loads, it s a 55-60yd gun. Super light and low recoil. I love it! I killed a GS with it last year.

Lee

Looks like your son for a young fella did a good job there, but wait. What you have been doing with your old 20 870 is detrimental to the economy and some would say un-American. Look at the custom choke makers and custom call makers who are making nothing off of guys like you. Wow!!, how did he ever get those birds without a camo gun? Just kidding as I have one that I take just for fun to see how close I can get a Tom to come in. It has never fail to drop a bird. Knowing how to work a bird in to shootable range and knowing what your gun can do is what this sport is all about. You really should consider the economy more though.

I use a beretta 685 20ga with fixed chokes and have no problem killing turkeys. It is a lot of fun and sweet to carry.

Only time I ever carry my 12 ga anymore is for sentimental reasons. The 20 is superior in every way conceivable for a run and gun turkey hunter

Switched to 20ga a few years ago as well....Beretta 391, Nitro loads w Rhino choke. Two birds on 2 shots so far.

I use a Browning A-5 20 Mag fixed full choke 3 inch #6 shot..
8 or 9 birds so far with that gun and kills em no problem. I haven't shot over 30 yards with it so not sure how far you can push it.

Became a believer in the Fed HW #7's myself recently. Tried them in my son's Youth M870 20ga (21" barrel) last weekend and was pleased! Circles are 10 inches in diameter.

40yds w/ Cabela's (Carlson's) .575 SF


Not that I'd ever let him shoot that far, but had to see what they looked like at 50 yards just for curiosity.


For comparison, this is a Win Double X 3" #5 load at 30yds.



I'm thinking I'll be picking up a few more boxes of the HW #7's!

X10 on HW7s. Those shells give the little 20 3.5" 12ga performance.

with out the bruises

REAL turkey hunters use a 20 ga.. as said by the late Ben Lee