Who has and likes scopes on their Turkey guns? I have a Rem870 and may want to put a scope on it. My eyes ain't what they used to be lol.

Anyone tried a Nikon TurkeyPro scope on a shotgun? Or do you use the standard duplex reticle for a turkey scope? Is Aimtech and B-square the only ones makingmounts for 870's?

I would use a red dot or holographic on a shotgun... but that's me.

we do one on a moss 500 and a 835 both wearing pentax lightseeker plus 2.5x deepwoods plex love them

I use a 2-7 bushnell elite on a 870 super mag SP. it came with a cantelever barrel. I like it very much. It is usually only on 3 power but enough to help find a curious head.

Unfortunately Nikon no longer makes the Turkey Pro scope, but it can be found without to much searching. I have used it on my Benelli Nova with great success. Quick and accurate target acquisition make it easy to use. My wife and son always choose to use it as well.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd363/bman940/BenellinTurkeyPro.jpg

I prefer red dots on turkey rigs. I don't find magnification necessary or desirable for shots to 40-50yds. Red dots allow me to easily keep both eyes open while shooting. They are also more forgiving than either beads or scopes when it come to shooting form. Turkey often reveal themselves from unanticipated directions and angles, especially if they have to negotiate cover while coming. As a result, it seems like I kill at least one bird a year while I'm all twisted-up. Before I went to dots, I found it tough to get the sight picture in a scope or get my head down enough for the bead.

Even so, scopes are still superior than a bead in my experience. I can see myself migrating that way as my eyes age too. Just make sure to get one with plenty of eye relief. I've seen scopes equipped with turkey reticles having eye relief less than 3.5". I don't want a scope like that on a 12ga running 2oz+ of shot. It's a cut eyebrow and stitches just waiting to happen.

Opened fiber optic for me...a scope just adds more weight,can get fogged up in the rain and just isn't as quick on target

Started out with a Bushnell and a circle + reticle, went to a Leupold 1-4 turkey reticle and now have a 2-7 Leupy with the same reticle. Just a whole lot easier for me to pick my shot better and precisely.

Have both the Nikon Turkey Pro and a Burris FFII. Like them both. I have the NTP on my 3.5 BPS for when i'm hunting fields with longer shots and the FFII on my Mossberg Super Bantam. Super light and easy to carry when runnin and gunnin. The FFII is extremely easy to aquire quick aiming. If i had to choose one though id pick the FFII hands down.

Roy

I guess if eyes are a problem, red dot is the only way that would make sense to me. I don't run them, I sure don't want to try taking a bird on the wing with a scope atop my shotgun.

I guess it depends on how bad your eyes are. If you can't see clearly enough with your distance prescription to identify the bird, then perhaps it's time to consider giving up shooting because you won't be able to identify what's in the background either.

If the problem is that you can see the bird with your distance prescription, but you can't see the sights with it, that's a common problem. I solved it with a set of fiber optic open sights. I don't hunt with open sights any more with a rifle, but I can put the red blur between the two green blurs well enough to hit a turkey inside 50 yards with a shotgun.

As I got older, the fiber optic sight got a little more fuzzy than I liked , so I bought a Nikon 2 x 7 and got some see thru rings , all in camo for my Ithaca turkey slayer. Problem solved. I took a bird last year at 50 yds. I use extended range 3 in. shells , with an .860 ported choke. Big medicine for hung up toms. Love my gun/scope combo.

you have not hunted in turkey coutry have you ? take a pile of 6-8 gobblers and use your bead to help pick out the best one and pick an open shot so as you dont smak more than one

I've considered the Burris Fastfire II and a scope, but I've had such success with the fiber optic "rifle" style sights that I've stuck with them on both of my turkey shotguns. I'll reconsider that if my eyesight degrades.

A hunting partner uses the red dot style sight and loves it. I've seen his patterns and birds and agree.

I've already said what you should do if you can't see well enough to hunt. You shouldn't be doing your scouting with the scope mounted on your gun.

There's a big difference in what he stated here and a scope as bins to "scout."

I like a red dot, and put a speed bead on my Benelli SBE. They sit extremely low, weigh next to nothing and because of their mount, they do not interfere with carrying your gun.

Whether you use a scope or some kind of a red dot, you can't beat the versatility of being able to make adjustments to your shot pattern to fully utilize the densest part of the pattern.

This. Been very happy with my Burris FF II. When I started shooting TSS and these tight patterns, I quickly learned I couldn't use a bead or open sights. I knew I had to go to a red dot or scope. I didn't like the scope as sometimes when hunting you can't get in a position to get your head all the way down on the gun and the turkey in the scope. With the red dot, once it's set you just find the dot and squeeze. Your head doesn't have to be all the way down on the gun and can use it with both eyes open. I really like the versitilty of mine.

Ever shot one flying with a scope?

I have with my red dot.....actully three.

I have a Bushnell 1.25-4x (I think that is it) scope on a Mossberg 935. It is a shotgun model scope with a circle in the center of the crosshairs. My Dad shoots that gun most of the time now. He has a tendency to get too engrossed in watching a gobbler strut and sometimes doesn't get his head down on the stock. The scope has solved that problem. I was concerned about a scope on a turkey gun when I set it up, but we have taken 15 or so gobblers with it with no problems (except when I lost track of that tree in front of my gun barrel last year, but that is another story!)

With that said, I prefer the ruggedness and simplicity of beads, but next time I want something different I am going to give a red dot a hard look. I have a couple of friends who swear by them.

How do you like the speed bead? is it durable?

I use a Bushnell Holosight on my Remington 11-87, lovr it!

Love it. It is like having a lighted bead that is adjustable. It sits real low and out of the way. I have used it going on 5 years. Here is a picture of it on my SBE. Although I have not tried wing shooting with it on the gun, I think it would work just fine.

I have the Nikon Turkey Pro. I think it works great. I shot 4 birds with it last year. One was 55 yds. Just put the head in the circle and pull the trigger. My distributor still carries them. If you want to try one just let me know. Scope and shipping is around $125.

I've shot one flying(finishing shot) and multiple hauling ass running(usually after his buddy got whacked) with both scopes and reflex sights. There is no comparison for me personally, leaps and bounds ahead of open sights or beads. I feel like I could shoot skeet with my FF equiped rigs, but haven't tried.

The beauty of the reflex for me personally is it doesn't matter where the dot is in the screen, whether you are shooting LH or RH, or where your head is, if you can see the dot, that's where it's going.

Many a gobbler has been missed by very experienced turkey hunters by not having their head down on the stock when running beads or open sights. Reflexes just make it easy as pie and they add less weight to the gun than another turkey load.

These things are the real deal for getting kids involved as well. It get's no easier than telling someone to just put the dot on his head and squeeze the trigger.

Leupold, Burris, and Trijicon all now offer small really lightweight reflex sights. Some of which only run about an ounce.

Put another rig togther with a reflex for this season. Looking fwd to breaking it in:





loder

Good scopes. I have one of those older Monarch TP 1.5-4.5x20 and it's a great scope. Good field of view and I like the TP reticle, pretty much get his head in the circle and let him have it. Those scopes are really light for a tube scope as well. A Weaver 429 base and some Leupold Rifleman split rings makes for a light package. The light weight Patriot sear spring or one of Ernie's sear springs will compliment that combo well.

The older 1.5-4.5x20 has been discontinued for a while, but there are still several places that have them on line.

Have a good one,

loder

Reloader,

Thanks for the pictures. I see that you mounted a Burris but I can't see which model. What did you choose and why? The reason for my questions is because my 73 year old eyes need some help and I'm also needing to add as little weight to my gun as possible.

Thanks for sharing your experience and ideas.

Jim

Jim,

I went with the Burris Fast Fire 2 just because I had it. I have 3 FFs and really like them for turkey hunting. If I were to buy another, I'd probably buy the new 3 to try it.

I bought a Burris Marlin 336 mount for the pictured gun. I like the 336 mount as its low profile and looks much cleaner than the weaver style Burris mount. Since the marlin mount is flat, it will work on most shotguns as the 1/4" to 3/8" flat on the receiver that transitions to the rib give that flat base a sturdy surface. You have to get two holes drilled and tapped for the 336 mount.

The only issue I have with the 336 mount is it will have side to side play even though the heads are cs. It still has play if not tight. I barely snug the screws while I have loctite on the threads and glance down the base to make sure it's lined up with the rib or bbl, then torque it down. I haven't had any movement but suppose if its bumped hard enough it could. For insurance, you could put a line of clear glue down either side where the base meets the receiver on the left and right side. The best thing would be to bed it, but I haven't simply due to how light the sight is.

Some people don't like that you have to remove the sight to replace the battery, but it doesn't bother me as the led will run thousands of hours on one battery and that's years as far as turkey hunting goes. I don't even turn mine on until I'm set up in a place.

The only thing I don't like about FFs is that they are a pain to sight in as the adjustments move the dot quite a bit. The good thing is after you tighten the locks they seem to stay zeroed. About the easiest way to sight one in is to shoot dove loads at about 10yds with the choke you intend to hunt with, then back off to 40 and see if your turkey load is zeroed.

Have a good one,

Ronny

Reloader7RM,

Thanks.
That sounds like a fun project. I have over a hundred turkey loads of various brands and a led sled to shoot them Benelli in.

I did note the clean lines around the mount base and wondered how it was accomplished.

I could see some JB Weld bedding it.

Thanks for the information.

Jim

2x7 Leupold on one and a Bushnell Holosight on the other.

I use an inexpensive bushnell tsr 25 but only because my gun was shooting low. I like it.

Regarding the red dot sights, do you guys leave them on the entire hunt or do turn them on as needed? Is battery life as long as they claim? I do not like the thought of worrying with batteries and turning the unit on and off but if it lasts 10,000 hours (Burris Fastfire) as they claim it is not much of a worry. Also, you can always use the beads through the sight.

What about durability. I tend to have my turkey gun in the dirt alot. Any issues?

CTS,

I mostly just run the FFs the last few years and usually don't turn them on until I sit down in a spot, then turn it back off while I'm walking around. I had one big tom catch me cat napping one afternoon while the sight was off. He gobbled at about 25yds and like to have scared the daylights out of me. I waited until I could see him, then turned the sight on as I was bringing the gun to shoulder when he stepped behind a big oak tree.

I'm at 3 years on some of my FFs with the same battery. Probably should change them out, but they seem to last for quite some time. IIRC I read where some guy forgot to turn his FF off and two weeks later it was still glowing strong. That's quite a few turkey setups.

As for durability, I've been pleased with the FFs. I don't run the protector attachments on mine and haven't busted one yet. I did drop one of mine a couple years ago and it landed right on the FF. I figured it would be toast, but the glass was fine and it was still zeroed.

Ditto to all of that. I've run a FFII on my SBE and 870 20ga and put one on my dad's 20ga. I've yet to change a battery in three years. The Burris rep told me I'd notice and intensity in the light as it was getting dim from low battery when I needed to change it. I also keep the cover on my FFII when not in use. If you leave it on or it gets turned on with the cover on, it turns itself off IIRC after X number of minutes saving the battery.

I've put a protector around each of our FF II's. My dad is not the easiest on equipment. I've had mine fall when leaned up against a tree and truck. I try to take care of my stuff, but sometimes things happen. We've yet to have one break or lose zero. I've been super impressed with them. So much so, I'm building 3 more 20's for friends and putting FFII's on top of them as well.

I'll also say it's very easy to switch on. I normally don't turn mine on when I do a set up unless I've got a bird gobbling and he's close. I've had numerous times where I've called a bird in that came in silent and I've eased my hand up to the sight to turn it on without getting busted.

Shooting a Turkey on the wing --- Turkey Tag soup--- Web

Perhaps in NY, but I've killed a few that way.

Four on the wing here: One coming straight on, one quartering and two going away.

At least three-maybe four-were with a 16gauge and 7.5s.

Not much different than a big Pheasant if they are in range and you hit them hard.

Put a scope on my 870 years ago and love it. Not sure it ever has missed for me or anyone else. Like the above poster, if the turkey's head/neck is in the circle, he is toast.
Shot a few running, but never flying. Never tried. Most of my gobblers are called and moving through brush/limbs. Scope easily picks out the openings.

stumpy

I just put a fast fire on my 870. I haven't even shot it yet. Mounted low on a Marlin 336 mount, I can only see the very tip of the front bead and I don't think my head is tight against the stock as it was just shooting beads. I think if I just put that tip on the turkey(if the battery went dead), with my head not as tight, I think I would shoot high. That would be the advantage of the speed bead type mount. It sits alot lower to where you could still use the beads.

I would use a red dot or holographic on a shotgun... but that's me.

What brand of red dot do you use or suggest?

I have an Aimpoint 9000SC. Have had it on a SP10, 1187 12 ga supermag, and now my 870 compact camo 20 ga. That 20 ga with Fed 3" HW #7's works very well.

I turn the dot on the opening morning of turkey season and turn it off when I finish the season.

What he said:



SBE with Steadygrip. Mothwing spring Camo. A killing machine. Choke is a .655 MAD non-ported made by Indian Creek.

I just can't do it. If you don't have one, have a mid barrel bead put on. That helped me a lot. I also painted my front bead florescent orange.

Not one classic SxS pic.

Just me, but camo Turkey shotguns are the same as camo underwear.

I have camo boxer briefs on right now...I thought they were cool?

I'll be running this one during this year's turkey season.

Somethings just fit together right. That shotgun and Turkeys is one of them.

I'm betting any trophy pics of the two together will also be pleasing to the eye.