I got to play with one of the Mossberg (eegadds...I know right)
SA20 turkey guns

I was actually quite surprised

It was pretty light somewhere around 5.5-6 pounds would be my guess

Pretty compact and point able and threw some pretty decent patterns with what we had on hand

I broke down and bought a youth 870 20ga. Switched out the stocks with synthetic and Knock adjustable butt stock. I've built 8-9 of these so far. We run TSS #9's thru them. Super light, compact, and will flat stone a turkey. It's all we carry now. No more of the shoulder thumping 3.5" 12ga days.

Quote Sand Man:

Amen!!! It's about time some common sense came back to hunting.

I've never minded the recoil from a 3.5 12 round


I've thought about a 20 turkey gun, but if I do it will be a semi

After I got my 870 youth 20 gauge I traded off my 835 but kept my 3" 870 12 gauge. I've only carried the 12 4-5 times the past 3 years.


I'd love to roll some TSS 9's from my 20.

I've been thinking hard on grabbing a light 20 to use in turkey season.

TSS is out of the question for me, but thinking the either Hevi-Shot or Fed HW should get decent patterns up to 40 yards with the right choke.

gitem_12
That SA20 Mosey is a pretty good tom turkey taker when equipped with a decent tube shooting Fed Heavyweight #7.

Jim

I have tried and used a few different chokes on my 20 ga. using Federal HW flite control #7. I'm kinda sold on the Mossberg full choke. Not as restricted , it seems to let the flite control wad do it's thing. Handful of 40 yds + Toms. --- Before I put a 20ga. tube on my NEF single shot , I was running a 12 ga. 3 1/2 # 6's with undertaker choke. After pulling the trigger on a few Toms I found myself setting on my ass 250 yards from where I shot at the Tom . Had a friend running a 20 ga. Mossberg Bantam ( nice) so I put a 20 ga. tube on and never looked back.--- Web

I tend to think that many turkey hunters are going to the 20ga. I know I have. The other thing I have observed is guys frequently are putting a choke tube into a single shot as you mentioned above.

I'd like to find a decent Ithaca Model 66 20ga (Cheap) and thread it for a tube. The reason for a 66 is only because I like their appearance, leaver action!

Rug3--- Before ya thread it try the Fed #7 in it. Might surprise you.----- Web

Do it. They are plain WICKED! You won't shoot anything else if you ever kill a turkey with TSS.




I bet my 20ga without ammo in the mag weighs less than 6 pounds. I know I can shoot it one handed out to my side if I need to.

Go with the Fed HW #7's. More than enough to kill a bird at 40 yards.

wldthg

That's right! Sometimes the Fed Heavyshot shoots a great pattern in a Full Choke constriction. I never shoot beyond 40yds. If I can't get them inside that distance I figure I need to practice calling more or sitting still.

I've used my 20ga 870 for years now on turkeys. It started because my buddy is the type that has to have the biggest of everything for the smallest critters. I shot one at about 25 yds stone cold dead. I've used it almost exclusively since.

3" #6 hevi-shot is what it likes the best through a Primos Jelly Head choke tube.

I also shoot the hevishot 6s in my youth 870 20. Black diamond choke. It's a killer.

Federal hw 7s for me

Just killed one this fall with this 20ga Savage 30 I got for Christmas in 76. Killed my first one with it in the spring 77 season.

I ended up with a SA20 in a trade a couple weeks ago. I ordered a turkey choke tube that was on sale at Midway. I tried a Win. 3" #6 supreme at 30yrds the pattern was more than impressive, it put 18 pellets in an 1 1/2" round sticker and the main pattern was about 7" in diameter. I'm excited for spring gobbler season so I can try it out on a strutting longbeard!

Holston,

I use a 870 compact camo 20 gauge with Rem turkey super full choke and Fed HW #7's. 40 yards is no problem....

This one was taken about 3 or 4 years ago at a ranged 48 yards with HW #7 and a 22" BPS 20 ga. 1.5" spurs.


Since then many more turkeys have gone down with that combo. My now 18 YO son shoots a SBE but his sister is still slamming turkeys with that little 20.









Little sister last season; 24 lbs. 3 oz. Heaviest bird yet for all 3 of us.

Nice. Good Luck again this year. I'm taking two kids this weekend, so hopefully we'll luck onto a tom or two.

Back when I turkey hunted as a religion, I carried a BPS 10 with 26' tube and an undertaker choke. With 2 1/2 oz. handloads of #5s it was a bird destroyer. Nowadays I am wiser and inclined to carry a 20 ga, with proper choke and a payload of 6s. A 6 lb turkey gun would be a blessing.

I sold my 12 and have been using a Benelli m1 20g for the past 5 years. It is a stone cold killer with heavy shot and good chokes. I tried 5 chokes and all shot the same, better than my 12 to 35 yard did actually. Even the cheap primos is killer out of that gun.it doesn't deliver the density at distance that a 12g does though. Since I primarily hunt in the woods and not fields it's a non issue. I don't want or care to shoot them at 50+ yards since I am trying to call them into my lap. I would rather let him walk as shoot one at 50. I have in the past so don't get me wrong, just evolving as a hunter I guess. So far I have killed 13 with it.

I will say I am looking hard at a new sbe2 or m2 21" barrel since I don't need 3.5 shells being a gun nut is expensive isn't it

I'm with ya. I enjoy calling them in close. I've shot them out a ways and both times it was a mis-judgement on distance because of hunting fields. But one was at 49 yds with a 20ga and Heavishot

I'm actually going to try and get my slam with a 28ga 870, but there's really not that much difference in weight due to it being built off the 20ga frame.