I'm not particularly interested in exactly what model you all are carrying or what choke. I'm sure we'll have threads like that from now until June. I also don't want to make this a pump vs. semi-auto thing. I'm more worried about the oddballs.

I'm just wondering how many of y'all are using:

SXS?
Over/Under?
Single shot?
Bolt?
Muzzleloader?

If you would, please share your reasons for picking that platform in a turkey gun, and give details on your experiences. I'm now 21 years shooting with the same Mossy 500, and I'm wondering if I should mix it up a bit with something more exotic.

Stick with your 500
I hunt 90% of the time with my Mossberg 835 pump and 10% with semi SP10

870 pump, turkey special.
Always goes bang.
LOVE the sling.
A buddy's dog knocked it into the water one morning in the goose blind,
fished it out (by the sling) and continued going bang.
Mud, subzero or dirt....
bang, bang, bang.
Killed a limit of mallards yesterday.

I mix it up. It's just a damn bird and anything will do. Have killed them with a 12 gauge Ithaca 66 SuperSingle, 12 gauge Ithaca 37, 12 gauge 870, 12 gauge Mossberg 500, 12 gauge Wards WesternField 550,12 gauge J.C. Higgins bolt action, 16 gauge J.C Higgins SxS, 12 Gauge Winchester 1300, 20 gauge Winchester 1200, 20 gauge Browning BPS and probably a few I forgot. None of the above guns are turkey specific models and most have 26 or 28" barrels. In recent years I've mostly been using the 20 gauge BPS.

I'm still using the Remington 870, I bought when I was 14. That was back in 1970. No reason to change.

I've shot a couple turkeys with an Iver Johnson single shot but gave that up after only wounding a bird and getting into a foot race with it. Trying to load the gun and not trip or get clothes lined while running through the woods is not something I wish to repeat. A second instantly available shot might have stopped it all right there.

I have also used an O/U successfully for turkeys. I actually like that as it gives me the option of two chokes. I hunted a mix of cover types and having a more open choke when hunting the woods and a tighter one for a field can be an advantage. I would switch back to an O/U in a heartbeat if I went back and hunted a mix of covers.

Currently a Browning Gold w MOBU camo 24" barrel with a Star Dot tube or a BPS 10 gauge, 26" barrel.

Started with an 870 in late 80s and received the 10 as a graduation present in '93. Carried the 10 exclusively for maybe 5 years then mixed it up with the 870.

Got a Gold 12 gauge in 2002 and have had an auto 12 ever since.

Packed the 10 again for the last 2 spring seasons, not needed but I love the way the gun shoots and is so heavy it helps steady any jiggles I can develop as a gobbler approaches. Sitting on over 100 10 gauge lead loads so need to kill a bunch of birds with it.

I have killed birds with the 10 gauge that you could have killed with a .410, several under 20 yards.

They will all work.

Currently thinking of adding a saddle mount and a Meprolight to my Gold.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2...uick-release-picatinny-style-mount-matte

My shotguns for turkey have all been 12’s except my BPS 10 killed a couple.. All most all the guns are pumps.. 870’s, model 12’s and one model 97.. I like trying different stuff.. I would like to get one with my model 31 12, and my20 ga. In 870.. Turkey hunting is kind of taking a back seat to other hunting, but still fun..

I have used a Winchester 1300 pump-action camo turkey gun in 12 ga for the past many years and love the way it handles and shoots with its original rifle sights. Every once in a while I think it would be neat to find an old 12 ga bolt gun and have it modified into a turkey gun. I think a bolt action would be geat as a turkey gun.

Remington Model 1100 12 gauge magnum auto 28" barrel, with extra full screw in choke.

An 870 Turkey Express, lengthened forcing cone, Kicks .665 choke, red dot scope.
I have always thought a double trigger o/u would be the chizz, fast second shot, choke choices and super short.

Turkey hunting should be a close range, one shot game so any shotgun with the right choke/shotshell combo should do. My personal favorite is a Browning BPS Upland Special pump with 22" barrel. I love short-barreled turkey guns for maneuverability . It's nice to know there are a couple more shells in the magazine too if you ever need them. They've come in handy when coyotes come in to the decoys to make sure they don't leave.

"
Turkey hunting should be a close range, one shot game " - the operative word is "should". But sometimes they are not close enough for a shotgun.



Rifles are legal in Texas and wild turkeys are plentiful, so many turkeys are taken with rifles early in the deer season for Thanksgiving table fare. Yummy!

The above Savage combination gun, a .22 Hornet over 3 inch 12 gauge became my primary turkey gun after having to pass up a lot of shots that were not in shotgun range. I have taken hill country gobblers with it from 50 yards out to 150 yards; never lost a bird hit with the Hornet. When the birds do come in to a call, the shotgun does the job.

It should be apparent that I am hunting turkeys to eat, not to display my calling prowess.

Do you body shot them or neck with the rifle?

I have the same thing in 223 & 12 gauge and the rifle accuracy is amazing.

I currently run a 28 inch barreled browning BPS that I cam wrapped, added a 665 choke tube, sling studs, Allen slip on squishy recoil pad, and williams rib sights with a ghost ring and fiber optic and thats my primary gun. All these mods cost me less than $100 total because many came from the cabelas bargain cave.
I like the sights because they focus my aim and force me to keep my head down on the stock after a "bead only" miss a few years ago.

But the bigger question is guns I am toying with...

I have my O/U browning citori 725 field gun I trap shoot with and bought a extra full and turkey choke for it to experiment with. It worked great... 50 yard good patterns, the double bead acts like a low drag sights, and it gave me choke choice. Hopefully I would remember to change the barrel choke on close shots, BUT...
After sitting in my tiny blind in the rain with roof drips and a inch of water flowing through the bottom convinced me the 725 is a good weather gun at best.

Now Im contemplating a cynergy camo gun as my universal non-upland hunting gun for coyotes, ducks, & turkey. Not sure if I will do it.

My current concept gun for short blind set ups is a rem 870 express tactical with XS ghost ring sights that pulls bedroom closet and potential turkey duty.. I'll pattern in the ghost rings and eventually put a burris fast fire on as my eyes decay. I upgraded it with a black pistol grip shur shot stock set from remington for $60 and now I need to do range time. I'm keeping it flat black. I am concerned about velocity loss with the 18.5 inch barrel, but it seems to pattern well at 40 yards still. Not sure if this was a good decision or not on the barrel length.

And finally...

My old age I-cant_take-The-recoil-anymore gun will be my browning BPS upland special 20 gauge with bolt on williams ghost ring sights or a b-square rib cantilever mount. Its currently my wifes grouse hunting gun so I can't convert it yet.


Side story:

My father in law uses a $27 single shot 20 gauge harrington & richardson that is deadly. I asked to buy it from him the day he decides not to keep it because it also does yard stray cat removal duty.

Good 'ol Rem 870 20ga or the tried and true Benelli M2 24" barrel 12ga long range turkey swatter.

Humdinger,
Using Winchester jacketed soft point ammo that looks like a miniature big game soft point;
Broadside in the heart
Going away in the back/pelvis (same as with .308)
head on in the heart.

The bullets do very little damage to the breast meat. The scope was made for turkey hunting - if the head fills the circle, use shotty - if not, use crosshairs and rifle.

This gun is also handy for prairie dogs, coyotes, and varmints out to 150 yards.

I bounce between a Mossberg 500 and a Stoger M2000. Both have served me very well. I use an undertaker choke in the Mossberg and a factory turkey choke in the Stoger.

Rem 11/87 that I won on the K of C raffle about 10 years ago. It is paired with a .655 Hastings choke that I bought back in the early 90's. It has been 100% reliable and shoots the Federal 2 ounce loads out to 45 -50 yards with authority.

1100 SP magnum. 26" steel shot bbl, Remchoke Superfull.
870 Express Supermagnum, 23" Remchoke Superfull.

Have about $500 in the pair.
I'll take the 1100 first day or so, then switch to the 870 (lighter).
Shoot same 3" shells in either one.

No breakdowns, but I take both anyway, in case somebody else in turkey camp needs one.

At 21, you can probably handle the pain a little more, I was shooting a 835 at that age...with the old Federal 3 1/2 #6 2 1/4 oz loads. They would stomp you. Auto gas gun for me now. Got tired of the 835 knocking me around, went out and got an Xtrema2. Been shooting it for 10 years now. Everything you mentioned other than the muzzle loader is gonna start hurting at some point when you get older...think ahead. My dad broke his collar bone shooting a single shot 12 with turkey loads at an odd angle.

Thanks CR.

Does your shotgun aim close to the rifle shot?

I have to raise mine up a few inches.


I like the gun for beaver & truck duty when Im back at the farm and only need to pack one gun.

In hunted for years with a 12ga Ithaca 37 (pump) that shot only 2 3/4" shells. I've hunted with a Stoger 2000 12ga semi and I now hunt with a single shot 20ga TC Encore. It'll be my final choice.

dvdegeorge was the first one to reply with, "Stick with your 500." I concur - unless you'd just like another gun. Owning a Mossy 500 is akin to owning an Estwing hammer. It works.

Remington 1100 2 3/4” with a 24” Hastings extra full turkey choke barrel I bought from Cabelas in the mid-80’s.

"Does your shotgun aim close to the rifle shot? "

It does now. After the gunsmith reconnected the front of the rifle barrel.

The gun was leaned against a wall and slipped down, cracking the solder/weld. The repair made it better than new!

I use Rem and Mossberg pumps in 12 and 20, SxS in 12, single shot in 12. Its is fun to mix up the game a bit. Don't like the semi's as they make a lot of noise when properly seating the round in the chamber and I carry my guns a lot more than I shoot them out here in CO and NE. The single shot and SxS are quieter to operate in the field once situated. The pumps can be almost as quiet once you get the hang of each individual shotgun.

I really change it up in early season with a compound and/or xbow. That really makes it interesting, fun, and much more challenging.

I use an O/U and a single barrel. The reasons for using both are weight savings, field safety and reduction in muzzle blast. The O/U is just over six pounds. The single isn't much over three pounds. Both can be broken open fairly quietly when crossing obstacles. Both have tang safeties, the position of which is easily verified by sight without movement. Both have 28" barrels. Standard velocity loads from a longer barrel are easier on the ears than high velocity loads from a shorter barrel. And we all know how important our hearing is for turkey hunting.

I have seen where people use SxS guns. I like the idea, but there's an issue. The turkey's head and neck are vertically narrow. The sxs has horizontal variance in regulation. Unlike an O/U where one barrel hits low at short range, the SxS guns hit left and right. So, typically a shooter will plan to shoot distance shots sighted with one barrel and have the other choked more open to avoid missing left or right at short range. With the O/U on the other hand, you just aim at the head. The top barrel is on it. The bottom barrel is low, but still centers on the neck.

Yeah, that may be the way I go. It's just so darn pedestrian.

My one thought was a double-barrel SXS with one barrel choked X-Full and the other choked Modified. That way I could chose.

I've got the solution for you. Take your Mossberg 500 and put a Benelli sticker on it! Then you'll have reliability with a coolness factor.

I'd stay away from the double barrel for reasons listed above by Urbaneruralite.

Yeah, you're probably right. Urbaneralite is probably right.

As to the Benelli sticker, I might consider it, but I put a spray job on the gun some time ago, knowing full well that this was absolutely the worst thing I could do for the Mossy's finish. It was a very freeing experience. Scratches? Rust? No problem, just add more Krylon. If I put the Benelli sticker on it, and then I scratched the decal somehow, then what?

Bubba Paints his Turkey Gun

Nice articles, Shaman. One man's bubba job is another man's custom finish. Consider your gun to be one-of-a-kind custom folk art with a distressed sticker and you'll be the only one to have one like it. Carry it with pride! 😜

*70 wingmaster 12 gauge with the forcing cone worked on.

1 5/8 oz. of hard number 5 shot,works.

Yeah, I kind of like that! Custom folk art-- sounds almost legitimate!

My first turkey gun was a 500 Viking turkey special. Similar gun, similar vintage, different forearm and 24" barrel. I didn't paint mine. I used it about a decade before the forearm started to rattle. Putting furniture slider material inside the forearm tightens them back up so they don't rattle. I'd still use it if I couldn't do just as well with lighter guns and less recoil.

For the 2017 season, I updated the Mossberg to have a better back up gun. At the same time, I got a single barrel .410 going with handloads, turkey choke and mini reflex. Having successfully hunted with the .410, I can't see carrying more than a 20 gauge anymore. I have a hard time leaving a 3.3# gun at home when there is walking to do.

Outside the long range, kill 'em at any cost crowd, there are going to be a lot of turkey hunters toting little .410s in the coming years. Federal's .410 TSS load is where it's at.

I use a Mossberg 500 3" 12 ga with factory camo, 20" barrel and fiber optic open sights. It's light, powerful and throws a deadly pattern out to 40 yards even with lead.

I like it.

870 12 gauge.

I like a pump or a semi-auto, 12 or 20. I have never used anything else to turkey hunt with, and have no desire to. If I was starting a kid out, a single shot 20 would probably work, but then so would a youth model pump. The key to it all is not really the choice of the gun, but matching the choke, and shell up to the gun, and having a rig that will consistently kill a turkey.

Well tp keep the economy rolling along, I have 4 dedicated Turkey guns. First is a Mossberg 930 Turkey special with a Burris FF3, second is a Beretta pintail camo short bbl with open sights for rainy days, third is a camo 870 20 ga youth modes for any youngsters I might take out and lastly, new Winchester 20 ga. pump again with a Burris FF. With my age I will probably lean more to the new 20 gauge this coming season. Anyone with only one dedicated Turkey gun is not doing their part to keep the economy rolling along. As you can see I am doing my part

I'm a 1 gun turkey hunter. I go to TX, KS, CO & OH to hunt gobblers. That's my part to keep the economy rolling. Bob

Little different method than mine but very good

26 year old Remington 870 20ga youth with Federal Heavyweight #6 and a Jebs choke!

Although last year in the middle of my move to TX I used a SBEII, modified choke and 3" #5 bc that was all I could get my hands on when i realized the opener was the next morning. Turkey was DOA at 7am.

I have a single shot 16ga that I bought with my grandpa that I will be taking around this year. I have some bismuth #5s and its a fixed MOD choke so 25yds and in it will be game on.

Spring turkey hunting doesn't require a special type of shotgun. I've killed a ton of them with a 20 gauge 870 but I use different shotguns as the mood strikes me. One shot is all you need so it doesn't much matter which action you use. The last bird I killed, I shot with a 20 gauge flintlock trade gun with a cylinder bore. Iv'e used my Red Label, a 12 gauge 870, and a side by side 12 gauge percussion muzzle loader. Any gauge or choke works as long as you know how far it holds a good pattern and call the bird into that range.

Texas turkeys are not like the birds most folks hunt... Sorry, that is the way it is..

I used a Pedersoli muzzleloading 10 gauge for years. Used it for everything, turkey, geese, pheasant, doves, coyotes... I really enjoyed it and was even published in the now defunct "Blackpowder Hunting" magazine. It added a little extra challenge and required carrying some extra stuff, but I liked it and did it work! I even used it for trap shooting once, until I was asked to stop because of all the powder smoke, people could no longer see the targets! Haha! Now I'm back to a pump, but you never know, might get the itch to start using the muzzleloader again.

How so?

I have shot maybe a dozen to two dozen Texas turkeys. they are not wild compare to the birds in other states.. I have missed a shot and they just stood there.. Once in Pa. I clicked off the safety of my rifle and the enitire flock ran like they had been shot at.. Plus turkeys in Tx are often shot over bait.. It is legal and nothing wrong but generally the turkey there are much less wary than others I have hunted..

I've only hunted turkey in Texas. Mostly rios and a few eastern. With the ability to hunt them with a rifle and over bait / feeders it can be stupid easy. But I and most hunters I know don't shoot turkey that way. It's much more enjoyable to call them into shotgun range.

I do know that the turkey being extremely wary is a reaction to pressure from hunters and predators. I have hunted large ranches with very limited hunter pressure and large flocks of birds where the birds were fairly predictable and relatively easy to call. Iv'e also hunted small farms and woodlots where the birds ranged across several different properties and received lots of hunter pressure. Those birds were very call shy and a challenge to bring in. Another property had such a large population of coyotes and bobcats that the birds never made a sound after flying down from their roost. You were more likely to have a coyote or bob cat come to your call than a turkey.

So aside from reaction to pressure, do you notice a general difference to the way birds respond to you calling in other locations? Are they more reluctant to coming in close to a call with a decoy?

Old School. I have hunted exclusively with older double bbls for the last 30 yrs. Old Fulton from Hunter arms to CE grade foxes. Bought a Batavia Spl 12 ga just because my son had moved to Batavia NY the year before. I was going to give it to him, but he moved to Fla and I killed 3 turkeys with the gun. Two were on the run. So, the gun fits me and that's what will be with me come April. Most of the old doubles have wonderfully tight patterns with full choke and some give you the option of more open chokes in case ole Tom gets in your business too quickly.

Charlie

Ummm, someone should tell the truckload of turkeys my dad and uncles have killed with 311's.....them buggers are going to be stoked to know they have a new lease on life!

This is true from a theoretical point of view only. You don't know where either bbl is hitting until you pattern it on a paper. I have seen High dollar O/U's that throwed shot left with one bbl and right with the other. SxS's may shoot higher with one bbl than the other. And this is the norm rather than a fluke. You want to get your turkey into 30 yds or under, and at that range your patterns cover 2 1/2 ft or more. The center bore of each bbl on a sxs is maybe an inch apart. So an error of one inch on a 30" pattern doesn't make a hill of beans difference. And what do you do with the O/U when the turkey sticks his head out horizonally?

Charlie

Charlie, you're way off on using shotguns for turkeys. I'm not going to write a book on here about it. I suggest you do your own research and work to see what's up.

I have killed turkeys with mutiple pump/auto 12ga shotguns from nearly every common brand and model except Beretta, also killed turkeys with bolt action .222 Rem and .223 Rem rifles, I have lately been considering trying a .22 Hornet as I have not hunted turkeys with rifle in many years and I think it might be fun to change it up a little......Hb

I will be using a Franchi 48 AL 28gauge with 1 5/8 oz. of #9 1/2 TSS

Several choices if I hunt this spring, 870 20, model 31 12, or my heavy duck model 12..

I have done my research. For 30 + years with more than a few sxs's. Its called regulation of the bbls. Not all sxs's shoot to point of aim, and neither do all auto's or pumps. Its pretty easy to find out where your shotgun is hitting, but most people don't take the time to do it. I have read and followed Tom Roster's (Ballistic Editor of Shooting Clays magazine) publication on buffered low pressure loads. I roll my own low pressure tight patterning shells designed by Tom Roster for older 12ga doubles. I've done my research, and I know whereof I speak.

Charlie

Have used a bunch of shotguns on turkeys, but for the last 15 years or so I've killed 'em all with a Sauer Model 60 side-by-side 12-gauge, which I like for several reasons:

1) Like many European shotguns it came with sling-swivel studs.
2) Like many older shotguns, it's choked tight and tighter.
3) It weighs 6-1/4 pounds, which is easy to carry, despite it's 28-inch barrels.
4) It's easier than a pump or semiauto to break open (or even unload) silently when need be, such as when crossing a fence.

Have mostly used standard 2-3/4" 1-1/4 ounce loads, mostly #5 shot, with no problems out to 45 yards, as far as I've ever shot at a turkey with the Sauer. Did kill one gobbler in Nebraska with 1-3/8 ounce Bismuth 5's, because non-toxic shot was required in that area, again no problems.

John, haven't you heard that a turkey's neck is straight up and down and your bbls are side by side !!!


Charlie

My lovely wife bought me an 870 in 3.5" with the 23" turkey barrel several years ago so that's what I use.


Mike

I have had the following over the last 30 years of turkey hunting:
1. Browning 3 inch A5 #1 wouldn't hit within 18 inches of POA
2. Browning 3 inch A5 #2 warranty of #1 wouldn't shoot a pattern good enough to kill one a 30 yards.
3. Remington SP 10 #1 no camo.
4. SP 10 #2 camo. Cracked receiver.
5. SP 10 #3 warranty of #4. Got so stinking heavy I couldn't stand carrying it any longer and it wouldn't kill em any better than a good 12 gauge.
6. H&K branded Benelli M1 Super 90 24 inch barrel. Great gun and still have it. Used it for probably 15 years.
7. Benelli M2 21 inch barrel equipped with a Leupold Delta Point Pro reflex sight set up to shoot #9 TSS shot. NOW THATS A TURKEY GUN!!!!!!!

Try a 40-45# recurve for something different. Southwest Archery 64” Spyder XL takedown for about $140. Excellent bow.