Hunting & Fishing Best Turkey Gun?
- Thread starter metalfarm
- Start date
I use the Remington 11-87 with the shurshot stock (I assume it is the same as the thumb hole you mentioned) , it has been an awesome turkey gun. Mine came with fiber optic rifle sights, those are also great for preccise aiming with tight turkey pattern.
Really any shotgun will do for turkeys, so get something you like, are comfortable with, and can afford. Regardless of whatever shotgun you end up getting, the important thing is to pattern it before hunting with it. You might need to try different turkey loads with different choke tubes (if your gun has interchangeable choke tubes) to see what produces an acceptable pattern. Different guns “like” different combinations of choke/shotshell - even guns of the same make and model could differ from one another on what shoots best. When you find a good choke and shell combo, stick with it. It’s very important to know what your pattern looks like at varying distances (from extremely close range to the outer edge of your effective range).
Some of the new shells use the wad to control the pattern and recommend using a modified choke at most.
I use a Weatherby sa-459 in 20 ga with a Burris fast fire sight. With TSS it’s easily a 60 yard gun. Very light, but the trigger is terrible.
I use a beat up 870 with a shurshot stock. It has served me well. The 26" barrel can be a pain in the ass sometimes depending on where I hunt.
I wasn’t a big fan of the thumb hole stock, kind of like finger groves on a pistol, if everything lines up great, if not it can be a bit difficult to shoot well. I can tell you hands down the best choke tube I’ve ever used is the pattern master. They shoot incredible consistent patters. The way the studs in the tube retard the shot cup it lets the pellets stay together and shorten the shot string, less flyers less crippled/wounded birds.
I like using this one myself. With TSS 9s, it's a 40 yard gun easy and light to carry all day. Savage 301 Turkey gun. .410 with an extra full choke. That rail is milled down the center to allow for use of the factory sights.
I use a Benelli Nova for turkey and [duck / geese] hunting too! It gets the job done on multiple fronts!
Rem 870 compact camo 20 gauge, had my gunsmith drill and tap it for an Aimpoint red dot, Rem turkey super full choke, Fed HW #7’s.
M1army has a good point also. My wife shoots a mossberg 930 waterfowl 28” barrel I know is long but she hunts all birds with it and shoots sporting clays. Bought a noveske tube and a jm barrel and in ten minutes she’s using it for 3 gun. Probably less the $900 total and that gun does everything under the sun for her and me cause all she does is pull the trigger lol.
Went to a 20 guage 5 or 6 years ago with federal heavy weight 7s and havent shot my 12 for turkeys since...ain't going back....weighs 6 1/2 pounds doesn't kick much with 3 inch 1 1/2 ounce loads and is a turkey killing fool. It's a franchi affinity...
This morning....24.2 pounds. 35 yards didn't even blink on the way down....whatever gun you get. Get the tunsten shot real game changer ...[/QUOTE]
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My personal preference is the Stoeger 20 gauge turkey. I think it’s a model 3020 and comes with a modified and a turkey choke tube. With the federal tss number 9s it will kill a turkey at 60 yds if you can see him. The TSS is the real game changer. I would recommend just getting a good lightweight 20 gauge.
I’ll second the old H&R 10 gauge. A lot of birds have fallen to mine and the Winchester black box turkey loads!
- Nov 3, 2010
- 11,118
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I reckon if I lived in KS, turkey hunting in open fields and pastures I would have a different opinion on Turkey guns. But I live in Ark, and we hunt mainly in thinnd Pine plantations. You can have Turkey guns that shoot to tight a pattern. I dont stretch a gun as much as people in KS would. But when I gotta worry about “aiming” at 35yds to keep from missing a bird, my gun is shooting too tight. I shoot Nitro TSS’s in #7 shot, 3”. I feel like I can kill one ever shot at 50yds and thats good enough for me and where I hunt
I never thought I would be a mossberg fan but I bought a 930jm pro and have ran thousands of rounds through it without a mishap. I would look at the 935 just Incase you want to blast some 3.5” loads at them red heads
I use a BPS with 3 1/2 hevi shot. Favorite shotgun I’ve ever owned and can’t see myself ever parting with it
For a dense headshot, a 12 or 20ga doesn’t make that much difference, so I opt for the lighter gun. An extended choke, optimized for your preferred load and wad, is the ticket. In my Benelli M2 20ga camo, I use Carlson’s IM extended choke with an ounce of hevishot in a CSD20 wad and 2.75” Fiocchi hull with Steel powder. Lights out Mr Tom!
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