A Choke for Turkey?

[556A2]

A little background at first:

This past hunting season was the first I've ever been hunting, and have became addicted. In fact, I really hate that I never went when I was younger (Turning 23 next month). I hunted duck and squirrel mostly with my fixed modified Wingmaster.

My finance manager (my wife) supports my new habit and allowed me to take some of our hard earned money for a nice used 11-87 Premier with Rem-Chokes. Since I also shoot clays often, I have a Improved Skeet, Improved Cylinder, and Modified choke tubes.

With turkey season coming up I really don't know what choke to go with. I've been reading Shotgunning: Art & Science and Brister mentions that a change in shot quality can lead to more open and tighter patterns.

What I really want to know is will a standard full choke be enough with high quality turkey loads (Fed Premium with Flite-Control & Rem Premier Duplex), or will I be better suited with a Extra Full or Super Full?

I know patterning has to be done, and a choke tube is really a guess, but I just want some of the convention wisdom here at THR.

 

[scout26]

Like everything else with shotguns, the only answer is to buy a couple of different chokes (Full and Extra Full), a box each of a couple of different turkey loads and hit the patterning board.

 

[JohnBT]

A full choke will work, folks used them for generations. Just pattern your loads to determine how far you can reasonably shoot and you're good to go. Those same folks used 2.75" loads, too. And some of them used 20 ga. guns.

I'd try 2 or 3 shells through the modified choke to see how it worked before I bought a new choke tube. Modern shells with plastic wads shoot tighter patterns than the old paper shells and you just never know what will happen.

Okay, who's next? Now we'll hear from the super-full choke, 3.5" shell supporters.

John

 

[buck460XVR]

I've shot standard full choke tubes for turkeys for years.....I have an extra full also but have found it does not pattern as consistently as the full choke on the loads that I use (3"/1 7/8 OZ./#5s). The extra full also increases felt recoil quite a bit on heavy Turkey loads. Most of the turkeys I have shot have been within 25 yards............

 

[BigV]

It’s all about effective kill range. Some folks can call a tom in within 25 yards. At that distance most any choke will work. Some well educated turkey seem to stay out beyond the 50 yard range where an extended Extra Full choke is needed. Too much choke at close range and you have a good chance of a complete miss due to the tight pattern at close range. I prefer to get a tom to within 30 to 35 yards and use a Brilie (sp?) extended extra full choke with #6 shot.