First Turkey hunt which gun/ammo combo?

[au_prospector]

My first turkey season. I have two seperate offers from seasoned hunters to take me on hunts. I think I will do both hunts. I have three shotguns in my stable suitable for turkey with ammo. First up is a 870 Wingmaster 20 GA 3 inch chamber fixed modified choke. Ammo would be 3 inch Winchester Super X Magnum High Brass 1 ounce #6 shot. Second gun is an old 20 GA Mossberg 500 3 inch chamber with an adjustable poly choke. I would choke full and use the 3 inch shells Winchester Super X Magnum 1 ounce #6 shot as above. Third gun is a H&R Pardner 16 GA single shot with a fixed full choke. I have a box of Herter's high velocity 1 1\8 ounce #5 shot pheasant loads for this shotgun.

I am leaning toward the H&R 16 GA with the #5 shot. The Mossberg 20 GA Magnum with #6 shot a close second. I think I leave the wingmaster at home. What would you do?

 

[Armored farmer]

Nope.
Take the repeater.
Turkeys are tough. They tend to hang up at the limits of your range.
First hunt? Don't handicap yourself. At least until you get a few hunts under your belt to see how it all goes.

My buddy uses a 3in 20ga. He killed a nice Tom last spring with it at about 40 yds

Mossberg with choke screwed down tight.
Sling.
Mouth call.
Decoys.
Full camo/face paint/ gloves

 

[buck460XVR]

Pattern all three guns with the intended ammo and take the one that shoots best to POA and has the best pattern with the fewest holes in it. Turkeys are tough, but if you miss, odds are your second shot will be as they run/fly the other way and are poor percentage/high possibility of wounding and not recovering. If you take the single shot, make sure you have a second round easily available for a follow up shot at a wounded bird. Know your range with the ammo patterned and stick to it. Pick out landmarks in front of you before the bird gets there at known yardages and let them get inside them. Your mentors, if they are in fact "well seasoned" will help you more than we can.

 

[Patocazador]

The poly choke wins. Pattern it with the loads you have at a couple of full/mod choke settings. Choose the setting with the tightest pattern.

Spring turkey hunting means using a shotgun like a rifle. Aim for the head/neck inside of 30 yards.

 

[tomturkey]

I would find some Remington Premier Magnums in #6 shot for the Mossberg 500. My grand son took his first few toms shooting them in the Ithaca Super Single 20 Ga that I bought him when he was a month old. All of them hit the ground stone cold dead. Like said above you need to be shooting a shotgun like a rifle. To save on turkey loads you can shoot regular loads to get used to shooting your shotgun like a rifle as the aim point will not be much different.

 

[LOLBELL]

Pattern all three guns with the intended ammo and take the one that shoots best to POA and has the best pattern with the fewest holes in it. Turkeys are tough, but if you miss, odds are your second shot will be as they run/fly the other way and are poor percentage/high possibility of wounding and not recovering. If you take the single shot, make sure you have a second round easily available for a follow up shot at a wounded bird. Know your range with the ammo patterned and stick to it. Pick out landmarks in front of you before the bird gets there at known yardages and let them get inside them. Your mentors, if they are in fact "well seasoned" will help you more than we can.

This ^^^^ pattern all guns, you need a dense pattern that shoots to point of aim.A good pattern that hits 2' low and left @ 40 yards or one that hits to POA with holes in it will be your greatest handicap. It is too hard to get one in shooting range to risk a poor shot. If the single shot preformed best that is the one I would take. One well placed shot is better than multi spray and pray shots. I wouldn't limit myself to one paticular load. Different loads will pattern different in your guns. I use a Mosberg 835. It will pattern nothing but Federal Premium 3 1/2" 6 shot or Federal Premium 3" 5 shot. I had about given up on the gun when I found those loads. Good Luck and beware turkey hunting is addictive !!

 

[Captcurt]

Guys, I have hunted birds since the early 70's. I have a Winchester 1300 with a smoothbore slug barrel with sights and have played with different ammo and chokes for years. Right now I have 4 after market chokes. Turkeys are tough and take a lot of killing. If I had to use a 20ga I would want the one that shot the tightest pattern at 40 yards and would prefer #4 or #5. 6's work great up close and personal, but when you get out to 40 yards they start to lose their poop. Penetration goes downhill quickly. I would go with 3" Winchester Longbeard ammo and keep my shots inside 35 yards if my gun could put 7 or 8 shot in the head and neck of a turkey target at that range. If you haven't tried the Longbeard load you need to do yourself a favor and try them. They are the best that I have found in 45 years of chasing birds.

 

[tomturkey]

I have been using my 835 with the above mentioned Remington Loads in 12 ga. 6's since they first came out. I have dropped back to using 3 inch shells and the factory turkey choke that came with it. I have the Mossberg unti full choke but with it being almost too tight for close up shooting I went back to the turkey choke. I have had no problem killing birds with that set up. The first few turkeys I took were with some left over paper #5 duck loads almost 30 years ago. That was before the advent of modern turkey loads.

I have enough 3 inch loads to last me the rest of my life. My son gave me another 6 shells last year as they hang upon ejection in his 500.

 

[Armored farmer]

The guys above are correct. You must pattern your gun to see what shot/choke/range combination you are comfortable with.
#6 shot patterns well, but is pretty light for big birds with heavy bones and heavy feathers.
#4 shot is heavy, but gets pretty thin on the 40yd pattern board.
#5 is a good compromise.
I use #4s. Ymmv

 

[Skeet 25]

#4 buffered shot 3inch. 870 with R.E.M. choke. Used barrels are not that hard to find or borrow. Buy a good turkey choke. Set for life, once you try turkey hunting your hooked. Good luck and have fun.

 

[tomturkey]

You should not be shooting for the body of a turkey. You should be shooting for the head and neck. The head is bare skin and the neck is not heavily feathered. It does not take big shot to make a good kill in that area.
Shooting for the body is to liable to result in a lost wounded bird. Agreed maybe 5's might be an alternative but I have never shot anything but the Remington 6's since they first came out. I have never had a wounded bird run off even with some long shots on held up old toms.

 

[eastbank]

i use a rem 1100 12 ga mag with a improved modified or full choke for turkeys and i just went to the win long beard shells with # 6 shot. i limit my shots to 35 yards and at that range they get dead quick. i know you can kill turkeys at longer yardage, but to me they are a fine game bird and deserve to be taken cleanly and i like the challenge of calling them in close, i use a lynch box call and a slate call made for me by a good turkey hunting friend. eastbank.

 

[red rick]

I would try Winchester Long Beard and Hevi Shot Turkey and use what ever gun shoot it the tightest at 40 yards . If you think you have a pattern tight enough at 40 move out to 50 yards . I would start with the Mossberg and adjust the choke as tight as it will go .

 

[Sav .250]

You have seasoned turkey hunters offering to take you turkey hunting and your asking the forum. Why not just ask them?

 

[MCgunner]

If I just had to use a shotgun, I'd go with my H&R 10 gauge turkey gun. It shoots the tightest patterns of any shotgun I've ever fired. I own 4 12s, 2 20s, and a 16 in addition. None of 'em can touch the 10 for pattern. You should pattern your shotguns before picking one. You could do it with a 20, but probably have to get 5-10 yards closer at least than a 12.

But, I've sworn off shotguns. I shot only my second turkey ever last spring with my .22 magnum at about 70 yards and stopped him after only about 20 yards of running. No meat damage to speak of. This season, I might use my .223 Bushmaster M4, thinkin' about it.

Rifles aren't legal everywhere, but here in the free state of Texas, we can shoot Rios with 'em and, to me, they make a lot more sense if you want meat more than sport. I don't think God made the shotgun just for turkeys, myself. I see no ethics violations and, in fact, rifles kill better than shotguns on a bird this big and if you use a proper caliber, won't hurt the meat. I think probably a .22 Hornet would be ideal.

 

[MCgunner]

I thought I'd add, in 20 gauge, number 5 lead shot seems to pattern better than any other shot. I know this from years of hunting ducks before the steel shot rules with a 20 gauge 870 and I was shooting 2 3/4". I have a box of number 5 3" that I've shot in one of my 20s and it patterns in the low 80 percent range full choke which is great for a 3" 20. Most 3" 20s are a waste of money, but not that 5 shot load, at least not in my gun.

 

[sage5907]

I shot my 1st turkey about 1965 and I have taken 1 or 2 every year since. I would use the 3 inch magnum 20 guage 870. I am a big fan of the Winchester XX Magnum copper plated shot loads. Instead of using the #6 shot I would go for #4 or at least #5. I don't agree with shooting the turkeys in the head or neck because every turkey I have taken has been with body shots. I center on the body and shoot. It doesn't take many shot hits to kill a turkey and 4 or 5 pellets with #4 copper plated shot will do the trick. You should probably keep your range inside 30 yards. I use a 12 gauge 2 3/4 in chamber and I have taken many turkeys at 50 yards with with Winchester 4# copper plated shot. I very seldom have one get away.

 

[jaytex1969]

 

[LoonWulf]

Ive been shooting them with a 12ga loaded with heavy 6s.
Here they are generally targets of opertunity, and not what we are specifically hunting for. I enjoy reading threads like this about the gear and method of actually hunting them specifically.

 

[FL-NC]

Pattern all three guns with the intended ammo and take the one that shoots best to POA and has the best pattern with the fewest holes in it. Turkeys are tough, but if you miss, odds are your second shot will be as they run/fly the other way and are poor percentage/high possibility of wounding and not recovering. If you take the single shot, make sure you have a second round easily available for a follow up shot at a wounded bird. Know your range with the ammo patterned and stick to it. Pick out landmarks in front of you before the bird gets there at known yardages and let them get inside them. Your mentors, if they are in fact "well seasoned" will help you more than we can.

Good advice.

 

[mtnjrm]

I use an extra full turkey choke. so old I forgot the brand. But pattern your gun with the ammo you will hunt with. Know where your shotgun shoots at 20, 30, 40, 50 and maybe 60 yards.