favorite turkey guns n loads

[375hh1973]

Getting ready for turkey season here and was just wondering what everyones favorite set up was. I use my trusty Beretta 390. It started life out as a simple black synthetic gun. I sent the stocks in to Bell and Carlson and had them dipped in Mossy Oak Shadow Grass awhile back for duck hunting. Then I got into turkeys so I bought a saddle mount and a Simmons 4x scope with a diamond in the middle. I added a Primos turkey choke. It takes about 5 minutes to go from duck gun to turkey killer. For ammo, I have been very successful with Winchester 3" 1 3/4oz 1300 fps turkey loads. They are old school plain jane lead turkey loads. I prefer the #5 shot. I have anchored birds from 17 to 48 yards. I know there are probably better, fancier, newer technology loads out there but I go with what works. Besides some of these new shells cost $$$ per trigger pull.

As I type this from New Hudson, MI it is 19 degrees. Kinda hard to think about turkeys when its a lot colder than deer season was!

 

[JD338]

I use a Remington 870 Magnum, .670" turkey choke and a red dot scope.
I've been using Heavy Shot MagBlend but the past 2 seasons it's been Winchester Long Beard #5.
This ammo patterns very well out to 50 yards and is better than half the price of Heavy Shot.

JD338

 

[beerbucksducks]

I usually use my Remington 1187, a carlsons extra full, and the cheap Winchester 3" 1 7/8 oz #5. Last year I used my bow but haven't decided on my weapon of choice for this year.


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[Silentstalker]

I use my trusty ole 870 with a Primos turkey choke and Hevi shot magnum blend. It patterns well and has killed turkeys further out than I care to say!

We leave Friday for the 2016 hunt. My Wife will use a Tri Star 12 ga. With a Carlson's turkey choke and Hevi shot. My daughter will use her Escort youth 20 ga. With a Carlson's choke and Hevi Shot.

With any luck the birds will cooperate and they will both shoot their first birds!

 

[truck driver]

I use a Remington 1100 3" Magnum that has had the barrel worked on and my reloads which are 2 3/4" 1 1/2 oz #2 buffered shot. My load can only be shot in a gas operated gun and is too hot for any other type of shotgun.

 

[BretN]

I use a Benelli Nova pump with Carlsons extra full choke. It has a 3.5" chamber, but it's sure not much fun to shoot those very long at targets. Need to put a limbsaver pad on it.

I've had good luck with 3" heavy shot loads, or plain 3.5" #5 loads. I'd like to try the Winchester xr long beard loads. Normal lead with some kind of glue/bonding agent to hold the lead shot together. Supposed to be good to 50+, which is as far as I've gotten one with heavy shot. Anyone try those yet?

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I haven't turkey hunted in nearly 25 years... Last time I used a single shot 12 gauge H&R Topper model with 2 3/4" reloads stoked with a mix of #4 and #5 shot.

This year will be the first time I've went turkey hunting since the early 90's, I'm starting back because my 9 year old son wants to do it.

I had to buy a shotgun and everything... But I'm glad I did.... All these years of concentrating on rifle shooting, I had forgotten that I really enjoy shotguns too.... Especially walking up rabbits.

So... I bought an over under this time, a Winchester 101.

Not a perfect turkey gun, but it'll do... Been patterning some loads.... The Long Beard XR loads are for real.... Fired from a Long Beard XR choke, a 3" load will smash a turkey to at least 50 yards.

The 3.5" would probably do 60 yards.... But mine is just a 3" chamber, besides, I'd like to keep my retinas attached.

A 7.5 pound O/U is brutal with a heavy shot charge in a 3" magnum... Reminds me of a 378 Weatherby I shot one time... A 7.5 pound custom 378 Weatherby.

 

[BretN]

Nice gun. That'll do just fine for gobblers. Thanks for the info on the long beard shells.

 

[BretN]

Well, the long beard xr shells. They pattern very tight and normally I could see myself using them. My problem is that the front bead on my benelli Nova broke. They were out of stock beads, so I put on an aftermarket bead. It is lower than stock, so I'm shooting high. I shimmed the bead to raise it, but it's still high. Probably usable, but I don't want to compensate or forget to do it and miss. This year I'll have to use standard turkey loads, which still patterned well, but will have to limit my range a bit. The standard Kent 3.5" shell in #5 shot threw a nice pattern from my gun.

 

[Cleveland48]

I have been using the 20 gauge only for the last several years and I can't go back to the 12 gauges now lol. This year I bought a Remington 870 youth with the 21" barrel. Added the shurshot stock with a Nikon monarch turkey pro 1.5 x 4.5 with a Carlson .575 choke. Shooting the federal heavyweight 7's. Killed 2 birds with it this season at 43 and 48 yards. It put 176 pellets in a 10" circle at 40 yards.

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[BretN]

That looks like a great load and gun. I used standard 3.5" #5 2oz Kent shells this year because the longbeard xr shells were patterning too tight, given that my gun was shooting high due to the aftermarket bead. I got a Jake at 20-25 yards on a steep downhill shot on the last day I had available to hunt. I was happy to get a bird but need to find a factory Benelli bead as the gun was spot on with the stock bead.

 

[tjen]

I been using a 870 camo 3" chambered 21" barrel. For years I used the 1 3/4oz HV #5 lead winchesters. The when the REM Heavy Shot loads came out they are all I have used. One shot per bird last ten years. With the NEW WIN long bird lead ammo a load of #4 lead should work fine out to 50 yards. I have gobble dots but a rear gost peep sight system would work great. I put a 1-4x scope on an older 870 for slug shooting before there were turkey scopes . Scopes did not work for my turkey hunting. The dots work fine and the peep may be even better. I loose all my spacial awareness using scopes for turkey hunting.

 

[grry10]

I've been using a Browning A5 Hunter with 26" barrel for the last couple of years and it hasn't let me down yet. My choke is a Jebs .665 and the load is 3" Magnum Blend (#5,#6 & #7) Hevi-Shot. The gun is chambered for 3&1/2" but 3" pattern well.

Prior to the Browning I've used a 3" Winchester SX3 and a 3" Remington 1100 with excellent results when you match them with the right choke and loads.

 

[cloverleaf]

So I will post pics of mine when I get the chance, but in the mean time. I have been patterning my 20ga. On the advice of a "shotgun expert" I had the forcing cone lengthened some years ago. In patterning so far I find that the better patterns at 30 yards come from a modified choke. Full was not so great at 30 yards. My "expert " said "well then try your improved cyl. That will be better. Havent had a chance yet, but this flies in the face of logic dosent it? Incidentally, modified shot better w. #5 shot lead and #6 heavi Shot. Cant believe that lengthening that forcing cone did all that. What do you think? I Will shoot the Imp Cyl eventually If I get time.
Honestly. The patterns are pretty thin at 30 yards. A three inch 12 gauge has fully double the shot load I do. 20 yards looks pretty OK. CL

 

[str8meat]

browning bps in 10 ga. x full choke in a 30" tube. remington 2 1/8 oz #5's. hard on turkeys but getting tired of carrying a 10+ lb gun.

 

[mwess1113]

Rem 870 compact camo 20 gauge with 21" vent rib barrel. Had my gunsmith drill and tap the receiver for a rail, and added an Aimpoint 9000SC red dot. With Rem factory turkey choke and Federal HeavyWeight 3" #7's it has not failed to put a bird down within 45 steps. (Haven't shot at one farther than that). After years of lugging a heavy 12 or 10 gauge around, it's become fun to run and gun after gobblers again!
Those little 20 gauge #7's drop birds like the Hammer of Thor!!


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[Cleveland48]

They sure do. Those federal 7's have changed the mind of most of my friends who think it takes a 3.5" 12 or 10 gauge to kill a turkey. And it shoots better than all my 12 gauges did from the late 90's and early 2000's. I'll never go back.


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