favorite turkey guns n loads

375hh1973

375hh1973

Beginner
Mar 31, 2007
204
87
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!
 
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
 
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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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!
 
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.
 
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?
 
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.

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

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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.
 
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.
 
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
 
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.
 
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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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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