I need a turkey gun

[cgasner1]

Depending on the time of year mine lets you use a center fire so i guess I better check and see if they care about shot size.

Regs say it can’t be anything over a 10 gauge

 

[Bullshot]

I didnt read most of the replies, just jumped in to say a lightweight gun, suitable for care-free travel, packs compactly, reliable for a lifetime, and cheap would be a Rem 870 in 20 gauge. Should be super easy to find one for sale mostly anywhere. Certainly its not the hottest new thing, but it’ll work every time.

 

[JDH]

No reason to go over the top on a turkey gun, unless you want to. Virtually any 12 gauge with a Carlson XF choke, and 3" #6 Longbeard XR shells will do far more than you need it to.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to spend $60 on a box of TSS to kill turkeys. TSS doesn't kill them any more dead than lead does.

Agree 100%. I use a Mossberg 500A with a 660 Rhino choke and red dot. The only thing I've changed in 15 years is shells. I switched from a 3" Federal normal turkey load to the Longbeard XRs a few years ago.

 

[Rzrbck918]

What’s tts? Not a Turkey guy

Buckshot distance lethality legally.

 

[Bill Zent]

All you need is a tight choked single shot 12 gauge! My old Iver Johnson has what some may call a turkey choke as it is a very tight full and is my go to gun for Tom's. No fancy turkey loads needed, just good old Super X 6's.

Be a hunter and get close.

 

[Sheltowee]

Agree 100%. I use a Mossberg 500A with a 660 Rhino choke and red dot. The only thing I've changed in 15 years is shells. I switched from a 3" Federal normal turkey load to the Longbeard XRs a few years ago.

I killed my first two birds with 12 gauge Longbeard XRs and they are the real deal, especially when paired with an Indian Creek choke. The benefit I've seen in TSS is that it allows me to go to a smaller gauge in a lighter, more packable shotgun. Not much of an advantage back east when a long hike is 400 yards to the edge of a greenfield but makes a big difference trying to gain 2000ft elevation out west.

 

[Foggy Mountain]

So many considerations. I personally am gonna add some thoughts. A .410 is awesome but it’s not legal in every state plus that gun or any gun using tss is gonna be super expensive to shoot.
A pump or single shot is the way to go. I’d say one gun, cheap to shoot make it a 12 with lead. Idk though seems guys got softer, they want super light guns that don’t kick. Maybe a 20 semi if that’s the case, you can prob still get by with lead especially since you don’t seem to be worried about passing an iffy chance which imo is turkey hunting anyway. If you don’t care bout cost a 20 or 28 semi with tss. Cheaper double guns prob weren’t adjusted to shoot correctly. The barrels gotta be adjusted right and cheap guns won’t have that done. Turkey loads shoot tight. If you shoot two dif loads from the same gun, same set up you’ll get deviation anyhow. Imagine if you used dif chokes, dif shells and the barrels did t align properly. I’d prob skip them.
Hope these added thoughts

 

[Foggy Mountain]

I don't understand the need for a dedicated turkey shotgun.
Same old 12ga you shoot ducks, geese and pheasants with will work just fine. No need for a fancy camo finish or special sighting system either.

Although I'm not an avid turkey hunter, I've done my fair share of it and killed a few.
I find them to be relatively dumb and pretty easy to harvest.

We don’t know what we don’t know. Remember that. I’ll help you understand. If you shoot a looser choke and stay within easy effective range for that gun you might be 100 percent.
Today’s loads tend to be tight shooting. Today’s chokes tend to be tight shooting. I think you prob never patterned a gun. If you did you’d understand and it’s critical guys do. Shoot a pattern, say 5-7 yards. Many times you’d clean miss. The gun needs to have something adjust poi to poa. Even farther, say you’re off right. Now whole pattern is off right. Would a stray pellet or so catch a bird at range? Maybe. Each load, choke pattern will shoot different even from same gun. It needs adjusted.
So you sight in the gun. Waste expensive ammo. Now decide to undo all that stuff to duck hunt in fall. Springtime comes you’re redoing in again. More expense, time, aggravation trying to find the shells now discontinued so we again gotta search for a load, choke combo the gun likes. It’s expensive, time consuming if you’re using turkey chokes and loads. If you use a modified choke, shoot pheasant loads at em 20 yards you’re right. You prob got the gun. And yes occasionally a gun will shoot poa with turkey set ups but not often.
Regarding them being dumb and easy to harvest. You might be hunting dumb birds? Certain species are easier to hunt by far than others. Certain areas are easier too. We don’t know where the op is gonna wind up. And don’t take this wrong a few of anything wouldn’t/couldn’t be experience. Can’t give us depth of info to draw from. Hope this makes sense

 

[bmg2506]

Well since drawing big game tags is getting harder and harder to draw and my son is almost out the door headed to the military I have decided to jump back into turkey hunting with him. I called in and he harvested his first tom last spring and is hooked. I honestly could care less if I shoot a bird but he wants to do some out of state hunts and wants me to bring a shotgun and try and harvest a bird along with him. So what is the new hotness in turkey guns? My son is shooting a 20ga but I am open to anything. The .410 with TSS is interesting just because I want something light weight. I am getting old and dont want to carry a heavy gun. We are also looking to plan some fall out of state hunts for a rio or merriam. I would kind of like to help him get his grand slam before he leaves

fun fact, turkeys are the only species (I know of) where you can tell the sex by the shape of their poop. Toms/jakes will have a 'J' shaped poop .

 

[Knight.54]

I don't understand the need for a dedicated turkey shotgun.
Same old 12ga you shoot ducks, geese and pheasants with will work just fine. No need for a fancy camo finish or special sighting system either.

Although I'm not an avid turkey hunter, I've done my fair share of it and killed a few.
I find them to be relatively dumb and pretty easy to harvest.

Evidently you’re not hunting easterns.

 

[belshawelk]

My turkey gun is my everything shotgun. Cheap Benelli Nova. Shoots 2 3/4, 3", 3 1/2 in any order with no jams. Ever never. Throw it in the mud, lake, snow, run over it and it will never jam. I shoot heavy Turkey load, or cheap #4 or whatever is in the bottom of my bag.

I do have Winchester SX3 if I really fell serious with birds but not needed for Turkey.

 

[BrentD]

I think I might need a turkey gun also. But only for second turkey tags in any season. The first tag has to go to Grandpa's Winchester.

So for a second tag, I'm thinking something light and handy because the hills get steeper and slipperier. I think this narrows things down pretty quickly to a single shot 12 gauge. Something in the 80-120 yrs old range maybe. Full choke, but not necessarily super long chambers. Something good with 1.25 oz home rolled lead or bismuth loads. Maybe something American, for once.

Any suggestions are welcome.

 

[Gut Shot]

You don't need anything fancy to kill a turkey. Every shotgun turkey me or my kids have killed have fallen to an old Mossberg 9200 in 12ga with a full choke shooting 2.75" #5. It's good to go out to 45 yards.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Hard to beat a Remington 870 20 gauge Compact with a 21” barrel. The new ones come drill and tapped for red dot sights. Mine will consistently put over 300 pellets in a 10” circle at 40 yards with my handload #9s. My 1187 with put over 350 pellets. Both are solid 60 yards and in guns.

I tote both(not at the same time) up and down the hills of Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota and have never once thought that they were too heavy.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Make sure you get one with an Extra Full choke, I read that turkeys are hard to call in close....

I’ll be out in Montana again next Spring, if you want me to come by and shoot a couple of those birds for you. PM me, if so.

 

[MNElkNut]

We gave away a neat little turkey gun at our PF banquet this year. It is an American Tactical Nomad single shot folding 20 ga in a backpack designed to carry it. Pretty inexpensive at a little over $200. That way you have both hands free for your coffee cup and bag of powdered donuts. Google it up.

 

[BrentD]

You don't need anything fancy to kill a turkey. Every shotgun turkey me or my kids have killed have fallen to an old Mossberg 9200 in 12ga with a full choke shooting 2.75" #5. It's good to go out to 45 yards.

I'm not so sure about this. There is another way look at the need for fancy. In turkey hunting, as in waterfowling, there are frequent and often long periods of nothing. Nothing happening, nothing calling, nothing to do.

It is at these times where fancy pays. "Fancy" gives you interesting, maybe even meaningful engraving to look at. There will be stunning wood-to-metal hand fitting to admire. Incredibly awesome wood grain to ponder. And, of course, the entire history of the gun to contemplate, whether known or only imagined. It is at these times that a "fancy" vintage gun, possibly made by people without the help of electricity-driven tools or lights, that "fancy" is a necessity. "Fancy" keeps you in the woods when you are too bored to stay another second. "Fancy" keeps you awake while that silent hooked-spurred tom is creeping in behind you. "Fancy" fills tags where the generic just can't get it done. You NEED "Fancy"!

And remember, buying a "fancy" gun is a lot like putting your pesos in a piggy bank. They may not be especially fruitful and multiply (though that happens), but they will also not disappear down a rat hole like dollars spent on a NIB gun.

Fancy is in the eye of the beholder, but for sure, whatever fancy is to you, it will pay dividends down the road that plain-janes can never touch.

 

[Gut Shot]

I'm not so sure about this. There is another way look at the need for fancy. In turkey hunting, as in waterfowling, there are frequent and often long periods of nothing. Nothing happening, nothing calling, nothing to do.

I'm not so sure about this. There is another way look at the need for fancy. In turkey hunting, as in waterfowling, there are frequent and often long periods of nothing. Nothing happening, nothing calling, nothing to do.

It is at these times where fancy pays. "Fancy" gives you interesting, maybe even meaningful engraving to look at.

I'm not going to tell you how to spend your time in the field, but for me those long periods of nothing are called "nap time".