turkey gun

[bambam]

i shoot a mossberg 20 ga every time out but next year i am going 12 ga because they just stay right out of my rage what is a good gun

[TroutSlayer]

Its hard to beat an Rem 870 or a Mossberg 835 for the price. I personally shoot an 870 Express Super Mag. After u decide what gun to get I would devote all my time into finding the right choke/load combo for your gun.

[deerslayersean]

mossberg 935 auto loader 500 at dicks till the 3rd comes with turkey barell and waterfowl

[Bird Boy]

GET THE BENELLI NOVA. i just got it about 2 months ago or so and i love it already. iv'e shot 76 shells out of it and i love it. killed two turkeys already with it. 450$ at dicks

[Buck Tales]

Get the Mossberg 12 gauge pump, model 500. Dicks just had them on sale last month, mossy oak camo, thumb hole stock, red dot scope, supper choke, all for $250 bucks.:thup: You can't beat the price and the gun shoots great. If you do any other hunting just swap barrels and head to the woods. Mossberg barrels are cheap to buy and you can get black powder barrels as well as rifled barrels or just a 28" vented rib set up. It is my all season gun as I have 3 of them and can change barrels from gun to gun for unlimited combinations. :D

[derek]

Strictly turkey gun? Mossberg 835 hands down IMHO. 835 and 935's both feature an over bored barrel (basically a 10 ga barrel on a 12 ga gun) that does wonderful things for their patterns. They throw great patterns by default, with phenominal patterns very easily acheived if your willing to try some different chokes and loads. They're fairly inexpensive and easy to break down. Can't go wrong. :thup:

[Big Ned]

Buy whatever fit's and what you can afford. Make sure it has screw-in chokes and a model with a built in recoil pad is nice. I shoot Hevi-13 out of my 1187 and wouldn't trade it for the world. But there is a lot of gun's, choke's, and shell's out there i'm sure you'll find a match. A short barrel is a lot handier to manuever in the wood's but my experience is that a longer barrel sometimes makes it easier to throw a tight pattern. I have a youth model 870 in 20 gauge that i shoot HEvi-13 out of that really throw's a nice pattern out to 30 and my nephew has killed 6 longbeards with that set-up and my friends 9 year old son shot a 22lber last sat in pa's youth hunt at 29 paces, bird didn't move. So don't count your 20 out if it fit's aand you can get a high density shot to pattern out of it for you. Lead just doesn't have the kinetic energy out of the 20 gauge out to those 30 yd ranges like the HD shot does. Shoot some at a 1/2 inch piece of plywood at 30 and the compare lead and you'll see by the penetration what i'm talking about. In turkey hunting you are basically trying to break the neck column or the skull to instantly kill. Good luck in your search. SOmetimes trying different set-ups is almost as much fun as the hunt itself. Be safe and make sure you alway's identify your target Big Ned.

[jross]

Ranger 12 ga pump with a Polychoke, #4/5's.

[RUSS0079]

I shoot a Mossberg 500 12 with a extra full turkey choke. good out to 45 yards. If you need an excuse to buy a new gun, I'm sure you could find something that will fill the void.

[ACEarcher]

Mossberg 835, 24"bbl, Mossberg Accu-Mag X-tra full choke, also have a tru-glo turkey choke (really good choke tube suprisingly). Shooting Winchester Supremes 3 1/2", #4 shot, 2oz.

To be honest I'm usually good to about 45yards. Past 45 my pattern gets a lil screwy. I still get shot in the kill zone of the turkey target, but sometimes its good and others its bad, but what a big difference 5 yards starts to make from 45 to 50. I could prob try different shells and maybe different chokes, but that would cost more $$$$ and not up for it now.

In other words I've never had a bird I hit get up after one shot.

[RUSS0079]

Don't listen to AceArcher! He plays with deers private parts for WORK! What's up with that? Well I guess someone has to do IT! LMAO!!!!

[ACEarcher]

Don't listen to AceArcher! He plays with deers private parts for WORK! What's up with that? Well I guess someone has to do IT! LMAO!!!!

Nah castration isen't a management strategy yet.

[RUSS0079]

Hey,
Have you guys been keeping an eye on all the missing going on? Might want to stay away from the pieces that these guys are using! LMAO, yea Adam that was for you!!!

[Setterman]

I've always been of the opinion that the ideal turkey gun should be a double-barrel shotgun. One choke set to MODIFIED shooting #6's for those close shots, the other barrel choked FULL or EXTRA-FULL with larger shot for those "distance" shots. I know of too many people each year who miss birds under 15 yards because their tight-patterning turkey guns are throwing softball-sized swarms of shot at that distance and they occasionally miss. Of course, you would probably limit yourself with this setup, and you would have to adapt your hunt to the arm used. But the same could be said for any weapon used.

This is a good article on turkey loads, lethality and effective distances:
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/turkey_loads.htm (http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/turkey_loads.htm)

[bluecollar$]

I don't think I've ever seen that many votes for a mossberg ever. I wouldn't own one. Your talking about guns that have plastic trigger mechs,bogus firing pins and are basically bottom of the food chain..... You plan to use this tool for years to come and hand it down spend the money and get something you can count on for generations. The three B's are all good choices. Winchester and Remington after that.....Sorry to the mossberg guys but they are what they are and you get what you pay for......

[Prowler]

i don't think i've ever seen that many votes for a mossberg ever. I wouldn't own one. Your talking about guns that have plastic trigger mechs,bogus firing pins and are basically bottom of the food chain..... You plan to use this tool for years to come and hand it down spend the money and get something you can count on for generations. The three b's are all good choices. Winchester and remington after that.....sorry to the mossberg guys but they are what they are and you get what you pay for......




amen!!!

[RUSS0079]

As far as Bluecollar's comments, I am a firm beliver that you should get what you pay for. I know a few that have spent big money on guns, only to not get what they pay for. Now, in these times with money being tight for most, I made my suggestion from a mossberg that I have owned for over 20 years. It was my first shotgun that I bought as a kid with my dad. Over that time, I have spent a great deal time hunting everything with that gun. I also can say that all species that live in our state other than a bear, have fallen to that shotgun. As far as the way the gun is made, it is a work horse that has never jammed on me, no matter what I've used in shells. I dropped mine down a side hill during grouse hunts and she keeps on going.I have shot it on sporting clays/skeet fields to see what it would do. I did OK. Now I do own some higher end stuff now, and the Mossberg is retired to turkey/deer and ducks. But for someone that wanted to move up to a larger gauge and was shooting a Mossberg already, I felt it a logical move. The guy didn't say that he was shooting a Benelli Super 90 or what have you. He was already shooting the gun and would be familiar on the workings of it and he didn't say that the gun was giving him problems. His problem was range. Question? How many pellets are you putting in the kill zone at 45 yards with your high end gun? My count is 17 pellets, which is more than exceptable for me, with a 3 inch mag. The proof is in the pudding. If the guy wants to not spend a mint and still kill a turkey dead at 45 yards the choice for me would be my mossberg and the money that I saved, I can add a new double to my upland collection. Just my two cents.
Russ

[bluecollar$]

As far as Bluecollar's comments, I am a firm beliver that you should get what you pay for. I know a few that have spent big money on guns, only to not get what they pay for. Now, in these times with money being tight for most, I made my suggestion from a mossberg that I have owned for over 20 years. It was my first shotgun that I bought as a kid with my dad. Over that time, I have spent a great deal time hunting everything with that gun. I also can say that all species that live in our state other than a bear, have fallen to that shotgun. As far as the way the gun is made, it is a work horse that has never jammed on me, no matter what I've used in shells. I dropped mine down a side hill during grouse hunts and she keeps on going.I have shot it on sporting clays/skeet fields to see what it would do. I did OK. Now I do own some higher end stuff now, and the Mossberg is retired to turkey/deer and ducks. But for someone that wanted to move up to a larger gauge and was shooting a Mossberg already, I felt it a logical move. The guy didn't say that he was shooting a Benelli Super 90 or what have you. He was already shooting the gun and would be familiar on the workings of it and he didn't say that the gun was giving him problems. His problem was range. Question? How many pellets are you putting in the kill zone at 45 yards with your high end gun? My count is 17 pellets, which is more than exceptable for me, with a 3 inch mag. The proof is in the pudding. If the guy wants to not spend a mint and still kill a turkey dead at 45 yards the choice for me would be my mossberg and the money that I saved, I can add a new double to my upland collection. Just my two cents.
Russ
Do they still sell the gun(with the same parts) as you bought 20 years ago? Any gun on the market will kill a turkey,we all know that ,you don't need a "turkey gun". I'm not Mr. High End but I worked at a gun shop and would never tell anyone to buy a Mossberg, hell I'd buy a used Remington before that.
I killed my first and still biggest deer with a NEF single shot 20ga. That gun still works does that mean its made better then a Browning?
There is a reason they cost $250. Add Charles Daly(low end auto's) and Stoeger to that list.

I don't care what he buys,he never said I have 200$ to spend so why would I tell him to buy a Mossberg? He said he wanted a 12 ga."a good gun" and surely there are 10 guns better then the Mossberg.

[RUSS0079]

You are absolutely right. We all make our choice at what we buy. I've watched the guys with all matter of high end guns miss in the uplands or baby pieces like they were made of gold, because of a price tag. I use my guns and use them well. They are a tool for me not a status symbol. I give a rat's rear what someone thinks of the piece I carry. As most of the time my game bag is full and they are watching every branch, as it doesn't scratch their stock. It's funny that you mentioned the Stoeger, as I have owned one also and have killed a ton of grouse with it. I guess the moral of the story is use what you will. But once again the kid said that he was shooting a 20 gauge Mossberg for turkey's. If he's using it for turkey he probably doesn't have a ton of money to go around. Maybe it would have helped if he put out how much he had to spend. But if you check out the guys who are killing birds at distances, might want to listen to what they have to say or maybe look into what they are using. Reason for the Barn. I respect your opinion as a hunter but its probably best not to bash what a guy carries. IT JUST ISN"T NICE! I didn't say anything about the fact that last I checked Browning was made in Japan! Unless of course they changed!
Russ

[derek]

40 yards
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc18/drmnhipster/Turkey/DSC01352.jpg

20 yards
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc18/drmnhipster/Turkey/DSC01353.jpg

And they could be so much better.

Oh yea, and 31 yards this morning..
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc18/drmnhipster/Turkey/DSC01419.jpg


And I've heard just as many stories of Benelli's and Beretta's going back to the company as I have Mossberg's, overall I'd say they're a pretty reliable gun. I will however stick with the Benelli in the marsh.

[ACEarcher]

Hey Derek, what kind of choke tube you use?

[jerseygsp]

i have a Mossberg 500 , a mossberg over under and and a mossberg 935 i used them from everything from pulling myself out of the mudd. to rowing crawling on the ground threw the thickest stuff there is in the woods and pushing my way threw with them and never when it came down to the shoot did i ever second guess my gun i also shoot skeet with the over under on the off season than hunt preserves before season than hunt every day during small game so i put the guns to use and still never had a problem with them. trust me i have no problem spending 1000 dollars on a gun but if i can buy three guns that work just as good for same price . i vote for buying more guns not a name.

[Esetterman]

Remington 870! i have owned a mossberg 500 nothing but problems for me... maybe i had a lemon... got an 870 havnt had a problem with it, infact i onwn 3 of them now. not a problem with any of them. 20 ga, 16 ga, and 28 ga.... i made bad choice on my 12 decided to change things and got a winchester nothing but problems with that too!

[Esetterman]

i spoke before i read bluecollar and russes posts, i have to agree with both they both make valid points.... I like russes point about made in JAPAN i wont do that.... i have guns i "use" and guns i "carry" ... my remingtons i "use" but after a few birds and i get a nice sunny day i "carry" my sxs 28 gauge... i dont care how many birds i have in the bag at the end of the day, ive killed enough, (dont get me wrong i still always try)... but when i do feel the need to get one i get out old reliable.... whatever that gun may be or how much it cost... there are guns i wouldnt buy but i wouldnt bash another mans gun, i know how much pride people have in there guns.... if i was buying a gun id read that convo a few times formulate my own opinion and go from there... they both make very valid points... my personal opinion is american made remington

[bluecollar$]

A mossberg is a serviceable gun.If someone said "hey I want to buy a shotgun" I would name 10 guns before them and thats my opinion. This is not some great revelation they have the reputation and I didn't start it..

I'm no high dollar gun guy I own 1 Browning Gold 20ga.w/high gloss and its got more scratches then my truck. I bought it to use.the rest are Remingtons and winchester, and shhhhhhhh don't tell but I have a Mossberg rifled slug barrel for an 870.

Bottom line is they will all kill a turkey....Go to the store and shoulder a bunch of guns and see what fits you best and makes you happy.:thup:

[derek]

Hey Derek, what kind of choke tube you use?


Indian Creek .675

[jerseygsp]

its like anything else bows, dogs, trucks and guns. you gotta get out there and try them see what fits you best . what fits you best may be a 1000 dollar gun or it may be a 250 dollar gun .you gotta see for your self. i dont get wraped in names and all that stuff the guns out there now in 2009 are all pretty good just like the bows and trucks its gotten so even now that its just preference .i would go with what fits best i did and when im out in the woods no one says wow you shot that with a mossberg you no so go try them all and than make your mind up good luck:thup:

[Setterman]

If you can afford a quality gun, then by all means buy it. I would never offer a disparaging opinion on what another man uses in the field. That's a personal choice. Buy what you feel fits you the best.

I would not lament the "Made in Japan" label on Japanese Browning's though. Miroku makes a great product, and has for years. Unlike many American gun manufacturers who have gone by the wayside, Miroku is still around, churning out a quality product. Belgium FN Browning's were and still are great guns, but are pretty expensive. And their collector value continues to increase each year.

Any recommendation I'd make to someone is always to get a used gun. I like older arms, and they are still around because they were well made by industry standards. They also possess something today that new arms don't: character. Again, this is a personal choice of my own. There are merits to more modern arms today because they are adapted to the style of hunting one does and arms offering "combo barrel" packages are a nice economical fit for the first-time buyer.

I've hunted for the last 44 years, so I've carried a lot and learned that while a shotgun is a tool, I still take care of them. I don't baby them, but I was taught since I was a ten year-old that the 20 ga. M37 Featherlight I was toting was not an brush-tool to push alders aside when woodcock hunting. Treating a weapon in such a fashion would have brought a tongue-lashing from my Dad. Blueing wear and nicks in the walnut stock are things that occur naturally and should be expected over time. Today's finishes and fiberglass/polymer stocks are certainly more durable in some respects, but leave me a little off.

For turkey, I started with a 'glass-stocked 870-SPS-T. That 870 was light to carry, the short barrel was handy and I also killed a lot of grouse and woodcock with that gun with an IC choke tube. I sold that 870 and bought an older used 11-87SP with walnut stock and 26" bbl. I also felt this would be better for duck and trap shooting, and I got it for a good price. I used a Hasting's parallel tube miked at .660 for a while for turkeys but switched back to a factory Rem-Choke tube at .690. I've debated to myself whether an O/U would be a better choice because of the multiple choke offerings and I have a particular 12 ga. O/U that shoots some tight patterns with its Full-choke and Imp. Mod. tubes installed. Maybe someday I will use it. Only I have no intention of ever putting a camo finish on it!

[RUSS0079]

Jesse(Esetterman) I had a kid out with me that had Rem SP turkey gun 20 gauge. It was brand new, jammed without firing and it took us 45 mins to get the shell from the gun. Like I said my Mossberg is over 20 years old and is functioning as well as it did the day I bought it.

I guess there are many on the posts that are not cut from the same cloth. I was raised in a strict PA Dutch Family and to buy a piece and not use it for its purpose would have gotten me a lashing. I remember when I special ordered my Ruger 20 with a English stock back in the day. I was heading out with the dogs on a special "No Client" day. When I said to Dad that I wasn't taking the Ruger out because of the covert we were hunting, He said some very unsavory things to me and convinced me to carry the gun. Although the gun now carries the scars, I remember that hunt every time I pull it out of its case. And yes I use the gun to move adlers, poplars and hemlocks, when walking up on my pointers. Like I said its a tool. To each of his own. I would love to have some of you out on a guided grouse hunt! I'm sure we would have some fun. All Except Jesse (Esetterman) I don't need to get shown up.

[Ole 20 Point]

I've been using the same ithica model 37 12 gauge for more than 30 years. It looks like crap now but it works, it kills em, I'm happy.

[RUSS0079]

yeah we saw it in the TURKEY KILLED PIC! Nice job again, with the old gun!

[ridgerunnerron]

What do you guys think about the H&R Pardner pump turkey gun?

I have been using a real beat up pre-64 Model 12 for decades that has taken 86 gobblers that I 'm thinking of retiring.

As long as I can suck the gobblers in to under 35 yards I usually don't have any problems.

[ridgerunnerron]

Jesse(Esetterman) I had a kid out with me that had Rem SP turkey gun 20 gauge. It was brand new, jammed without firing and it took us 45 mins to get the shell from the gun. Like I said my Mossberg is over 20 years old and is functioning as well as it did the day I bought it.

I guess there are many on the posts that are not cut from the same cloth. I was raised in a strict PA Dutch Family and to buy a piece and not use it for its purpose would have gotten me a lashing. I remember when I special ordered my Ruger 20 with a English stock back in the day. I was heading out with the dogs on a special "No Client" day. When I said to Dad that I wasn't taking the Ruger out because of the covert we were hunting, He said some very unsavory things to me and convinced me to carry the gun. Although the gun now carries the scars, I remember that hunt every time I pull it out of its case. And yes I use the gun to move adlers, poplars and hemlocks, when walking up on my pointers. Like I said its a tool. To each of his own. I would love to have some of you out on a guided grouse hunt! I'm sure we would have some fun. All Except Jesse (Esetterman) I don't need to get shown up.


RUSS-

Can you forward some contact info on your guide service?

rrr

[Setterman]

Don't have any knowledge of the H&R. But a Model 12 is such a great reliable gun. Why change? I've shot some with factory full-choked barrels that pattern beautifully even when limited to a 2 3/4" chambering. A handload of 1 5/8 oz. of coppered #5's or #6's is enough for any turkey under 35 yards.

[Esetterman]

i love to see them oldies in use a model 12 most people have them on the wall thats neat...

[Esetterman]

russ,
you may show me up... with your dogs anyway.... like you said to each its own.... they all fail once in a lifetime if you use them enough..... my dad had one jam in the field i remeber, i had it in every piece possible and back together and working in a matter of minutes that is a positive too though .... yeah it failed but good design made it easy to fix .... again to each his own..... Esetterman out

[Setterman]

i love to see them oldies in use a model 12 most people have them on the wall thats neat...

My 16 ga. M12 is used for pheasant occasionally and is one of my favorite guns for crow (another crow favorite is a 1960 M37 in 12 ga.). But these are tales for another thread someday.

[ridgerunnerron]

Don't have any knowledge of the H&R. But a Model 12 is such a great reliable gun. Why change? I've shot some with factory full-choked barrels that pattern beautifully even when limited to a 2 3/4" chambering. A handload of 1 5/8 oz. of coppered #5's or #6's is enough for any turkey under 35 yards.

Yes this has been a very reliable gun since the seventies for me and it has collected 86 of my 88 gobblers.

It likes Federal 3 inch 2 ounces of #6, works great to 35 yards usually.

But at times the 30'' barrel banging overhead branches when I'm walking or if I have to change the anticipated shooting direction and there's a tree or sapling in the way of the long barrel is what I'm getting tired of. Since I'm in the hardwood ridges almost all of the time.

I've just been toying with the idea of thinking of maybe retiring it and was wondering of a good substitute. The H&R was at a good price.

[RUSS0079]

RUSS-

Can you forward some contact info on your guide service?

rrr


RRR,
Send me a message via my email on the barn. I don't sponser thus I can not post on the barn. But we put on a pretty good hunt for the cash. Hope to hear from you. I am really exploring the idea of adding turkeys next year. As long as the population is stable up state. Hope to hear from you.
Russ