Building a turkey gun.

Have tried a lot of different types of guns, optics, barrels and chokes over the years but now I plan to build what I want just to see where it goes. I have a Remington Versa Max now that I really like but the trigger pull is that of a cheap derringer at 7-8 pounds. I added a Carlson turkey tube to the VM that throws a very tight pattern but free hand it’s tough to keep on target now with the heavy amount of trigger pull.

Just sent the trigger group to CO to get worked it sounds like they can take out the creep and cut the pounds of pull by 40-50% for $60. Briley makes a upgrade that could reduce it even more but it’s a target upgrade not sure it can take the pounding of a 3.5 turkey load over time the cost is $275.00 but they use my trigger group to do it, not wild about that. Might look into a 2nd trigger group.

Now that it shoots like a rifle almost I need better sights for it I added a Tru-Glo rear site that works well but they could be bumped when moving from set up to set up. Thinking about having a gunsmith add a screw or two to fix that issue for peace of mind.

Eyeballed a turkey barrel 22 inch to replace my 28 inch I have now but that’s $450 alone and needs to be camo dipped to match the rest of the gun so that is a $500-$600 barrel upgrade I’m to cheap for that. I cannot cut down my 28 inch barrel I’d lose the pro bore benefits of it then.

What have you guys done to your guns to make the turkey killers?

Sounds good u will build more after u get that. One done

LOL Lot of money to kill a turkey!!!! Got an old single barrel H&R that was painted at the factory old military camo. $89 buck NIB killed bunch of birds. Almost bet it will shoot with that there pile of benjamins if not out shoot it.....

As for the add ons not holding up to the recoil , dang how many times you shoot in a year ? But I stopped using 31/2 inch they kill on both ends...................

I have a Browning A5. I reloaded my shells with #4 shot 1 1/2oz magnum load. I've shot only 4 turkeys. But, that's the only ones I've ever shot at. The farthest was 32 yards. The closest was 23 yards. All died in their tracks.

My experience is that you don't need some of these heavy duty turkey guns they keep marketing.

Bought a ten gauge.

I know, twelves will shoot as hard, but after buying a ten, my range increased 20yds I

(This was Fox hunting, but same principle)

Pretty sure them old single shots are the original definition of “killing on both ends”. LOL I don’t drink, smoke or chase the ladies so I need a few bad habits. Building things to fit my needs and wants is just what I do, like said down the road I’ll do all over again most likely.

Recoil is real. My dad ruined a red dot scope on his 3" 870. It was a cheaper scope, but after 10 years (maybe 3 shots a year), it would no longer hold zero.

I turned my 870 into a killing machine by making sure I put my hind end where the birds are.

You should see my old Winchester Ranger that I bought used over 30 years ago! It does have screw in chokes so I added an Indian Creek choke and fiber optic sights to the rib. It's long, heavy and ugly with my custom spray camo but it's one heck of a shooter! I killed my first bird with it 32 years ago and have taken several slams with it since. My last Meriam in the Black Hills with it was in 6" snow at 52 yards. Some years ago I bought a new Winchester 1300 in realtree camo but it wouldn't pattern even close to this gun. A friend bought a "latest greatest" turkey gun a couple years ago and with his IC choke and same ammo, couldn't match my pattern out of the old club.

That being said, if you're as wrapped up in the chase as I am, it never hurts to keep looking ahead. Honestly, if I were to consider something new/modern, I would go for a semi auto w/pistol grip and fiber optics. Just better be ready to break out the wallet.

Law Dog, Curtis Wilbanks aka gun doc does custom turkey barrels for a fair price. You can type in his name and find his site. I'm thinking about getting a new turkey gun built for next year.

Some people lease ground to hunt, money down the drain. At least the guy building a gun has something in the end.

Had a SP10 noticed the guys in the goose pit dropped just as many birds as I did, it seemed like the 10 threw more weight but it did so slower then a 12 did. Heck if you look at most turkey loads the 3 and 3.5 throw shot at around 1200 FPS More shot is often slower less shot faster in many cases.

Thanks

Looked him up looks like I might get it ported to boot and the back sight done right with him.

Yep, slower to recycle no doubt.

A ten is very close the same amount bigger than a 16 is smaller.


I hunted with an older fella way back that used a 20 and 7 1/2 shot. He killed his Turkey every year and probably killed more than any member of camp. Great turkey hunter.

Get that trigger tuned up and then play with ammo. I shoot 2 3/4" #5. Patterns great and doesn't beat me up. I shot my bird at 38 yards this year and dropped like a sack of potatoes. I always figured if I cant get em within 40 yards they won that day lol. My daughter is more comfortable shooting a scope, so I mounted an old 3x9 on her 20ga. Worked great, but a 2 to 7 or 1 to 4 power would be ideal. If you like the gun get it the way you want it and enjoy!

I have gone from a 12 gage 11-87 semi to a pump 12 gage 870. Killed a pile of turkeys with both shooting 3 1/2" Mag Blend Hevi Shot. Had bolt on fiber optic sights on both. The POI with factory sights were way off on the 11-87. The 870 was much lighter to lug around all day for sure. I then switched to a handload 3" TSS shot in the 870 but I did not stop tinkering there.

My go to turkey gun now is a Winchester 20 gage pump with bolt on fiber optic sight shooting hand load 3" TSS. This set up is even lighter than than the 12 gage pump and does not lose any killing range. Both of my sons have switched to 20 gage semis with the red dot sight system. We all shoot the same TSS handloads but different chokes. My gun has a great pattern with a factory Extra Full choke that came with the gun. The boys have aftermarket chokes in their guns.

My youngest son actually hunted some this year with my old single barrel Stevens .410 with handload TSS and killed one with that.

There are lots of turkey loads and choke combinations out there that will get the job done in the big bores but TSS shot is a real game changer for the smaller bore guns. It is not cheap but it patterns well and has far superior downrange penetration compared to lead or Hevi Shot.

I bought a franchi Affinity in mossy oak bottom ground this spring 26 inch barrel. It's light, Makes carrying it up and down our mountains a breeze. Put an Indian Creek choke on it, got a pretty decent pattern but want to experiment a little more with different loads. So far I've been impressed with it but I need to upgrade the sights on it

The 10ga will throw the same weight of shot as the 12 ga at the same speed, but, it will do so at lower pressure. Couple that with the fact that most 10 ga guns weigh more than a 12ga it will give you less recoil.

My brother got me a stevens 301T in 410. Shooting #9.5 tss it patterns to kill past 40 yards. My 870 410 will do the same with #9 tss and they both weigh a good bit less than my 835. My 500 20ga with an indian creek choke puts a very tight patterns at 40 yards with #9tss but weighs almost as much at my 835. I load my own shells but that doesn't make it much cheaper.

Good luck to you. Do what makes you happy. I must just like punishment. Good ol mossberg 835 ultimag for me. Let's you know you're alive. I tell you what. If you've ever shot 3.5" Triple Beard 2.25 oz at 1300 advertised velocity you know what I'm talking about.

savage stevens 555 28 gauge ef on top f on bottom burris ff3 shooting 1-5/16 oz tss 9s. good light weight gun with decent trigger and multipke shots that does not threaten to detach your retnas when fired.

LawDog,

Way back when I was at Remington we had a lot of dedicated turkey hunters. The guy that I knew had the best patterning gun used a M/1100, I believe Carlton choke tube, 21" turkey barrel, and 1-5/8oz of #4's.
Took him quite a while testing loads for patterns, but his combination gave him consistent 40+ hits in a turkey head target at 40 yds.

It ain't always about bigger is better. I like my shoulder.

10 ga guns are great for coyotes with the right load and choke.

My nephew shoots a Mossberg pump with the factory choke it throws the best pattern I have seen yet. It kicks him like a mule but his patter is unreal. I put a Carlson ported choke on mine it’s a impressive if not a amazing pattern almost fist like. I shot into some tall grass with it at a level angle and it cut a trench the size of a fist the went for 10-12 feet across the ground.

For now I’m thinking of porting the barrel, securing the rear sight better, reducing the trigger pull and removing the slack and will go from there.

Keep the ideas coming.

Nice.My versa max is still in about 15 to 20 feet of water.

Pretty expensive boat anchor.

I have one of the first 870 Express Supermags and it shot just ok out of the box with the factory Remington tube. I sent it to Curtis Wilbanks almost 25 years ago. He performed a trigger job and put a custom choke in it. Night and day difference. It is a turkey killing machine now. I have been a fan of a shotgun scope for turkey. I started with a simple cheap Simmons Pro diamond for over 20years then a few years ago I hunted in 3 straight days of rain and it fogged on me. I replaced it with a Leupold shotgun scope, but it has a circle instead of a diamond.

I hunted with a Stevens 301 410 turkey single shot this year and was pretty impressed. I used the Apex tungsten loads. It doesn’t have the killing power of the 12 gauge but is light, handles well, and has very mild recoil. I mounted a Bushnell shotgun scope on it. I harvested one bird with it and a good friend of mine harvested his first spring gobbler with it this season.

I have a versa max and have been contemplating sending it to Curtis as well. The versa max recoil is way less with the same load as my 870.

I’ll watch the gun sites for a barrel, one will pop up. I already sent the trigger group to Bill Springfield in CO to get worked but the barrel will go to Wilbanks for the rest of the work.

buy one of those fishing magnets and get that sucker back

You guys kill me.

All you need to do is put in one good shot shell.

My first spring bird, 1972. A cheap Browning trap gun with a trap load got it done. No fancy gun needed just don't shoot until they are in range.

What kind of car you drive I need to get one? LOL

man 72 is a ways back. how many birds you killed?

I just shoot straight !!!!

And you wear a white hat. LOL

So all this talk about building a turkey gun and I will let you in on my little secret. I've been turkey hunting for 27 years and a lot of thought went into it.

This past year I bought a Yildiz (Turkish-made) 20 gauge Over/Under SPZ-ME from Academy Sports for $469, tax included. I ordered a SumToy custom choke ($70) for the top barrel and am shooting a factory modified choke on the bottom. I bought a magnum barrel band set from GrovTec (for a sling) for around $25. I changed out the front sights to a HiViz CompSite ($38). I plan on having it hydrodipped this summer in Mossy Oak Original Bottomland for around $200. Total in gun when I'm done will be around $800.

The nice thing about this gun is the ability to choose between the barrels for short range and long range with the click of a button. I am shooting Apex #9 TSS in the gun and it is BAD NEWS out to about 60 yards. I killed 2 with it this year and shot one with top barrel and one with the bottom barrel.

I've often spitballed a what if on this topic.

Here's my criteria with some pros and cons.

Weight

Turkey are carried ALOT for miles at a time and shot once if you do it right.

This means singles and doubles are in consideration though some doubles can be as heavy as light pumps and some autos. Though truth be told pumps and autos are overkill considering the shot once thing.

Gauge

Pattern is everything so you want maximum payload, within reason.

12 gage hands down unless health dictates less weight/recoil. Even then I would consider the 16 before 20 with the realization the 16 will require roll your own ammo.

Now for the cartridge length and I'll tick off some but I see no gain in the 3.5 unless you like recoil, weight and potential loss of velocity and pattern. Seriously, you might as well go 10 which isn't a bad option if you care to lug it around.
Same to a much lesser extent can be said of the 3 and with modern components the 2.75 is almost indistinguishable from the 3. Pick your poison. BTW Google square load shot shells.

Trigger

Turkey guns are shot like a rifle at a stationary target. While match grade isn't required something more than mushy or heavy certainly helps.

Sights

Again rifle like use so more than a bead and rib is required. However it's still a shotgun so adding weight with scopes is moving backwards useless eyesight calls for it. Fiber optics revolutionized turkey guns but please give us something more durable than clip on plastic thingamajigs. Something like a good set of express sights with fiber optics would suffice. One area to explore is the latest crop of tiny red dot holographics.

And the "black magic" inside the bore.

Alchemy and necromancy are my strong suit so I'm still of the get out and shoot it on paper to see what works. That said I like my briley straight rifled turkey trauma choke.

All I can say is a screw in choke system is a must.

Long Toms are just extra weight so chop that barrel to a comfortable length the balances well for you without going so short as to lose velocity.

Speaking of velocity don't bother porting unless you like extra noise and got sissy shoulders.

Mine is an Ithaca 37 featherweight 2.75 12ga with 26" and fiber optics.

Agree with a lot of what you said warrior many things are a personal choice or a custom handed down or taught to a person. A 2 3/4 will do the job about every time and the difference between a 3 and 3 1/2 really makes little difference in the end. Just like building your own vehicle a guy puts into it what he wants really.

If your shooting a shotgun like a rifle things can be done to Improve your shooting as nobody wants shot in their meat, I know I don’t. LOL I just put a Carlson choke on mine and the difference between a clean kill and a complete miss is inches. Pulling off target just a tad will get you the same as if you did it with a rifle hitting low destroys a lot of meat it’s a game of inches today.

The one advantage a double will always have is the option of two different load/choke choices. But only if regulation allows both barrels to hit point of aim.

I screwed a full choke into the loud end of my 870. Does that count ??

Video?

Yep.....lol but at least I'm still here.

Already tryed that

have a valmet 412 o/u, changed the stock to a Monte Carlo trap model in camo, had Mark Bansner cut the forcing cone out and put his turkey choke in it. It will pattern an average of 93% with federal 3" 2 oz. 6's, has a 2-8 leupold on it, has killed a pile of turkeys.
RR

Hope so cause I put a extra full in my 1300

When I retired last spring I wanted to fix up a 20ga turkey killer. I bought a Mossberg 500 Super Bantam. The spacer for in the stock was long enough for me to shoot, but I felt it wasn’t quite long enough. So I decided to put a 12ga stock on it, it worked for the length but I couldn’t see very well through the Burris FF III I had on it. It seemed I had to stretch my neck a little to see thru it right. I didn’t like that at all sitting on a picatanny rail. Then I got wind of a Meadow Creek Mount that the Fastfire would Mount on the ventilated rib. I mounted it on the rib but still couldn’t see thru it right. Then I decided to get a tactical stock for on it and that worked perfect. I can shoulder the gun and it’s right there. Next I put an Indian Creek 555 choke tube on it. Then I got into the TSS hype. I got a box of Apex Tss 9 shot, Burgess Creek Tss 8 shot only because I was going to New York this year and that’s the only shot you can use there. Well we didn’t go to New York because of this Covid 19 crap, my buddy chickened out. Well anyway I shot the 9 shot first and couldn’t get a good enough pattern out to 40 yards. So I switched to the Tss 8 shot and man did I ever get a good pattern at 30 and 40 yards. Here’s some pics to prove it

Nice pattern

Sweet

I bought a box of 3 inch BB copper plated for my 870 12 gauge that I purchased in 1979 for 200 dollars. Still working on my first box of shells for 18 dollars as I can only shoot one turkey a year. Kills everything I aim at though.

Hunted for a lot of years with an 835. That gun didn't owe me another bird it had been so good. But finally it went click instead of boom so I bought a gun I'd been eye balling..

Stoeger m3500 been good thus far. Just wanted the semi auto for no good reason..

But what I'm getting to. Ever play with a pistol grip on a turkey gun?
I never had but wanted to and bumped into one same camo and everything as gun for $10... This my 1sr season trying it. Pointing it feels a lot less natural but just hanging onto it at half or full ready is so much I guess more comfortable.. I'm still not 100% sold but a worthy consideration if you ask me..

Remington 870 Youth Model...20ga...FFIII...Sumtoy Choke. Wouldn’t trade it or sell it for any amount of money. Light and compact and throws one heck of a pattern out to 50 yards with 2.75” #9 TSS. It needs a Merriam for its Grand Slam.

I have an old Zabala double barrel 10 ga. 34" barrels both full choke.It reaches out and packs a punch.

I have a motto. "never tell somebody else which woman to love, which pickup to buy or what gun he should get"

Your shotgun sounds nice lawdog. I have an old h and r 12 gauge I bought at Gibsons in Salida Co. on my birthday. Told the sales clerk "see its my birthday today" She didnt do the math for the year. I didnt want to wait for my dad to come to town. I think it was 35 bucks. Its been a good gun and killed lots of stuff. Today I shoot an out of the box Mossburg 500. Like the old H and R its been fine. I dont know why but 870's won't hit what I'm pointing at. The mossburg will and the H and R will. So why fix what aint broke?

28 gauge 2-3/4" 1-5/16oz tss9 at 40 yds full choke



10 gauge h&r 2-1/4oz copper plated 4s full choke 40yds


these were shot at the same time from the same rest. i wouldnt use that 10gauge as a boat anchor let alone to wound a turkey. the 28 weighs less has less recoil and out preforms by a wide margin. i could fire both barrels and still not be kicked as hard.

pointer phenoma 410 semiauto at 40 yds factory full choke 13/16oz tss 9

winchester sx3 20gauge 40yds 1-7/16oz tss9

benelli m2 20ga 40 yds 1-7/16oz tss9

i dont even know what tss is. shoot that h and r with some lead #4 at 40. BTW that pellet in the red dot would have killed the bird.some of those others would have hit the spine if that red dot was its head.

Here's a picture of my turkey killer. It's a Stoeger M3500 26" barrel & I have a Pattern Master code black choke, I'm good to 65-70 yards. It also has a Tru-Glo red dot scope. I added the pistol grip stock.

these birds deserve more respect that the hope that a pellet would hit vitals. there is to many holes in that 10 gauge to risk it and a wounded bird. that "pattern" is completely unacceptable for an ethical shot at that distance and ANY one who shoot turkeys with patterns like this dont deserve to ever hunt again.

I know I don’t really need the 3.5 turkey loads but I love to hear them go boom!

sounds like you're on the way to a great gun Jerry
personally, i'd a just sent my gun of choice to Bansner, as someone mentioned
he's been in that biz for bout 30 yrs

I'm also in the "bigger is not better" ballpark

looking forward to seeing some awesome patterns

I'm with you Law Dog. I like the 3.5 bang. I use 2 1/4 oz load, I like a lot of shot in the air. It hurts to shoot it but it gets the job done everytime.

I archery hunt turkey, but when I started taking kids, first my own then, through a mentoring program. I started them all off with an 870 20 ga. Killed most birds with high brass 2 3/4 in 5 shot. No problem. I've since built a "mentor gun" from a Mossburg 510 in 410 I can adjust the stock to fit anyone. It kills just as well and with minimal kick. I actually decoy all of my birds in to 25 yards or less, so the 3.5" and copper plated and scopes is not needed.

You my kinda people!

your comparing a load of 9s(lot more bbs),to a load of 4s.Not a good comparison.

Showing pattern density still a lot more #4s then what was on paper loaded in the 10ga. I believe was his point.

I never shot a turkey at 40 yards with a shotgun. That shot is why god invented the 22 hornet. can easy add another 60 to the 40.

i looked up tss. Good grief. Pricey. I haven't shot a duck or goose since lead was banned. Dont like eating them anyway. Time to hunt turkeys is the last week of august-first week of september. The baby's look like long necked chickens. Can cut them up and fry them like a chicken. Whole bird is tender.

Been quite a few years since I killed a turkey. Here in KS it is cheaper to buy one at the grocery store, already dressed, than what a tag costs.

When i complained about the price I was told it wasn't about the value of a turkey it was the value of the experience. Well I have experienced a lot of hunting and its about the value of the animal for me. If you hunt turkeys or deer without a firearm its free.

Not much you really get your moneys worth out of really meat wise breaking even is a win. Shooting a bird with a rifle is like kissing my own Sister not thrilling at all. LOL

I dont know. I never even met your sister and my wife would not like it if I kissed her. I am pretty sure me and your sister both would like it better than when you kissed her though

Now I’m jealous. LOL

I can get my moneys worth out of deer. I butcher myself and doe tags are cheap. Bad thing is here in KS either sex tag must be bought before you can buy meat tags and the either sex tag is pricey. I was so mad I didnt buy a tag last year. I may buy some this year. If i kill 3-4 and butcher them myself it will pay out. Buying deer meat is expensive. I shoot enough stuff my hunting license is worth the cost. i definitely come out ahead on fish.

Call me crazy,

But I have had the best luck in both my turkey guns

(Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag & Remington 12 gauge 870 Wing-master)

using 2 3/4" Copper plated #5's which are about 1,300 FPS.

Heavy pattern density and deadly out to about 40 yards.

works for me.

w

grayfox,

The restrictions on shot size is that you can't use shot larger than 2's or smaller than 8's.

Hunters are not restricted ONLY to 8 shot.

Any size shot between 2's and 8's is legal.

w

And those shot size restrictions were all put in place prior to TSS. The limit to nothing smaller than #7 or #8 makes sense with lead as they lose penetration needed for a clean kill at fairly short range. Hevi shot changed those circumstances but I do not recall seeing any adjustments made by the wildlife agencies. And TSS takes it to a whole nother level. #9 TSS is a deadly load way beyond 40 yds. At 40 yds, #9 TSS from a 20 gage will blow right through 1/4" plywood and with the right choke, it puts a lot more pellets in the kill zone.

There are lots of variables in any hunting situation but the smaller shot size TSS gives a much better opportunity for a clean kill than larger lead or Hevi shot in every scenario.

Don't be giving ENCON any more bright ideas

I've been shooting a Benelli SBE II for 12 years. Jelly Head tube Burris speed dot and 5,6, 7 1/2 3 1/2" triplex hevi shot. Killed a pile in several states. Try to keep shots under 40 yards. The game to me is better than the kill. They tend not to walk away from it. I like that position when shooting isn't so critical as recoil is very manageable. Light weight too. Little pricey at the front end but it has paid for it's self time and again. I have 4 other dedicated turkey guns but it always seems to be the one on my shoulder.

I started out shooting that set up and killed a pile of turkeys with it. Went with the 20ga for compactness and lighter weight. Not uncommon to put anywhere from 5-9 miles a day on the GPS when hunting out of state looking for birds. Even a few pounds makes a huge difference, especially when you walk back out with an extra 17-20, lol.

The year was 1966. Killed my first turkey with my 22 hornet. My hornets have killed their share. For me it's much more of a challenge to sneak through the woods in the fall and rifle shoot a bird than it is to call in one of those stupid love sick spring birds.

.
333 number 4s in that load and 50 of them hit the paper. 475 in that tss load and how many hit the paper? not only do they pattern better the tiny pellet will penetrate better with less drag. no need to hope a pellet hits vitals. you know 100% a bunch are hitting vitals.

Thank God and DNR we don’t have a Fall turkey season. If we did we wouldn’t have any birds come Spring. Our Fall turkeys act like tame birds. I believe they could be caught by hand. It sounds like you could make some serious money calling in “stupid love sick spring birds” for others. From what I’ve read on here most didn’t have a great season. You could also enter calling contests if you’re that good and even make more money. Heck, produce a DVD and make even more money.

Ok gotcha, I must have read it wrong!

Sniping turkeys isn’t very hard, lol. If it was legal everywhere there wouldn’t be a turkey left in the US. Probably the reason most states outlaw rifles. Sorta takes the “hunt” out of it. If you can see it, you can kill it.

You rifle a turkey when you cannot call one up is what I am hearing. LOL

Same as shooting large game at 500 plus yards and calling it hunting.

Good luck with your build! I hope you find a good set up that makes you happy.

What I did to my gun to make it a turkey killer was, well... I found a turkey choke and load that patterned well out of my gun at 10-40 yards. I don’t shoot past 35 or so yards...

Sorry... get you some TSS turkey loads. You can shoot it out of anything and kill a flock at 90 yards. They literally come to you and jump in the truck before they die....

I say its about killing for most people. They want a trophy and game departments and others are capitalizing on that. If it was hunting that got people out they would not bring a firearm. They would bring a camera and hunt as many as they could get close to.

I don’t have a problem with trophy hunting until it interferes with me. Even fishing has become all about trophys. If you dont think so do a little research on Missouri River commercial fishing. No biology behind the restrictions only whining by sport fisherman.

At $10 a shot I’ll stick with lead shot for now It kills them just as dead at 40 and under, I like the edge of thick cover when I set up so lead works just fine for me. LOL

That would be for the 12ga. The patterns they produce would make you question any lead pattern. No problem killing at 70 yards. That is why most people shooting tss are shooting sub gauges such as the 20ga or smaller.

Basically, your best lead load with your 12ga 3.5" load will be bettered by a 20ga 1.625 oz load with #9 tss.

Let's put it this way: are you happy with a 1.5" group with your rifle at 100 yards? Or do you try for .75" groups or less?

Did you try those shells in your ten?

My tens won't shoot a full choke worth crap either. I use from a modified to imp. Cyl. For nice tight patterns.

Obviously you’re a state hopping turkey hunter. Tags, (especially nonresident) fuel, time, and everything else that goes into an out of state hunt, $10 a shell is a small part of the equation. How much you reckon avid bow hunters have in an arrow and broadhead ?

Old school I guess just not going to shoot that far anyways, it’s more about calling them into 30-35 yards then taking long shots.

Take it from someone that has shot more shot shells than most. The ammunition is more important than the gun. I would be willing to bet that my old truck gun (shown below) would kill every turkey I fire it at if the bird was within 30-35 yards. Shoot with those new super shells I might even be good to 40 yards.

yes sir it is an h&r 10 with a fixed full choke. it has never shot great with any load. i dont need to shoot it and get beat up. i will shoot a small gauge and produce more than enough pattern to kill a turkey at 40. my point was bigger at always better

I didn't think that at one time too.

I have had a few fixed choke barrels that did not shoot to suite me. I sent them to Briley and had tubes installed.

Been toting a Rem 870 Express Mag for 25+ years. Shot up a pile of game. Factory full choke with copper plated 4s has a pattern most guys try to get with sleeving, super tight chokes, etc. This side of 50 yards and its over, don’t have any desire to shoot any further than 50 yards, if I did I would just take my rifle. Most shots are under 30 yards.

Remington has a 22” barrel on sale with a turkey tube $375.00 sells for about $450 at regular price even more on aftermarket sites. If I don’t like it I can always toss it on Gunbroker and get my money back and make a few bucks to boot.