clemsonbloz
New member
sounds like a wounded and unrecovered turkey to me.. gotta stick with large payloads and superfull chokes..
20 ga modified choke for turkey?
- Thread starter Vermonter
- Start date
Bah!
Either you can call them into shotgun range or you can't. Their heads and necks are pretty fragile. A 20 guage stoked w/ 2 3/4" game loads of 6, 7 1/2, or 8 shot that will put a suitably dense (no head sized holes in it) to the distance you want to shoot them at will work.
Pattern your shotgun. You might be suprised at the number of gaps you have, particularly if you use those ridiculously powerful T-shot loads. Deformed lead pellets don't make for any sort of uniformity in your pattern. ......and at the prices they sell them at, most folks are reluctant to shoot them at cardboard!
Then again, folks find it easier to buy firepower (even if it is inneffective- they can always tell themselves they need even MOAR firepower- How's about that 3 1/2" 10 guage, Cledus!) than learn a skill.......... Any idjit with a minimum wage job, a credit card and a Cabela's catalog can sit in the woods waiting for a turkey to wander within 50 yards of them..... It takes some thought, time and effort and a little trial and error to get them to come to where you want them to.
SumToy Custom Barrel
New member
Well I think the 20 is good out to 40. The 12 you can get out to the 70 rang. Have saw one taken at 80 but that was one of them deals the stars was all in a row for that. lol If you can call you can shoot the 20 with a good after market choke and shell. If you not good at calling you need to go with the 12 and grit your teeth as you pull trigger.
can o worms
I did not realize how much of a debate this would be. We have not shot the gun yet so I will pattern it and see if I can get a gobbler to voulenteer for some real feild testing this spring.
Thank you all for your input. Hopefully she will not have to resort to the beating and chasing of the bird. Or I could jusf follow up with the 500 full choke 12 gauge that is my turkey gun.
Thanks,
Vermonter
I did not realize how much of a debate this would be. We have not shot the gun yet so I will pattern it and see if I can get a gobbler to voulenteer for some real feild testing this spring.
Thank you all for your input. Hopefully she will not have to resort to the beating and chasing of the bird. Or I could jusf follow up with the 500 full choke 12 gauge that is my turkey gun.
Thanks,
Vermonter
bamaranger
New member
more
Did I read 70 yds for a 12 ga on turkeys???????? Even w/ "space shot" tungsten loads, that's a long way to try a gobbler, like 25 yds to long
Also, I would not generally recommend any lead shot smaller than #6 from any turkey gun. A turkeys head and neck is not a quail, dove and it takes a real pellet to bust same much past 25 yds.
That said, I know of at least one fine old turkey hunter who used 1-1/4 of #7-1/2 from a std 12ga full choke single bbl. That was near thirty years ago, there were few turkey hunters, and fewer birds, and calling one close seemed more common if you located one and got an answer.
Now, the advent of "space shot" the heavy metal stuff, has changed the rules a bit, and I will admit, I know little of it, have never shot it, and don't intend to. (at least at turkeys) A tungsten 7-1/2, that has the weight of a lead 6, might be another critter all together.
The guys who shoot tungsten are much excited about it, but I cannot abide the price. From 35 yds in, plain old lead (#5 for me) works fine.
Finally, I cannot pass up a chance to use a line from a great turkey booK......"there's been many a footrace in the spring woods lost by the hunter" or words to that effect.
Did I read 70 yds for a 12 ga on turkeys???????? Even w/ "space shot" tungsten loads, that's a long way to try a gobbler, like 25 yds to long
Also, I would not generally recommend any lead shot smaller than #6 from any turkey gun. A turkeys head and neck is not a quail, dove and it takes a real pellet to bust same much past 25 yds.
That said, I know of at least one fine old turkey hunter who used 1-1/4 of #7-1/2 from a std 12ga full choke single bbl. That was near thirty years ago, there were few turkey hunters, and fewer birds, and calling one close seemed more common if you located one and got an answer.
Now, the advent of "space shot" the heavy metal stuff, has changed the rules a bit, and I will admit, I know little of it, have never shot it, and don't intend to. (at least at turkeys) A tungsten 7-1/2, that has the weight of a lead 6, might be another critter all together.
The guys who shoot tungsten are much excited about it, but I cannot abide the price. From 35 yds in, plain old lead (#5 for me) works fine.
Finally, I cannot pass up a chance to use a line from a great turkey booK......"there's been many a footrace in the spring woods lost by the hunter" or words to that effect.
SumToy Custom Barrel
New member
When I say you can kill them at the 70 yard mark that is with the heavy shot stuff. With lead I don't like to see more then 45 yards. With the good shells and a good choke you can kill at 70. I have stuff that will blow holes at 25 to 30 yards. 
"I guess all the turkey hunters buying turkey chokes (including myself) are simply mis-informed."
Or overgunned. I didn't say it wouldn't work, just that it's not absolutely necessary.
As a kid 50 years ago, I remember the utter joy of finally having a store-bought turkey at Thanksgiving. We could chow down without worrying about breaking a tooth on a stray #6 pellet.
That's also why we hunted squirrels with .22s and not shotguns. That, and we didn't want lead pellets sitting in the jars with the meat after it was canned.
John
Or overgunned. I didn't say it wouldn't work, just that it's not absolutely necessary.
As a kid 50 years ago, I remember the utter joy of finally having a store-bought turkey at Thanksgiving. We could chow down without worrying about breaking a tooth on a stray #6 pellet.
That's also why we hunted squirrels with .22s and not shotguns. That, and we didn't want lead pellets sitting in the jars with the meat after it was canned.
John
bad info
You are getting some bad info on this subject.
Don't worry about is it as good or how good it is.
And secondly, I don't know how close you can kill a gobble but I know you can kill them at about 7 yards(my personal shortest kill) and call them to about 12 feet.
You need to concentrate on making it shoot as good as it can.
First Polish the barrel until it shines like a new penny.
go to old gobbler forum to learn how.
Next get a 3 foot by 3 foot target and make sure Point of aim and point of impact are the same. If not you can't kill birds with it reliablely.
Third get several different loads to see which patterns best.
Try 6 lead or 7 heavy or 9TSS if you reload.
Only let your daughter pratice with 7/8 oz loads until she shoots at a bird.
She won't notice the difference then.
Put a good pad on it.
You are getting some bad info on this subject.
Don't worry about is it as good or how good it is.
And secondly, I don't know how close you can kill a gobble but I know you can kill them at about 7 yards(my personal shortest kill) and call them to about 12 feet.
You need to concentrate on making it shoot as good as it can.
First Polish the barrel until it shines like a new penny.
go to old gobbler forum to learn how.
Next get a 3 foot by 3 foot target and make sure Point of aim and point of impact are the same. If not you can't kill birds with it reliablely.
Third get several different loads to see which patterns best.
Try 6 lead or 7 heavy or 9TSS if you reload.
Only let your daughter pratice with 7/8 oz loads until she shoots at a bird.
She won't notice the difference then.
Put a good pad on it.
"9TSS"
If TSS is Tungsten Super Shot, they're out of business. I don't know if anyone else is selling the stuff. They couldn't make a go of it financially.
The guns I own came with polished barrels, except the hardchromed ones and I'm not trying to polish it.
John
P.S. - "old gobbler forum" Aren't the old ones tough?
If TSS is Tungsten Super Shot, they're out of business. I don't know if anyone else is selling the stuff. They couldn't make a go of it financially.
The guns I own came with polished barrels, except the hardchromed ones and I'm not trying to polish it.
John
P.S. - "old gobbler forum" Aren't the old ones tough?
I killed a quail at 40 steps with my 870 youth with a modified choke this weekend, and there were plenty of pellets to kill a turkey. I'd shorten that to range to 30yds. and let her put a whoopin on any turkey that was legal. Get the choke that nitro shell company reccomends and there 20ga. load (5.00+ each round), and you'll have a 45-50 yd gun no problem.
bamaranger
New member
again
A dead quail at 30 yds, is not a 20 lb gobbler at 40-50, with bigger neck and skull. And seldom do you get a shot w/ the bird dead in the open, w/o foliage, branches, leaves, stripping pellets out of your pattern. A bird perfectly in the open, you plan for it, strive for it, but you take the best first shot you can get if you want to kill many gobblers. Things can go wrong fast on a gobbling turkey. Coyotes, other stupid hunters, other birds, heck, a squirrel or deer, name it.
You don't plan to shoot though stuff, sometimes you just don't see it. A bigger gun/bigger payload, lets you get away w/ it (sometimes anyhow) when it happens.
Finally, a dose of 7-1/2 will kill a turkey no doubt, Ol' Walt, one of my mentor's, proved that. There weren't even any short magnum shells in those days. But those were different times, when there was little pressure, birds came running, and you could hunt all season and not hear or see another hunter, or even their vehicle. Ol'Walt could hunt him again tommorrow if he didn't get the shot he wanted, but he usually didn't have to, 'cause the birds just paraded on in 9 times out of 10. Not so today. Not where I hunt anyhow.
I don't recommend anything smaller than # 6 lead for turkey, minimally an ounce and a quarter, and full or better choke. And a good feel for what 35 yds looks like in the spring woods.
A dead quail at 30 yds, is not a 20 lb gobbler at 40-50, with bigger neck and skull. And seldom do you get a shot w/ the bird dead in the open, w/o foliage, branches, leaves, stripping pellets out of your pattern. A bird perfectly in the open, you plan for it, strive for it, but you take the best first shot you can get if you want to kill many gobblers. Things can go wrong fast on a gobbling turkey. Coyotes, other stupid hunters, other birds, heck, a squirrel or deer, name it.
You don't plan to shoot though stuff, sometimes you just don't see it. A bigger gun/bigger payload, lets you get away w/ it (sometimes anyhow) when it happens.
Finally, a dose of 7-1/2 will kill a turkey no doubt, Ol' Walt, one of my mentor's, proved that. There weren't even any short magnum shells in those days. But those were different times, when there was little pressure, birds came running, and you could hunt all season and not hear or see another hunter, or even their vehicle. Ol'Walt could hunt him again tommorrow if he didn't get the shot he wanted, but he usually didn't have to, 'cause the birds just paraded on in 9 times out of 10. Not so today. Not where I hunt anyhow.
I don't recommend anything smaller than # 6 lead for turkey, minimally an ounce and a quarter, and full or better choke. And a good feel for what 35 yds looks like in the spring woods.
TSS
Hey john
When I say "TSS" in mean 18grm/cc shot that was being imported by the guy that went out of business with the web sight of the same name.
The shot is still being manufactured.
You can still find it.
I only have personal experiance with Mossbergs,Remingtons,Brownings and New England Firearms. These guns need polishing. I have heard that Benellis also need polishing.
As far as chromed, don't polish them. Chroming is a way to smooth the barrels without polishing.
As far as gobblers being tough..Buy a butter ball for eating.
Wild turkey can't compare. It does make good jerky.
Hey john
When I say "TSS" in mean 18grm/cc shot that was being imported by the guy that went out of business with the web sight of the same name.
The shot is still being manufactured.
You can still find it.
I only have personal experiance with Mossbergs,Remingtons,Brownings and New England Firearms. These guns need polishing. I have heard that Benellis also need polishing.
As far as chromed, don't polish them. Chroming is a way to smooth the barrels without polishing.
As far as gobblers being tough..Buy a butter ball for eating.
Wild turkey can't compare. It does make good jerky.
columbia_shotguneer
New member
you can surely use a modified choke for turkeys. My NEF pardner shoots great patterns of #6's with copperplated through a modified choke. Full is best for most hunters wanting a head or neck shot.