Turkey Gun

P

precision_shooter

New member
Need a turkey gun for the upcoming spring turkey season...

I have a Mossberg 500 now with 18 1/2in barrel. It is only chambered for 3" shells though.

For the harder hitting 3 1/2" shells, I was leaning towards the Mossberg 535 "Turkey Thug" with ported choke.

Anyone have any experience with this particular model, or suggest something else along the same price range?

TIA
 
Is this an excuse to buy another gun? You really don't need the 3.5" to kill a turkey. OTOH, if it's an excuse, then yes, you need the Beretta A400. Anything less will only scratch them.
 
I plan on using a gun that I bought used that's atleast 44 years old, no need for a new gun. I got a Marlin with a 36 inch barrel and a full choke. It too has a 3 inch chamber, its not gonna stop me for using it. It's a $200 gun that will work good.
 
Is this an excuse to buy another gun? You really don't need the 3.5" to kill a turkey. OTOH, if it's an excuse, then yes, you need the Beretta A400. Anything less will only scratch them.
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It is an excuse to a certain extent. My 500 is a dedicated HD gun and is modified for that purpose. The 535 is decently priced and with the gift cards I have, I would only end up spending $100 or so out of pocket to get one. That Beretta is nice, but can't justify to the wife spending $1,300+ on it, and the store my gift cards are to does not carry Berreta shotguns.
 
Is there any reason you cannot just buy a short barrel with choke-tube threads for your 500? Seems to me like a HD version of the 500 with a tight choke would make a dandy turkey shotgun.
 
Buy a 24" barrel threaded for tubes, buy a turkey tube for it and pattern some 2.75" or 3" shells in #4, #5 or #6 and go hunting.

There is zero need for 3.5" turkey loads. For the most part they are counterproductive for most hunting. The only place where they remotely have any use is for guys who shoot lots of long range geese with steel shot. For any other use a standard 2.75" or 3" shell will do fine. Even the 3" shells are rarely useful.
 
I sold my 3.5 inch chambered Charles Daly because my 2 3/4 inch chambered browning just worked better on birds. Don't get hung up on chamber length. Shoot what works.

That said I have a semi auto 12 gauge with 3 inch chambers that comes with 3 chokes for $350 if you are interested....
 
The Mossberg 535 has also been called "Turkey Cannon" because of its 3.5" chamber. My 535 is capable of such a guage length, but was more interesting for duck and geese for that load. It's a sweet pump and has interchagable choke inserts.
 
My Mossberg 500C 20 gauge has an IM choke installed and I use 2 3/4" #4 shot or #6 shot depending on what brand of shells I buy. Turkey's don't seem to know that I am not shooting a 36" barrel with super full choke and 3 1/2" shells. You already have a turkey gun if it's choked and you get a decent pattern at 30-40 yards with it on a turkey target. If not get a different barrel. My back up gun is a Mossberg 9200 is a semi auto also 18 1/2" with a full choke installed and Hi Viz rifle sights. Haven't used it for hunting yet but I bought it deliberately for use in my turkey blind. It patterns quite nicely at 35 yards with #4 shot on a turkey target.

Yeah, yeah, 20 gauge and 2 3/4" shells, what am I? Am I crazy? Don't I know turkeys are meaner than King Kong with a hangover and tougher than Godzilla. Well sir, I haven't met that turkey yet. At the weigh station my turkeys are just as dead as the 3 1/2" shooters turkeys. :D
 
If you like punishing yourself more, rather then the turkey by shooting the 3.5" shell, I guess it's a free country...me, I'll just keep killing them every year with the 2.75". I promise, the turkey don't know.

Other then supporting the gun industry hoopla or goose hunting, IMO, the 3.5" is almost laughable.

Since your current 500 is set up as your dedicated HD weapon, take your gift card and buy another 500 with a field bbl and choke tubes.
Just think, while your turkey hunting, you'll be improving muscle memory for your HD weapon.
 
This barrel works great for turkeys:

SECURITY 90140 VENT RIB, BEAD SIGHT 12 GA. 20" ACCU-SET BLUE $163.17

Or you could get your 18.5" barrel threaded for chokes.

Personally, I like to leave my HD gun ready and unfiddled with all the time, so I bought another Mossberg 500 for turkeys.

A 3" with the proper lead loads is deadly out to 40 yards. With the proper heavier than lead loads it's good out to 50 yards. I have no plans on sniping at turkeys farther away than that, so I see no practical advantage to a 3.5" chamber for them.
 
Get another barrel...

3.5" shells aren't necessarily harder hitting (a little more fps) they just have more pellets. I shoot 3" 1 5/8 oz Remington loads out of my Mossberg because that is what patterns the best. Remember, with turkey you not hitting the body like you're with other game birds. You shooting the head and neck. So it not like you need a lot of penetration.

I'd get a 26" barrel with choke tubes(turkey choke or x-full) for the gun you have. If you never plan to go waterfowl hunting then it doesn't matter really. But you can always shoot 3" ammo out of your 3.5" gun.

I have a Mossberg 500, shoots 3.5", that I got for waterfowl. With the introduction to steel shot years ago I used 3.5" so I could use larger steel shot pellet, #2 then I did with lead shot #5 for ducks. Shells had close to the same weight 1 5/8 oz but larger size pellets needed more room in the shell. Now we have tungsten, bismuth and all kinds of other stuff.
 
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short tube for turkeys

I have for many years shot an 18.5", rifle sighted 12 ga, 3" chambered, Rem choked 870 for gobblers, using Rems super full turkey tube. It gets through the woods easy and does not get hung in brush, limbs when slung, and you will likely walk a bunch chasing gobblers. Its lighter than its longer fellows and every little bit helps. Tracking an incoming bird, it does not get hung on a sapling just in front of you. A delight in the blind, easy out the window. The rifle sights add just enough precision to the tight choke set up.

Three inch is plenty of shell/ especially w/ the modern shells of today.
 
I have a Mossberg 500 now with 18 1/2in barrel. It is only chambered for 3" shells though.

For the harder hitting 3 1/2" shells, I was leaning towards the Mossberg 535 "Turkey Thug" with ported choke.
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"Turkey Thug"

Harumph! Hooey! Horsefeathers!

That's Marketing.

You don't need 10 guages or 3 1/2" UberwunderMagnumSuperDuper1Dollar-a-pop "Turkey Loads" to kill a turkey. The "deadliest load" I ever saw was a load of #8's out of a 40+ year old shotgun with a fixed modified choke- killed 3 birds with one shot when the guy only had 1 permit, which was only good for 1 bird back then......

This "3 1/2" Magnum" crap reminds me of all the "Buy Accuracy" rifle guys that think they can go out an buy a "sniper rifle" and be a sniper ...... How about learning to call the birds within 40 yards and killing them with a load of 2 3/4" #6 to the head? .... If my 12 y.o. daughter can roll the fall boss hen at 30 yards with a 50 year old thirdhand 20 guage stoked with pheasant loads, why are you going to listen to some marketing campaign telling you you have to drop big bucks on special ammo/special gun /special cammo . etc?



What you need is a load and choke combination that doesn't have turkey head sized gaps in it at the range you are going to shoot.... and don't be so over optmistic about the range: you can't buy yards, just as the rifle guys can't buy accuracy.....

I have a theory ...... "people are more willing to spend money than time."

Patterning a flock , learning to call, even getting up earlier than the birds.... all that takes time ....... any idjit with more money than sense can amass enough money to buy a 10 guage 3 1/2" Super Duper TightTurkey Choked Wundergun....... It takes time and dedication to learn to hunt anything, incuding Turkeys .......
 
Hey guys. First time poster here with my 2 cents. I shoot a 3" #5 with my benelli and a 2 3/4" #4 with my Winchester. I spend a day every year before turkey season with different loads just to make sure I'm patterned right. Distance is always at 40 yds but the longest shot I've ever made on a turkey was 34 yds. Don't get me wrong, I'm always looking for a reason to buy/trade another gun.
 
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