whats a good turkey gun to get?

J

jd-underdog

Inactive
well I went turkey hunting for the first time & now I am hooked! I need to get me a turkey gun. what is a good 12 gauge pump shotgun for turkey hunting? I dont want to spend a ton of money, just a good basic turkey gun thats relaible. let hear your suggestions!
 
jd

What do you consider a "ton of money"??

Any quality made pump shotgun, with the right choke tube, will do you well.

Take a look at the Benneli Nova in Mossy Oak camo pattern.....that's what I use. You can find them new in the 400 dollar range.

Take a look also at the Mossberg 835.
 
Mossberg 500A. I believe it has a 28" barrel and can handle both 2.75" and 3" shells. Bought mine as a combo with a 22" rifled slug barrel for under $250.
 
any shotgun that shoots a shotshell will work just fine for turkey hunting....just get the one you want....remington,mossberg benelli they are all good....
 
I'd really prefer that Turkeys not have shotguns and the smilies here leave much to be desired.:)

My favorite shotgun is an old Stevens side-by-side, I've had it since I was 11 and it's my shotgun of choice. The really fun part is that I can play around with it. I just stripped it and am getting ready for fall Turkey (new paint job). I'll post some pics later. This is really easy if you have a piece that you don't care about appearance.
 
I went with the Benelli Nova. Found one used for $225

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they make an 870 express super mag 3.5". some with camo and some without. 20" or 22" and a 26"/28" vent rib barrel that uses choke tubes. they do have a camo and non camo 3" magnum model. if you have an 870 already and remington sold the 20" vent rib barrel separate you could just buy the barrel and be fine. i am still looking for a loose 20" barrel myself. had a few on ebay but no more barrel sales.
 
Simple, 870 express. I wouldn’t bother with the 3.5" shells. Just find a good full choke and ammo that shoots well from it.
 
If you are looking for something in expensive, take a look at H&R / New England. They are single shot, but are very reliable and accurate. I've taken antelope with a New England 30.06 and this weekend, my buddy took a turkey at 70 (range finder verified twice with two different range finders) yards with a 3.5" New England 12ga. Light gun and easy to carry.
 
Since we can use rifles legally here in FL, I have my own personal idea of the ideal turkey gun. It would be a Savage 24 0/U in either .22 Hornet, .222, or .223 over 12 ga with screw-in choke. I have seen only a handful of examples of this gun and they are VERY expensive. Nevertheless, I'm going to keep looking until I find one at an affordable price.

Having only one shotgun shot is not a big deal. Most turkey encounters don't require a quick follow-up shot. The big advantage this gun would give me is the chance to reach out to that gobbler that hands up at the 100 yds range and refuses to come any closer.

Also, when turkey hunting here you never know when a hog or coyote will step out. Having the centerfire rifle there allows you to take them.
 
I think that either a Remington 870 Express or a Mossberg 500 or 835, camo, with a short barrel and XXfull Turkey choke will be ideal. The recoil of the 3 1/2" loads has got to be extreme because the 3" #5's that I shoot are very stout! I use Remington Premier Turkey loads but suspect that I would do just as well with any High Brass 2 3/4" #6's. I currently have the Remington 870 Express Turkey but if I was in the market now I'd get one of the Mossberg 500's, full camo, with the M4 style stock for the length of pull adjustments. Good luck with whatever you get. It is a great sport I agree.:)
 
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