Dedicated Turkey Gun

There zero reason to shoot 3.5" shells anymore. TSS has changed the game. I load my own with 8s and 9s. Getting about 350 hits inside 12" at 40 yards. With TSS, a 12ga is overkill. A 20ga with 3" shells + TSS is fine to about 60 yards. Many people are killing birds with 410s and TSS.

I have scope on my dedicated turkey gun, but others like red dots.

My suggestion is get a semi auto of whatever gun fits you well.
Anything you get. Get what you want and will be really excited to hunt with even if you don't bag a bird. Just be happy to be out there. If you do buy a shotgun - get a semi auto. DON"T mess with a pump with the money you will spend. Don't get me wrong Pumps are just as good and you should only need one shot, but if you live in a State like GA you can shoot (3) Toms. The speed a turkey can go is like ZIPPP. If you have several Toms coming in you might get doubles, triples, with a semi. Not saying you can't do with a pump, double, or single (I know that there are super-fast loaders on this forum).
Hunt with a BOW and you don't have to worry about recoil, shot patterns, price of shells. I have shot several dozen here in GA. Unfortunately, the last few years were rough with my spinal cord injury. May have to go with a Cross Bow. Can't pull the Outback like I used too. If I go with a shotgun (which I most likely do) I'll use our Benelli M-1 in 20ga.
Good luck on whatever you choose (get a 20GA ;)) and Spring Turkey Season is right around the corner.
Make sure you let us know what shotgun you eventually get and then post pictures of your Toms this spring!!!

IndianaMatt
Thanks for starting this thread
Len & Jill
 

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A quick net search of 20 gauge Turkey guns didn't yield many results any suggestions? I did see a Mossberg 410 but not sure that's enough gun.
 
Anything you get. Get what you want and will be really excited to hunt with even if you don't bag a bird. Just be happy to be out there. If you do buy a shotgun - get a semi auto. DON"T mess with a pump with the money you will spend. Don't get me wrong Pumps are just as good and you should only need one shot, but if you live in a State like GA you can shoot (3) Toms. The speed a turkey can go is like ZIPPP. If you have several Toms coming in you might get doubles, triples, with a semi. Not saying you can't do with a pump, double, or single (I know that there are super-fast loaders on this forum).
Hunt with a BOW and you don't have to worry about recoil, shot patterns, price of shells. I have shot several dozen here in GA. Unfortunately, the last few years were rough with my spinal cord injury. May have to go with a Cross Bow. Can't pull the Outback like I used too. If I go with a shotgun (which I most likely do) I'll use our Benelli M-1 in 20ga.
Good luck on whatever you choose (get a 20GA ;)) and Spring Turkey Season is right around the corner.
Make sure you let us know what shotgun you eventually get and then post pictures of your Toms this spring!!!

IndianaMatt
Thanks for starting this thread
Len & Jill
Very nice looking wall!
 
I'm in the market for a dedicated Turkey shotgun. I would like to have 12ga 3.5 capability. Any suggestions? Not much in shops around where I live so will most likely be an internet purchase. Some I have considered are-

Benelli Nova 24 inch
CZ 612 26 inch Turkey
Mossberg 500 Turkey model
Savage 212 Turkey model
I actually consulted with CZ on a lot of their shotguns for about a decade or so. They are really nice guns for the money.

It would be hard for me to look past the CZ and Benellli.
 
I'm in the market for a dedicated Turkey shotgun. I would like to have 12ga 3.5 capability. Any suggestions? Not much in shops around where I live so will most likely be an internet purchase. Some I have considered are-

Benelli Nova 24 inch
CZ 612 26 inch Turkey
Mossberg 500 Turkey model
Savage 212 Turkey model
Franchi Affinity 3.5 is pretty sick. They make a turkey model that comes in Bottomland camo with a vortex red dot. I have that model and it has been a good gun.
 
A quick net search of 20 gauge Turkey guns didn't yield many results any suggestions? I did see a Mossberg 410 but not sure that's enough gun.
You probably won't find a Super Black Eagle in 20ga
If you want a "Pistol Grip" and Red Dot you can put on most any shotgun to turn into a "Turkey Gun"
All the major manufactures are making the "BIG" guns for turkey. 3.5" 12 GA.
It is a Culture thing and sales point.
Just an observation I lived in the North and now in the South States.
Every young man (11-12 years old) wants a 30.06 or 12 ga (or their father wants them to shoot). It's a culture thing where GUYS have to have the biggest of everything and pass that one to their sons. Now if they have a daughter or wife, they want a .243 or a 20ga. Just look at the posts on LRH "Looking for a .243 for my wife/daughter" Looking for a 20 ga for my wife/daughter. I was giving about 1K in loaded factory ammo to my neighbor for his son to shoot. Most were 22lLR and 17HMR and was giving him(the young man 11 years old) a case of 20ga #7 1/2 & 8 for doves. The young man said "I want 12 ga Like my father, I don't want to shoot girls ammo". I said Well mister when you grow up you can come back and buy the shot shells from me. I still gave him the case of 20 ga and told him that he can shoot my Benelli if he was man enough. Now all he wants to shoot is a 20GA.
If you really want to make sure that there will be enough pellets flying at your turkey get a 10 ga 36" barrel, XF Choke and a 3 1/2" mag # 4 shot shells. .
One of our BEST Deer rifles are a 700 Mountain DM B&C Stock in .243.
We also have .260 Rem, 6.5x284, 7mm08, 32 Special, 270wsm, 325wsm, 338lmai.
Best and most versatile shotgun is a Benelli M-1 Fiels 20GA.
 
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I have decided that it's either going to be the CZ 612 Turkey or Benelli Nova. I have found a Nova in 20ga that I like a lot. Does anyone know of options to mount optics on the CZ or Nova? I am really curious about the Burris speed bead set up.
 
Here is my Turkey gun. TC encore 20 gauge 28" Turkey barrel, Carlson's TSS tube, and 30 and 40 yard patterns with federal TSS 3" 7/9 duplex. The black is a 12" diameter target so you get an idea of how tight it patterns. lightweight and compact. I killed my bird last year at 46 yards and it crushed him. As was mentioned tungsten is a game changer. A lot of the reading I did showed #9 TSS with the penetration and energy of #5 lead but with 3X the pellets per ounce.
 

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The hardest recoil I have felt to date was patterning some 3.5" 2oz turkey shells in my Benelli Super Black Eagle II. Sat down and squeezed the 1st one off. Kicked so hard it took about 5 seconds to even realise what just hit me, it stunned me that bad. After about 10 shots my face and cheekbone were sore and swollen bad, not to mention my shoulder. The SBEII handles recoil well for regular shells but not for 3.5" Magnums with 2oz of shot.

My Benelli Super Nova does better with 3.5"'s and has a little more weight to it. I sold my SBEII after that experience lol. My Super Nova is my go to big bird gun.
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