Dedicated turkey gun?

[Dhoey07]

Here's an idea.  Say you have an 870, why don't you just buy some parts for it and switch them onto the gun as needed?  Same gun, different barrel, choke?

[Fishnfowler]

Sure, I call it old reliable

[mossy8352]

Mossberg 835, Carlson turkey choke, Mueller scope (vision problem) and HM Mag Blend 3 inch for turkeys. Step it down to 2 3/4 # 6 lead where legal for pheasants or HM Pheasant loads.l Love it, cleaned it and used a new oil in for the moving parts and it is always good to go.

[turkeyfeather]

Sure do. I got an 870 with a 21" barrel, mossy oak thumbhole stock, Primos jellyhead choke, tru-glo gobble stopper red dot sight, and a lazy leg. It's a turkey thumping machine, but not much good for any other type of hunting.

[WaltAlpine]

WaltAlpine, what's the best combo in your nova as far as choke and load? 4,5,6's? 3 1/2 or 3's? I picked one up last fall, haven't bought a turkey choke yet, just got what it came with.

I use one of the three chokes that it came with. The one that says it is OK to use steel shot with. It's printed on the choke. I cna't remember anything else specific about it. I'd have to take a look. I patterned it and have shot turkeys as close as 5 yards and as far as 30.
I use 3 1/2" with #4. Hevi-Shot.
I've used three or four others and at those ranges it doesn't seem to matter. I've never missed.

[WaltAlpine]

I'd love to have a camo-dipped autoloader with a short barrel and a 3.5" chamber.

I've killed lots of birds with my Remington 11-87, complete with scratched stock, busted fore grip, a blue-less and rusty barrel and a jellyhead choke tube.  I'm sure I've flared birds with the shiny receiver, but I just love that gun.  It has taken a tumble in the chukar hills, been buried in the salt marsh at Nisqually, spent a day underwater on the Samish, and many, many days propped on my knee in the pouring rain waiting on easterns to show up.  I just take it apart, clean it, and it works like new.  After all we've been through, it would feel a little like cheating to upgrade.

Nice! That's an excellent "if it works for me, I'm going to keep using it" story.
The first time I went turkey hunting one of our group had a similar, very thrashed, pump action. Shot turkeys during the day. Took an oil bath at night.

[castor gitter]

Thanks WaltAlpine

[Andrew]

Since I no longer use my 870 for either upland or waterfowl I use it solely for turkey.  I painted the stock and forearm camo, installed metal truglo rifle sites, and have a Remington extra full turkey tube .665 on the business end.  I've considered a shorter barel, but can almost buy a new gun for the cost of a replacement barrel....28" works just fine.  As for shot, doesn't surprise me that remington premier duplex loads patterned the best with a complete remington outfit.  Have only had one hiccup...the ejector spring steel sheared off and it turned into a single shot last year.

[wence5]

Mossberg 835, Carlson turkey choke, Mueller scope (vision problem) and HM Mag Blend 3 inch for turkeys. Step it down to 2 3/4 # 6 lead where legal for pheasants or HM Pheasant loads.l Love it, cleaned it and used a new oil in for the moving parts and it is always good to go.

  I use the same set up, minus the scope.

[Tom Tamer]

Use a Thompson Encore Turkey 12ga. Tru glo ported choke to tame it a little. Got quite a whop to it being it weighs barely 6# but with Flightcontrol 2oz of #6 or Mag blend 5,6&7 shot will leave a fist sized hole at 20yds and a Hornets nest of pain out to 50yds. All I use it for is Turkeys

[jackelope]

Use a Thompson Encore Turkey 12ga. Tru glo ported choke to tame it a little. Got quite a whop to it being it weighs barely 6# but with Flightcontrol 2oz of #6 or Mag blend 5,6&7 shot will leave a fist sized hole at 20yds and a Hornets nest of pain out to 50yds. All I use it for is Turkeys

I'd do that quick if the barrel alone wasn't $400. Even used.... $300-350. One of these days I will. Do they get bothered when you cock the hammer??

[Nosferatu]

Every *censored* here is just going to tell you what their favorite and probably only experience they have with a turkey gun. My personal favorite is my bow, after that, I use a Benelli Nova, 26", even over my Benelli SuperNova 24" pistol grip and various other shotguns. I used to have a a Benelli M1014 tactical that fragged a few turkeys, that would probably be my other choice. I've used Mossberg 590A1, 500, 535, Rem. 870, 11-87, Beretta 1201FP, Ithaca, winchester 1300, and single shot H&R shotguns. They all have produced dead birds.

Basically, it doesn't matter what freakin' shotgun you use. They are all good enough to kill a turkey. The only turkey that matters is the one behind the trigger. Are YOU good enough to get close enough to get a good shot?