Post by: Sea Axe on February 01, 2019, 08:59:50 AM
This year I bought a Benelli Nova 28" in waterfowl camo. It comes with 3 factory chokes and I am going to pick out a 3.5" shell for turkeys. I plan to hit the patterning board with my chosen ammo and the factory full choke in the coming weeks, but I have a couple of concerns. First is that I will have no experience patterning turkey chokes and nothing I can compare my factory choke to. I won't really know ifnits worth buying an aftermarket choke or not. What are some clues I should be looking for at the patterning board that would make me realize the factory choke isn't up to snuff? My second concern is that I had planned to go into the woods this year with just the neon red bead sight that came on the gun, but I'm starting to see lots of information on scoping shotguns for turkey hunting. I have good eyesight and I can hit clay targets on the move without a sight, so I'm wondering why there are so many options for scoping in a shotgun to aim at a slow moving target at the same distance. Am i doing a disservice to myself or the birds by not putting a scope on my gun? If so what is a good place to start that I can add with minimal alteration to the gun.
Finally, I am looking for a camo sling strap for my Nova. If you have a brand you like let me know!
Thanks in advance for all your help. Cheers!
Post by: Stein on February 01, 2019, 09:04:48 AM
For both ducks and turkey, I haven't seen much, if any, improvement going from factory to expensive choke. Of course that will depend on the gun,load, etc.
I would start by buying some quality turkey shells (prepare for sticker shock) and go pattern them. You can print out free 8.5x11 turkey targets which I like because it's easy to see and count the number of pellets in the vitals.
From there, go shoot at yardages you are comfortable with. The pattern should be very tight with a nice spread within a small circle. Similar to waterfowl, you want good even coverage within that circle, but a smaller circle than for ducks.
If your bead is aiming point of impact and you can effectively hit the target at distances you are happy with, no need to go any further. My thought is that sights are for those that either want them, want to shoot accurately farther, don't have a bead or the bead is off and they can't adjust and don't want to hold off for that.
Post by: Henrydog on February 01, 2019, 09:25:21 AM
For patterning a field gun it should shoot "flat" meaning 50% of the pellets about the spot you aimed at 50% lower. Chokes very in tightness from brand to brand. The gun should have come with a full choke....that should do the trick. You can drop money on a "turkey choke" it may or may not be any tighter than the factory tube. For turkey the tighter the pattern the better. That said when my son was young he dropped a huge Rio with a 20ga Mod choke with 3" #4's at 35 yards.
Post by: Yelper Guy on February 01, 2019, 10:12:36 AM
The sling I use is called the claw.
Post by: ian_padron on February 01, 2019, 02:40:07 PM
Dramatic improvements across the board in pattern density with a Remington 887, Winchester SX4, and Franchi Affinity once I swapped to a Kicks High Flyer.
No experience with my Turkey gun however.
I'm a beginner turkey hunter, but you are asking some basic questions so I'll take a stab.
For both ducks and turkey, I haven't seen much, if any, improvement going from factory to expensive choke. Of course that will depend on the gun,load, etc.
I would start by buying some quality turkey shells (prepare for sticker shock) and go pattern them. You can print out free 8.5x11 turkey targets which I like because it's easy to see and count the number of pellets in the vitals.
From there, go shoot at yardages you are comfortable with. The pattern should be very tight with a nice spread within a small circle. Similar to waterfowl, you want good even coverage within that circle, but a smaller circle than for ducks.
If your bead is aiming point of impact and you can effectively hit the target at distances you are happy with, no need to go any further. My thought is that sights are for those that either want them, want to shoot accurately farther, don't have a bead or the bead is off and they can't adjust and don't want to hold off for that.
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Post by: 270Shooter on February 02, 2019, 03:25:48 PM
Post by: hughjorgan on February 02, 2019, 03:40:50 PM
Post by: huntnfmly on February 02, 2019, 04:34:50 PM
Throw in the factory full choke and pattern it, may need to try a few different loads and 3 1/2” shells are not necessarily going to pattern better than 3” shells. I’d recommend the Winchester longbeard XR, I think they are the best lead loads out there. You don’t need a scope, limit your shots to 40 yards and shoot them in the neck. Benelli’s typically shoot high so you will want to pay attention where you are holding and where the majority of your pattern is.Another vote for the winchester long beard xr my youngest daughter shoots that out of her nova great Turkey load
Post by: MtnMuley on February 03, 2019, 02:18:11 AM
Throw in the factory full choke and pattern it, may need to try a few different loads and 3 1/2” shells are not necessarily going to pattern better than 3” shells. I’d recommend the Winchester longbeard XR, I think they are the best lead loads out there. You don’t need a scope, limit your shots to 40 yards and shoot them in the neck. Benelli’s typically shoot high so you will want to pay attention where you are holding and where the majority of your pattern is.:yeah: :tup:
Post by: biggfish on February 03, 2019, 03:58:22 AM
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Post by: slavenoid on February 03, 2019, 07:39:08 AM
Post by: MR5x5 on February 03, 2019, 09:18:46 AM
Post by: kevinlisa06 on February 03, 2019, 06:51:32 PM
Patterning your gun is one of the most important things you need to do before your hunt. If you can afford an aftermarket choke by all means do it. The tighter your pattern is the better especially if your shooting at 40 yards or beyond. But make sure it’s still good at closer ranges. The gold standard for patterns is 100 pellets in a 10” circle. Trying different shells/ choke combinations may be necessary to achieve this at 40 yards. Every gun will shoot differently. A lot of different choke manufacturers now so there’s a lot of competition. Good luck to ya and have fun!
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Post by: TheStovePipeKid on February 04, 2019, 06:48:53 PM
Post by: bearpaw on February 04, 2019, 07:33:10 PM
Post by: Russ McDonald on February 04, 2019, 07:53:54 PM
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Post by: HikerHunter on February 06, 2019, 11:05:38 AM
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on February 06, 2019, 03:02:55 PM
Post by: scooby on February 08, 2019, 03:29:59 PM
Post by: scooby on March 05, 2019, 09:10:08 AM
"Our point-of-impact specifications are:
Up to 2" left or right of point of aim
Up to 5" above point of aim
Up to 2" below point of aim
If you choose to pattern your shotgun from a stationary rest, we recommend that you follow the same specifications used by our factory. Benelli shotguns are tested with a patterning board 20 yards from the muzzle using the method illustrated below. Overlay the front bead (red circle in the illustration) and the mid-bead (small black dot on the illustration). The top of the front bead should be held at the bottom of the target center.
Benelli shotguns are designed to place a higher percentage of the shot pattern slightly above the point-of-aim. This patterning design has proven deadly on waterfowl, upland birds and clays for decades and gives hunters the advantage of a more open sight picture. Less barrel covering up your target means better visibility. By design, this equates to the center of the overall shot pattern being a few inches above the point-of-aim.
There are ways to adjust the point-of-impact. Options may include adjusting the shims or changing to a larger front bead. We recommend that you contact our customer service department if you have additional questions."
Post by: konradcountry on March 05, 2019, 06:29:38 PM
so I'm wondering why there are so many options for scoping in a shotgun to aim at a slow moving target at the same distance. Am i doing a disservice to myself or the birds by not putting a scope on my gun?
The scope can actually help with shorter range shots. This is because the spread is tight at close range with modern turkey chokes which makes it easier to miss.
I would go with a red dot over a scope for faster acquisition. But that's just my personal preference.
Either that or use front and rear fiber optic sights. They don't cost much and are easy to install. I wouldn't do a plain bead. The fiber really helps in low light conditions.
Make sure to practice taking consecutive shots. The 3.5s can really kick and take some practice getting back on target. Practice with cheaper 3.5 duck loads.