Best Ammo and Turkey Choke for 870 Express

[kerrdog]

Hey Y'all,

I'm planning to hunt turkey with unleaded shot; my wife is concerned about lead .  I've got a full choke on my 870 Express that came with it and it says "lead or steel."  I used it to hunt duck this year with steel.  Anyway,  do I need to get a turkey choke for turkey?  The one I saw for Hevi-Shot was over $100 bucks!  My shotgun only cost $200 back in the day.  Is it worth it?  What's the best unleaded shot for Turkey?

[bobcat]

Hevi-shot's probably as good or better than anything. Any of the lead alternatives will work, but I wouldn't use steel. I don't think you need a special turkey choke. I'd just use #6 hevi shot with your regular full choke. At least try that for starters, and pattern it to be sure the pattern is acceptable, and so you know your max range.

[carpsniperg2]

I like #6 shot and I would also say hevi-shot. Shoot your gun with a factory full choke if you have one and see what patterns it will throw out. I shoot a primos jelly head in my BPS. I am sure they make them for the 870's. It is by far the best turkey/coyote choke I have ever shot. If you have to get a diffrent choke tube, I would look into them.

[C-Money]

I have killed Toms with #4's, 5's, & 6's. They all died just fine. All killed with lead. I have used a regular full choke, a extra full turkey choke and my favorite is an extra full trap choke. The 870 is a great turkey killer, and has shot all my toms. Unless you are really set against it, real lead is hard to beat!

[Bob33]

Whether or not you need a special turkey choke depends on two things: (1) how well your gun patterns with the existing choke, and (2) the maximum distance you plan to shoot.  If your shots are 30 yards or less I don't think you need anything special.  Once you start getting past 35 to 40 yards, you really do need a very tight pattern in order to put enough pellets into the head/neck.   Go buy a pack of turkey head/neck targets and pattern your gun. That will tell you the maximum distance you can get with your existing setup.

There are quite a few more #6 pellets per ounce than even #5s, so I would start patterning with them.  If you can get tight, even patterns with good shot material you're set.  Lead is very good and it's still legal for turkeys in most places.  Hevy Shot is probably better than lead in most instances but it's more expensive.

Good luck!

[bearpaw]

I can understand your wife's concern.

I have seen birds shot with about any cartridge or shotgun imaginable. Honestly, a cheap Mossberg or Remington will kill any turkey just as dead as the most expensive Benelli or otherwise. The choke makes a huge difference though. Every year some hunters show up at my place with full chokes and at least half are sorry they did after a bird or two fly away. They end up using one of our guns with an extra full.

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, before you waste several hundred dollars on fuel going to hunt, just to miss a bird, spend $50 on a good choke tube. This link is for a super full, you could go with a choke not quite as tight, but a full is really not good for turkey. With this super full choke and #6 or #7 1/2 hevy shot, you will be darn effective out to 50+ yards with this setup.  But if you are close, you will need to be right on, or you will miss.

I always recommend #6 lead because there are almost twice as many pellets as #4 and also many more than #5. You really want the thickest pattern you can get, so 7 1/2 hevy shot are flat killer, I saw a guy drop a bird at 60 after I told him he better not shoot, I was really surprised.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=remington+hevi+shot+choke+tubes&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=16491212804652806516&ei=A2FGTbPxOYa0sAPw9-zzCg&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CGIQ8wIwAQ#

[bearpaw]

Forgot to mention the cost comparison as Bob did. He's right they are more expensive, but in my experience you add 10 yards and more efficiency at the same range you will have more efficiency than with lead.

Cartridges are the cheapest part of hunting, get the best you can buy and you won't regret it. Why take a chance for $15 difference in price?   

[satchel3006]

Try this one
http://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/remington-choke-tubes/RemSF
9.99 its rated for lead, hevi shot, and steel. I ordered 2 for for my 20 gauge (1 was for my dad) and it got here in a few days. I haven't shot mine yet but i hear good things its hard not to try it when it 10.00 bucks

[CP]

I don’t understand your wife’s concern at all, but if you must have something non-tox I suggest Kent tungsten: 

http://www.kentgamebore.com/tungsten_matrix_high_performance.asp

It should shoot fine out of your 870’s full choke.

[jackelope]

PATTERN PATTERN PATTERN!!

[bearpaw]

PATTERN PATTERN PATTERN!!

I agree, just as important as location, location, location, in real estate....

[jackelope]

I used a Primos Jelly Head in my 870 with #5 Nitro mag turkey loads. They pattern real well.
I don't know what non-lead shot to tell you to use because I never tried any of them.

[Andrew]

I shoot an 870 with a Remington 'extra full' turkey choke .665 choke constriction.  I've asked Remington if I can use Hevi through it, the response that I got was that it is not preferred.  Also, they commented on the fact that Remington develops their chokes based on their shotguns and ammunition (kinda makes sense I suppose ).  To test this response I patterned my gun at 30, 40, and 60 yards utilizing Remington, Winchester, and Federal loads.  Guess what...the Remington patterned the best. 

I've yet to shoot past 20 yards, as well, I've yet to find a pellet while eating my birds if this is the worry about eating lead shot.  BTW - biting into Hevi has more risk of damaging a tooth versus getting lead poisoning from eating a lead pellet.

My advice, if you are going to buy non toxic turkey rounds and go the Hevi route...I'd buy a choke specifically aimed at Hevi cause similar to my experience I'm sure the research and development of which was used solely with Hevi loads.  I personally would not spend the money, like many others have stated lead will knock them down hard with a patterned gun, and a responsible shot. 

[bearpaw]

As everyone knows you can damage a shotgun by shooting steel through the wrong choke tubes made for lead. I'm not sure if Hevy Shot can cause the same damage as steel, but that's a good reason I would recommended a "Hevy Shot" choke tube for shooting Hevy Shot.

[Button Nubbs]

I'm shootin a jelly head choke and 3" #4 hevi-shot. Patterns well out to 55 yards. Kicks like a donkey tho...