Turkey Guns.

[toolguy]

No,not guns that have done miserably in the market place but guns used for the sport of hunting turkeys.LOL.

There was a time when 28" to 32" barrels were the norm for all of shotgun hunting.Then there came a revolution in shotshell construction,which continues until today.I won't go off into a discussion of these advancements but just mention it because it has allowed what I want to discuss and that is the current state of the turkey gun.

Turkey guns today invariably will be a gun with a shorter barrel,modified stock,specialty choke tubes and likely a telescopic or electronic red dot sight.

Here is a gun that I've configured for the sport of turkey hunting.It does incorporate most of the of the features I mentioned in the previous sentence.It is a Benelli M2 camouflage equipped with a pistol grip stock,a 21" barrel,extended Indian Creek First Strike choke tube and a Burris Fast Fire III red dot sight.

PS: Successful turkey hunting is a result of a hunters skill and not a result of his equipment.Although telling this turkey hunter that state of the art equipment is not necessary is akin to telling a Sak guy that the only SAK you need is a SwissChamp.LOL.

Let's see some turkey guns from our members.

[kosmo]

I had a 24" Turkey barrel for my TC Encore.  With an OAL of 38" it was pretty compact.  TC also made a shorter ~20"? turkey barrel. I got it to shoot rifled slugs using a different choke.  Unfortunately at 50 yards the sights didn't have enough adjustment for shooting slugs.  It had a heck of a kick as well.

[toolguy]

This Benelli is about 45" with the extended choke accounting for 2" of the overall length.

[Grathr]

If I tried hunting turkeys here I would get shot by a angry turkey farmer


Sent from a device made from star dust using tapatalk

[dks]

Fast burning powders have made longer barrels unnecessary for the full burn of the powder and made pellet speed gains from longer barrels minimal, but the swing speed/smoothness and aim are still dependent on barrel length/weight for many people. Some like long, heavy barrels as they believe they improve the aim and their swing.

I have never shot Turkey, so I am just talking in general.

[toolguy]

I would agree with what you posted.

My goose gun has a 28" barrel and one of my open field guns also sports a 28" barrel.

Turkeys,however, are very rarely shot "on the wing".They are generally shot on the ground,hopefully moving slowly towards your call.LOL.

Shorter barrels also allow better movement when hunting in close quarters or in areas of heavy brush and ground cover.

[dks]

Hunting for me usually involves a bit of walking without too much actual shooting so I prefer a lighter gun, that may kick a bit more but is easier to carry.

In situations where I will be staying in the same spot and shooting a lot  (clay shooting, migratory passing game) a heavier gun, with good heat dissipation (vented), is my choice.

Traditionally hunters would walk for hours, with a few shots taken, at smaller game, so lighter guns, for non-magnum loads are generally prefered in the Mediterranean area.

Turkey hunting is totally unknown to me. 

[toolguy]

I agree whole heartedly with your assessment of field guns versus target guns.

I used to shoot a Krieghoff K-80 Super Scroll for sporting clays competition.When it was all finished including some custom work,it weighed 9 1/2 pounds.This is not a shotgun that I would want to carry afield but it was a pleasure to shoot for two hundred rounds a day.

My field guns now are all Benellis.Even the 12 gauge models with the 28" barrels weigh just slightly over 7 lbs.The 20 gauge models weigh 5 1/2 lbs.

You don't know what you're missing not being able to hunt turkeys.It is challenging and when you're successful it's quite rewarding.

[dks]

I find turkey meat quite bland, but the turkeys we get here are farmed. Maybe the wild one will have a more gamey flavour.

Everybody here shoots Double barrel shotguns for legal reasons. Mainly O/U nowadays. (I think I wrote a bit about that in a thread, maybe the firearms thread, a while back).
The biggest game here, sizewise, is the hare, so a Turkey will be a huuuge animal for me.

[kosmo]

I've been intrigued by the shotgun slug shooting sports that have developed in the Baltic countries.  Rifles where highly restricted in the soviet years, but shotguns where much more common for various hunting and sporting purposes.

[Chako]

This is a Remington 870 SPS Super Mag Turkey/Predator with red/greed dot sight. I won't be taking it hunting, as I wanted something I might be able to use in shotgun competitions. I have added a 2 to 3 shell extension tube magazine. The shotgun came with a Remington Wingmaster HD Extended Full turkey choke. I am quite happy to say I have now found a Remington Wingmaster HD Over Decoys Modified cylinder choke for it.

[Chako]

Here is a photo with the magazine extension.

[toolguy]

I find turkey meat quite bland, but the turkeys we get here are farmed. Maybe the wild one will have a more gamey flavour.
Everybody here shoots Double barrel shotguns for legal reasons. Mainly O/U nowadays. (I think I wrote a bit about that in a thread, maybe the firearms thread, a while back).
The biggest game here, sizewise, is the hare, so a Turkey will be a huuuge animal for me.

I can assure you that you haven't tasted turkey prepared properly if you think it's bland.But that's another potential post.

Since I have injured my right shoulder on numerous occasions,I've all but given up on fixed breech guns.I just recently sold my last O/U a Beretta 682 Gold Sporting gun.After a day of shooting,the pain in my shoulder was more than I'm willing to tolerate,so semi-autos,especially the Benellis,get the nod for most of my shotgunning endeavors.

Fortunately we are able to hunt rabbit,pheasant,turkey,dove,duck,geese and squirrel when I'm not using a .22.

[toolguy]

Here is a photo with the magazine extension.

Chako,you can never go wrong with the 870 in almost any configuration.

Congrats.

[NKlamerus]

Agreed on the 870. However..............

My dad's has easily had 10,000 rounds through it. And even after servicing it still jams. Kinda disappointing for what should be a "Lifetime" gun.

[Chako]

Yep, I am still getting some jamming issues, mind you it is still a brand new gun with less than a box of shells through it. On the bad side, the shotgun was at the shop due to a poor Trueglow red dot sight that broke the first time I took it out. Had to wait for a replacement...then the second sight broke as well. Going to bring this to the local shops attention and Remington as well.

[cool123]

I had a 24" Turkey barrel for my TC Encore.  With an OAL of 38" it was pretty compact.  TC also made a shorter ~20"? turkey barrel. I got it to shoot rifled slugs using a different choke.  Unfortunately at 50 yards the sights didn't have enough adjustment for shooting slugs.  It had a heck of a kick as well.

(Image removed from quote.)

Really a nice hunting accessories.