First Gobbler I ever shot at got away, and after that I was a firm believer in "bigger is better". I was 16 and bought a 16 gauge "long tom" single shot Ithaca. Patterned real well at 30 yds with #6 shot. Called in a monster gobbler with the longest beard I ever remember seeing on a wild bird, and took the shot at 28 steps. The bird rolled and got up and away. Sold the gun to another fella with all the shells I had for it, and when He shot it, He said the pattern was good, but the bb's wouldn't even penetrate a piece of foam insulation. That summer I did a lot of reading, and bought a bolt action Marlin supergoose 10 gauge, and throughout the years haven't hunted with anything less than a 3 1/2" 12 gauge for turkeys. I haven't lost a bird since. I do a lot more shooting for pattern AND penetration, and I limit My shots to 30 yds. And, I don't feel comfortable unless My turkey targets have at least 15 holes in the head and neck area at 30 yds. I currently shoot a Mossberg 835 with the factory x-tra full choke and copper plated # 4's. Very nice, tight pattern at mark 30.