ORIGINAL: stalkingbear
I have had 2 bps for turkey but both were 10 gauge. I havn't had any shooting experience with 12 gauge bps. The first I left stock and let a buddy talk me out of it. The second was a stalker model. With all other things being equal,a 10 gauge 3.5" will pattern tighter than a 12 gauge 3.5". This is because of a shorter but wider shot load/string thus less pellet deformation. Yall can argue with me but that is the truth. The stalker I set up to be the ultimate turkey gun and got what I wanted at the time-since then I switched over to bowhunting only,even for turkey.
I backbored,tapered forcing cone,ported,hand honed blank choke tube,indexed it to bore,and drilled reciever for full saddle mount(6 8x40),and red dot sight. At 60 yards-NOT 40-it would put the WHOLE pattern into 37"-40". Needless to say,It was the tightest patterning shotgun I've ever seen outside of outlaw turkey shoot guns.
Oh yea, I believe ya about the 10Ga thing stalker. I see it with alot of goose hunting comparing the two. But I don't want to go the 10ga route. Ammo is not available as 3" and 3.5" 12ga for turkey. But steel shot is for goose hunters for 10ga.
TheBPSis supposed to already be backboredand forcing cone lengthened to the max. Did yougo further? I have had 870 barrels worked on, but my gunsmith said he won't do it on a newer browning, cause at that point, you are hurting performance.