ORIGINAL: smokems
Thanks for the reply swampcollie. I am tossed up between it and a mossberg 835. The t/c is $200 more, but will cost less for "another" gun in the longrun. One thing I am not sure about though is the frame is camo, I dont know if you can get other barrels camo. Might not look right with a stainless barrel with everything else realtree hd. The other thing is, the mossberg takes a 3 1/2 and the tc only goes to 3.
If YOU want a just turkey gun... the 835 is pretty much unbeatable in my experience. I have an 835 grand slam I have been using for the past four springs. Its awesome.. Light weight, throws AMAZING patterns, nice and short. Fairly inexpensive too. Kicks like a newly branded mule though.. its not one for the daughter to use.
There are a limited few barrels that are dipped in camo for the TC... but most are blued. I would recommend not getting an all camo, but its purely cosmetic anyway. Camo guns tend to fade to white with the years. That 835 GS is the only camo gun I ever have and probably ever will own. I think camo on guns is rather silly personally. But thats just my flavor of choice. Nothing wrong with them at all. They are more expensive though, and that is a consideration.
3.5" shells are only advantageous for turkey hunting as well (again.. this is my opinion...plenty of my waterfowling peers will say I'm blastpheming... but I think its pretty much useless on anything but turkeys). I've shot lots of turkeys with 3" shells... and my father (who by my count has killed over 75 just since I was born.. and who knows how many before that) has never used anything but his 2 3/4" 1100 with a modified barrel. It is certainly doable, don't think you MUST have a 3.5. As well.. most 3.5 guns don't shoot (pattern) 3.5" shells all that great anyway. The 835 is the exception, because it has a 10 gauge barrel on it. A 10 is the ultimate turkey gun. The only problem is, they are expensive to buy and expensive to feed (compared to a 12 that is) and a "light" weight one tips the scales at about 9 pounds. But even my 835, which is extremely good even for any 12 gauge.. is only about as good as an average 10.