RedAllison

I finally have it, my dad came over this weekend and brought my grandfathers old Stevens model 520 28" 12ga that he (my grandfather) was given for his 12th birthday. The gun was second hand then (my family was oftypical means for a southern family during the Depression) and ithas a 5 digit serial number that begins with a 4. My dad was given the gun before my grandfather passed away in 93 (much too the anger of my uncle, I already was given my grandfathers deer rifle, a Marlin 336 35 but I am the only serious hunter and collector in the family so I think it best that way ).

Anyway this gun isn't marked chokewise (I am gonna put a digital dial caliper on it at work tomorrow) but my grandfather took it too a turkey shoot in Arkansas back in the 60s and after winning three turkeys he was asked not to come back with that particular gun! He grew up during the Depression in the Mississippi Riverbottoms north of Memphis, TN which is an area that has always been LOADED with turkeys even when the rest of the country nearly saw them too extinction back then. He smoked many a turkeys heads with it in his youth. But after he returned from WWII and Korea he had a wife and eventually 6 kids to care for so he rarely hunted much. In fact he re-blued it (he was an old gearhead and machinist so the gun looks brandnew even today, I wish todays bluings were of such color and quality) when my dad was still young but the gun has basically sat in a case in the closet for the last 40-50 years.

I am considering taking it to Missouri with me this spring for old times sake. I never got to hunt with my grandfather (he was in poor health during most of my early and teen years) so this will be the closest thing too it for me. I will still have my usual plethora of red dot, Rhino and Nitro equipped longrangers like my870 and 835 but I think a morning or two I can coax a bird into range for the old Stevens. It will even be amore unique (or should I say antique?) tripsince I am taking Nationals callmaker champion, the legendary Robert Cliff of Bolivar, TN with me. Mr. Cliff is in his 80s now but builds boxcalls like NONE OTHER!!!

What load should I shoot in this gun? Even though the gun is in extremely good and strong condition I still don't think I should stick a fully modern 1 5/8oz fullboat turkey load through this old gun, it isn't a 3" gun either. What were some of the turkey loads available for the first half of the 1900s? I am thinking something along the lines of #4s between 1 1/4-1 3/8oz. I remember my grandfather talking about how well it shot but I noticed the tap for the bead is visible in the last 1" or 2 of barrel so I don't want to stuff it full of the most possible and possibly blow that bead out (non ramped barrel).

I even question about using copper plated shot, should I stick with normal lead and count on the shotcup to protect the barrel? I will probably only do this once just to say I killed a bird with it. Maybe somewhere in the next few years I will let my sons use it for the same, once.
RA

Adrian J Hare

I would take a 2 3/4 lead shot #6 and head to the turkey woods and call in a Big ol Tom good and close and take the bird with the gun. I would then have a good photo taken with the bird and the gun and with you as well and then place the gun up for a keep sake and leave it at that.

You have gained something that most turkey hunters would love to be a part of and something that a family can look at and understand how important this gun stays with the family...BT

JW

I suggest taking it to a qualified gunsmith and asking the same question.

No sense ruining such a nice trophy and family heritage!

And I agree with Adrain! Got the same thing - a very old front end stuffer percussion side by side that I shot my 3rd turkey on my 40th birthday with.

Now on the mantel!

JW

RedAllison

The gun is in excellent mechanical shape, I aint worried about it failing or bulging a barrel otherwise I wouldn't even dream of firing it if that was the case. Tonight I tried to stick a dime down the end of the barrel and it wouldn't fit so it must be a full choke. We had a box of Winchester Super X 2 3/4" 1 1/4oz #6 highbrass at work so I grabbed a box of them for safe measure. We also have some 2 3/4" 1 5/8oz #6 Winchester Supreme Turkey loads but I don't wanna push the old gun that much. 50 years ago those kind of numbers were in the3" mags.

Can't wait to finally get to "turkey hunt with grandpa",
RA

mauser06

id take it to a good gunsmith and ask him whats the heaviest load that would be safe....alot ofolder guns were built better then todays "magnums" ....i birdhunt with my grandfathers model 50 winchester semi...im sure it has over 10k rounds through it....the bluing is worn and im pretty sure the barrel has been lightly reduced....its supposed to be modified...but either the barrel is thin or its worn through the years.....i put a good 1000 rounds through it myself.....never though about it...all i hunt upland game with is HEAVY field loads....and ive fired a few turkey rounds from it.....dad killed a turkey or 2 with it i think....never thought about it......

Bobgobble2

Sounds like a pretty neat gun you got there Red.The fellas really give you some good advice!The absolute safest way to get a good answer IS have a qualified gunsmith look at it!If you dont I would definately stay away from todays modern turkeys loads with heavy payloads and strong alloys!Shoot lead for sure...Mausers heavy field loads will work fine and most of the major manufacturers makem.Remington offers some nice 2 3/4 high brass loads as big as bb's but 4's and 6's is what I would reccommend!Some of there extended range lead loads have fps's as high as 1330 so you have a pretty safe choice to choose from and maybe experiment some to see what patterns best....

mauser06

bobgobble...thats some of my favorite loads...they pattern pretty nice...and pack a decint punch...20-maybe 30 yards from a 12ga with a GOOD pattern and i wouldnt hesitate a turkey with them loads....when i catch a pheasant too close i wish i didnt pull the trigger....cant eat a pile of feathers!!!! i was using remington extended range 6shot this year and dropped a pheasant at an amazing distance...i REALLY wish someone was with me to be my witness...i died when i saw it fall.....2 flushed wild WAYYY ahead of me...passing crossover shot...30foot high(higher then the tree tops!) and a good 45-50yds away no joke...the look on my face was probably priceless..they were the only birds i seen in 2 days hunting there...i had to make sure my gun still worked!! and i didnt REALLY realize they were THAT far at the time but knew they were far....that shows the power of these loads...folded the bird perfectly.....i had a box of remingtons...forget what they were called but they were NASTY suckers....i think remington extendend LONG range or something...whatever they were.....they were loaded to the max...in 7.5 shot.....man were they meaaaaaaan....sure puts a pounding on the shoulder when your out birdhunting lol..but theres alot of loads out there like that that arent as heavy as turkey loads that should be safe