turkey gun question
 

I am planning on trying turkey hunting for the first time next spring and I need to get a new shotgun. How important is it to get a gun with a turkey barrel with the adjustable sights? The gun I was looking at had a 26" barrel with just a bead on the front. I plan on getting a turkey choke for this gun too.
Any and all advice would be appreciated

RE: turkey gun question
 

Great to hear you're wanting to get into it. It's addicting and you'll love it! My Rem 870 has I think a 22 or 23" barrel andtwo beads. Just line em up and shoot. I would recommend a barrel shorter than 26", just for convenience. I've never had adjustable sights, so I can't say much about them. As far as your question, how important is it to have adj sights? It's not at all. You'll find out when you hit the turkey woods that having a nice gun helps, but it's not your most important tool. Good luck and happy gun shopping!

RE: turkey gun question
 

I like 24" barrels

RE: turkey gun question
 

I have dedicated guns just for turkey. But to save money a 26" gun could be used for more than just turkeys and can be converted by just changing the choke. That way you can use it for ducks, dove, pheasant and other upland birdsand of course turkey.

The single bead is no problem but I would add a set of Tru-Glo clamp on (not magnetic) sights. Try-Glo does make a set of clamp on adjustable sights so your back ramp can be set for windage and elevation. Why? Today's turkey chokes give you a very tight pattern and you are just aiming at the head. Under 30 yards and the closer the bird is the smaller/ more denseyour pattern is. Tru-Glo sights help you keep your head down and use that shot-gun as if it was a rifle. The sights can be easily removed and then replaced with little trouble. Once you put the sights back on - A few shots at a patterning target and you are back on. I did this for years until I dedicated a gun for just turkeys.

The gun I used was a Remignton 11-87 SP. It has a matte finish to which camoflage is not needed.

Let us know what you have chosen and do come back as if you take the time to read all the past threads here there is wealth of inforamtion from some very good turkey hunters here!

JW

RE: turkey gun question
 

i have a 28" barrel, doesnt keep me from hunting anything. so 26" should be fine. good luck

RE: turkey gun question
 

I have the 870 super mag with the 26" barrel. I really like it and i don't really mind the extra 3 or 4inches. I used to use the factory remington super full choke and i shot a few birdsat 40-45 yards with that choke but then i tryed the turglo Gobble stopper choke tubethis year and my patterns tighten up quite a bit. As for adjustable sightsI have never used them. I have turglo Glo bead on the tip of my gun and thats all i have. The farthest turkey i have shot was at 51 yards. But i can see the the plus side of using adjustable sights but i really don't think you need them at all but thats just my thoughts.

RE: turkey gun question
 

Good point made about the longer barrel for more than just turkey. Mine is strictly a turkey gun. I don't duck hunt and whenever I do shoot doves the short barrel works ok.....would do better with a longer one. But as they said, if I was goin to buy a gun for more than just turkey hunting, a long barrel likethe 26" you looked at is ideal. As far as turkey huntin, any good12 gauge, or even 20 gauge,with the right choke and load will kill a bird.

RE: turkey gun question
 

I would recommend getting a set of sights for the gun.....you can always take them off if you want to use it for something else later on.
While you are patterning you will notice quite a few different shells will not pattern the same, and that is when you will want to be using adjustable sights.
Once you decide what gun you are going to get just let me know and I should be able to point you in the direction of a couple of good shell/choke combos.
Welcome to the addiction of turkey hunting!

RE: turkey gun question
 

I wouldn't want anything to do with a shotgun that had an after-market super tight turkey choke and just a single bead sight! That is one sure way to miss a LOT of Gobblers. If you still want to get that gun and barrel combo, look into adding a scope or red dot mount to it and your problems will be solved. Good luck and good shootin'

RE: turkey gun question
 

I have 1 gun for turkey hunting. Its a Mossberg 500 with a factory xx-ful turkey choke. Best darn gun Ive owned. They are not very expensive either...

RE: turkey gun question
 

I used to hunt with an old 870 Express with a 28" barrel. Stick an extended choke on that baby and you're talkin a long barrel. I love that gun, put a nice camo stock on it, sims recoil pad, low power scope... The only issues I had with the gun were the barrel was too long and it got heavy carrying it around all day. Don't get me wrong, it did the job, but this season I picked up a mossberg 835 with a 20" barrel. That gun is light! It was a pleasure slinging it over my shoulder and not getting hung up on every twig in sight. Also, I could set up almost anywhere and not have to worry about the barrel being too long to swing because of saplings in the way, etc. I have a sims pad on the 835 too. Lighter gun = Murderous recoil. The sims pad helps alot. In the field it doesn't matter, you don't feel the recoil whenyou shoot aturkey. You sure feel it when patterning at the range though. Btw, I put a jelly head choke on it and with hevi-13 3.5" 2.25 oz #6's it shoots a very nice pattern at 40.

RE: turkey gun question
 

I am almost embarassed to post this but, I hunt turkey with a New England Arms 12ga. No special Chokes no special camoflage. Just me and my ole Partner in the woods. I do put a lot of effort into my calling or not calling. I also invested in a camera last Christmas, now I need to work on the computer.

RE: turkey gun question
 

If you are looking to buy a gun specifically for turkey hunting I would suggest using guns that are designed for just that ie: Mossberg 835/935, Remington 11-87, or what others there may be. When I went looking for a gun specifically for turkey, I was able to find a used Mossberg 835 for around $250 that had the mossy oak break up camo on it, tru glo fiber optic sights, and the factory choke.
If you have a used gun dealer in your area I am sure you can find a used Mossberg any where from $150-250. If your not partial to Mossberg I am sure you can find a quality Remington or any brand of gun for a decent price that is set up for turkey hunting. Then you wont have to worry about adjustable sights, buying a choke, or the barrel length.
Good luck to you!

RE: turkey gun question
 

26" barrel is fine. Are you sure it only has a single bead? Check the vent rib and see if there is a really small bead there.

RE: turkey gun question
 

The choice of a shotgun isn't as important as you preparation for the hunt. Scouting, calling, etc. As you can tel by all the types of guns used. I use an Ithaca model 37 with a full choke and 30 in barrel. My wife uses a Remington 870 Wingmaster, full choke, 30 inch barrel. Both do the job and are good for other game as well.
Good luck. Hope you enjoy turkey hunting.

Spurow from Mo

RE: turkey gun question
 

I agree with most of the replies here. I've turkey hunted with gun with 21", 23", 24",26" and28" barrels and they all worked fine. Just be sure find a good turkey tubeand take the time to work a patternfor it. Try several different brands, shot, shot size and powder loads.Don't think that because something worked well in your buddy’s gun will work the same out of yours. Even if it's the same gun, choke and load, they allspit them a little different.Don't get me wrong, asking what someone uses with the same choke/gunyou have is OK and can be a great way to narrow things down but it should never be, "it's good enough". Always check your gun to seehow your choke & turkey load is throwing things.


I forget who posted it but they said adjustable sights and not important. I don't agree 100% with that one. If you got a gun with achoke &turkey load worked up and it'****ting perfect, than he's correct thatyou don't need an adjustable sights but I find that hard to believe. I've been turkey hunting almost 20 years now and out of the 6 different turkey guns I've owned over the years, not one of them was dead nuts. I'm sure a lot of guys will swear that their does and it might butonly one of my turkey hunting buddies I hunted withall those years& in 6 states, had a gun that was spitting adead nut pattern.


When I first started they didn't have the affordable add on adjustable sights they have now. So I was forced due to my lack of money to use the ole Kentucky windage on my gun and I made the best of it. If you need and can afford an adjustable sight, I'd say get it. There's nothing worst than having a gobbler come ingetting your blood pumping,your heart pounding and all excited only to miss him because you forgot to hold high left.
[&o]