RE: Need gun selection help, here's why.
 

When you say the number of hits in a 10" circle at 45 yds, you say one gun had 40 and the other had 16? That isn't much, and IMO not good enough to hunt with.

But, the number of hits in a 10" circle is not really what you need to know, you should be concerned with the number of hits in the head/neck of a turkey. You want as many as you can reasonably get, but I hear 10 is about the minimum acceptable number.

I shoot a Mossberg 500, with Win. SuperX 3" #5, standard full choke, and I limit my shots to 30-35 yds. I know with an extra full chokeI could get more range, but I hunt in areas where I can't really see more than 30, so any bird I can see I can usually shoot. Very tight chokes are good for extra range, but they also make close shots harder because the pattern is very small at say 15-20 yds.

As for your choice of guns, I'd think about getting a Mossberg 500, 535, or 835. If money is an issue, you can usually find used ones in shops on on-line.

RE: Need gun selection help, here's why.
 

I agree and disagree with UncleNorby. 45 hits isn't much, but I would stick with the 10" circle. Work with different choke and load combinations until you have I'd say a minimum of 100 hits evenly distributed within the circle @ 40 yards. Those head and neck targets look pretty cool, but keep in mind that a turkey's head is constantly moving, and can be anywhere in that 10" circle by the time you pull the trigger. I'm still working on my gun, but the last time I shot at paperI put 165 pellets in a 10" circle @ 40 yards. The gun was a Mossy 835, 20" barrel and a .690 Jelly Head choke. Load was 3.5" 2.25 oz #6 Hevi-13s.

RE: Need gun selection help, here's why.
 

The circle thing is useful in determining where thedensest part of the pattern is hitting relative to the point of aim.

Shoot at a specific spot at say 30 yds. Then try to surround the greatest number of hits with a circle of whatever size. Compare the center of the circle to the spot you aimed at to determine whether your gun shoots high, low, left or right. Do a couple times to verify.

RE: Need gun selection help, here's why.
 

The Rem 870 Express Super Mag in 12 ga. with a Primos Super Full Turkey screw in choke and Win.Supreme 3 (it shoots 3 1/2 also) inch shells in #4 is a good combo.

RE: Need gun selection help, here's why.
 

Quite right, that is the exact reason you use the 10" circle as a guideline instead of a turkey head target.