Okay folks, I' m relying on you here. The answers you give me will dictate whats under the tree this Christmas, so don' t put any pressure on yourselves. Thanks for all the info I' m getting in here by the way.

Okay- myself. I want a 12 gauge. Doesn' t matter to me particularly whether its a Mossberg, Remington, Winchester...., just need a good gun for turkey hunting. Probably won' t do any other kind of hunting for the next year or two, except maybe some bird hunting of some sort (other than the king of all birds). Don' t want to spend a " ton" of money, but need a good reliable gun. What would you folks suggest?

Secondly, I have a twelve year-old that is learning along with me. I' m going to move him real slow through all this as long as his interest continues. He' s a typical kid for his age. He has completed a hunter safety course as he wanted to do it, plus I' ve taught him plenty about gun safety. I' m hearing a lot of suggestions for a .410 for him. But, I think he can easily handle a 20 gauge. Again, decent gun, but I don' t want it made of gold or anything. I need a couple of guns I can get out and hunt in the weather with. For him, what would you suggest??

Okay... I' ll let you all off the hook. I can' t promise I' ll use your advice. ha ha

Remingtom 870 - 12 &20 Gauge...BT

I agree wholeheartedly with BT here![:-]870' s for the money,versatility,and reliability are tough to beat!I' ve had one for quite awhile(12G) and its been in some downright nasty conditions,duck hunting and chukar hunting, and just keeps performing!!

You didn' t mention any sort of budget, but for me I love the 870 Remington but I have never had a moments regret shooting the Mossberg. Plus it is about half of what the Remington or Winchester costs. You won' t go wrong with any of the three you listed tho. All haver their repsective strong points and weak points.
Good luck and good hunting but always hunt safe.....

what BT and Bob said.My 12 year old shot his first turkey this fall with a 20 ga.Killed it dead.The 870 is a hard gun to beat,plannin on gettin my son one for Christmas too.

Same here, the 870 for the money is awful hard to beat, and while you are at it, look at the 870 super mag for yourself, they are a great turkey gun.

Great advice. Thats exactly the two guns I personally would feel most comfortable with. You' re advice tells me I' m probably right. But, this Browning 20 gauge , 22" barrel, with mossy " break-up" camo pattern and the NWTF logo is a flirting with me a bit as well. Thanks though. I' ll probably wind up going 870 12 and 20.

I also recommend the Rem 870. It was my first 12ga pump that I owned and I loved it. Too bad it was stolen about 8 years ago. [:' (] I now shoot a Rem 11-87 which does the job well too. Just a heavier gun since it' s an autoloader.

Well if you want a gun that you can use for upland bird hunting also i would have to agree with the 870, in supermag that is. The supermag will allow you to shoot 3 1/2" for turks and waterfowl. Now if you want a strictly turkey gun you may want to look at the Mossberg 835 in camo, but i wouldnt suggest lugging one around hunting upland but it loves the turkey woods and you could drop it in quicksand, pull it out, and blast ole doulble beard!!

See if you can find a good 16 gauge for your son, recoil is very light and still has good power.For yourself, the Mossberg 835 is a great gobbler gun with lots of nice little extras; stock spacers, padded sling,carry case,good camo and did I mention the 10yr. warrenty?