This spring I'll be going on my first ever turkey hunt in South Texas. While I've done a fair amount of deer hunting and I've seen turkey on our lease, I've never actually hunted them. I have a ton of questions so please forgive my lack of knowledge. First of all, shotgun questions. I'm planning on buying a shotgun barrel for my H&R Ultra but have no idea which barrel to get. Which one- 12 gauge, 20 gauge, choke tube or not, and what length? Or should I look at buying an auto or pump? I'm assuming you only get one shot at a turkey so my H&R single should be plenty, right? Which size shot for the shells? I'll be writing in with more questions. Thanks for being patient with a rookie.

you said you had an H&R single barrel but did not say anything about length of barrel or choke.if it is a full choke,and you gun is chambered for 3" shells,i would try federal.win prem or rem hevishot turkey loads to see which has the best pattern at 40 yards.the full choke probably would shoot 5-6 shot better than #4 and a mod barrel might shoot the 4-5 shot better.most single barrels i have owned were full choke.you just have to start trying to find which load it likes best and what is the best range for that load.also,be sure and see if your gun is chambered for 23/4" or 3" shells.if you don't have a turkey target,get a piece of cardboard and a majic marker and draw a turkey head and shoot at about 40 yards.whatever range you can put several pellets in the head and neck to make a clean kill, will be your effective range.get this project done and determine if your gun will be ok to kill a turkey or not then you can go to the next step.

Cgturner,welcome aboard here...Loner gives good advice,the key is a tight consist pattern out to the 30 to 40 yard mark.This is generally achieved by matching your choke constriction(preferrably full or tighter)to the load your gun likes best.Brand of load and shot size can make a big difference in the consistency of your pattern so as Loner mentioned its up to you to find which one works best.We like patterns tight simply cause without a head-n neck shot your gobbler will leave you wounded![:'(]I'll add one thing here considering your new to the sport!I appreciate the fact you already understand this is a one shot sport if done correctly and what greatly attributes to that is having that gun up and ready when that gobbler gets in tight.If that bird see's you moving your gun into position for a shot because you waited to long to get that gun up than your faced with possibly a longer shot because he saw something he didn't like or worse yet a running shot.Stumps,trees,bushes,small rises in the terrain,and even the fan of the gobblers tail all can block his view of you as he approach's and instead of getting caught up in the moment take advantage of these opportunties and move that gun into position for an easy shot opportunity!No your range and give it to him and you'll be one happy turkey hunter...Good luck...Bob!!

Sorry for not being more clear. I have an H&R .308 rifle for deer hunting. I am going to purchase a barrel for turkey hunting. I need to know which barrel to buy because they have several to offer. Am I correct in assuming that length is not as important as choke? Should I look at the barrel that has screw in choke tubes or the barrels that are choked from the factory? 12 gauge or 20 gauge? Thanks for the advice and keep it coming.

After looking at the H&R web site I would chose The 12 Ga., 24" Turkey, Extra-Full or 12 Ga., 28" Turkey, Extra-Full. Barrel length will make little difference on performance. I think either barrel will work great with the extra full choke they supply. And for $60 bucks you can't beat the price, compared to buying a whole new gun. Good luck, and keep us posted on how the new barrel performs. Keep the questions coming, and by the way welcome to the roost.

IF YOU CAN GET A BARREL WITH THE SCREW IN CHOKE THAT IS THE WAY TO GO .I JUST SENT A 28" BARREL TO CARLSON'S CHOKES TO HAVE CUT DOWN TO 22".AS LONG AS YOU HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF CHANGING CHOKES,THE SHORTER THE BARREL THE BETTER.BIGGER IS BETTER, GO WITH THE 12 GA. AND 3" CHAMBER.THEN GET A TURKEY TUBE FROM KICKS,BRILEY,RHINO ETC.

I agree with Loner for the simple fact being adjustable chokes offers you the ability to shoot tight patterns needed for turkey hunting to modified or improved for something like quail hunting!Whatever you decide you'll still need to go through the steps involved with maximizing your pattern with the barrel and gauge you choose!

Thanks for all the excellent advice. I will be sending in my H&R to get the 24" Turkey extra-full choke barrel w/ screw in choke. Now for another rookie question. Can you use lead shot on turkey? Should I get the steel shot barrel or the regular one? Please forgive my ignorance.

Cg7,most manufactured turkey loads nowadays are made with alloys that will harm a standard barrel,particularly ones with tight constrictions!You can purchase chokes made for steel shot but it depends on just how much you plan on shooting it.I shoot steel loads out of my modified barrel thats stock on my 870 and haven't had a lick of trouble in the duck blind!Even with all the shot variations available nowadays to todays modern turkey hunters I still shoot lead out of my 10gauge and have for about 25 years!Doesn't mean its the best or that there isn't anything else out there thats better,obviously heavi-shot has taken the turkey world by storm.But with that said my own lead loads were consistently killing gobblers before heavi-shot ever came into existence and will continue to do so as long as I'm able to put my sites on any longbeard I'm after!So the answer simply put is yes lead will kill turkeys!!