Does anyone have any recommendations for me for a possible new Turkey shotgun? I currently have a mosberg 500 bantam that are purchased for my kids. I am looking for something for me. As I sold my mosberg 935 water foul gun last fall. I normally would have just used that. Thanks
Remington SPS Synthetic Turkey
http://www.remington.com/en/products/firearms/shotguns/model-870/model-870-sps-synthetic-turkey.aspx
Gman
If your pocketbook will allow I would get a Benelli . I love my 2. Also a Remington 1187 or 870 are great guns. It just depends how much you want to spend. Good luck with whatever you choose ! :icon_thumright:
vaturkey :newmascot:
1187 =great gun, but my favorite is my old Winchester 1300. Killed a lot of birds with it.....
Mossberg 835
Mossy fan here. Really like my 20" 835. Carries like a carbine. No frills, its just a work horse.
I can't deny though--I really want to get my hands on an 870 with the shur shot stock.
Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2
I shoot a second hand 870 (3" shells) 12 gauge. It is an NWTF 30 year anniversary commemorative gun. Someone won it at a local banquet and traded it in without ever shooting it. It has served me well on all of my turkey hunts. I don't have a problem with used guns as long as they are in good shape. I love my 870.
Checkout Stoeger 3000 or the 3500
You can always spend more but an 870 is just hard to beat. Accessories are also plentiful.
AK870 :fud:
Quote from: vaturkey on January 16, 2013, 08:28:22 PM
If your pocketbook will allow I would get a Benelli . I love my 2. Also a Remington 1187 or 870 are great guns. It just depends how much you want to spend. Good luck with whatever you choose ! :icon_thumright:
vaturkey :newmascot:
X2!
I am partial to the Ithaca Turkeyslayer. Might be worth a look.
Mossberg 835 for the money you cant beat them.
Benelli SBE2 if you want to spend some cash, mossy 835 or 870 express if you want inexpensive, or maybe an 11-87 or 870 supermag if you want somewhere in between.
My dad and I both shoot Benelli Supernova's. It flat out patterns great. Great looking gun, for a great price. Both of ours is topped with a Nikon turkey reticle scope. It will reach out and touch the turkeys! If you want an auto and have the money get a Benelli SBEII.
I shoot a Benelli SBE but I also have 2 different Remington 870's. For the money you can't go wrong with the 870.
TRKYHTR
Mossberg 835. I really like mine, it's been a great gun so far! Best trade I ever made!
If you are very serious about turkey hunting, don't mess around. Get the Benelli M2, top it with a good scope and put a Carlson cryo choke in it. It'll reach out and touch em', if you know what I mean.
I shot two nice toms in Nebraska at 60 yards. Now, I don't make that a habit but it works. In PA. I like to get them to 15/20 yards. It works great at that distance also.
870 sps turkey love the sur shot stock and rifke sights dont overlook the choke that comes with it shoots good with hevi 7 s
Been shooting and 870s for the last twenty five years. Started with a wing master and now have a super mag turkey. Never had a problem with any of them and that's about as solid a recommendation I can give!
Your going to get many recommendations , if the gun your looking for is going to be a multi purpose hunting gun , like waterfowl , you may lean to the side of a semi- auto - If its going to be a straight turkey gun , just about any shotgun with screw in chokes can be made to kill a turkey
1) opt to get the most value out of your purchase , for a little bit more money you can get a loaded turkey gun off the rack ....a camo dip , sometimes a half decent turkey choke and some adj. fiber optic bead sights , and a good soft recoil pad, and a sling -----all these things can ad up if you try and buy them latter
2) Get a 3.5 chamber (if 12) , its a no-brainer - barrel length is up to you - shoulder it ,and then you make the choice
2) Find what fits you best , shoulder all of the guns in the shop - when you snap it up to your shoulder at a object , ( those mounted gobblers in the hunting department are good for something ) you want to see that bead and mid bead ( truglow sights if it has some ) point true and center at the gobblers head - if all you see is rib , or the rib to the side , it feels to long of a pull or too short - try some other guns or see if the stock has adjustable shims - shotgun fit is important , eventually every serious turkey hunter if he/she hunts enough will miss a gobbler , and the main culprit is poor shotgun fit - when you rush a shot on a poor fitting shotgun bad things happen
3) Avoid no-name brands with obscure choke thread patterns - get a gun with a mobil type choke, rem choke , invector etc.. a big name brand thread pattern ,that's important cause you will be able to get that all important aftermarket choke - warranty and repair service is simpler with the larger brand firearm makers
4)Cycle the action , some of the longer 3.5 actions have a long stroke , make sure the gun cycles well for you --- forearm rattle , some don't care , test out the gun you like in the store - make sure the safety is okay to operate
5) When you round it down to a gun you like make sure you get one that is put together right ,make sure the rib is soldered on true - most importantly , some choke installations are put in crooked at the factory , put the recoil pad down flat on the floor { make sure unloaded of course} and look very closely at the very thin muzzle around the choke , make sure it is even all around , it will be hard to tell because its probably only 10-20 thousands of a inch thick , make sure it is centered , look down the bore with the choke and make sure the choke seats the bore centered - if it is off even by .003 your going to have lets say a choke (.665 example) that will be a .662 on one side of the shot charge and .668 on the other side - I have seen chokes installed .010 off resulting in a gun that shot 1 foot to the right - that shotgun was a PITA to hunt with -For Example , I have SP10 that is .003 off and shoots about 3-4 inches to the right -- Take the barrel off and make sure there are no wobbles down the bore and the forcing cone in front of the chamber wasn't butchered at the factory- they can be polished out , but if there is another gun in the back with a better barrel get that one -
-If the gun your looking at has a uneven choke , put it back on the rack ,and ask if they have another new one in the back - that uneven choke gun will be someone Else's problem not yours - aftermarket sights will help correct some of this
this is a exaggerated graphic of what to look for
(http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh220/OldGobbler1/Kirby0108image2_zps420a741b.jpg) image courtesy of http://theshotgunshop.net/about.html
It don't matter how tight or hard a turkey gun shoots if it wont shoot where it is aimed , it is useless most important thing is to get it shooting straight - then work on the load and choke
For about $400-$500 bucks for a good camo pump will fix you up good , I have owned countless shotguns , Remington's have a reputation for having solid reliability and a good fit for most statures plus after market parts galore ,Winchester& Browning's are of excellent in Quality , Beretta's & Benellis are good on performance and quality watch out for the price tag on the autos , Mossbergs especially the 835's are Value packed and proven to have it where it counts -
There are some newer makes of Turkish makes like Winchester pumps and the Stoegers are hard to beat , especially the Auto Stoegers you can pick up a 3.5 chamber Stoeger auto for about $600 - Stoeger is owned by the Parent company Beretta who also owns Benelli -
Good Luck--Shannon
I want to shoot 3". How does the SuperMag 870 shoot those?
My 3.5" Mossy don't like 3" and won't pattern very well with them. It love 3.5 stuff tho.
Can't beat an 870
cant beat the 835. smoked one at 81 steps and aint even jokin but it kills on both ends
thats all i shoot in my 870 supermag is 3 inch shells got good nimbers so never tried 3 1/2
just purchased an 870 super mag turkey/predator with a shur shot stock. comes with a tru glo red dot which i do not like so i traded the scope for Nikon rings and put a Nikon turkey pro BTR on it! went today with a buddy to pattern it today. it is freakin awesome. even with 3.5 shells it is still manageable.the recoil pad and that stock make it a pleasure to shot. not too heavy and the 21" barrel will make a true gobbler buster.
Autos:
1. Browning Silver or Gold
2. Stoeger 3500
Pumps:
1. Remington 870 supermag sps
2. Benelli Nova
If you plan on waterfowling, the Mossberg 835 has a Waterfowl/Turkey combo that is hard to beat. I have the 62338 combo and it does a great job with Turkeys or Waterfowl. I think I picked mine up for about $380, at Walmart, for both 24 and 28 inch barrels and it came with 4 chokes (improved, mod and full along with an extra full turkey choke). Good Luck with whatever you decide.
Old Gobbler offered up some excellent advise. I too would recommend getting your hands on different guns to see what feels best for you. For example I really like the fit and feel of a benelli steady grip stock. If you don't want to break the bank, you can get a supernova with a steady grip for about $600.00. There are a lot of options out there, that's for sure. The Weatherby SA08 has gotten some great reviews on this forum as well. I checked one out in my local Bass Pro the other day and the fit and finish was very nice... much better than I would expect from a $400-$500 semi auto. If they go back on sale, I plan on picking one up in 20ga.
It really all boils down to your preference and pocket book. I have had them from $100 single shots to Benelli M2 and Vinci's - they will all kill turkeys. You have to pick one that you are happy with and can pay for.
My personal favorites are the Remington 870, Browning BPS, Mossy 935, and the new Browning A-5.
Remington 870 and Mossy 835 will be hard to beat value wise. Benelli or Browning will be hard to beat for an all around duck/upland/clay/turkey gun.
Good luck on whatever you decide!
You know, I just set up a Rem 870 Youth model 20 gauge for my wife. I put on a Carlson turkey choke for another 25.00 Really this is all the turkey gun a guy needs. Shooting Fed Heavyweights #7, Light cheap and it is a killer.......Good luck
I'm a Remington guy. Hands down the 870 was always good to me. I patterned mine out to 60 with an undertaker choke tube in case I ever needed to use it. Only had to do that one time. But it was nice to know that I practiced and patterned it out that far. Otherwise it probably would've walked. Now, had I been in the position I was in 2 minutes before the gobble at 20 yards, I probably would've been just fine. But I had to call and get them to gobble so I could crawl back to my position because of the slight hill while their eyes were closed. Got back to the top of the hill and they were walking away. Now, had it not been within the last couple hours of the last day of my hunting trip 8 hours out of state, I probably would've passed. In my opinon, just about any gun would do the job. I now shoot a Tristar Viper G2. It's a semi-auto and I was able to get it for $450 out the door at one of my local shops. Put a primos tight wad choke on it and it seems to fit me just fine. Been using that gun for turkeys, geese, and ducks with very few malfunctions.
Mossberg 835 Turkey Thug. The name is kind of silly, but the gun shoots great and has the best trigger I have ever pulled on a shotgun.
Quote from: Gamblinman on January 16, 2013, 08:01:38 PM
Remington SPS Synthetic Turkey
http://www.remington.com/en/products/firearms/shotguns/model-870/model-870-sps-synthetic-turkey.aspx
Gman
I know a bit off topic but This gun will no longer be leagal in NY due to that stock. Sorry to the OP for going off but as I looked at that pic I realized this is now an assault weapon.
To the OP I would go out and hold a few different guns. There are plenty of good quality and good performing turkey guns. To me the most important thing is for it to fit you comfortably. I have gone to buy a particular firearm that I liked and when I finally held it it was no good for me. Find a good shop and hold them all.
Good luck.
Mossberg 835 or Remington 870. You can spend more, but those two are HARD to beat. Also, if you really want used, those should be relatively easy to find.
I bought a stoeger 3500 two springs ago and love it! If you're on a budget and want to go with auto, 3-1/2" chamber, for the money I'd buy it every time. Its a little heavy, but helps with the recoil in my opinion. For a pump I've always like the Benelli nova, as old gobbler mentioned about chokes, they are easy to find chokes for those guns, and it fits the stoeger 3500 if you upgrade later. Hope you have some luck finding one!