New turkey Hunter, 20 or 12 gauge for turkey ?

[Jrhunter25]

Hi I am new to Old Gobbler and turkey hunting ( and all hunting pretty much ). I am looking to get into turkey hunting because, well it looks fun and turkey taste great  ! I was going to get a 20 gauge Mossberg 500, but most use a 12 because of more shot and larger shot. But the 20 has less recoil and noise. But the 12 is more common and is more effective and can double for a duck gun. Please help me decide ! I just got out of hunter safety and am pretty strong ( 16 ) and I am not tall ( 5'6" ) but fat-ish (195 lbs ), and my shoulder ( deltoids ) is pretty strong. I am set on a Mossberg 500 Wood ( adds weight which I like ) with a bead or twin bead sight and a set of chokes. What are some good 2 3/4" turkey loads ( lead 3-7 # shot ) that are effective and good chokes that keep the pattern very, very, very small ? Please help !!

[davisd9]

20s can be made straight up killers but it usually takes a bit more money cause they are more touchy with the smaller payloads. They are lighter, but if you are hunting with lead you are going to have a hard time getting good numbers, but it can be done. If you are set on shooting lead I would stick with #5s for better numbers but good knock down. Also, to increase your pattern use 3" shells. 2.75" shells have killed a pile of gobblers but you get him in range why not be fully prepared.

I would suggest heavier than lead loads, especially in the 20, but have killed birds with lead #5s in both gauges. Just got to know your limitations and make ethical decisions. Pure Gold, Indian Creek, Primos Jellyhead, and SumToy all make killer chokes for both gauges.

Good luck in your hunting and if you have questions ask.

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2

[FL-Boss]

with the new HEV ammo and chokes today... all you need is a 20ga IMO.  I was big on 12ga for many years.. until I got my new 20ga turkey gun.  First time I shot it, I knew right then I was going to sell all my 12 ga turkey guns.  Lighter, low recoil,  just a joy to carry.
Look at the mossberg SA 20 auto... love mine.

[chatterbox]

I don't believe you can go wrong either way. With the loads and chokes available today for the 20 gauges, they are bonafide 40 yard killers.
My son has a 20 ga Mossberg 510, and all we have in it is a factory flush choke, and he gets 182 pellets in a 10" circle at 30 yards with Federal heviweight #7's which is in my opinion, the finest factory load for the 20 ever made . I don't know what this gun will do at 40 for pellet count, but I plan on finding out this spring. I kept a more open choke because he is young and inexperienced.
As far as the 12's, I would go with the 835, Truglo SSX choke, and 3-2-7 Hevi-13. That's what I shoot, and have had decent success with it.
Best of luck to you on the addiction!

[FullChoke]

First off, Welcome to the board.

I believe that the popularity of 12 gauge shotguns is based primarily on household availability of the guns and traditions. Through years of shooting and advancements made in choke tubes, factory lead and HTL ammunition and sighting devices, we can now confidently take to the woods carrying a 20 gauge that surpasses the performance of 12 gauge shotguns from just a few years ago. Every year we see new 20 gauge converts doing just that.

When folks ask me if I should rethink the "Little" 20 gauge for turkeys, I ask them this question: What do you aim at on a turkey? They usually (and correctly) say the head/neck area. The rest of the turkey doesn't matter. We don't intend to shoot the entire bird, just the head and neck. Bottom line is this: Kill the head and the rest will follow. The 20's do just that and they do it well.

Do your due-diligence patterning homework with the 20 gauge, determine a lethal pattern from factory ammunition at 40 yards with a good choke tube and you will never want or need to go back to any of the larger gauges for turkeys again.

Let us know how it turns out for you.

FullChoke

[allaboutshooting]

You've been given excellent advice on the 20 gauge guns. They are just as lethal as a 12 gauge when properly choked and with the proper shotshells.

There are however no lead loads on the market today that will compare with the tungsten-based shotshells, like Hevi-13 in either #6 shot or #7 shot, if that's legal where you hunt.

Doris and I use the SSX chokes in both our Remington and Mossberg 20 gauge guns and they do the job out to 40 yards quite easily.

As has already been said, it's just important that you take your gun to the range with some big paper and see where it hits. Try it at different distances so you know exactly what it and you can do with it.

This is a great place with very helpful people, so please do not hesitate to ask any questions that you might have. We'll do the best we can to be of help to you.

Thanks,
Clark

[FL-Boss]

"he gets 182 pellets in a 10" circle at 30 yards with Federal heviweight #7's which is in my opinion, the finest factory load for the 20 ever made"

very true and well said...