Any suggestions for a new turkeygun?

[Jeff H]

I guess I'm just different. I shoot an over/under Browning Citori with selectable barrles. Top barrel has a full choke for those far shots, bottom barrel has a skeet choke or imp cyl for when they sneak in at 8 yards. I got tired of missing close birds with a extra full or turkey choke. Or if I did hit them there wasn't a head left.... or a chest. The Citori is so light it's like carrying a stick through the woods and after a long day of hunting our hills and hollows it's a blessing not to have a heavy gun.

 

[Native Hunter]

I guess I'm just different. I shoot an over/under Browning Citori with selectable barrles. Top barrel has a full choke for those far shots, bottom barrel has a skeet choke or imp cyl for when they sneak in at 8 yards. I got tired of missing close birds with a extra full or turkey choke. Or if I did hit them there wasn't a head left.... or a chest. The Citori is so light it's like carrying a stick through the woods and after a long day of hunting our hills and hollows it's a blessing not to have a heavy gun.

I know a few people who have done that and your reasoning is very sound.

PS: I own 4 Citoris - one for me, one for my wife and a spare for each of us.....

 

[Mennoniteman]

I guess I'm just different. I shoot an over/under Browning Citori with selectable barrles. Top barrel has a full choke for those far shots, bottom barrel has a skeet choke or imp cyl for when they sneak in at 8 yards. I got tired of missing close birds with a extra full or turkey choke. Or if I did hit them there wasn't a head left.... or a chest. The Citori is so light it's like carrying a stick through the woods and after a long day of hunting our hills and hollows it's a blessing not to have a heavy gun.

I like the idea of two chokes. Is the citori available in camo? If I spend money on a new gun I'm going to want camo. I find the "Cynergy Ultimate Turkey, Mossy Oak Break-Up" on their website at 26" bbl, 7lb 6 oz for $2339.00 msrp. That's about as heavy as I want to go, a little long, and a little more than I was looking to spend...

 

[Jeff H]

I know a few people who have done that and your reasoning is very sound.

PS: I own 4 Citoris - one for me, one for my wife and a spare for each of us.....

I've never actually met anyone else that uses an O/U for turkey. So maybe I'm not that odd after all !
The one I use is my wife's gun so I'm not allowed to camo it up

 

[Jeff H]

I like the idea of two chokes. Is the citori available in camo? If I spend money on a new gun I'm going to want camo. I find the "Cynergy Ultimate Turkey, Mossy Oak Break-Up" on their website at 26" bbl, 7lb 6 oz for $2339.00 msrp. That's about as heavy as I want to go, a little long, and a little more than I was looking to spend...

Good question. If not you could have it dipped. What's another $100 for a $2300 turkey gun !

 

[Native Hunter]

I guess I'm just different. I shoot an over/under Browning Citori with selectable barrles. Top barrel has a full choke for those far shots, bottom barrel has a skeet choke or imp cyl for when they sneak in at 8 yards. I got tired of missing close birds with a extra full or turkey choke. Or if I did hit them there wasn't a head left.... or a chest. The Citori is so light it's like carrying a stick through the woods and after a long day of hunting our hills and hollows it's a blessing not to have a heavy gun.

Here you go Jeff. Here is one of the Citoris I used in competition. I broke a world record with the gun in Illinois a few years ago.

The pistol scope would not be good for actual hunting because of the small field of view, but I could replace it with something like a Fastfire (or just go to TG Sights) and this rig would be ready for the field.

PS: For anyone wondering - the rib mount is a universal B Square without the cantilever.

 

[Jeff H]

Very nice Native!

 

[Mennoniteman]

Here you go Jeff. Here is one of the Citoris I used in competition. I broke a world record with the gun in Illinois a few years ago.

The pistol scope would not be good for actual hunting because of the small field of view, but I could replace it with something like a Fastfire (or just go to TG Sights) and this rig would be ready for the field.

PS: For anyone wondering - the rib mount is a universal B Square without the cantilever.

What choke is that and why do you have it on the bottom barrel?

 

[Native Hunter]

What choke is that and why do you have it on the bottom barrel?

The choke in the top barrel is a factory improved cylinder (never used in the still target - but a good choice for what Jeff was talking about for the open choke). The bottom barrel is an Indian Creek Black Diamond Strike. Depending on what shell I'm using I will change that one around to different sizes. But the standard .665 is a good choice for most shells.

 

[Kwood]

I shoot lots of different guns. My favorite turkey gun is a 20 gauge remington 870 youth model with an adult stock put on it. I have a turkey x-full choke with 3 inch mags. I’m good to 55-60 yards. Light to carry. Swings fast if they are running.


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[Native Hunter]

One more thing that most people have never heard of - A company called Polywad makes a spreader load that opens up the pattern on a turkey choke to be roughly equal to a cylinder bore pattern. With those spreader loads you will get a very open pattern at 20 yards that resembles a normal pattern at 40 yards.

The only time I ever use those spreaders is on Thanksgiving when the family is having the annual clay pigeon fun shoot, and we are shooting doubles. I will stick a spreader in for the first shot out of my Browning A5 and follow it with a standard AA Trap load for the second shot. That spreader will help you keep from missing that first clay pigeon because it is so close,.

Oh....I almost forgot that I will do the same thing when rabbit hunting. I don't rabbit hunt often but will generally load the first shell a spreader when I do.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I shoot lots of different guns. My favorite turkey gun is a 20 gauge remington 870 youth model with an adult stock put on it. I have a turkey x-full choke with 3 inch mags. I’m good to 55-60 yards. Light to carry. Swings fast if they are running.


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I have that exact gun, with the factory camo youth stock. What's your favorite loads for this gun?

 

[Seabee]

I bought an 1187 super mag (sure shot turkey) gun a few years ago. Topped it with an eotech. An absolute killer. Not sure if they still make them or not. Love the thumb hole pistol grip.

 

[Mennoniteman]

The choke in the top barrel is a factory improved cylinder (never used in the still target - but a good choice for what Jeff was talking about for the open choke). The bottom barrel is an Indian Creek Black Diamond Strike. Depending on what shell I'm using I will change that one around to different sizes. But the standard .665 is a good choice for most shells.

I'd love to hear a little more from you on this subject, I just love talking about turkeys', and your experience on this subject is way beyond mine. I'm looking at a Remington turkeygun with a factory .672 choke, should I consider a .665? So your world record was with the Indian Creek choke and Longbeard XR? What can you tell us as far as recommendations for a turkey choke for 12 ga. 3" or 3 1/2" to shoot birds at ranges of thirty and forty yards? Loads and shot sizes? I tend to lean towards cheaper loads because of the amount I shoot (3 1/2" Longbeard XR at $20 for ten is what I consider affordable) I know you covered some of this earlier, but I don't shoot as far as some guys, (never more than 40) should I use smaller shot, or a more open choke?

 

[Native Hunter]

I'd love to hear a little more from you on this subject, I just love talking about turkeys', and your experience on this subject is way beyond mine. I'm looking at a Remington turkeygun with a factory .672 choke, should I consider a .665? So your world record was with the Indian Creek choke and Longbeard XR? What can you tell us as far as recommendations for a turkey choke for 12 ga. 3" or 3 1/2" to shoot birds at ranges of thirty and forty yards? Loads and shot sizes? I tend to lean towards cheaper loads because of the amount I shoot (3 1/2" Longbeard XR at $20 for ten is what I consider affordable) I know you covered some of this earlier, but I don't shoot as far as some guys, (never more than 40) should I use smaller shot, or a more open choke?

Based on what you just told me, here is what I would recommend:

• If that Remington with the .672 fits you and you like it - go ahead and buy it.
• Get a way to adjust your point of impact, like we have already talked about (adjustable sights or some other device that suits your fancy). Hitting where you are aiming is at the top of the list of important things to do.
• You just told me that you will never shoot past 40 yards and that the cost of the shells is an important factor to you. Hence, where I would normally recommend Hevi-13 (or even a more expensive shell) I will change my recommendation to Longbeard - because a good lead shell like that should kill easily out to 40 yards and will cost less than "heavier than lead" loads.
• Lets go with #5 or #6 shot. You could try a box of both and see which one gives you the most even patterns. If the #5s are okay and don't leave any big gaps, I would use them because of more delivered energy, although the #6 should be fine at that distance as well. Shoot at big sized papers so you can see the whole pattern, but concentrate most on the 10 inch core area when evaluating the patterns.
• Shoot on paper at 40 yards. If you are happy with the patterns, get the gun hitting dead on with your sights and you are good to go. Nothing more is needed.
• If you aren't happy with your patterns, then consider trying an aftermarket choke. Send me a PM at that time and I will help. Also, rather than buying an aftermarket choke, you could first try some Hevi-13. Hevi-13 generally likes a choke that is more open than Longbeard, and .672 is generally in the zone.
• If you were my neighbor, I have about 300 turkey chokes in my basement and about 15 different kinds of shells. I would let you try whatever you wanted until you hit the perfect combination - but that might be hard to pull off with you living in PA and me in KY...

Good luck...

 

[H20fwler]

I use my old faithful H&K Benelli SBE1 with the same choke and shells I duck&goose hunt with, I know how it shoots it's second nature...puts them on the dirt every time. And it's got enough ass for any coyote that comes to breakfast.

 

[E_308]

• Get a way to adjust your point of impact, like we have already talked about (adjustable sights or some other device that suits your fancy). Hitting where you are aiming is at the top of the list of important things to do.

Are the tru glo sights the way to go for bolt on the rib options? My 870 has iron sights but my Benelli M2 I bought just has a 26" vent rib. I'd like to turkey hunt with it this year but I think some sights would be nice. Benelli is as proud of their extra barrels as their shotguns!

 

[Native Hunter]

Are the tru glo sights the way to go for bolt on the rib options? My 870 has iron sights but my Benelli M2 I bought just has a 26" vent rib. I'd like to turkey hunt with it this year but I think some sights would be nice. Benelli is as proud of their extra barrels as their shotguns!

That's what I would use. Williams also makes nice sights that clamp to the vent rib, but I haven't checked on them for a long time and don't know what models they currently have. Just make sure that the model you get are the fully adjustable for windage and elevation. In Tru Glo I know that is the "Pro Magnum Gobble Dot." They make some other cheaper sights that don't adjust, and you just want to avoid those.

I've got so used to using these that I like them on all my shotguns - even if I don't use them for turkey hunting. When you shoot many guns it keeps you from having to remember the little nuisances of different guns (shoots a little low, shoots a little high, shoots a little left, etc....). Every gun you pick up shoots the same, and you don't have to remember anything except which pocket your skinning knife is in....

 

[swat1018]

The most important thing to do is get an adjustable sight or optic. Native is definitely the expert with good advice. I used the Tru Glo sights, my issue was that would snag on stuff, and the way they are made, I was afraid that they would end up off the mark. Another good choke for the Benelli, that's inexpensive, is the Primos Jellyhead. It performs better than some of the more expensive chokes I've tried.

 

[Bowhunter]

I have a Mossberg 930 Tactical Turkey that I use for longbeards and predator hunting. The older I get, the more I like my auto-loading scatterguns strictly for the lack of recoil from high velocity turkey loads. I also have a Remington Versa Max that I bought for pheasant hunting and would highly recommend that gun as well.

My advice would be to get something semi auto that won't beat you up when your using turkey loads.