New Turkey Gun.......gimme your thoughts

[bnewt3]

Im very open-minded except im not spending Beretta et al kinda money. Single shot, pump, auto are all an option as well as 12, 20, and 410. I am a lefty so im considering the Tristar Viper G2 LH which would also be my waterfowl gun. Also considering a single shot(Rossi or Savage are the first to come up in a search).

My current gun is an Ithaca M37 12, im not dead set on getting another gun, i know mine works just fine.

 

[hunt1up]

I bought a Franchi Affinity 3 20 gauge compact last year, ya know, for the kids to use. That gun with some #9 TSS and a Carlson choke is just nasty. I've got other guns but it's now the first one I grab for the kids or myself. Light, balanced, and compact. I love that gun. Plenty of cheaper options out there though.

 

[long hunter]

Turkey gun, single barrel 10 ga. Barrel cut to 22 in. And screw in choked, extra full choke = dead turkey.

 

[Timberline001]

I guide turkey hunts in Washington. I’ve seen a lot of set ups but a gas semi 20 ga setup with a red dot and shooting #9 tss loads have impressed me the most. Much lighter than a 12 without the recoil, able to quickly take a second shot since we can kill 3 in a day in washington, and patterns well out to 70 for a those finicky birds. I’ve had a lot of guys shooting .410s and 28s as well and they’re alot of fun. If you don’t like to shoot birds over 45 yards I’d go with a .410 semi with a red dot.

 

[nephewjephew]

Been using a youth rem870 20ga for years and love it. Its lighter, smaller, less recoil, can kill further than I'd want to shoot a bird. I see no downside compared to a 12.

 

[antaresproper]

Youth 20 gauge with a red dot/prism for a dedicated turkey gun.

Semi auto 12 if you're going to use it for waterfowl too.

 

[kloppy]

I agree with the above - 20ga, red dot, TSS #9. Its the easy button and the turkey version of the tikka 223/rokslide special.

 

[bnsafe]

I have a tristar viper g2 turkey gun in 12 guage. I bought it used last year and its bee a cheap turkey killin machine. I do like the fact I can comfortably go with lead loads (Im very impressed with the xr longbeards 6s).
That said if I was doin it again I would go with a 20 gauge of some variety and tss 9s like everyone else has said.
If I was only gonna have 1 gun for turkey and waterfowl it would be my sx4 12 gauge 26 inch barrel. But, I love 2 guns, one with a prism site and 1 for wing shooting

 

[wesfromky]

I just bought a mossberg .410 pump, added a Halosun dot and an indian creek choke tube. Shoot apex 9.5 tss. Patterns well, and is nice and light. Low recoil. Will also double for small game. Seems like a .410 with tss is the equivalent of .223/tmk - advances in ammo allows for "dead enough" with lighter recoiling guns.

 

[CBB1]

I built a turkey gun off a 20ga Yildiz youth over under. It has a selector switch and I choke one barrel for the normal 30-50 yard shots and the other barrel with IC for when one sneaks in too close. I run a red dot and #9 TSS handload a. The gun is very short and light.

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[GreyBeck]

the first gun I bought for my son was for turkey and duck. Youth Weatherby 20g SA-08. Small, light. It’s now my turkey gun ( and I have two nicer berettas I could use). It’s just compact, easy to carry and I still have a bunch of turkey load for it.

 

[BCD]

I have a Franchi Affinity 3 Turkey and a Mossberg SA 20 Tactical Turkey. I much prefer the Mossberg. I shoot TSS. I've had a lot of problems with the Franchi and would never buy another.

 

[Long Cut]

We can legally only kill 1 turkey per day, so a single shot is all I need. Stevens 301 and Charles Daly 101 single shots. 12 & 20 gauges

5-6# guns with red dots and slings. I’m having both barrels cut down to 18” to cut down on the length and make them better for the dense foliage I routinely hunt in the Southeast. Shotguns burn most their powder in the first 16-18” of barrel length, and I won’t shoot past 40 yards anyways so I’m not concerned with the potential velocity loss, if any…

12 gauge & 20 gauge both sporting #9 TSS

 

[Timberline001]

I have a Franchi Affinity 3 Turkey and a Mossberg SA 20 Tactical Turkey. I much prefer the Mossberg. I shoot TSS. I've had a lot of problems with the Franchi and would never buy another.

I’ve guided some Mossberg reps the last 2 years and I’ve been impressed by their guns. Definitely a lot better than the Mossbergs I grew up around 20 years ago.

 

[Terrapin]

The Rossi 410 & Savage 410 single shots have put the fun back into hunting turkey with a firearm… but, we’ve also killed tons of turkeys & have plenty of time to hunt. If I wanted to be absolutely sure that I killed a turkey no matter what, I’d probably go with the Mossberg 940 Pro Turkey with a Holoson red dot shooting Apex #9 TSS. Just set one up for a guy this weekend & was very impressed… probably liked it better than my Benelli for turkeys.


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[Shadow14]

Mine is an old H&R pardner I believe cut down to 20 inches and threaded for trulock chokes. It’s got some old irons and a pic rail with a vortex razor red dot and hammer spur and god-a-grip cheek weld. Dipped in OG mossy oak greenleaf. It’s a small lightweight turkey killing machine. Its perfect for hiking these N. GA mountains and alot easier to maneuver than my old 870. Im shooting Apex 2 3/4 inch #9 TSS and it throws a great patten out to 40 yards (could kill a turkey further but I have no interest in shooting that far). The only two things I wish were different is the chamber length and I wish it was a folding model. Could have got a cheap Turkish made gun for cheaper but there’s something about old American made guns that I love….

 

[Dave C.]

I have a Tristar Viper .410 that I bought for duck hunting. I don't recommend them. They don't cycle some cartridges and ammo well. Can't speak for the 12 and 20's but the .410's are garbage IMO.

 

[Kurts86]

Semiautomatic 20 gauges with a red dot and #9 TSS is definitely the way to go. There is no reason to launch 12 or 10 gauge payloads of 1.75-2.5 oz with TSS and smaller shot for turkeys. Get a light 24” barreled 20 gauge and don’t look back.

The .410’s and TSS do get the job done but quite frankly none of the .410 turkey guns are particularly nice, utilitarian would be a kind term to describe the savage 301, mossberg 500 and Tristar g2 410 turkey guns. The Mossberg 500 is the “nicest” of the bunch and will probably pattern the best. In general the .410’s will take more load and choke work to get dialed to 40 yards but any 20 gauge with TSS combo should be adequate at that range.

 

[theduke11]

The Mossberg 500 turkey .410 is a lot of fun. Light weight and no recoil. It’s become my go-to squirrel hunting gun and more than enough for turkeys with #9 TSS

 

[Hoosier2425]

I just bought a Stevens 301 this year and am seriously impressed with the patterns I’m seeing. If you would have told me I’d be using a 410 to turkey hunt with when I started I would be have laughed at you. Only downside is price of tss