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AmericanMeet
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 12:39 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 26 Apr 2010
Posts: 3172
Location: NCWa

I've hunted upland & waterfowl at various times over fifty years but never turkeys. The First Hunt Foundation has a program to pair me up with an experienced hunt to hunt turkeys. Most of my waterfowl equipment can be used but I'm concerned about the gun. The leader said it would be good to have a gun that would put the significant portion of shot in a ten inch circle at 30 yards, I have an older Parker VHE 16 ga 2 5/8" that is marked XF and a Merkel 210E O/U 12 ga 2 3/4 marked F. First question- does the amount of shot matter? I can handload 1 1/8 oz lead shot in the shorter 16 ga shell but have a tighter choke. With the 12 ga I can get 2 3/4" shells loaded with 1 1/2 oz; but it has a full choke, I won't know for sure until I get a pattern board and see how they hit, but generally would a tighter choke (from F to XF) offset the 3/8 oz less shot in the 10" circle at 30 yards?

If neither of these guns are suitable, the mentor has a pump action gun that has interchangeable chokes and uses a special turkey choke. I don't know how the choke is different, but I'm learning a great deal about turkey hunting- so it is becoming quite an adventure.
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fishrising
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 4:50 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 10 Aug 2005
Posts: 16
Location: CT

First, I don’t have a technical answer for you. Second, I don’t mean to sound like a jerk. But I think you are overthinking this. If you want to shoot one of your guns, grab the XF gun and the largest payload you can shoot out of it and go hunt some turkeys! Take the thinking out of it. As technical as I’ll get is that it seems most “modern” turkey hunters are hunting with guns that can shoot 3” or 3.5” cartridges, and get a lot of shot flying in a really tight pattern. I don’t know if a “turkey” choke does anything more than act as a really really tight choke.

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Charlie16ga
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 5:36 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 28 Aug 2014
Posts: 924
Location: Eastern Tennessee

I agree with above. It’s more about pellets in the circle at a range you feel comfortable in. Full choke was killing turkeys just fine long before special ammo and chokes came into being. Now if you think you are planning for a 50 yard shot then yeah, maybe the full choke isn’t enough. Personally, I’d not be too worried early (plan for 20-30 yard shots) in the season, but as they get more pressured I’d assume 30-40 yards more likely late in the season. Only then would I feel the need for xf or more.

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MSM2019
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 6:29 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 04 Mar 2019
Posts: 1819
Location: Central ND

I will only relate what I have done. I have a Remington 16 gauge 870, with a modified choke (.018"). I use a 1 1/4 oz. handload of buffered lead #5's. I have been turkey hunting in NE for about the last 8 years. We set our decoys at 20 - 25 yards. The longest shot I have taken was about 32 yards give or take. Haven't had a turkey get up and run off yet.

Be careful with the smaller gauges, that includes the 16. Many loads and shot sizes, don't respond well to tight chokes. The loads I have played with, mostly with #5's, don't really want a full choke.

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df
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 7:21 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 01 Oct 2007
Posts: 962
Location: Minnesota

I mostly hunt them with a bow. But when I used to shotgun them, a 12 ga mod choke and 1.25 ounces of #5 or #6 shot worked great. I never had one walk or run away from that.
In my view, the need for super tight, extended and ported chokes made of exotic metals, along with multi shot size, buffered tungsten turkey loads that cost $5-10 a trigger pull, is “marketing.” Buy in to it if you want, but a lead load of an ounce or more of shot at 1200 or so fps out of a mod or tighter choke will work just fine.
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Riflemeister
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 7:51 am  Reply with quote
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Download the printable turkey targets linked below and pattern the loads and guns that are candidates for your hunt. It will become obvious the guns, loads and max range for your hunt. Be prepared to get chills up your spine when a big gobbler starts coming in, all the while stopping occasionally to put his entire being into an awesome gobble. I thought I was immune to buck fever until my first big bubba put on a show coming in to the decoys.

https://www.printablee.com/postpic/2013/01/free-printable-turkey-targets_139782.jpg

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fishrising
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 8:41 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 10 Aug 2005
Posts: 16
Location: CT

Riflemeister wrote:
Be prepared to get chills up your spine when a big gobbler starts coming in, all the while stopping occasionally to put his entire being into an awesome gobble. I thought I was immune to buck fever until my first big bubba put on a show coming in to the decoys.


What riflemeister said!!!! Can’t wait for my 13yo son to experience it this year!

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67galaxie
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 7:16 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 16 Mar 2017
Posts: 226
Location: Valdosta GA

Take the parker and load some lead 4's or 5's. Don't forget to have a great time! I shot one at 40 yards with an extra full choked husqvarna 103cs and it absolutely rocked him with an ounce of 6's out of a 2 1/2" shell. I usually shoot 5's
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Hootch
PostPosted: Thu Mar 10, 2022 3:29 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 28 Mar 2008
Posts: 1460
Location: Eagle, Nebraska

Yes, down load a turkey head target and pattern. No real need for 1 1/2oz
For good load, try the pheasant loads of 1 3/8's or even just 1 1/4 number 5 or 6 depending on which patterns better.
WInchester Longbeard is outstanding, and no need for full or xfull. Its tight anyway, I use Mod choke as it patterened better than full.
Double barrels are good choices, have two different chokes, maybe two different loads depending on if turkey ends up in your lap or is standing at 35yards.
Patterning a shotgun not fun either, lot of recoil.
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fn16ga
PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2022 7:07 am  Reply with quote
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Location: Florida

Before TSS came on the scene I have always used #6 lead for turkey, which have accounted for 50 plus birds out to 65 yard (once mis-judged the distance in a pasture) .

At 30 yards a significant amount of #8 lead will work just fine. The more pellets you have in that 10" circle the better .
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UncleDanFan
PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2022 9:02 am  Reply with quote
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Hmmm..choices, choices. I had a 410 single with tss, but I couldn't get it to pattern correctly. So, it's either a 16 im choked Husky hammer gun, full choked Dickinson 16, or xf choked Lefever 12. I think I'm leaning towards the hammer gun if it patterns well. 1oz 6's is fine out to 30yds, although the Dickinson would allow me to stretch it to 40 with a heavier load. The CE Lefever 12 is a bit heavy to lug around, but I haven't shot anything with it yet, and a turkey would be cool. We're allowed two tags in Oregon, so if I do get one with a shotgun, I might try to get another with my recurve bow. After passing on one opening morning last year at 35 yds, I'm going to go with the gun first this year. Wink

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salish
PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2022 11:48 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 19 Oct 2015
Posts: 94
Location: seattle, wa

About 10 years ago I shot a Rio turkey in SE Washington state with an ancient Model 12 with the old shorter chamber and full choke. The loads I was using were 2-1/2" RST #6 Lite loads. I shot my Rio dead on at about 25 yards as he and another tom were coming in to my calling. He did the usual amount of flopping around but didn't go far, if at all.
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Citori16
PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2022 12:16 pm  Reply with quote
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Location: Too far south in New England

I’m not going. But if I were, the Citori WL 16 ga would be either outfitted with full/x-full chokes and some #6 CP 1-1/4 oz..or sk/LM with some #6 SPT18 7/8 oz. Plus it would dressed out in camo tape.

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Pine Creek/Dave
PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2022 4:52 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2787
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa

Gentlemen,

For most of my life I used a 20 gauge O/U Savage DL to hunt turkey, Magnum 2 3/4" #5's or #6's depending on what I could get my hands on. Never had to shoot twice with that gun inside 35 Yards. Later when the PGC laws were changed allowing us to hunt fall Turkey with a gun dog, we hunted them just as we hunt Grouse, many times at the same time. One of my greatest accomplishment as a bird hunter was to take a pointed Turkey with my L.C. Smith 16 gauge double gun, on my own property in our small stand of pines, with #6 bird shot under my 2nd trigger, as the Turkey was flushed by my Small Munsterlander gun dog. Sampson set the female Turkey up just like a Grouse, flushed on command, and pranced back to me with the big bird in his jaws. One of the most incredible pieces of bird hunting I have ever done. Later in the day I also took a fine Grouse off of his incredible work also. It is a day I will never forget. Potter County, Pa is truly Gods Country.

Sir depending on how you hunt, your old Parker gun will do just fine as a Turkey Gun, especially if you have a serious Gun dog that points both Turkey & Grouse.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

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Old colonel2
PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2022 6:14 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 07 Jun 2020
Posts: 224

A 16 with 1 1/8 or 1 1/4 will do the job for Turkey. I have seen it work well and have never seen a 16 fail to kill or disable with the first shot.

Shot placement and patterning the load is all that is required.
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