Recommend me a turkey gun

Managed to snag a Spring turkey permit here in Wisco, pretty rare for me as my zone doesn’t give out many. I have a couple shotguns but they’re all cylinder bore, so I need something that’ll take a choke. Never turkey hunted before so I need some advice.

3” chamber sufficient, or get a 3.5?
24-28 inch barrel?
Bead, ghost rings or an optic?

Tanks.

 

Remington 870 much like the SV is always the answer.

Unless you have a small penis then you need a minigun or a 40mm grenade launcher.

 

Come up here, there are a few around the shop that you could grab by the neck and save the ammo. Got one with a 2x4 a few years back. They started scratching black cars all to shit because they could see their reflection.

 

But seriously....3in shorter barrel for ease of movement and pointing, good choke #4 or #6 shot. Sights is all you.
I don't think I'd use an optic but something above a bead sight may be nice.

 

I'd use a bow, I can shoot them farther away. . Got one at 50 yards a couple days ago. 870 pump, 3 inch chamber, #4 shot. Pretty much any shotgun will do with a full choke and a decent length barrel. I've always shot full choke till I shot some three gun.

 

Beretta a400 or benelli super black eagle are the top of the line . You could use the factory full choke and some hevi shot and do fine or get a Jeb’s choke. Google whatever combo of choke most people are using and what shell and if you can’t pattern it before you should be fine.

I’ve killed them with an old mossberg and browning but prefer an SBE or my beretta.
26” barrel and i just have the factory sights.

franchi might be something to look at for a lower priced gun but I hear they are good. I like 3 1/2 shells for turkeys.

 

I just bought a Benelli Super Black Eagle 3, and that mofo shoots lights out. I just looked, and a 24" turkey barrel is $650! Ouch...

Having said that Scotty, if you aren't planning to shoot it a ton, an 870 can flat out get it done as well. I think I paid ~$150 for an additional 24" barrel with a full choke to shoot gobblers. I've killed plenty of ducks and geese with it too.

3" is sufficient
Bead for me
Any barrel length will work, especially if you're hunting from a blind.

Get in before light, and be quiet!

 

Urban fowl...

 

Just had a little old lady yesterday not give me permission to hunt.

I busted out the kids and everything on her. Bitch still said no...

 

Mossberg 535!!!
About $400

 

Sounds like a good excuse for a Benelli Ethos. They have mixed reviews.. but it's one nice looking shotgun.

 

Now that is purdeeeeeee!

 

aah my old browning a5 with a polly choke drops them like a rock and it was made in 1947.rubber recoil pad and is killer. so any decient 12 or 16 gage is more than enough.

 

870 pump,light,cheap,reliable and I'd add sights like the TRUGLO Pro-Series Magnum Gobble Dot Sight. Makes all the difference in the world. imo

 

Yep. Mine was made in 56 I think. 30" full choke barrel. Same results.

 

Typical Italian: gorgeously designed, prohibitively expensive, and mechanically unreliable.

 

Get a 3.5" for sure. Nothing more manly than a 3.5" hot turkey load through a short full choke barrel

I like my 3" 870ex with a 28" vent rib barrel with a turkey choke and bead sight. All the blinds I sit in have enough room to swing that barrel, but it's something to keep in mind if you hunt tighter quarters or in a tent blind. It is a bit long, but came with the gun when I bought it and it works so I couldn't be bothered to buy a "proper" 24" turkey barrel. As with anything, you can spend as much money as you want to. We're shotgun only for deer here so my 870 does a lot of things for me a simple barrel change. I've got 2 buddies with Mossberg 500's that have also put down a lot of meat. One day I might get something nicer, but I'm pretty utilitarian, so probably not. They're just good reliable guns.

A slate call is nice, but a box call is really simple and easy to use for a beginner. I've got a little one that mounts to the barrel and you just pull a spring. Nice for when you don't have a shot yet, but don't want to move..... Mouth calls work great too, but I could never get the hang of them. Nothing scares a bird off more than a cluck, cluck , gagging cough on a mouth call lol. Sometimes with calling, less is more.... A lot of the other gear depends on where you're going to be hunting. I usually wear head to toe camo with face net, and a camo sock over my gun. Sometimes out in the open against a tree, but most times In blinds I've built at the base of some cedars and more hidden. I've never found scent control important, but movement is for sure. Just break up your silhouette and de shine your gun either with cloth tape, or a full sock (or a full realtree dip....). If you have a big tent blind don't bother with any of that, just go to the store and buy a butterball They can spot you move from a long way away, much farther than you can reach out and poke them. They literally are dumb as rocks though.

They were gobbling all around here this morning, and had a small jake walk across the backyard treeline at about 13:00 looking for a piece. I took about 6 years off due to lack of time and motivation, but going to get back into it this year. Good luck, have fun. It's just another hobby to spend $100/lb for meat

 

No love for the BPS?