What's your set up this year ?

mdcrossbow

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Joined
Feb 25, 2007
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Gaithersburg Md
I'm still packing the cannon 3.5" Remington 12 ga. with Holosun RedDot, Shooting 3.5" TSS with a TSS chock.
I did by a 410 Stevens 26" with a Holoson Red dot. TSS chock and TSS shells. This is set up for my Granddaughters 1st hunt.
I do travel to 6-7 States most years and cannon has dropped some birds normally not in range. I can pack a wallop on those extreme left angle shots.
 
Cheap stevens pump 12 gauge with a mix of some 3 inch Turkey loads I have and also just some heavy upland loads. There is a really cheap 20 gauge pump at my local gun shop that keeps wanting to come home with me just for turkey hunting
 
People too often get so preoccupied with how far they can flop a gobbler, they forget the importance of style. The least gun is a 3.3# .410 which gets most of the work hereabouts. The big 20 goes on the road; all Yildiz guns, all handloads in solid brass.
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Default choice is a 12 gauge Benelli Nova with a Vortex Venom in a hydro-dipped saddle mount and an Indian Creek choke tube shooting Winchester LongBeardXRs or Hevi-Shot Magnum Blend, but hoping to get my Benelli SBE III 20 gauge dialed in with TSS. No good red dot mounting options exist but I'm going to try the Meadow Creek vent rib mount under a HoloSun. That will likely be my mountain gun. Also knocking around the idea of taking my Elite Impulse to Nebraska with me and seeing if I can't stick a Rio with archery equipment.
 
I've used several models of shotgun turkey hunting and have settled on a over under as my favorite. I find the ability to have two chokes more useful then a third shot. The last several years I've used a Yildiz 12 gauge OU with a extra full choke in one barrel and a modified in the other with 3in tss 7-9 2oz load. 20210409_095107.jpg
 
Wouldn't say I have evolved much with my turkey guns over the years.
Started with an 870, killed a bunch.
Brief period with a Benelli Nova, never like it much but killed a bunch more. Switched to the 11-87 Premier, but then bought a Sportsmans 11-87 which I upgraded the barrel. That gun is still my go-to 12 gauge.
Last year I decided to try the Stevens 301 20 gauge. Had the trigger smoothed out and put an IndianRidge choke on for TSS. Pretty fun budget gun with a red dot. Killed two birds. After an expensive pattern session with TSS I wouldn't hesitate to 60-65 yards but only as a last resort. Some of the late season birds at 45 yards are no longer safe. Sometimes they just won't come.
 
Wouldn't say I have evolved much with my turkey guns over the years.
Started with an 870, killed a bunch.
Brief period with a Benelli Nova, never like it much but killed a bunch more. Switched to the 11-87 Premier, but then bought a Sportsmans 11-87 which I upgraded the barrel. That gun is still my go-to 12 gauge.
Last year I decided to try the Stevens 301 20 gauge. Had the trigger smoothed out and put an IndianRidge choke on for TSS. Pretty fun budget gun with a red dot. Killed two birds. After an expenssomething. rn session with TSS I wouldn't hesitate to 60-65 yards but only as a last resort. Some of the late season birds at 45 yards are no longer safe. Sometimes they just won't come.
Been that route. My 870 sweet 16 is a killer, sometimes over under 22 mag. 20 ga. Savage. or 1187 , muzzle loader. Crossbow. Turkey hunting gives you the pleasure of using what ever you want.
 
I'm thinking of getting my over under 22 mag 20 GA. Savage board out to receive a chock. The barrel is thick enough. In some counties & states l can use the 22. The 20 ga. As it is now has no range.
 
Same setup I've had for 4 years now. 20 ga 11-87, 20" barrel, fiber optic sights, tss 9s.

12 ga 3.5" tss might be the thing that I fear the most as a public land turkey hunter.
Agreed. I only hunt private and will only buy 3", although not sure if that is much different. I don't think any TSS's, regardless of gauge or size is gonna be fun to get shot with.

I take that back, a 22 scares me more.
 
Agreed. I only hunt private and will only buy 3", although not sure if that is much different. I don't think any TSS's, regardless of gauge or size is gonna be fun to get shot with.

I take that back, a 22 scares me more.
I agree with you about things that scare me. I don't hunt public lands either.
 
Just a simple Remington 1/87 vent rib with bead and some turkey loads. Same gun I shoot waterfowl and sporting clays with.
Never saw the need for a specialty turkey shotgun.
 
Tested a few different loads in my SBE 3 20 gauge today. Looks like the winning combination was Herters No. 9 and the factory full choke. Also confirmed zero with my old standby Benelli Nova 12 gauge. Those 2oz loads thump a lot more after shooting 20s all day. C29E2299-CD14-41E6-8F33-F83510D157B3.jpeg67D4E9E5-1619-4447-935D-896F87663CA0.jpegBC63F933-1EC1-4BF1-A925-C45B56FBCC2C.jpeg790A1AF0-4DA9-411F-BD75-454C40C1955D.jpeg67105697-336A-4915-93C5-30B2DBB53D81.jpeg
 
Spring hunt with the same 870 for the last 30 years with #5 shot in 2-3/4" shells - turkeys don't wear Kevlar where I hunt.

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Mossberg sa 410ga
Mossberg 500 410 ga
Both turkey models. Indian Creek. 385 chokes. Apex Ninja 9.5 shot. I have a Mossberg SA 28ga turkey gun on order. Going to try a patternmaster .515 turkey choke. With Rocky Ridge 9 shot. And Verdict 10 shot. Also going to pattern the Tristar G2 Viper 28ga on bottom.
 

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I’ve got 9 turkey guns now. I just purchased 2 more. Both Henry single shots, one the turkey model, one in 410. Even though I’ve got so many my primary gun since the late 80s has been an ulti mag. Before that a 10 ga. Thinking my main gun this year might be the Henry 12. We will see
 
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