• Help Support TNDeer:

Favorite Shotgun

With no other criteria, if someone asked me "what's the best all around turkey gun" I would say a 24" 870.

You looking for a 12 ga or 20ga? What ammo do you have in mind?
 
Fairly broad topic and "favorite" has a lot of factors. Some have a fun tied to sentimental value, some have tight budgets which limits which ones they own and some have different frames and sizes which makes one better to them then others. None of that makes 1 gun better then another, just means that's the gun that fits that person and they have the most confidence in.

My own personal preference after owning a TON of shotguns is the benelli M2 20 gauge is my overall favorite when it comes to turkey, dove and just fun shooting with the benelli SBE2 a close 2nd.

Just absolutely love the fit, feel and quality of those 2 guns! There are a lot of great/good shotguns out there though just depends what you want and what you can afford.

My least favorite personal options (guns I wouldn't own if they were free) are the 835 and the Nova. Again just my personal opinion. Sure both shoot and either will kill piles of turkeys but man I have never found a poor rattling POS shotgun then those 2 :) (no personal attacks where made against anyone that has one and disagrees with that statement)
 
As stated above, favorite shotgun is a relative term, each one has a purpose. I assume your talking about a turkey gun though. Mine is a old school Mossberg 500 with a 28" barrel and a Pure Gold .670 choke tube. Plain ol Winchester supreme #4's (3"). Any turkey inside 60 yards is DEAD. I'm sure some will knock a cheap old shotgun but this setup has worked for me for years. Wing shooting is a entirely different story though!
 
REN":1yfkvulw said:
Fairly broad topic and "favorite" has a lot of factors. Some have a fun tied to sentimental value, some have tight budgets which limits which ones they own and some have different frames and sizes which makes one better to them then others. None of that makes 1 gun better then another, just means that's the gun that fits that person and they have the most confidence in.

My own personal preference after owning a TON of shotguns is the benelli M2 20 gauge is my overall favorite when it comes to turkey, dove and just fun shooting with the benelli SBE2 a close 2nd.

Just absolutely love the fit, feel and quality of those 2 guns! There are a lot of great/good shotguns out there though just depends what you want and what you can afford.

My least favorite personal options (guns I wouldn't own if they were free) are the 835 and the Nova. Again just my personal opinion. Sure both shoot and either will kill piles of turkeys but man I have never found a poor rattling POS shotgun then those 2 :) (no personal attacks where made against anyone that has one and disagrees with that statement)
Click to expand...

Your'e spot on. I purchased a 835 and it was the worst decision I ever made in my turkey hunting years.. Cost me a ton of birds, long story...

The Benelli M2 is just sweet and the 20 is super light for toting around the turkey woods. I am thinking of converting my M2 12 duck gun to a turkey combo with a 21" barrel. I really cant stand a long barrel on my turkey piece. I would prefer to just buy another M2 in 20 gauge but that's getting spendy..

Another solid option is the Franchi 20.
 
Just me but if I was considering a turkey only gun , I would definitely go 20 gauge. You don't have to break the bank to get a good quality gun. My best feeling gun is a Stoeger m3020 turkey edition that I recently purchased . It has a 24 inch barrel and is drilled and tapped, it patterns great! The other I would recommend is the Mossberg SA 20 Turkey Thug I have had this one several years and it has a 22 inch barrel comes drilled and Tapped and with the picatinny rail. This gun has been the demise of several gobblers! Both are light as feather and reasonable to buy . Again this is a broad question as I have two others I like but one is a single shot and the other is similar to the SA 20 but not drilled and Tapped. The one thing they all have in common is 20 gauge. Nothing at all wrong with a 12 but with todays loads and choke tubes , I just like the lighter guns. I had an 835 (patterns great) for years but once I switched to the 20, I never looked back!
.
 
The old tried and true 870 is hard to beat, but nowdays with TSS you can make any shotgun a turkey killer. I would definitely go with 20 gauge and shoot TSS, whatever gun you choose.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
I have had 3 of the Remington 11-87 super mags, I absolutely love them. I grew up shooting 870's and these point the same way.
 
My overall favorite Turkey gun is a Yildiz O/U from Academy. And I have used a Benelli m2 20 gauge and Benelli SBE. Paid $430 for mine and I can pick a open pattern or a tight pattern at the flick of a switch
 
Uncle Jesse":1ihy08vm said:
My overall favorite Turkey gun is a Yildiz O/U from Academy. And I have used a Benelli m2 20 gauge and Benelli SBE. Paid $430 for mine and I can pick a open pattern or a tight pattern at the flick of a switch
Click to expand...

I am finishing setting one of these up now in a 20 gauge. So my answer is subject to change.
 
I have always been a Remington 870 guy. I switched to 20 gauge starting with Federal Hvy Wt and then to TSS three years ago and don't see a reason for the 12 to come out of the safe anytime soon.
 
Broad question for "best turkey gun".
All kinds of situations to think about. Budget? 12 or 20? Do you want one that is good for turkeys, doves, quail, and ducks? Turkey only? Budget on what kind of shells, chokes, and reflex sights?

If I wanted a good all around do everything shotgun, and I had a limited budget, I'd go with a Remington 11-87 or an 870. Not sure if the new ones are built like the ones 25-30 years ago though.

If budget is no limit, benelli hard to beat.

I'm partial to the Franchi Affinity these days for all around guns.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Just for another opinion I'd start by asking what guns you have already? If you don't have any shotguns grab an 870 in 12 gauge with a 26" barrel and you'll be ready to kill anything that flies, walks or crawls. If you've got a couple other guns for wing shooting and want a dedicated turkey gun then grab one more specific to turkeys (camo, shorter barrel, improved sights, etc.). If you've got a bunch of pump guns and want a semi auto I am an inertia fan myself (benelli or Franchi for me, never shot the stoeger but it's the same action). With ammo improvements no gauge is too small for turkeys anymore so long as you're willing to pay to play the right way (pattern the gun, even with $5 TSS loads!) so don't be afraid of a 20 gauge or smaller if you're worried about recoil.

One thing I always tell people regardless of what kind of shotgun they want (Turkey, Duck, quail, etc) is to go to a gun store with lots of guns and shoulder as many as you can- what feels good and fits me likely may not fit you. Even better, if you've got buddies with guns you're considering then shoot em. You'll find one you like.
 
My current turkey gun is a Winchester SX3 and I love it. A Mossberg 835 is a turkey thumper I once owned and it kills on both ends. It can double as a boat paddle when needed too. The previous gun I had was an 870 super mag with the surshot stock. Loved it but decided to go the auto route. There's one in the classifieds with regular stock for $300 that I can't believe hasn't been bought.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top