If money was no object...

Setterman said:
REN said:
Roost 1 said:
Never heard of optifade, can you post a pic please.

It's what sitka uses on their clothes and it's made by Gore. It's sweet for winter stuff or early spring. Wish they would come out with a true spring and early fall through.

http://www.optifade.com/hunting-gear/products/forest



I agree, it doesn't have the shelf appeal of leaves and sticks, but like cabelas outfitter camo it looks great in the woods. I wish they had one with more green as well.



Yeah i got lucky and caught a run cabelas did on their MT050 gear with optifade forest on sale and got the jacket and pants. I love the pattern for deer hunting for sure!



bjohnson said:
Roost 1 said:
Never heard of optifade, can you post a pic please.



Thats their duck hunting version which is ok but i like the open country and forest patterns better
 
I've had some high end shotguns including a SBE, A400 Xtreme, SX3, M2 20 gauge, 2 Beretta 390s, and a 20 gauge Beretta 391. The worst of the group for a dedicated turkey gun are the 390 and 391. The retarded safety is the reason for this. The second worst is the SBE. This is my opinion and if anybody likes these guns, please don't feel hard toward me. My vote for an auto loader would go to the M2 20. I never turkey hunted with the A400 or the SX3.

My favorite turkey gun ain't in this list. It's the NEF/H&R single shot. And while I'd like to try a double barrel or a Mossberg SA 20, I doubt they'd replace my $100 single shot. The overall short length and ability to steady it with one hand makes it superior to any auto loader I've shot. If I could only have one turkey gun, this would be it.

I guess if I set out to build an expensive turkey gun, it would probably be a double barrel. Not sure what brand but would be a 20 gauge.
 
Uncle Jesse what issues did you have with the sbe or what did you not like? You won't offend me no matter what your opinions are
 
Benelli's are longer by design and the SBE is even longer being a 3.5 chamber. Mine was a 26" barrel and in the last few minutes of a bird coming in, I always noticed I would get shaky trying to steady the gun. The other issue was the gun getting knocked out of battery. This only happened a couple times while I owned the gun and never while turkey hunting, but it was always on my mind.
 
I would buy another original SBE just like the one I shoot now.... I wouldn't change a thing about mine.
 
Uncle Jesse said:
Benelli's are longer by design and the SBE is even longer being a 3.5 chamber.

I second this. I shoot a SBE I for a duck gun and turkey hunted with it for years, but it's a 28" barrel gun and even the 26"s are long overall. I'm 6'1" and with an extended choke, with the gun slung over shoulder, the barrel stuck about 3" higher than my head. It caught every limb and vine I passed. And, like Jesse said, if I wasn't propped on my knee, my arms would get rubbery quick. I now shoot an O/U and I like it a lot because it's much shorter overall, but within the next couple years, I'll have an M2 or a Franchi Affinity.
 
Uncle Jesse said:
Benelli's are longer by design and the SBE is even longer being a 3.5 chamber. Mine was a 26" barrel and in the last few minutes of a bird coming in, I always noticed I would get shaky trying to steady the gun. The other issue was the gun getting knocked out of battery. This only happened a couple times while I owned the gun and never while turkey hunting, but it was always on my mind.

I can see that, mine is a 24" barrel but actually is 26". So far it's been okay, but I'd rather have a true 22" or 24" barrel.

The bolt opening thing can be a nightmare, I check mine to an obsessive level as a bunch of people I know have had it cost them birds. I also bird hunt with a m2 so my paranoia is deeply entrenched.

First time it costs me a bird it's gone, two years and so far I've been lucky.
 
I have hunted with a SBE since 1994 and the bolt has never cost me a bird... Can't blame operator error on the gun..... Mine is a H&K model and other than the recoil, there is not a finer hunting shotgun. Mine has passed all the tests...of course all this is just my opinion and I realize everyone is partial to certain things.
 
REN said:
deerhunter10 said:
super black eagle two. send it to rob Roberts let them do everything to it. then throw a rhino choke in it and shoot nitros out of it. and top it with a leupold scope. my plan next year.

That's EXACTLY what I did and was worth the wait. I didn't do a rhino or nitros though and used a speedbead instead of a scope

actually I probably would end up shooting the speed bead or the eotech. I cant wait ill probably buy the gun in the summer and itll be done no doubt by next turkey season.
 
Setterman said:
The bolt opening thing can be a nightmare, I check mine to an obsessive level as a bunch of people I know have had it cost them birds. I also bird hunt with a m2 so my paranoia is deeply entrenched.

First time it costs me a bird it's gone, two years and so far I've been lucky.

I always said the same thing. It never happened in 6 years while turkey hunting though. I think it happened to my SBE maybe twice while I owned it and both times was within the first couple of months. It has never happened on my M2 20.


Roost 1 said:
I have hunted with a SBE since 1994 and the bolt has never cost me a bird... Can't blame operator error on the gun..... Mine is a H&K model and other than the recoil, there is not a finer hunting shotgun. Mine has passed all the tests...of course all this is just my opinion and I realize everyone is partial to certain things.

If the question had been the best all around hunting gun that shoots 3.5 shells then, I would easily say the SBE. In my experience the cheaper guns are just as good, if not better, dedicated turkey guns.

I guess the 2 main things for me on a dedicated turkey gun are overall length and weight.
 
870 26" barrel with factory turkey choke. Never understood all the stuff people do to a turkey gun to shoot 4 shells through it a year, or why they would want to shoot out past 50 yards. Just my .02.
 
Setterman said:
I can see that, mine is a 24" barrel but actually is 26". So far it's been okay, but I'd rather have a true 22" or 24" barrel.

The bolt opening thing can be a nightmare, I check mine to an obsessive level as a bunch of people I know have had it cost them birds. I also bird hunt with a m2 so my paranoia is deeply entrenched.

First time it costs me a bird it's gone, two years and so far I've been lucky.

Yeah id LOVE to buy a 22" or true 24" barrel and have it set up as my turkey barrel but Benelli barrels aint cheap!

as far as the bolt issue I have not had that issue yet and thats through a few hundred rounds in dove season and a few hundred rounds of duck season. I know a few guys that have shot them for years HEAVY for ducks and doves and never had it happen.

it is a chance you take with an inertia gun though.



having said all that, if you are just talking about a strict turkey gun then there are prob better options out there with overbore barrels and gas cycles. It is a gun that fits me perfect though and i use it for other stuff so i wouldn't trade it for anything.

I also actually do like the Vinci the more i handle one.
 
I'd buy the most expensive thing that BassPro has and sell it on take a trip somewhere turkey hunting.
 
REN said:
Setterman said:
I can see that, mine is a 24" barrel but actually is 26". So far it's been okay, but I'd rather have a true 22" or 24" barrel.

The bolt opening thing can be a nightmare, I check mine to an obsessive level as a bunch of people I know have had it cost them birds. I also bird hunt with a m2 so my paranoia is deeply entrenched.

First time it costs me a bird it's gone, two years and so far I've been lucky.

Yeah id LOVE to buy a 22" or true 24" barrel and have it set up as my turkey barrel but Benelli barrels aint cheap!

as far as the bolt issue I have not had that issue yet and thats through a few hundred rounds in dove season and a few hundred rounds of duck season. I know a few guys that have shot them for years HEAVY for ducks and doves and never had it happen.

it is a chance you take with an inertia gun though.



having said all that, if you are just talking about a strict turkey gun then there are prob better options out there with overbore barrels and gas cycles. It is a gun that fits me perfect though and i use it for other stuff so i wouldn't trade it for anything.

I also actually do like the Vinci the more i handle one.
I like the Vinci but who ever designed the safety on that thing needs a swift kick!
 
jb3 said:
I'd buy the most expensive thing that BassPro has and sell it on take a trip somewhere turkey hunting.

Same here, but I guess if money was not an issue it wouldnt really matter...though I would still do it!

My 835 I bought used 11 years ago is perfect, Im not really into shotguns so a new one never catches my attention.
 
That SX3 with the pistol grip that I picked up at the convention was sweet. Said they won't be available till around June. If they made the new Browning A5 with a pistol grip that would probably be what I would pick, but seriously considering that SX3.
 

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