Ive always heard the old timers talk about how some guns shoot "harder" than others. Way back yonder before screw in chokes, lengthened forcing cones, etc..... came into vogue, the old browning A5s were rumored to be the hardest hitting guns on the market. I scoffed at this idea and still do to a degree BUT there must be some truth to it!
My first turkey gun was a model 500 mossberg, fixed modified barrel, but it was a 3 inch chamber! I bought it at Howard Bros in Cookeville for $99 and I had to put it on layaway. Thats how broke I was. NO way I could afford a Remington 3 inch gun!
I killed several birds with it and finally managed to save up enough to buy a Remington. That was the "perfect" gun, or so I thought. 20" or 21" bbl, screw in chokes, rifle sights, monte carlo walnut stock, 3" chamber, perfect!
I set in to finding the right choke and load for it. I dont remember what I ended up with, but it patterned OK at best, but it was way better than my mossberg was so off I went to the turkey woods. In the 2 or so years I hunted with that thing I clubbed more turkeys to death and wrung more necks than the dang thing killed dead. AT 40 yards it seriously wouldnt put a #4 pellet through heavy cardboard! 2 birds come to mind even today, 30 plus years later: one I shot on top of a ridge on Center Hill, he was about 25 yards. I shot every shell in the gun at him while chasing him down, reloaded with every shell in my vest, shot those, and still had to tackle him and ring his neck.
The other bird was less than 30 and was standing beside a woven wire fence when I shot him. He spooked at the shot but got tangled in the fence. I threw the gun down and ran up and caught him before he got clear of the fence and rung his neck like a chicken as well. I then sold that beautiful piece of junk and bought an 870 super mag.
