Turkey Chokes and Rounds
- Thread starter Crashediv
- Start date
- Location
- Midland, ON
A full at the lowest, extra Full is recommended, I have heard of XX-Full for turkey as well. XXF seems like overkill and I would hate to feel the kick on one of those with a 2oz magnum 3 1/2" shell loaded.
Personally I use Kent shells. My Benelli now sports a Polychoke II with muzzle brake. It does help with magnum 3 1/2 loads. Reason I went to a different choke is that the factory Benelli chokes did not pattern well (couldn't hit a thing with them basically). Added the Poly and it was hitting and dropping birds like rain using the rounds from the same box that the factory chokes sucked on. Checked all my different types of rounds and they all saw the same difference with the Poly over the factory chokes.
It cannot be said enough. Get the BEST rounds you can. NOT the cheapest. Take them out with some turkey patterning targets and pattern the choke and rounds starting at 20 yards. If you don't have at least 5 pellets in the kill zones on the head/neck then it is too far for your gun/skills/loads. You may spend $40 on shells but you only need 1 and 5 or 6 to pattern. This means a box of 10 shells is really all you need to buy for a season. If you are blasting away then you need to learn some aiming and trigger control.
Seriously though. This will be my first season for turkey. Took my Ontario course last Saturday the 31st. I don't mind spending money on shells or good chokes. After all, I buy expensive shells right now for duck/goose season. I drop birds with 1 shot and they pattern very well. I learned after buying Winchester 3 1/2" #3 steel shells for duck this last Fall. Couldn't figure out why these wouldn't pattern in ANY gun we tried. Took one apart and the shot was black, malformed, and reminded me exactly of welding slag. Every shell we checked was like that. I will NOT buy Winchester ammo anymore. I even e-mailed Winchester with the batch # and any info off the box I could. Offered to send them samples from the shells and tried to be as helpful as possible to resolve the issue. NEVER heard a word back from them. That tells me that they don't give a rats posterior about what a hunter says, as long as they keep selling masses of garbage ammo. The Federal, Remington, and Kent ammo worked like a dream so it wasn't the gun, choke, or (this time at least) the 'nut' at the end of the butt stock. LOL
Personally I use Kent shells. My Benelli now sports a Polychoke II with muzzle brake. It does help with magnum 3 1/2 loads. Reason I went to a different choke is that the factory Benelli chokes did not pattern well (couldn't hit a thing with them basically). Added the Poly and it was hitting and dropping birds like rain using the rounds from the same box that the factory chokes sucked on. Checked all my different types of rounds and they all saw the same difference with the Poly over the factory chokes.
It cannot be said enough. Get the BEST rounds you can. NOT the cheapest. Take them out with some turkey patterning targets and pattern the choke and rounds starting at 20 yards. If you don't have at least 5 pellets in the kill zones on the head/neck then it is too far for your gun/skills/loads. You may spend $40 on shells but you only need 1 and 5 or 6 to pattern. This means a box of 10 shells is really all you need to buy for a season. If you are blasting away then you need to learn some aiming and trigger control.
Seriously though. This will be my first season for turkey. Took my Ontario course last Saturday the 31st. I don't mind spending money on shells or good chokes. After all, I buy expensive shells right now for duck/goose season. I drop birds with 1 shot and they pattern very well. I learned after buying Winchester 3 1/2" #3 steel shells for duck this last Fall. Couldn't figure out why these wouldn't pattern in ANY gun we tried. Took one apart and the shot was black, malformed, and reminded me exactly of welding slag. Every shell we checked was like that. I will NOT buy Winchester ammo anymore. I even e-mailed Winchester with the batch # and any info off the box I could. Offered to send them samples from the shells and tried to be as helpful as possible to resolve the issue. NEVER heard a word back from them. That tells me that they don't give a rats posterior about what a hunter says, as long as they keep selling masses of garbage ammo. The Federal, Remington, and Kent ammo worked like a dream so it wasn't the gun, choke, or (this time at least) the 'nut' at the end of the butt stock. LOL
I would start with Winchester supreme turkey loads...3" 6's. I have found they pattern well in any type of turkey choke.
Each gun/shell/choke combo will pattern differently.
You need to try a few and see what works.
Patterning gives you the maximum killing range for your gun as well.
Each gun/shell/choke combo will pattern differently.
You need to try a few and see what works.
Patterning gives you the maximum killing range for your gun as well.
I use 8.5" x 11" plain paper. Just draw an aimpoint in the centre of the paper.
This is pretty close to the "real life" kill zone on a turkey. A turkey may move slightly as you shoot, you may move, wind....etc,etc.
If you can consistently get good coverage on that size of paper, you will be all set.
Keep moving further back and shooting to find your max range. When you no longer get good coverage on the paper, you are too far.
This is pretty close to the "real life" kill zone on a turkey. A turkey may move slightly as you shoot, you may move, wind....etc,etc.
If you can consistently get good coverage on that size of paper, you will be all set.
Keep moving further back and shooting to find your max range. When you no longer get good coverage on the paper, you are too far.
I personally use a custom made ###xfull choke designed to throw 2oz #4 as tight as possible. Wilson precision made it for me and its to tight. 2ozs of #4 pattern about 10" at 25 yards. I missed a moving jakes head at 10 yards with it before. Other then that I use fixed full chokes
32" full choke model 12 #5 1.5oz rio mini mag 2 3/4"
28" f/m baikal 12ga sxs #6 7/8oz 2 3/4"
32" f/m interarms 10ga sxs #6 in the f #4 in the mod 2 1/4oz
They all accounted for dead right there turkeys. This year I will carry a pretty lil sxs 12ga f/m 30" barrels loaded with 7/8oz clocked at 1450fps for the first bird and carry my 10ga for the 2nd unless the rut is over in which case ill carry my mossberg with the rambo choke as the skeet guys have so named (it shreds the wads as they pass thru it)
The ###xfull choke on 2oz 3.5" shells almost doubles the felt recoil
32" full choke model 12 #5 1.5oz rio mini mag 2 3/4"
28" f/m baikal 12ga sxs #6 7/8oz 2 3/4"
32" f/m interarms 10ga sxs #6 in the f #4 in the mod 2 1/4oz
They all accounted for dead right there turkeys. This year I will carry a pretty lil sxs 12ga f/m 30" barrels loaded with 7/8oz clocked at 1450fps for the first bird and carry my 10ga for the 2nd unless the rut is over in which case ill carry my mossberg with the rambo choke as the skeet guys have so named (it shreds the wads as they pass thru it)
The ###xfull choke on 2oz 3.5" shells almost doubles the felt recoil
For sure get a decent quality turkey choke and try a bunch of loads. I'm using a 20gauge again this year and shell selection is limited. I've only tried 4 loads / 2 chokes but the difference between a full choke with a crappy load and an XF with a good load at 40 yards is as much as 200%!
In my 20 the best patterning load I've found so far is the Federal 3" 1 5/16oz no. 6s w/ flitecontrol wad
In my 12 my favorite load was the Winchester Supreme Elite Xtended Range 3" no 6
In my 20 the best patterning load I've found so far is the Federal 3" 1 5/16oz no. 6s w/ flitecontrol wad
In my 12 my favorite load was the Winchester Supreme Elite Xtended Range 3" no 6
I use the WInchester super X like waterfowler said.... What type of gun do you use op?
As for targets you can go to the remington website and they have some that are turkey heads that you can print using your printer....
Anyone wants me to email the pdf just pm me.... or you can go to rem site and download teh pdf for yourself....
As for targets you can go to the remington website and they have some that are turkey heads that you can print using your printer....
Anyone wants me to email the pdf just pm me.... or you can go to rem site and download teh pdf for yourself....
+1. I use the Win. Super-X #6, 1 7/8 oz with a Carlson Turkey choke in a Beretta 390. Beautiful pattern.
I have an 870 with a truglo gobblestopper and i also have the remchoke turkey x-full.... both pattern well for me....
My 870 seems to work best with the factory Remington xxfull choke with Federal flitecontol #6 shells. Every gun is different so you may want to buy/borrow some differnt chokes and shells to see what works best in your 870. Cheers bac4
