double barrel shotgun for turkey hunting

Buy Dp-12 12 Ga Double Barrel Pump - Shotgun 16 Rds Flat Dark Earth sold by Granite View Sports on Weapon Depot Smith & Wesson Model 586: Reviewing A .357 Revolver With Class. If your gun has a fixed choke, find a gunsmith who will. Sure, I could probably shoot tighter patterns with TSS loads or blends, but this budget gun loves budget ammo. Twenty-gauge shotguns are also more compact than 12s and usually have shorter barrels. This shotgun set the benchmark for the quality of gas-operated autos. This folding combination gun is a great choice for hunting, survival or fun recreational shooting. The gas-operated Mossberg is finished in Mossy Oak Bottomland camo. It came with a full (.695) choke that Ive never seen a need to swap out, which is good because its probably rusted in there by now. The Stevens 301 Turkey Obsession is a lightweight turkey gun that doesnt sacrifice distance or accuracy. And there hasnt been a gobbler strut within 40 yards of this gun to change that yet.Adam Moore. Check out our review of the best turkey shotguns on the market today. J.G. The 940 Pro Tactical comes in flat black and both 940 Pro Turkey shotguns have a Mossy Oak Greenleaf camo finish. An excellent writer, Justin is a key contributor to the OutdoorWorld Reviews website! If your gun comes drilled and tapped, its easy to mount a rail for an optic. A double-barreled shotgun is a break-action shotgun with two parallel barrels, allowing two single shots to be fired in quick succession or . Lets get started! J.G. For effectiveness, the barrel has some top rails onto which you can attach sights that suit your preference. Best Double-Barrel Shotguns. For much of the 20th century, your turkey gun was whatever shotgun you owned. There arent too many .410 auto-loaders out there, but the platform is becoming popular with turkey and flooded timber duck hunters as more TSS shotshell offerings are made available. If you like the Mossberg 500 features but youre a maniac and want to shoot 3.5-inch turkey loads, then the Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag Turkey is the shotgun for you. Hunting Type: Turkey Length: 3 1/2'' Muzzle Velocity (feet per second): 1300 Rounds: 10 So not only will you be able to fire a powerful load, youll be able to put them on target reliably. With the stock slid forward, my youngest son can easily shoulder the gun. Its designed with a 30-inch barrel, which gives you as much accuracy as youre going to get out of any shotgun. offering a host of features specific to turkey hunting. This means that when your teenager grows up, all youll need to do is swap the stock for an adult size and theyll be able to use this shotgun for the rest of their life. These super magnum shotgun shells, like the 3 options above" must only be fired out of a barrel marked for 3 1/2 shells. One is has an 18.5 inch barrel with cyl bore choke and the other has a 28 inch barrel with adjustable chokes. Dont overlook peep sights and ghost rings, which get you on target fast. Benelli has been making the Super Black Eagle since the early 1990s, and it has proven to be a reliable shotgun for more than 30 years, no matter what kind of wild game youre hunting. Its also very reasonably priced, comparable to a mid-range pump action. A double-barrel shotgun is very useful in many different situations, such as hunting and self-defense. The real attraction here are the pre-installed fiber-optic iron sights, which make it easier to draw a bead right out of the box. It has also been dipped in Original Realtree camo. Indeed, there are some very definite advantages to hunting toms with double (or triple) barrels, as seen in these three examples. Starting Price: $849. However, the polymer stock is fairly lightweight for a Winchester, which gives it a little more kick than youd get on a heavier wood shotgun. Learn More . The Double Badger has the look, feel and function of an over/ Select your language The weight absorbs most of the recoil, and its never given me a shiner even if I had my cheek to close to the stock. You can mount a traditional scope or a red-dot on the rail, or simply use the open fiber-optic sights. Natalie Krebs is the Senior Deputy Editor of Outdoor Life, where she tackles everything from reporting digital features to producing podcast episodes. This gun is based on research that shows that the average female shotgun hunter is 5 feet, 4 inches tall, and has 28-inch arms. The Reaper Magnum comes stock with a bead sight for that classic shotgun sight picture, but it also comes equipped with a removable Picatinny rail. Ive hunted across the country with my 835 over the last seven turkey seasons and what I love most about it is that its a beater shotgun. What is not fine, is relying on a single or double-bead sight system to determine where a gun is pointing when a turkey is standing in front of it. If you want a dedicated turkey gun built around a reliable autoloader, you have to consider the SX4 NWTF Cantilever Turkey. Rob Roberts is a master at getting the most out of shotgun pattern performance. Rubber inlays on the pistol grip and fore-end will give you a better grip on the 11-87 in inclement weather, or when it gets hot and your palms get sweaty. You can kill turkeys with an un-camoed gun, and if your project gun is a classic Model 12 or Auto 5 or even just a clean old 870 Wingmaster ,ask yourself Really? Its an Optima-Choke system, which is used by many of Berettas high-end guns, like the DT11 and DT10. Full choke means that the muzzle diameter is reduced about .030 from bore diameter. Published Mar 23, 2021 7:14 PM EDT. This gun is based on research that shows that the average female shotgun hunter is 5 feet, 4 inches tall, and has 28-inch arms. The action is very smooth for a budget gun, utilizing a Benelli-style rotating bolt that feels like it should cost twice as much. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. Petersen's HUNTING Publisher, Kevin Steele is in the CZ booth with Dylan Rice at SHOT Show to talk about CZ 600 Series Trail rifle. This concept also helps if you have to take a shot from an awkward position. It has a 5-round magazine, which accepts 3-inch shells to allow for a reasonably heavy load. The Savage Arms 320 Spring Pump is a hunting variant of their 320 Security shotgun. Mossberg 940 Pro Turkey 24-inch. This shotgun cycles as smoothly as the best on the market, with Benellis buttery rotary bolt system. But what really makes it shine is the quick de-chambering button on the bottom of the chamber. J.G. What attracted us most to the BPS was the bottom ejection port. Kali Parmley of Gun Dog Magazine talks to George Thompson from Benelli USA about the new features from the Benelli line in 2023. A weapon made from a shotgun is also a firearm subject to the NFA if the weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches or a barrel or barrels of less than 18 inches in length. With an overall length of just 41, its a very wieldy Tom-taker. It's not so much the extra few inches from the shooter's ears of the longer barrel than it is the lower blast and noise levels of the longer barrel that make a 24" barreled shotgun my minimum, and a 26" or longer being even better. These O/Us are well built for hunting with chrome lined chambers, a tang selector safety, interchangeable chokes, ventilated rib, sling swivels, and a fiber optic sight. There is a front fiber-optic sight for quicker target acquisition, and the 7-pound 12-gauge (get ready for some serious recoil) is finished in Mossy Oak Obsession. While everyone carries an autoloader afield in turkey season for fast follow-up shots, shooting an over/under shotgun all but eliminates the need for a second shot. With 18.5 barrels and a tang mounted safety/barrel selector, chokes would make this banger an even bigger winner. J.G. The side by side (or double barrel shotgun) is a break action shotgun with two parallel barrels. For years, especially in college, I ran it with a Primos Tight Wad choke and whatever turkey ammo I could find. If your gun is threaded for chokes, buy a tube. When it comes to turkey hunting, Benelli has a range of excellent 12, 20, and 28-gauge shotguns that can get the job done. If you want to better your chances of filling a tag; if you want to reach out to 50 yards or more; or if you just enjoy fiddling with guns, customizing a shotgun for the turkey woods makes for a fun and useful project. Single-shots are making a comeback in the turkey woods and .410s (where legal) have carved out a niche among turkey hunters willing to pay the price for TSS shotshells. By screwing in two different chokes and stuffing each barrel with a different shotshell, turkey hunters can switch barrels instantly and put the proper load on target at the proper range. Red-dot sights also help you get on target more quickly because theres only one point of alignment compared to an open sight (or iron sight) which has tworear sight to front sight to target (though some hunters, myself included, shoot turkeys like they would a duck and dont use a sight to line up the shot at all). Double-barrel breech-loading shotgun - Available in side-by-side (SxS) or over/under (O/U), a double barrel shotgun is the classic bird hunter's weapon of choice, . Originally from Missouri, she currently lives in northwest Arkansas with her bird dog, Hatchet. It fires long, 3-inch shells, delivering the largest possible load in its bore, and the chrome-lined chamber and receiver cycle as smoothly as an Eric Clapton guitar solo. Available in 20-gauge only and shoots 2- and 3-inch shells. A picatinny rail mount makes for quick addition of turkey-specific red dot optics. Polymer Mossy Oak Obsession camo stock and fore grip. The weight of the gun balances better between both your hands than it does with a semi-auto or pump, which tend to be barrel heavy. At that range, any gun, from the birds standpoint, is ultimate. Natalie Krebs. Timney sells a great 870 trigger kit, and Briley offers triggers and sears for several semiautos. Starting Price: $499. The Winchester SXP Turkey Hunters all-around Mossy Oak Break-Up skin keeps the gobblers from seeing you until its too late. This is a smoothbore shotgun in a rifle platform. One of the hottest trends in the shotgun market is the turkey gun. Today, the best turkey hunting shotguns are typically variants of a shotgun that was designed for waterfowl or small game hunters with stocks and barrels that are shortened to make the guns easier to carry and more maneuverable in tight cover. Less awkward or heavy than a semi-, and with a faster follow-up shot than a pump for most people. Shotgun choke is important; it was invented in England about 1870. The Mossberg 500 Super Bantam is a lightweight 20 gauge pump gun thats as reliable as they come. The break-action single shot is a great choice for newer hunters, especially youngsters, because the stock is extremely ergonomic and easy to handle. The Mossberg SA-20 Bantam is the youth model of their SA-20 automatic shotgun, and utilizes the same barrel and action. 1.1 1. Whether you use them for home defense or as a display piece . But wait, you might say. The most popular is the Maverick Hunter O/U with its 28 barrels in either fixed F/M or better yet, with interchangeable chokes. CZ provides six different extended choke tubes with each Reaper Magnum shotgun, so you'll have more than enough variation to customize your gun's versatility right out of the box. Epic 22 Pocket Pistol: The Beretta 71 Jaguar. Publisher Kevin Steele is in the Beretta booth with Logan Killam, the Shotgun Product Manager, to discuss the all new Beretta A300 Ultima Turkey. Double Defense Over/Under Shotguns. Thats important for turkey hunters, who are mostly sitting on the forest floor. My other turkey gun is an 870 Super Magnum with a synthetic Monte Carlo stock, Rob Roberts choke, and a Timney trigger fix kit installed. First off, the double-barrel shotgun cuts a sharp profile, with an A-grade walnut stock, Prince of Wales grip and deeply blued metal. Nobody needs battlefield reliability and 5-year battery life for turkey hunting, but thats what I went with. This is a great feature for left-handed hunters, since it means you wont be ejecting hot shells right into your own arm. It has cost me quite a bit since, but I enjoy tinkering with it and hunting with it. It is a hammer gun, so you will have to cock it before shooting, which does take extra time you may not have if a longbeard gives you a tight shot window. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. A good rifle stock is not a good shotgun stock. If you do nothing else, have a gunsmith install a middle bead. This shotgun holds up to weeks of running and gunning through stormy spring weather every turkey season, and functioned as expected when a longbeard strutted into range. The Winchester SXP Waterfowl is a pump gun that can fire any 20 gauge shell, including 3-inch magnum shells. The most common models are a Remington 870 Express or the Mossberg 500 or 835. But the weight tames much of the felt recoil, and there are sling swivels, so you can haul the gun over the shoulder if you buy a strap. All Rights Reserved. They're perfect for hunting upland birds, ducks over puddles or turkeys in the forest. It works wonderfully, and really adds to the aesthetic of my beater gun. at Boston, MA (1982-2017) Author has 2.1K answers and 1.5M answer views 4 y Related Unlike other budget double-barrel shotguns, the Cavalry Turkey Fowl doesn't look like a cheap budget gun. This gun is a good choice for young hunters, or for anyone with a small frame. Thats all well and good, but the real goal should be fooling a turkey into committing those last few yards. The SX4 is a reliable autoloader built for the turkey woods. They all work if you point them properly, but some make pointing easier than others do. Its not unheard of for moisture to make its way into the action of side eject shotguns and contaminate a shells gunpowder, rendering it useless. The gun has a matte finish on the steel receiver and barrel, plus Mossy Oak Break-Up on the stock and fore-end. The Browning BPS is a 12 gauge shotgun with a long, 28-inch barrel that reliably puts softball-sized groupings on turkey neck-sized targets. Youll need to add a hammer extension if you mount a scope. Pietta 1878 Hartford Coach Deluxe 12 GA 20" Barrel External Hammers. They all come with chokes designed specifically for printing tight, gobbler-killing patterns. Advanced turkey loads and chokes have turned the .410 from a small game gun to a deadly accurate turkey slayer. Its designed to feel and function just like a deer hunting rifle. Gas-driven autoloaders are soft shooters, but are also typically the most expensive. Popular in the tactical/home defense markets, Mossberg pumps make great project guns because there are so many parts available. Buying Shotguns Online. Canvas & Leather Rifle Sock, Gun Carrying Case KorektLeatherGoods (177) $81.83 Conversely, if youre an experienced hunter looking for their dream gun, those bells and whistles may be exactly the thing youre looking for. The shorter barrel cuts some of the weight from traditional 26- and 28-inch barrels, and it balances nicely for those times when you need to make an off-hand or awkward shot. The Benelli Nova offers exceptional accuracy and recoil resistance with even the heaviest shells. Installing a sling-swivel stud in a stock is easy if youre handy, especially if you buy a special jig from Brownells. The X-Factor choke comes standard, and a tang-mounted safety is perfect if you need to kill a longbeard with your off-hand. You spend hours sitting and calling that first Tom on opening day and he won't come any closer than 50 yards. Choke makes a lot. A short barreled shotgun with screw in chokes would be just the ticket for hunting. The gas piston system on this shotgun allows you to fire three shells in less than a second. Shotguns. Machine Guns; Short Barrel Rifles (SBR) Silencers & Suppressed Firearms; Collectible Firearms. The G2 comes with a molded pistol grip, which helps keep the gun steady but also assists in mitigating recoil because all that force caused from the heavy shot charge is not going solely into your shoulder. Finally, the shotgun has a blue finishing. Nothing rekindles feelings of nostalgia quite like a side-by-side shotgun. But doing it with a project gun that youve customized to suit all your wants and needs is a real blast, By Just 40 inches longthe barrel is 20 inchesthe 500 is great for hunting tight cover. That said, if youre not a run-and-gun turkey hunter, a 10 loaded with a 3-inch lead or tungsten shotshell that has a shot charge of 2 ounces or more is an absolute hammer on gobblers. Though the website indicates the HS12 now comes with chokes, the models weve seen are fixed cylinder bores. Its expensive, made for hunters who want the very best available and are willing to pay top dollar for it. That one was an el-cheapo Stevens 311 16 gauge that clusters Brenneke's into a fist sized group at 40 yards, from both barrels. Featuring a 22-inch barrel topped with a fiber-optic sight, it also comes equipped with a . And if the gun has a rotating bolt head, it may not send the shotshell into battery if you ease the action forward like so many turkey hunters do to load their shotguns (it keeps noise at a minimum). CZ Bobwhite G2. But more importantly, the Orion I is well made most certainly up to Weatherby standards, with a tight fit and excellent machining. There are very few auto-loading .410s on the market, and this dainty sub-gauge is easy to carry on all-day turkey hunts. Classic Browning Light Twelve Auto-5 Review: Busting Clays With the Old Humpback Shotgun. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. If an old gobbler hangs up at a longer range of around 35-40 yards, then the tighter . When choosing these turkey guns, we focused on accuracy, versatility, and value. The Mossberg SA-20 Bantam is the youth model of their SA-20 automatic shotgun, and utilizes the same barrel and action. The comb of the stock is also slightly raised, making it easier to get a better cheek weld as you look down the sight plane of the barrel. Inertia shotguns are light and less expensive than gas gunsbut they dont handle recoil as well. $563.99. TriStar auto-loaders are reliable, but also moderately priced, gas driven shotguns. Featuring the Versa Port gas system, this shotgun combines reliability with soft recoil into a sleek platform. Truglo Tight patterns are essential to all but very close-range turkey shooting. But since the only thing left to hunt in Illinois besides whitetails are grays and foxtails, he now spends most of the fall and winter searching for oak and black walnut trees, and walking behind a crazy Russian squirrel dog named Vladimir. This gun features a reliable, inertia-driven action, which isnt quite as fast as a gas-operated system, but is more reliable and much easier to clean. This shotgun is no longer in production, but can still be found on the used market. It also offers a lightning-fast gas piston system, which allows for faster follow-up shots than any other gun on the market. The Mossberg 500 Super Bantam is designed for youth hunters, with a relatively short pull and relatively good recoil resistance. This lets you optimize your range without the need to go out and buy extra chokes. They're Reliable. With this difficult game, you need every edge you can get, which is why we decided to find the best turkey shotgun on the market. It has a longer 24-inch barrel and weighs a half pound more than the 500, which is welcome weight to help soak up all that recoil. But I have also shot turkey guns with a red-dot reflex sight and they will greatly improve your accuracy. You can buy the BPS in a 3-inch chamber, but I like the 3-inch model for turkey hunting. But they are ideal for turkey hunters because 10-gauge shotshells can deliver heavier payloads than any other legal gauge on the market. This rail is specifically mounted directly to the guns vented rib, just over the monobloc, so that optics can be mounted low to the barrel. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Just $1 per month , You can kill a turkey with just about any working shotgun. We also favored pump action guns. Chambered for 3-inch loads, an XX-Full turkey choke is included with the .410. I hunted with an adjustable, tactical pistol-grip stock for a couple of seasons. This gun accepts 3-inch shells, which are the most powerful available in a 20 gauge. Mossbergs Maverick Hunter represents a great budget o/u turkey gun. My current model wasnt affordable, it was dirt cheap, at $175. The five included Beretta-style choke tubes make this a ready killer on both short and long range toms. Here's an example of a two-barrel set with the Browning BPS with a 28" barrel and second 20" barrel that has sights (though this set is no longer in production). All are 12-gauge sporting shotguns with fine Turkish walnut stocks, ventilated rib barrels, and extended choke tubes. Then if it does, you have identified it as a double barrel shotgun. On the other hand, hunters with a smaller frame will shoot more accurately and get better results with a 20 gauge turkey gun. We may earn a small commission on purchases made through our links. The Beretta A400 XCEL is a 12 gauge shotgun that kicks as gently as a newborn baby. For example if the turkey comes in behind and you have to twist around to shoot. The synthetic stock is built with an exaggerated pistol grip to aid in stability and is dressed in Realtree APG camo. The Remington 870 Classic Trap is a variant of their classic 870 pump gun. It was as ergonomically perfect for turkey hunting as it was hideously ugly. Vortex. | The Orion has a big front, but that doesn't affect the weapon's weight much (7 pounds), but does provide better grip. Stay in the know. This is more a matter of price than anything else. To that Id respond, need has nothing to do with it. J.G. I hunted with the 212 Turkey a few years ago for Goulds turkeys in Mexico, and found that it handled just like a magnum-caliber rifle would. The Stevens 310 Turkey Obsession makes a great, lightweight optioneven with its 26-inch barrelif you tend to put dozens of miles under your boots every turkey season. Everything you need to know about the parts of a compound bow and how they work. In this article. Its not the smooth, fast experience of running the bolt on a 110 rifle. The Savage Arms 320 Spring Pump is a hunting variant of their 320 Security shotgun. So, you won't see auction guns from the early 1900s with price tags of $10,000+ here. With top-end TSS loads it shoots killer patterns at 60 yardsand probably farther but Ive never tried it. How short can a shotgun barrel be? Stock configuration and drop are quite differently and specifically designed for each. The price, with Mavericks on the market for under $400. The Stoeger P3500 is designed to be a simple, hard-working shotgun without any extra frills. They're Comfortable and Snappy. It can be hard to find turkey ammo for 10s because there are only two in production (the BPS is the other), but its an ideal gauge for tough old toms because of the increased payload capability of its shotshells. The only downside on this gun is the trigger, which is on the heavy side. There are lots of good sights for less: any Holosun, Burris FastFire III, Truglo Ignite, or Vortex Venom. Savage Arms Renegauge Turkey Obsession It's not the type of gun I want to carry for miles through the woods or plains. For the latter, youll need some kind of saddle mount that wraps around the receiver if you want to put a scope or red dot on the gun. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. This isn't wingshooting. Need Help?service@guns.comCall (866)582-4867, PO Box 1131 13800 Nicollet Blvd Burnsville, MN 55337 2023Guns.com. But its the last turkey gun youll ever need to buy. Thats a bit much for snap shooting, but to some extent its a matter of personal preference. These birds are savvy, have a powerful sense of smell, and are liable to bolt if you so much as blink while theyre looking in your direction. Shotguns are aimed in a similar fashion to a deer hunting rifle and a shotgun barrel mounted on a rifle stock may not be a concern. When it's my turn to hunt, I simply slide the stock back to fit me, and I'm good to go. That said, the relatively short barrel makes for some serious recoil, more in line with what youd expect from a tactical shotgun than a hunting piece. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items! However, you wont often get a second shot at a turkey, rendering this advantage mostly moot. No one needs an ultimate turkey gun. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. I have been doing some research on: Pedersoli: double barrel 10ga. If you really, really want to go outside the box, check out Chiappas Triple Tom. Its only a 6-pound gun, and just 22 inches long without the included Jebs X-Full choke. I realize that sinking a bunch of money into a gun worth about $100 makes no sense, but thats the essence of gun projects. Before jump in, it's worth noting that we chose production firearms. Here's what it's like to shoot this classic scattergun. They are nearly 8-pound guns even in the composite model (wood and steel BPS are heavier). The extra full choke patterns well depending on the ammo you use, and hunters who want to dial in their patterns can find an assortment of aftermarket chokes for the 870. If your gun has a fixed choke, find a gunsmith who will thread it for choke tubes, which can be done to most single-barrel guns for a little over $100. Dual bead rear sight and bead front sight. This comes at a relatively steep price, but you wont be disappointed with what you get. There are raised rifle sights just forward of the receiver and at the muzzle for better accuracy, and the Turkey Slayer comes in a black synthetic finish for added durability. Given the action type, even with the same length barrel as their pump or semi-auto counterparts, the overall length is shorter and more maneuverable in hunting situations. This weapon is optimized to give you the best in long-range shooting and quick tracking with its 26-inch barrels. The Chinese-made Stevens 301 is the cheapest of the three at just over $200 and comes readiest for the turkey woods, with a camo stock and fore-end, an extended turkey choke, and a base for. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. Turkey-specific shotguns havent been around all that long when you consider hunters have been taking break-actions and repeaters into the woods to chase wild game for hundreds of years.During the Depression, the turkey population dipped to 30,000 birds, so there wasnt a need to build a platform that catered specifically to turkey hunters. The Nylon 66, a relatively inexpensive rimfire with faux woodgrain, was the first successful synthetic-stock firearm. Since the load gate and ejection port are one in the same, theres less of a chance for mud and grime to find their way into the chamber and gunk up your gun. The Weatherby PA-08 Upland is built for hunting upland game birds, but all that really means is that its exceptionally accurate. The 500 is also available in a .410-bore and 20-gauge. These days youll find plenty of sub-gauge guns in pump, semi-auto, and brake-action platforms. Add to Compare. However, the polymer stock doesnt provide much recoil resistance, even with the rubber butt pad that absorbs the brunt of the impact. You might be able to buy a shorter barrel for your project gun, or you can have the current barrel bobbed. It is a precision production process that has to be carried out by hand. From widest to tightest: the Singles, the Mid Handicap, and the Long Handicap. The Remington 870 Classic Trap is technically a trap shooting gun, but the 30-inch barrel makes it exceptionally accurate for any application. Introduced in the 1960s, the first 12-gauge 1100s could only shoot 2-inch shotshells, but there were soon 3-inch magnum variants, and eventually the gas guns were built for turkey hunters. While pumps, semi-autos, and single shots undoubtedly account for most turkey kills by US hunters, I share with many others an unlikely love of O/Us for spring gobblers. And your arms shouldnt shake after holding your gun at the ready for several minutes when youre waiting for a shot opportunity. Genzel grew up chasing mallards and Canada geese in the Illinois River Valley. Now, you are just as equally prepared for an 8-yard shot as you are a 40-yard shot.