Lots of tried and true turkey hunters moving to lower gauge shotguns. I believe this is in large part due to the advancement in shotgun
ammo. I know that I like to use both a 20 gauge and .410 shotgun but only with Hevishot shotgun ammunition.

If I don't shoot 3 or 4 boxes to get a limit I feel cheated...

Having hunted turkeys for many, many years including our Rio and Eastern and traveling to collect a "grand slam" , I have done it all with a 20 gauge black powder shotgun. This varied from a single barrel flintlock to a double barrel (SxS) percussion gun. First, I pattern the shotgun with whatever I want to shoot. In these guns its been lead shot of #5 or #6 size. I have used from 6-10 BB's (the copper BB gun kind) on top of the smaller shot if it patterned ok. These loads have always been 7/8 to 1-ounce but never more. I have no idea of the actual velocity but most data shows from 1100-1275 fps depending on powder and barrel length. The guns with choke are IC/Mod and the rest essentially have none. Second, I set a limit of range to where the pattern becomes too loose (or less dense) that it could cause a miss or wound. Typically this is 35-yards max but one gun is just 25-yards. Why all the talk about a muzzleloader? I have taken turkeys every year with loads that mimic a standard 20-guage 2.5 or 2.75-inch shell. I use good camo, good decoys and good calling techniques and have gotten multiple birds of various turkey sub-species for years. You will be totally fine with a standard 20-guage if you follow my #1) and #2) and use similar good gear and technique.

In reference to the .410, my son's used a single shot from the time they could shoot it "accurately" until they felt they outgrew it. Same deal, pattern and figure out the range and then take good measure with gear and technique. Wait for the bird to get within your threshold. My oldest boys .410 had a good enough pattern for several BB's in the head and neck at 30-yards with a standard 3-inch shell with lead shot. The youngers gun was a little different and he was limited to 25-yards with a different ammo but still conventional load.

You don't have to shoot turkeys the minute they come into view. If things go right, they will come to you. The closer they are the better odds of a kill. I will also recommend the HECS suit. Since using HECS I have shot several birds at 10-yards or less while sitting on the ground in the open.

Good luck!

3 and 1/2 inch 12 gauge for sure..you can do it with a 20 gauge and theyre lighter to carry but i like the extra punch and range i get with a 3 and 1/2. Also look into TSS shells.

I thought all pellets travel at the same speed regardless of the gauge,so...if something gets hit with 5 pellets, it doesn't matter if the pellets came from a 410 or a 12 gauge. I thought the big benefit of larger gauges is more pellets. If a 20 patterns better than a 12, the 20 might be better. Depends on the gun.

Yep, correct. A #4 at 1200 fps from a 12 gauge is identical to a #4 from a 20 gauge, just more of them.

Yes Gary those 31/2 will sure ratle ya. I remember a mag article about felt recoil from said ammo. It was somewhere same as 300 Win Mag. yep. and i have a 870 that can shoot em.. NOT anymore overkill.

If you have a 12ga, why wouldn’t you take it. You aren’t going to shoot more than a couple of times. I prefer a 22 for turkey hunting. It gives me more range if the bird doesn’t do what I want. When I kill a turkey it’s because I like fried turkey strips. It’s not some life altering experience for me. I also never bow hunted deer during rifle season. I use the best tool for the job. When quail hunting I do take the 20 just because the gun and shells are lighter, and they aren’t that hard to hit. I also don’t understand the need for a red dot on a shotgun.

Dave and jeffbird have it right, it’s the size and speed of the pellets, not the gauge.

scalebuster, a Red Dot is used to ensure the gun is shooting where it is aimed (more accurate would be ‘aimed where shooting’). This is rarely necessary when shooting game with ‘open’ patterns but often needed with very tight patterns.

It is true that many turkey hunters are opting for smaller gauge shotguns. I think this is due in large part to BETTER SHOTGUN AMMO. I have really enjoyed using my Beretta 20 gauge for both waterfowl and turkey hunting. The best shotgun shell offerings that I have found are from HeviShot. For turkeys, I use both the Magnum Blends and Hevi 18 TSS shotgun shells. I have the ability, using those shells, to take gobblers out to what would normally be considered a 12 gauge range. The shells hit with more energy due to their density and they pattern great. For me, it's a great bonus to be able to use these sub gauge shotguns for hunting as opposed to using them for clay shooting

Wow?! 18 posts & no one on this board knows as much as you do.

Tried Squirrel hunting with a 20 ga once. once the shot charge reached the top of the 85 ft pine trees & penetrated all the foliage there just wasn't enough pellets left to terminate the Squirrel.

And, since 12 ga handles all of my hunting needs it is much easier to keep up with but one type of ammo.

I can promise you JSTOCKS knows his stuff when it comes to reloading with tss and killing turkeys. I didnt know post count showcased how much you knew. I learn something new everyday.

I'm from the old school that says the more pellets you can put in the direction of your target the better off you are. Regardless of gauge, though, you need to take the time to find out what your particular shotgun/choke combination likes best and got with it. A .410 bore, with the right load and choke that will put its pellets inside a paper plate at 30 yards will work just fine.

When you reload this 410 with 9.5s using TSS you have ample pellets that will penetrate just as good if not better than #6 lead shot to kill birds at 40 yards easily. When a 410 is putting 150-190 pellets in a 10in cricle at 40 yds thats better than some people shooting said 12gas with 3.5in shells.

I saw some tss and some hevi-shot on the shelf the other day and pooped in my pants. For less than the price of Five 12 gauge cartridges I can get a hundred rounds of high velocity 3” steel.

I think the real reason for the resurgence of the .410 is because the .410 tss is about all most people can afford!

I’d like to know how number of internet posts on any particular forum equates to knowledge held on any given subject.

Blake -- First off, welcome to the forum. You seem like a younger guy (sorry if I'm assuming), and I'm glad you're getting into turkeys.

I would say you should grab the gun you feel the most comfortable with. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what anyone else says if you run the risk of pulling a shot. It also sounds like you may be on a budget, and I would look for a "do all" gun if I was in the same situation. Sometimes that means it isn't optimal for everything, but with a little hard work and trial/error you'll get it where it needs to be. I learned the same way with an old Browning fixed choke semi that was passed down to me from my dad.

Its really not expensive to reload 410, 20, or 12 ga. Not to mention, the QC is much better than the crap you buy off the shelves.

Sub gauge turkey hunting seems to be really coming on in popularity. I think the challenge is a big part of it as well as the improvements
and availability of high end quality shotgun shells. It's amazing the performance you can get out of a 20 gauge or .410 if you use a premium
shotgun shell like the Hevi-18 Turkey TSS. At 18g/cc and 1250 FPS you will not give a more lethal shell and the patterns are incredible.
I can shoot with any 12 gauge shooter and feel quite comfortable shooting at a gobbler at 50 + yards.

I will still pass. I was looking at tungsten shot on BP and it works out to like $2-something per ounce. I’ll stick to my 40 cents a pop federal speed shocks. I don’t need the advantage of tungsten for my shooting.

12

my best friend growing up used a .410 on every thing, didn't miss many, so don't say it can't be done.

I went to a 20 ga Winchester SX3 this year and these 20yd, 30yd, 40yd, & 50yd pattern shots are with Apex TSS 3inch 8.5 shot. I have not killed one yet with this setup, but based on these patterns I shouldn't have any problem as long as I do my part. I like the lighter weight of the gun and the lighter kick also.

Nice patterns