That patterning looks good even at 50, love my 12ga for turkeys

With todays sells and chokes the 20ga is every bit as effective as the 12ga of years past. Heck with TSS 410 and 28 are good to at least 40 yards with TSS, with lighter weight and less recoil

I have never hunted a turkey in my life. This is the most confusing thread ever.

My first time in turkey section. It is a little spicy over here.

You would need a 12 for this one.

I love this

I have seen some absolutely devastating patterns thrown out by the 28ga. I almost bought one last year, but don't need another Turkey gun lol

Han around it can get fun. Turkey hunting is lots of fun and the weather can be nice during Spring turkey season. Getting a gobbler or gobblers strutting and showing off at close range, calling them in close and shooting them in the face

One more thing. With shotguns, everyone is concerned with gauge and with rifles its foot pounds of energy at the muzzle. There doesn't seem to be enough focus on the terminal ballistics. The heavi shot is denser that lead and extends the range. Pellet penetration is critical. The first gobbler I ever shot was right at 50 yards and he suddenly stopped strutting and stuck his neck out and looked right at me. That was almost 30 years ago and I took the shot. I could see the hit, feathers flying etc. in the neck area but I was using 6's and I should have had 5's or 4's. It any event it took off and I never found it. It still bothers me. Get the best pellets possible.

I'd say pattern is all important. If you have a 20 gauge that puts more pellets into a head/neck area than a 12 gauge that doesn't pattern as well- then use the 20. With wing shooting it is a different thing, you want a nice evenly dispersed pattern in a 30" circle and since a 12 can send more pellets than a 20, in almost all situations a 12 gives you a better chance3 of hitting a bird on the wing. In turkey hunting all those other pellets in a 12 over the 20 might not do much good since you generally shoot the shotgun liker a rifle and only the most dense pattern to cover the head/neck is critical.
\Next, look to the pellets, I'd get the best down range pellets your pocket book can afford.

With TSS you are essentially increasing the amount of pellets in a hull and increasing the amount of penetration further out there. I dont want to shoot a bird over 20 yds, but sometimes you have to. Knowing you have the capability to do so at 50+ is outstanding. A 12 ga loaded with TSS is a monster. You have tons more pellets than the standard lead turkey load and once again, better penetration down range. However, IMO...the 12ga with TSS is overkill. You can do more with the 20ga and TSS than the 12ga with any shot that is bought over the counter and not TSS.