I pulled out my Winchester model 37A 20 gauge yesterday, my dad gave it to me when I was 12 in 1975. It's a 28 inch barrel full choke, when I was a kid my Dad would take me to what they called a Turkey shoot ( basically a fund raiser where you shoot your shotgun at a target on a post paced off about 20 or 30 yards or so, do a standing shot at a target with about 10 people shooting different targets whoever got the closest to the center of the X on the target usually won a frozen turkey to take home or something else). I won quite a few of these with my 20 gauge more than my fair share for sure, this got me to thinking that it would probably be a good turkey gun yesterday when I had it out cleaning it and reminiscing about all the good times I had hunting with it. would be kind of cool to use it after all these years and take a turkey.
So what are your opinions on this old 20 gauge for turkey hunting ?
It can take a 3" shell but am wondering about running a tungsten 3" shell or not?
Also not to keen on using just the bead on the barrel but don't want to do any
permanent modifications to it that cant be removed any ideas on this ?
It would be plenty for turkey. With today's ammo just about any shotgun can be made to be a 30+ yard gun.
A standard full choke in a 20 gauge would be .590" at the muzzle. Most of the screw-in chokes guys are using with tungsten are .555" - .565" So, I'm thinking TSS 9's would be easy-peasy for your Model 37. But I'd rather you hear it from a gunsmith than from some random guy on an internet forum. :icon_thumright:
Very cool gun. I believe you could make a fine turkey gun out of it. I shot many turkeys with an old Model 12 full choke with 1 1/2oz. 2 3/4" loads. The rest, clear up to present, have been with a fixed full choke 870. Full chokes shoot most shells pretty well, certainly at normal turkey hunting distances.
They have 20 ga. turkey loads from 1 1/4 oz. to 1 5/8 oz. from lead to TSS.
They make snap on fiber optic sights for barrels w/o ribs.
My 37A full choke shoots Federal 3" HW 7's at just over 100 in the ten at 40.
And Federal TSS 9's at 220+. Which is right there with the other Gun/ turkey choke combos I have shot with those same loads.
Nice 37A, I would think it would make a fine shooter and an easy carry in the woods.
Plenty of gun... probably out to 40 yards, but I would try to keep things within 30 yards...
Personally, I have never used anything but a bead on a gun... Pattern the gun on paper with some cheap target loads to see where it is shooting and to figure out your hold point (tungston or lead turkey loads will shoot in the same spot). Shooting a turkey on the ground in good range with a shotgun is not that difficult.
My first choice would be Hevi-shot #6's or #7's... My second choice would be lead copper or nickle plated #6's. (Fiocchi Gold pheasant is a nickle-plated shell that patterns great out of my 20 gauge). But honestly, just about any shell you put in the gun will work if the bird is 30 yards or under....
I'll make you a bet. If you clean the barrel real good and try a good TSS load through that thing, (Fox Trot, Burges Creek, Apex...) It will be any and everything you need out to 50 yards. (Try me 200/10" and if I'm wrong I'll send you a coupon code for $50 in free calls)
Nice gun.
My Uncle gave me one a long time ago. I pulled it out and killed my first of the year last year with it. Used Foxtrot #9's. Shot good on paper, and in the field.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52643224060_d76b7270d8_c.jpg)
Have one that's a shorter barrel but has a Sumtoy .562 sticking out the end of it. Hasn't seen the woods yet but the patterns are what you'd expect, 270-300 in a 10" circle at 40.