I was all about it last year. I enjoyed the few times I got to shoot with the scope before it messed up on me. I should have it back in the next 2 weeks. After I had did some patterning the other day, I realized I may not even need the scope. The mount I got is a shoot through design so I can still see my bead either way. As long as I keep my head down on the gun and eye on the bead I can hit exactly where I point at 40 yards.
I am mainly worried about mis-judging range because of looking through the scope at the bird. My pattern was pretty decent at 40 yards, and put up 64 hits in the head and neck area at 40 yards with #6 HTL shells. I am thinking that I if I see the Tom coming in I my pull up the scope on him early, like deer hunting and may misjudge the distance. Have had people tell me that the pattern I put up should kill them at 50 yards, but do not want to take long shots on birds.
Do those of you who use scopes with crosshairs on your guns, with magnification have any issues with this. DO you like to keep the magnification turned all the way down on them?
The other thing I am a bit concerned about is when I sight in, how many shells will it take to get the pattern centered at 40 yards. I know to sight in close with target loads and such, but how do you fine tune the pattern at longer ranges. Will it hit the same at 25 as it will at 40? Do you sight in for 40? JI am just a bit worried about the cost associated with getting the pattern mated with the scope. The shells I will be using will be around $5.00 a shell.
Can anyone give me the benefits of a scope to reassure me of my decision to put one on my turkey gun?
Welp, I just got a new gun for my daughter & "turkey"-ized it with a front-only red Tru-Glo dot sight & a Primos Tight Wad; she was blasting the target @ 40 yards, and then on Saturday, I hammered one @ 28 steps.
So ... no, I can't tell you a single benefit of getting a scope on a turkey gun... Sorry! ;)
Sighting in with a scope is a breeze. Take a shot at big paper, and adjust the crosshair to the best /densest part of the pattern..I oversimplified a bit but that's the gist of it. I don't have a scope on my gun, I use a red dot or just a front bead depending on gun and type of hunting I'm doing. But a buddy has one on his and after helping him sighting his in I can see some benefit. Leave it on low power for hunting for best fov and use magnification for sighting in since its easy to find impact point. Some scopes have range estimates so that can be a benefit too. I worry about scope eye since you never know what type position you may be in when shooting though so I prefer a red dot..good luck
Quote from: bamagtrdude on March 25, 2014, 03:27:00 PM
Welp, I just got a new gun for my daughter & "turkey"-ized it with a front-only red Tru-Glo dot sight & a Primos Tight Wad; she was blasting the target @ 40 yards, and then on Saturday, I hammered one @ 28 steps.
So ... no, I can't tell you a single benefit of getting a scope on a turkey gun... Sorry! ;)
:icon_thumright: :lol:
I'm a big fan of the red dot/reflex sights. You won't be sorry and they are very easy to sight in. I posted some pics for you over on HPA.
The benefit I get from the scope is piece of mind, I feel more confident knowing everything inside that circle plex reticle at 40yrds is getting sprayed with a dence pattern of shot.
As far as judging yardage, just aim low at anything really close 3" below the head on the neck.
I use the cheap standard #6 2 3/4 shot shell's, I start at 15 to 20yrds then move out futher to 40yrds. I take a shot and then make adjustments. After I get close I then fine tune with the regular turkey loads.
I've always felt alittle funny about having the bead on the turkeys head at a distance. Things get alittle blurry and the birds head disappears kinda, some leaves and tree limbs and it's even harder to see for me. That scope brings it right up and close and I have more confidence.
I know some love their scopes and that's fine. But to me putting a magnified scope on a turkey gun is about like putting a fly reel on a spinning rod. Neither part functions to its fullest design. Your shots are inside 40 yards, you don't need magnification. Magnification just makes it harder to find your target up close and thru brush and can cause range estimation mistakes. The tunnel vision of a scope makes it hard to track a moving target, which a shotgun is designed for. Forget hitting a bird that spooks at close range. It limits your field of view that could cause you to miss out on a better bird coming in from the side or cause you to shoot a hen that steps into the line of fire at the last moment. And then there is the risk of a split open eye brow from hard recoil turkey guns. Just because the scope did not hit you when sighting in does not mean it won't when trying to hunker down on a gobbler or on a far left shot when your face comes closer to the sight. There is the added weight and height issue also making the gun less balanced.
Even tube style reflex sights suffer from the tunnel vision issues. An open lens reflex sight shooting with both eyes open solves every one of these issues.
I have found that with the Bushnell Banner 1.75-4 scope on my 870 that I have both eyes open when I use it. With the scope on the lowest power, there is little magnification even at 40 yards and the ER is 6" plus (actually closer to 7" for me), so the use of 3.5" shells is no recoil problem.
As with any scope situation, I must say this may not work for some hunters.
YMMV,
I was curious to see if I would like a scope on a turkey gun so I put a 3x9x40 I already had in my shop on my gun for this year and keep it on 3x. Had the opportunity to shoot one last week and i killed the bird, but it ran 20 yards and fell over dead. Thought I had missed. Anxious to try it on another. If it goes the distance this spring and I like it, I will buy a real turkey plex scope for it. Must admit it was odd looking at a head 30 yards away through the scope. Just had to pull the trigger and trust it would do its job.
Quote from: Skeeterbait on March 27, 2014, 09:32:08 AM
I know some love their scopes and that's fine. But to me putting a magnified scope on a turkey gun is about like putting a fly reel on a spinning rod. Neither part functions to its fullest design. Your shots are inside 40 yards, you don't need magnification. Magnification just makes it harder to find your target up close and thru brush and can cause range estimation mistakes. The tunnel vision of a scope makes it hard to track a moving target, which a shotgun is designed for. Forget hitting a bird that spooks at close range. It limits your field of view that could cause you to miss out on a better bird coming in from the side or cause you to shoot a hen that steps into the line of fire at the last moment. And then there is the risk of a split open eye brow from hard recoil turkey guns. Just because the scope did not hit you when sighting in does not mean it won't when trying to hunker down on a gobbler or on a far left shot when your face comes closer to the sight. There is the added weight and height issue also making the gun less balanced.
Even tube style reflex sights suffer from the tunnel vision issues. An open lens reflex sight shooting with both eyes open solves every one of these issues.
:you_rock: my thoughts exactly. Only good reason to put a scope on a shotgun is if your shooting slugs out of it for deer in my opinion
I tried a scope for a year and pulled it. That was back before the red dot sights like the Burris FFIII. I had been a 2 bead shooter for almost 30 years and just couldn't warm up to the scope. Went back to 2 beads for a couple years up until reading about all the success people are having with the Burris FF's, so I thought I would give them a try. Man I am glad I did, I am getting a little older now and the two beads, brush, and a turkey head was hard to get lined up at times! The barrel tends to make the lower part of the turkey disappear and even though it has worked for years, I found that the FF's seem to be the answer for me. They allow me to see most of the turkey and know right were the center of my pattern is going to hit. This is the first year I have tried it, but I don't think I will ever go back to beads, there just to much advantage for me. JMO
Ridge Rooster
I like my scope. You'll need a lot of eye relief or it'll cut you. I turn the power to 3-4x. If you use a lot of scoped guns and can naturally pull your gun up and see what you're aiming at.. Go for it. If you're like my dad and shoot the wrong flipping target because you can't see through it. Don't. I've missed a few birds at 40ish yards with open sights and decided to try a scope. I'm happy with my decision. I haven't missed one since.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
scopes on turkey guns work great , If your worried about the magnifaction go with a red dot. i use a range finder to make sure i know where 40 yds is. I always try guessing it first so I can be close if i don't have time to use the range finder. you will love it once you put it on. I have a $1600 SBE2 that hits way high and right so I had no choice but to put something on it. I chose a Burris sped dot 135 and I love.
You stated in your post that you can hit exactly where you aim without optics. That tells me that you don't need the scope and extra weight on a shotgun. Even a reflex sight would most likely not make it through a season without getting hung up on vines or caught on a limb so I stick with whatever is the simplest solution to getting the job done.
In your case it looks like your bead sights are all you need.
Do not do it all it does is add another thing that can go wrong! Like fog up,glare,bumped off site just some of the things that can go wrong using a scope. If you need a scope on a gun for something that you are shooting at at 30 yards than you need to have eye surgery or stay out of the woods before you shoot someone. LoL I can just see the scope users crawling out of the woodwork on this one. The truth hurts.
I guess I will be the first one to crawl out. I had successful Lasik surgery done 7 years ago and I still feel the need to use a scope. I tried it this year and have killed multiple birds with it. I too was skeptical until I tried it.
I have had scopes on my turkey guns since 1992 and have never had a problem, just get you a good one and it won't fog, etc. I have since went to the fastfire 3, I don't have to worry about bad shooting positions or scope eye. With a fastfire 3 your turkey gun can be used for squirrel, rabbits, quail, etc. I really like it. Just slip you a modified choke in your gun and use 2 3/4" shells.
Tight patterns with Win LB XR's and HTL have motivated me to put my red dot scopes, Tasco Propoint and Busnell Trophy, back on a couple of my guns. Being able to see the whole turkey makes pattern placement ,8"-10" patterns, much easier. My turkey guns all shoot that size of pattern when the turkey gets in close and some retain that size pattern out to 30-35yds. Just makes sense to have a red dot to make aiming small easy. Magnification I wouldn't care for and I don't believe it's legal where I hunt.
I'd skip the scope and go with the ff iii as some have already suggested. Its perfect for turkey guns. JMO
For sighting in a scope or fastfire 3 set a target at 12 yards with a 1" square in the center. Using 2 3/4" shells shoot and adjust until you can shoot out the 1" square. Put a 36" x 36" target with a 1" square in the center at 40 yards. Using your turkey loads shoot and adjust until you have the dense part of your pattern over the 1" square. Use a new target for every shot. It shouldn't take you more than 3 to 4 shots using your turkey loads to center your pattern. Good Luck.
Quote from: d.winsor on May 01, 2014, 05:15:36 AM
For sighting in a scope or fastfire 3 set a target at 12 yards with a 1" square in the center. Using 2 3/4" shells shoot and adjust until you can shoot out the 1" square. Put a 36" x 36" target with a 1" square in the center at 40 yards. Using your turkey loads shoot and adjust until you have the dense part of your pattern over the 1" square. Use a new target for every shot. It shouldn't take you more than 3 to 4 shots using your turkey loads to center your pattern. Good Luck.
Good info, it's been since the early 90's since I have had one on my gun. Patterns have gotten increasingly tighter and eyes haven't improved :) Will use this to sight in.
I have scopes on both my turkey guns and really like them. I went to a scope because I found it more effective for me. Most of us use scopes for big game hunting so we're comfortable with using them.
There's pros and cons to everything but having said that, I own a scope and a fastfire3 and I prefer the scope over the ff3. I enjoy shooting the ff3 and think its great but I trust my scope a bit more and I like being able to use the magnification on my scope to check out birds that're farther than I can see with the naked eye. I usually don't carry bino's because I like to pack light. In the ten plus years I've been using a scope I've never had a malfunction nor have I had problems finding a moving target and I don't have to worry about batteries failing me. I hunt everyday of season and our season last a month and a half so my gun isn't babied at all
I like fastfire sights
Go for it! Get a good quality low power scope 1x5 or 2x7 and good rings and bases. I epoxy all my bases (picatinny) to the top of the receiver.
I agree with Ray Eye in his new book. Red dots under 40 yds and scopes at 40 + ranges in open Fields and Clear cuts.
If I had to pick only one, I would go with my scoped gun.
:newmascot:
I am in agreement that based on your statements you don't sound as if scopeing your gun will be a net gain for you. More likely it sounds like to scope your gun is a solution in search of a problem. For myself personally scoping my gun has become a must try as my eyesight has changed and I now have a bad enough stigmatism that I'm having great difficulty using my excellent fiber optic iron sites. This season I had a hard time aiming without the Toms head blering out. So for me a scope has become a viable option. Can't kill them if you can't see them.
Just started using a FF III this year and REALLY like it...Where you put that dot...That's where that shot is going to end up. They're simple, light and, so far, reliable. Batteries last about forever according to the literature. They're great for aging eyes and the newer tight shooting ammo...I wouldn't hesitate to buy one...
You asked for one good reason. Ageing eyes is the best one I could come up with
Well,I liked having a scope so much I decided to spend $400 and get an Aimpoint 9000sc as a permanent sight. Had a chance to try it on a Tom a few days ago and it worked like a charm! I also got the screw on anti glare device and it works great.
Love my nikon turkey pro scope. Its mounted on a B square saddle mount were I cant still use my iron beads.
Quote from: Spurcollecta on May 12, 2014, 08:36:54 AM
There's pros and cons to everything but having said that, I own a scope and a fastfire3 and I prefer the scope over the ff3. I enjoy shooting the ff3 and think its great but I trust my scope a bit more and I like being able to use the magnification on my scope to check out birds that're farther than I can see with the naked eye. I usually don't carry bino's because I like to pack light. In the ten plus years I've been using a scope I've never had a malfunction nor have I had problems finding a moving target and I don't have to worry about batteries failing me. I hunt everyday of season and our season last a month and a half so my gun isn't babied at all
Quote---"like being able to use the magnification on my scope to check out birds farther than I can see with the naked eye"---this is the BEST reason you should carry your bino's. Same reason to use them when rifle hunting.
I don't like a scope because of the magnification of a scope, where using a red dot most are the same looking at a gobbler through the scope or looking at him not thur the scope. NO magnification.
I'm old school, cheek on the comb, bead on the wattles. If point of aim is off get some open adjustable sights. I've never felt I needed a scope for a short shot. To me the disadvantages so outweigh the advantages it's not even a consideration
You guys are right about using open sights and beads being so great, but when your eyes get older they don't work as well. I can see good at distance with my glasses. But can not get a good sight picture using open sights. Everything blurs. Have tried lineless bifogals and can't shoot well. Sometimes if you want to keep hunting you may need a scope. Never wanted to, but next year I will have a scope on a already heavy and bulky SP10. When young you may say never but when your eyes get old you may have to. Enjoy the simple sights while you can.
"You guys are right about using open sights and beads being so great, but when your eyes get older they don't work as well. I can see good at distance with my glasses. But can not get a good sight picture using open sights. Everything blurs. Have tried lineless bifogals and can't shoot well. Sometimes if you want to keep hunting you may need a scope. Never wanted to, but next year I will have a scope on a already heavy and bulky SP10. When young you may say never but when your eyes get old you may have to. Enjoy the simple sights while you can."
+1 on this. My sight picture ain't what it used to be. My bifocals allow me to see my sights alright but my target is blurry. I am seriously considering a scope for next season.
Tunaguy
Red dots work great, if you get a 1-4 x 24, or 30 scope you can still shoot with both eyes open and hit on a follow up shot if needed. Go to a local hunting store and pick up some of the scopes and try them at all mag. settings and see if it will work for you. Everyones eyesight is different. There are those who use beads, adjustable sights, red dots and scopes, its what you can see clearly that matters. There are still some Nikon turkey scopes on the web you can get pretty cheap, Leupold makes a nice one as well. Hope this helps.
Quote from: USMC0331 on May 25, 2015, 04:53:14 PM
Red dots work great, if you get a 1-4 x 24, or 30 scope you can still shoot with both eyes open and hit on a follow up shot if needed. Go to a local hunting store and pick up some of the scopes and try them at all mag. settings and see if it will work for you. Everyones eyesight is different. There are those who use beads, adjustable sights, red dots and scopes, its what you can see clearly that matters. There are still some Nikon turkey scopes on the web you can get pretty cheap, Leupold makes a nice one as well. Hope this helps.
Love my nikon turkey scope. the "old" monarch version. Got 2 of them and will buy more if I ever come across them
I use to think my friends that had scopes were stewpid.....I put one on about 13 years ago and never looked back. The slight magnification helps a great deal also.
I was hesitant about putting a scope on my turkey gun but I finally did. I liked it so much that I put one on my other gun. I thought the magnification would be a problem but it wasn't. I bought a leupold 1 to 4 power. very light and very short too. I can't believe I didn't do it sooner. If you use a scope for deer hunting you can use one for turkey hunting. Killed two gobblers with it this yr.
Most follow up shots on a turkey are low percentage regardless of the sight. From recoil of magnum loads, nervous, frustration, etc a follow up shot is done to mostly see how quick that longbeard can run. I have killed birds on follow up shots but I have missed way more than I have hit.
Killed a running bird this year with my scoped 835. He spooked at 30 yards when I moved the gun to get on him and I killed him at 39. It was all instinct, reaction, and a good deal of luck. That wing shooting probably helped a lot in the situation and I was/am pretty proud of the shot.
Sent from the Strut Zone
Quote from: davisd9 on June 15, 2015, 01:33:15 PM
Most follow up shots on a turkey are low percentage regardless of the sight. From recoil of magnum loads, nervous, frustration, etc a follow up shot is done to mostly see how quick that longbeard can run. I have killed birds on follow up shots but I have missed way more than I have hit.
Killed a running bird this year with my scoped 835. He spooked at 30 yards when I moved the gun to get on him and I killed him at 39. It was all instinct, reaction, and a good deal of luck. That wing shooting probably helped a lot in the situation and I was/am pretty proud of the shot.
Sent from the Strut Zone
I killed one running with a scoped 535 this year. Almost exact same scenario. He popped up in the wrong place and is going even more so in the wrong direction. As I'm trying to get on him he putts ans turns and runs back in the right direction. I had one spot that had an opening and I could only pray he went this way instead of the way he came and that's exactly what he did.
He was about 15 feet further than yours
Killed another one running with a different gun (al 391 with double beads)
The person I was hunting with that morning shot the wrong bird on our attempt to double. I'm on the turkeys head just waiting on them to shoot and when they shot my turkey hit the ground. I had no idea where the other bird was, couldn't see him. I stood up and he's abiut 30 yards away running like hell. I swung through and shot him instinctively and it tore his head up.
In that same spot I shot one running many years ago. Whe I pulled the trigger the gun went (click). I had forgot to pump one in the chamber. After the click he became very uneasy, and when I racked up thar 870 with him standing there at 20 yards he took off like a bat out of Hadiz. He was just about to take flight until a 1 3/4 ounce load of HV 5's wrecked those plans..
and there's been a few more, but like davis said, most of the time those follow up shots are more less hailmary, frustration shots. They work out about 1 out of 4 times.
IMO the only excuse for using a scope is that you've never learned to shoot with anything else. This seems to be a common occurrence these days.
You don't need magnification to see a turkey at less than 50 yards. I don't hunt with open sights on a rifle any more, but I use fiber optic open sights on my turkey shotgun and can still put the red blur between the two green blurs well enough to hit a turkey with a shotgun.
I might try a red dot next year just to see what the fuss is about, but while I don't doubt a scope can work, I don't see any benefit worth the weight and expense.