I have shot way more turkeys between 10 and 20 yards than I have over 35 yards. I have also shot a lot of turkeys where the jig was up and I had to shoot at them moving. I am sure using an extra full turkey choke would have had me miss way more birds in these situations than the 1 or 2 I would have been able to kill 45 or 50 yds out. Is my experience that much different than everyone else's? Why do you guys use turkey chokes?
Iv'e considered it, I have shot a few birds on there way out with a turkey choke without issue, one after a buddy missed, did not even have my gun up and I quick drew him!
I do a lot of wing shooting and shooting a running tom hasn't been an issue, I have also killed more birds 25-30 but if I can't hit em with a ten to 12 inch pattern then so be it.
I shot one so close once it took the top half of his head clean off, skull capped em!
I have a certain turkey choke that is only .687. Full is .690, said same choke and my tss handload put up a basketball size pattern at 15 yards and still puts ups 60 yard pattern. Sometimes finding the sweet spot isn't the tightest pattern.
No
My dad uses factory full and doesn't have any problem killing birds.
Factory full chokes and plain ol lead loads are no longer "cool" but will still make turkeys dead just fine. No, you aren't the last by any means.
I've been a factory full shooter since I quit shooting them with archery gear in 2007. This will be my 1st year going to a .665, 5s and a red dot just to try something different. If it ends up not being my cup o tea, I know the F and LB 6s flat work for me...
I have a factory modified choke on my back up single shot. I've killed at least a dozen birds with it, but it is not my primary gun. It throws a sweet pattern with #6 copper plated lead Winchester Supremes. I use it in areas of young timber growth on tree farms, where there's no such thing as a long shot.
Jim
Probably not, I use a full choke but mine is fixed not screw in.
Quote from: chow hound on March 26, 2021, 03:49:48 PM
I have shot way more turkeys between 10 and 20 yards than I have over 35 yards. I have also shot a lot of turkeys where the jig was up and I had to shoot at them moving. I am sure using an extra full turkey choke would have had me miss way more birds in these situations than the 1 or 2 I would have been able to kill 45 or 50 yds out. Is my experience that much different than everyone else's? Why do you guys use turkey chokes?
I switched back to a factory full... I am shooting Hevi-shot, and it does pattern a bit tighter than lead.
Honestly out to 20 yards, there is probably not much difference between a super tight turkey choke and a factory full, as that pattern will not start to open up until just under 20 yards or so (as is my understanding).
I also shoot with a bead... For shooting within 40 yards, I see no advantage to optics, and for me, optics would likely be a disadvantage... I can mount and shoot a low gun quickly at a bird, and have had no issues shooting birds on the run. And knowing myself, I would quickly knock the sights out of alignment.
Now... If I were field hunting skittish/pressured birds and wanted to reach out, I can see where both otpics and tighter chokes could come into play.
In my O/U I run a factory full in one barrel and a turkey choke in the other
I shoot a fixed full 20 and a full/modified 28ga over under
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I shot full chokes until about 12 years ago. I tried one aftermarket choke that changed me as it was so much better than what I was used to. Now I have played with chokes and loads and have the capability to stone one at 60+ yards or in your lap. I also went to a Burris SpeedBead about 10 years ago and have not missed one since.
Aftermarket chokes and optics are the schizzle... but you can also kill them without either.
I know guys who still sling lead out of full chokes and do just fine.
older model 835 ultimag still using the factory full choke it came with.
Dog will hunt, dog will hunt.
It has more to do with overall patterns out to 40yds for me. It's all about the evenly spread pelleds at certain distances that make me shoot a certain combo regardless of what choke diameter. However I have shot mostly turkey chokes a majority of my years turkey hunting because I grew up thinking that's just how we do it. But I think you just have to let the gun, choke, and shell tell you what to use period. Some people like tight dense patterns and some like wide even coverage from their patterns. No one is really right or wrong in my eyes because terrain, foliage, comfort, and confidence makes a huge determination of the variables for each situation. I say hunt what you like and enjoy! Just be careful aiming with those super duper tight patterns though!! Haha
I prefer my .665. Ive killed em from 5 steps all the way to about 35 yards with it. I wont shoot much past 35 anyway, I just like somewhat of a tighter pattern for more shot density.
I have a Winchester 37A 20 gauge that is fixed full.
It shoots Federal TSS 9's right there with guns that have turkey chokes in the .570-575 range.
It also shoots Federal HW 7's in the 110-120 range.
Both at 40 yards.
Going to try some Winchester Longbeard 5's in it later today just for something to do. Snaggin area all messed up due to all the rain and dam moving lots of water.
Also have a Winchester 1300 youth to test out.