Mossberg 835 / x-factor turkey choke

[Cajun1]

In the very short time I've been a member here I've noticed that chokes are a loved second only to a turkey hunter's shotgun.   I'm hoping to start Turkey hunting this year and I'm picking up an 835 with 24" barrel today.  It comes with the mossberg x-factor xfull turkey choke.  Is this choke okay to start with or should I be looking for something else?  I know that patterns vary with chokes/ loads but I was planning to try a few different loads with this choke and see how it does before I go out and spend money on a new choke.

Thanks,
Cajun1

[SCGobbler]

I use the factory x-full turkey choke in my 90s 835 and it has rolled many a bird.



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[chatterbox]

In the very short time I've been a member here I've noticed that chokes are a loved second only to a turkey hunter's shotgun.   I'm hoping to start Turkey hunting this year and I'm picking up an 835 with 24" barrel today.  It comes with the mossberg x-factor xfull turkey choke.  Is this choke okay to start with or should I be looking for something else?  I know that patterns vary with chokes/ loads but I was planning to try a few different loads with this choke and see how it does before I go out and spend money on a new choke.

Thanks,
Cajun1

First of all,  ! There is a ton of good info on here, and you will learn a lot!
I have that same shotgun, although I have the 20" barrel on mine. Now, if you are going to shoot lead, that choke is a decent starting point. For a lead load, the new Winchester Longbeard shell is getting a lot of attention, and putting up good 40 yard numbers.
What you need to do is see what kind of patterns you get. The minimum number is 100 evenly spaced pellets at 40 yards, to be considered an effective killing pattern.
Now, there are a TON of good chokes for that gun, and due to the overbored barrel, it is one of the guns that doesn't take a lot of work to get a good killing pattern.
That being said, you still need to pattern them to find out what it is capable of. Chokes ranging from .670-.676 constriction seem to be the ones that work best. SumToy, Pure Gold, Indian Creek, TruGlo SSX, are probably the top players in the best patterns for that gun. I shoot an SSX with Hevi-13 3-2-7 because it gave me the most consistant, evenly spaced patterns I could find. The only one of those I have not tried, is the Indian Creek, but lots of guys have great success with that one as well.
All the above will shoot well with HTL and lead. You just have to decide how much you want to spend. The SSX is the cheapest, followed by SumToy, than Pure Gold, and topped out by Indian Creek.
Good luck, and keep us posted!

[Cajun1]

Thanks for the replys.  I guess when I get this gun, I'll buy a few different loads and see what she does with the factory tube.  If it needs some tweaking I'll start looking at different chokes. I'm not new to shotguns but most, if not all of my experience with them is on waterfowl. Shooting a standing, mostly still bird is a new concept for me.

Thanks,
Cajun1

[knightrider]

mine loves the jellyhead 690 with lead 5 or 6 and does great with the magblends as well, most important thing is to polish your barrel in my opinion

[SCDieselDawg]

Make sure to use big sheets of paper when patterning. I've replaced the factory choke in my 835 with a SSX. And my 935 has a .670 Kicks. Both shoot lead exceptionally well.

[chatterbox]

Make sure to use big sheets of paper when patterning. I've replaced the factory choke in my 835 with a SSX. And my 935 has a .670 Kicks. Both shoot lead exceptionally well.

I concur with the SSX and lead. This has been my experience as well.

[Matt81302]

I have the SSX in my 835 and shooting Turkey Thugs 3.5 6's. I'm putting up HTL numbers with that combo. Those 3.5's kick like a mule, but it is what my gun likes. I tried 3" 6's and they didn't do good at all. It can be aggervating figuring out what "your" gun will like, but once you figure it out stock up and leave it alone. Trust me, you can spend a pile of money trying to get a better pattern when there was nothing wrong with the first one. Been there, done that.

Also another thing to think about when it comes to patterns. You dont need one of those blow a hole in the paper patterns at 40 yards. The tighter the pattern at 40, the better chance you have of missing at 20. Just something to think about. Good luck.