Stupid Question on Choke and Pattern Range

[DrJaJa]

Dumb question ahead:

I see a ton of posts/pictures of Turkey chokes patterned at 40 yards.  How often are people shooting at 40+ yards??  Field hunting i setup decoys around 25-30, in a ground blind it's much closer ~20 yards where a turkey choke is almost too tight.

When do yall make the call to use a regular full choke vs a turkey choke?

[Borden811]

If I'm hunting turkey, a turkey home is in my gun. I know what my gun at choke will do from 10 to however far I feel my gun will ethically kill a turkey, in most cases, 40 yards. If he's closer, I know I have to be dead on. The 40 yard distance for patterning purposes just keeps everything comparable across the board. It makes it easy to evaluate from one gun/choke/shell, etc. to the next. Like when most people shoot rifles at 100 yards to evaluate/compare groupings. It's just a benchmark.

[DrJaJa]

Good answer thanks!

Guess my thought is, patterning my turkey Longbeard XR choke at 40 yards is great, but at 20 a miss of 1-2" left or right doesn't put a ton of pellets in the killbox.  Not sure when it's necessary to choke down if you know you're shooting at 20 yards.

[BandedSpur]

The answer for me was an O/U. Mod choke with 1.25 TSS handload for the open barrel. Good out to 40 yds (110/10) but with a wide and forgiving pattern at 20. Turkey choke with 1.625 oz TSS handloads in the tight barrel (347/10) that is good to...well I don't want to talk about it.

[DrJaJa]

I think i'll go O/U next year.  I picked up a 20 GA CZ last fall, shoots like a dream, but the full choke that came with it is junk.  Poor pattern at 20 yards.  I'd need to buy an extended Turkey/Modified for top & bottom before i'd take it in the field.

[BINK McCARTY]

If I'm hunting turkey, a turkey home is in my gun. I know what my gun at choke will do from 10 to however far I feel my gun will ethically kill a turkey, in most cases, 40 yards. If he's closer, I know I have to be dead on. The 40 yard distance for patterning purposes just keeps everything comparable across the board. It makes it easy to evaluate from one gun/choke/shell, etc. to the next. Like when most people shoot rifles at 100 yards to evaluate/compare groupings. It's just a benchmark.

Well said Matt!!! How ya been?

[Borden811]

I'm still kickin'! Patiently waiting for our season to start. Or should I say semi patiently, lol.