Who makes the best custom or production pot calls?

[brkncly]

Would like some input on a new pot call, either custom or production made.  Do custom ones sound better than production ones?  Would like a nice one that's going to last.  Thanks

[dirt road ninja]

There are a few nice ones in the classifieds here.

[Swamp]

There are many talented call makers on the site alot of which will run there calls over the phone for you. I started making a few calls this year.I also completely switched form production calls to customs this year and i will never own another production call.  I own a mike yingling copper call and a last strut calls aluminum call and i carry two of my own calls in my vest at all times. once you own a custom call you will be blown away by difference in sound compaired to a production call.
-Ben

[paturkeyhntr]

Most of the call makers on this forum make a great call.  At least some if not all of them will offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee that if you don't like their call, they will refund your money.  It doesn't get any better than that, so find out which ones do that and try their calls and pick the ones (yes, you will probably buy more than 1  ) you like.  I have purchased calls from Mike Yingling (myingling), Gary Taylor (Stone Road Turkey Calls) and Lee Chadwick (MisFire Game Calls) and love them all....not to mention how nice these guys are to talk to and deal with.

[CallDr]

I don't know of any "mass produced" plastic pots for sale right now is what you want to spend any money on. I think the last good one was the Primos Power Crystal. It seems they have have changed production and lost the sound the older ones had.

I am working on my Mold right now, as I speak,  to see if I can get the right formula and Striker. It will be a Crystal caller because they are more consistant in sound. Slate is a natural material and so some do sound better than others.

I sell a Wood Slate and match a striker to each call....... just like the Custom Call makers. Don't buy any caller where they don't match a striker before it is sold.

One way to tell if you have a Good Pot call is you will be able to find or buy some custom, or well tuned strikers, and get different sounds.

As suggested. Call up the makers and have them play them for you over the phone. That way you can find one that sounds good to you. If you get one and don't like it for what ever reason........ just send it back. All the good call makers know they can't please everyone and not offended in the least if it does not "fit" a hunter. They will either refund your money or work with you to make you one that you feel will help you call turkeys. ]

It's hard to beat a Slate caller..... if it's a good one. Plus it's easier or not as finicky a surface as some others if you keep it free from any oily things, like your hands that seep into the surface. Crystal on the other hand is not affected by Cold weather like slate is.

Each call maker has their own way they "voice" or tune a caller. Some are easier to play than others. I hope I have helped answer your question. Feel free to PM me and you can call me if you need more help.

Mike

[lonnie sneed jr.]

There are ALOT of GOOD call makers. My fav. is a Lonnie Sneed, hot hen slate or green glass, but he is my dad. Dad does make a very good call, but there are alot of good ones out there. Give him a call, he will call on them for you, I am working on a new one right now called Sweet Jenny, should have them done in a few weeks, and ready for testing.

[hunter22]

I have to agree with Lonnie Jr. His dad makes a mighty fine pot call. I have called in and killed a bunch of gobblers with the Hot Hen slate. It is my go-to call when the chips are down. Call Lonnie and listen to him run a call. May be the best I have heard. 

[Skeeterbait]

I agree with CallDr, the old Power Crystal was the only plastic pot call that I could have used and felt confident with.  Cody makes great sounding calls but they are nothing to look at.  Frankly, for the price of all but their lowest end calls, you can have true custom calls.  But if you want to go pick up a call in a store today and kill turkeys with it Cody is your call.

When you break into custom calls, it is a continuous thing of studying call makers and call styles, attending outdoor shows, listening to calls, running calls, reading reviews on sites like this, and deciding what you like in the way of woods, appearances, and sound.  Ultimately you wind up with calls in your vest that you have confidence in and are proud to own.

[TauntoHawk]

I had a K&H sla-tek in a plastic pot that was just awesome for a production call with the right striker, killed my first bird with it and wish I had kept it now that its gone 

overal a custom is going to sound better and be more consistant than a production pot.. But that doesn't mean you need to spend a fortune on a piece of art work either

Hooks makes some fantastic pot calls that price well, I also am a huge fan of David Halloran and Wendall Rye's pot calls

[lightsoutcalls]

    Most folks have a particular sound in their head that is labeled "turkey".  They may run a dozen calls before the sound they hear coming from the call matches that sound they want to hear.  Usually when that happens, they have found the "best" call for them. 
   Turkeys, on the other hand, may have a completely different sound that yanks their chain.  This has been proven time and again by hunters across the country.  The call that they responded so well to last year may not get a peep this year.  Turkeys are funny that way.  I have used a number of friction calls, box call, mouth calls and a tube call in a single weekend.  I have had birds respond to all, some or none.  That said, only the specific turkey on a given day can be the judge of what call is going to be the best call you carry. 
   Callmakers would be glad to tell you that this is a good reason to carry multiple calls.    Yes, that does increase sales, but also increases your chances of filling your tag.  (Obviously there are other factors that influence success - too numerous to mention.)  Selecting a few good calls (be they pots, boxes, mouth calls, trumpets and/or tubes) and becoming proficient at calling with each may increase your chances of success, given there are birds where you are hunting that are willing to respond to calling.
   Aside from finding a "good" call or the "best" call, let me also suggest that you find a good CD of real turkey sounds to help you get the "right" sound engrained in your head.  Not only the pitch and tone of turkeys, but also the rhythm/cadence of the different calls.  I started out with one that the CallDr put out with Knight and Hale called Spittin' Feathers.  As I began to learn to make calls, that CD played in my shop for hours on end.  You want a call or calls that sound like turkeys, but you also need to do your best to mimic the rhythm/cadence, inflections and tone/volume of their calling.
    Most of the custom callmakers here will be glad to run a call or calls over the phone for you.  No, that doesn't reproduce the sound with the best quality, but you can get a feel for the sound.  Most of us will also provide top notch customer service and satisfaction.  I spoke with a gentleman last night on the phone that was trying to select the wood for an aluminum call.  I assured him that if he wasn't happy with the sound of the call he selected, I would work with him on getting him a call that he was delighted with, or would return his money.  Many of the callmakers here will do the same.  Do some searches, contact some other members by PM, call the callmakers and chat awhile.  It's your money, and you need to get a call that increases your chances of filling your tags. 

[pappy]

Would like some input on a new pot call, either custom or production made.  Do custom ones sound better than production ones?  Would like a nice one that's going to last.  Thanks

I have to say, there are many great call makers here on the OG.........pricing varies depending on the call makers time and material choices, mass production calls are "the norm" for beginners, we all have fallen prey to them, but when you want to venture outside the fence and step into the realm of REAL calls..............go straight to this site for the best in the country. Making a call that "LASTS" is what we do as call makers, why would we make a call that lasted one season and drop dead? LOL....of course it would be bad for business, but it would be a disaster for the hunter who bought the call. I do one thing many other call makers will do, I offer a 100% complete refund or exchange on any of my calls. no questions asked, you simply tell me you didn't like it or it didn't meet your specs and that is it....you can't get this in CHINA with one of the mass produced calls and you can;'t pick up the phone and talk to the folks that make them unless you speak Chinese or Thailanese....
So I would offer you this suggestion, spend the time to talk to call makers here, let them know what it is you are looking for in a call, let them put your call together and spend time with it prior to the season, get to know the call and you'll be happy and at ease with it when it comes time to put it to the test in the field.....pappy

[CallDr]

I agree with CallDr, the old Power Crystal was the only plastic pot call that I could have used and felt confident with.  Cody makes great sounding calls but they are nothing to look at.  Frankly, for the price of all but their lowest end calls, you can have true custom calls.  But if you want to go pick up a call in a store today and kill turkeys with it Cody is your call.

When you break into custom calls, it is a continuous thing of studying call makers and call styles, attending outdoor shows, listening to calls, running calls, reading reviews on sites like this, and deciding what you like in the way of woods, appearances, and sound.  Ultimately you wind up with calls in your vest that you have confidence in and are proud to own.

To add to what you said. You kinda evolve to a point where you will cary 2 Friction calls and 3 (or more) strikers, if you end up a friction guy. I have a great Cody that I have used for years and always carry and will with switch up on "another sound" caller. I'll run one caller and then the other. See what the Turkey likes. I do the same with box calls. I carry a short box and a long box. I have several callers from different makers and it's good to have a variety to choose from.

A great call is a great call. But it's a game some times to find what the Turkey likes.

So the real answer is, there is really no ONE best caller. Just on a given day, with that turkey you are calling to....LOL!

[CallDr]

I had a K&H sla-tek in a plastic pot that was just awesome for a production call with the right striker, killed my first bird with it and wish I had kept it now that its gone 

overal a custom is going to sound better and be more consistant than a production pot.. But that doesn't mean you need to spend a fortune on a piece of art work either

Hooks makes some fantastic pot calls that price well, I also am a huge fan of David Halloran and Wendall Rye's pot calls

For the record...lol. The K&H OL Yeller,MAD Super Aluminator, Primos,HS Black Magic, and even Hooks are all my calls ( and more). Since 1988 I have designed 12 different Pots. All combined from so many people or companies I think? I have sold more than anyone so far. That's the reason I felt I could talk on this subject of mass produced callers.

I am WildTalker Game Calls....... and no longer doing work ( or callers ) for other companies. The reason being the best "design" does not do any good if you don't build them right and match strikers. So........ I am doing and building them  myself.

My wood pot is custom built by Cody for me ( WildTalker). It is "voiced" to the sound I like. It's not "better"........ it's just a different "turkey".

As mentioned we all want to hear.... that Turkey in our head. I have finished the WildTalker Spittin Feathers CD with 14 NEW tracks and the original has been remastered using the state of the art process. Like HD audio. ( 15 years of recording)

After my 30 years in this I believe you can't get enough real turkeys to listen to so you have them not only to practice to...... but have them in your head. IT's the single most important thing that has made me a better caller, call maker and hunter.

When I pick up a call by anyone....... if I hear A Turkey...... I'm getting it......LOL!

[stone road turkey calls]

I had a K&H sla-tek in a plastic pot that was just awesome for a production call with the right striker, killed my first bird with it and wish I had kept it now that its gone  

overal a custom is going to sound better and be more consistant than a production pot.. But that doesn't mean you need to spend a fortune on a piece of art work either

Hooks makes some fantastic pot calls that price well, I also am a huge fan of David Halloran and Wendall Rye's pot calls

For the record...lol. The K&H OL Yeller,MAD Super Aluminator, Primos,HS Black Magic, and even Hooks are all my calls ( and more). Since 1988 I have designed 12 different Pots. All combined from so many people or companies I think? I have sold more than anyone so far. That's the reason I felt I could talk on this subject of mass produced callers.

I am WildTalker Game Calls....... and no longer doing work ( or callers ) for other companies. The reason being the best "design" does not do any good if you don't build them right and match strikers. So........ I am doing and building them  myself.

My wood pot is custom built by Cody for me ( WildTalker). It is "voiced" to the sound I like. It's not "better"........ it's just a different "turkey".

As mentioned we all want to hear.... that Turkey in our head. I have finished the WildTalker Spittin Feathers CD with 14 NEW tracks and the original has been remastered using the state of the art process. Like HD audio. ( 15 years of recording)

After my 30 years in this I believe you can't get enough real turkeys to listen to so you have them not only to practice to...... but have them in your head. IT's the single most important thing that has made me a better caller, call maker and hunter.

When I pick up a call by anyone....... if I hear A Turkey...... I'm getting it......LOL!

When I pick up a call by anyone....... if I hear A Turkey...... I'm getting it
Amen brother, you get it.