May Be Wrong Choice but Going Old School

[rempumpman]

Everyone here knows I am a Remington man thru and thru but I am going to do something crazy this spring that I just want to do; I am going to use nothing but my Old Winchester 37's single barrel shotguns; I have pattern them with wichesters shot shells in # 5's & 6"s 2 3/4 in magnums and I am getting some unreal results out to 40 yards; I have a 12 with a 30 in full ckoke barrel and a 20 in a 28 inch full ckoke barrel and both will definitely kill Turkeys; just want to step back and use what many a Grandpa's used back in the day (except for the paper shot shells, ain't got that brave yet..lol) and relive the yesterdays when choices were simple;

If something don't work out I always have my 870 on standby but pretty sure that the 870 will get the season off;

Does anyone rely on the Old Single Barrel for their hunts? if so, will ya post some pictures or tell what ya use? just a little confidence builder; thank you all...........

[drum817]

I think it's a GREAT idea!!!  Just make sure the old gun is safe to shoot and your good to go!!!  Here's my Grandpa's old Iver Johnson 12ga. 

[BandedSpur]

Season before last, I decided to try to kill one with my granddad's Iver Johnson single shot. It has a 30" tight full choke barrel (.045 constriction). Developed a handload of 1.5 oz of lead 7.5s that gave me good killing patterns to 35 yds. Turned out, any light dove load would have worked. Here's a pic of the pattern and here's the resulting bird killed at just 16 yds. Good luck and have fun.

[Longshanks]

That's awesome..I did the same thing several years ago. My dad always hunted with a Browning Citori 1973 model. Full on top, Mod on the bottom, fixed choke. After dad passed I had the gun parkerized and the stocks wrinkle painted and then airbrushed camo. Found a good 30 yd pattern with 3" 5's. Had one of the best turkey seasons I've ever had. Killed a couple of 1 1/4 spur turkeys within 15 yds and another nice turkey at around 35yds. Special season and brought back allot of memories of turkey hunts with dad from the time I was 6 years old until he passed. We hunted that last season and the cancer had taken its toll on him. The turkey would gobble and he would tell me to move on him and he would stay back and listen. Dad was gone a few months later. Carrying his gun, I enjoyed sitting at the base of the tree more than ever. Turkey hunting is special thing in my family.

[BandedSpur]

That's awesome..I did the same thing several years ago. My dad always hunted with a Browning Citori 1973 model. Full on top, Mod on the bottom, fixed choke. After dad passed I had the gun parkerized and the stocks wrinkle painted and then airbrushed camo. Found a good 30 yd pattern with 3" 5's. Had one of the best turkey seasons I've ever had. Killed a couple of 1 1/4 spur turkeys within 15 yds and another nice turkey at around 35yds. Special season and brought back allot of memories of turkey hunts with dad from the time I was 6 years old until he passed. We hunted that last season and the cancer had taken its tole on him. The turkey would gobble and he would tell me to move on him and he would stay back and listen. Dad was gone a few months later. Carrying his gun, I enjoyed sitting at the base of the tree more than ever. Turkey hunting is special thing in my family.

Very cool. That is actually a great turkey gun. I bet some Fed HW7s, or the new Winch LBs in 6s would easily get you out to 40 yds. A
high quality target load of 7.5s in the Mod barrel would handle anything inside 30 just fine.

My granddad never got to kill a turkey with his Iver Johnson, because we didn't have turkeys where I live in WNC before he died. So I thought it would be great to honor his memory by taking one with his gun.

I lost my dad during turkey season last year. He didn't turkey hunt a lot. He went a few times. But the one time I went with him, I called him in his first and only turkey. That is a memory I will carry all my days.

[20ga.turkeyshooter]

I used to use my grandpas over under 243/12 with a full choke barrel (which is a awesome deer gun:))
and when you have a 20 acre field the 243 came in handy  but ive only used the rifle for birds once I might just take it out again this year

[jordanz7935]

Loving that iver johnson. My grandpa has one with a full barrel. I borrowed it when i was 16 and my 870 was away getting a new stock. He gave me some old paper shells #6s and some remington mowhawk #4s hes had sitting in the drawer from back when he duck hunted. I never really patterned it but i shot some targets @ 30 yds was surprised how well it patterned with the mohawks. I managed a few squirrels and and finally got a nice fall hen that i called back in from after busting up a flock. That was the only turkey that ole gun ever took and i was and still am proud of it. I love the idea of going old school i think it adds to the experience and to the challenge.

[owlhoot]

All those stories are so neat.    fellas.

I have a 37A 20 gauge that's is begging to be patterned and hit the woods.
get him to come in with the old lynch jet to boot.

[M22]

 A 37 and wing bone caller brings back wonderful memories

[surehuntsalot]

good luck this season

[grayfox]

Killing a turkey with your grandpa or dad's old gun will make some priceless memories that will last a lifetime.  Got me to thinking I may have to bring out my dad's old A-5 for a season.

[TJK68]

I know this thread is a couple months old, but I wanted to comment  because it kinda hit home with me. I lost my Dad on Feb. 16th this year, he never was a big hunter, but always found time to take me when I was a kid. He would carry an old single shot 12ga with him but probably would not have shot anything unless it was attacking him. LOL.. He just went because of me. The old gun is in great shape and for some reason I got to thinking about it last night and dug it out of the gun safe. The gun has a hammer, the word "Columbia" written in fancy letters on the side of it, serial number, and on top right in front of the breech it says "12 gauge choke", these are the only markings on it. The gun belonged to my Grandfather before my Dad and now to me. I went and bought some 2 3/4" #4's today because that was the only turkey loads I could find for it. It is very solid built and in great shape, with what little info I could gather on it, it is between 80 and 100 years old. I am going to pattern it and make sure to carry it a few days this season. I think it would be very special to take a big Ol'Tom with it.

[jblackburn]

I've got my great-uncle's Iver-Johnson single shot with a fixed full that I really want to kill one with.  The bead is missing so I need to replace it.  I picked up some 2 3/4 Federal #4s with the flight control that I really want to get to the patterning board.

[racks]

I recently received a Winchester 37 too.  My Great-grandfather gave it to my Uncle when my Uncle returned from Vietnam.  The first thing I thought of was killing a turkey with it.

[jfair]

Go for it!  Love the whole concept.  Dad's got an old single shot 16 that I have contemplated taking for years.  This thread may be just the kick in the pants to do it.  At 25 yards it's a killer.