Turkey Choke question...Which would you pick???

[BRUKSHOT]

Hi Everybody!  I am new to this forum but am not new to shotguns!  I have a very interesting question for all of you.  My wife and I went out looking for a shotgun for her for both Turkey and Ducks.  She settled on the Beretta A300 as it fit her well. (I let the gun guy fit her with a shotgun instead of me...always best that way when the hubby is not involved - HaHaHa!)  Anyway, here is my question:  I would like to see her limit her Turkey shooting yardage to around 30 yards max.  I know that Turkey hunters normally go with a tight choke so they can shoot farther out than a normal, let's say, full choke would achieve.  My fear, because she does not yet have any real hands on experience hunting with a shotgun, (she has shot trap a few times but that's pretty much it) is that with too tight a choke, the shot will blow right past the birds head in a close range situation if she is not dead on with the shot.  Which of these 4 chokes would you suggest she use for shots within 30 yards so if she gets a little nervous at the shot, will have the best chance of hitting the Turkey at close range, preferably in the head of course:  Factory IC - .715, Factory Mod - .703, Factory Full - .686, or an extended Turkey Choke - .660?

I want her to have the largest pattern and still be effective out to 30 yards.  Also, please include what type (size) load would work best with your choice of choke.   AIN'T THIS STUFF FUN???

[d.winsor]

Put a Fast Fire 3 on the shotgun and give her Longbeard shells, she will be on 20 to 40 yards.

[BRUKSHOT]

Put a Fast Fire 3 on the shotgun and give her Longbeard shells, she will be on 20 to 40 yards.

Thanks for the reply, but I have a Nikon Red Dot going on it.  Not to worried about the sight, but want to know what the best choke would be between minimum 15 yards to maximum 30 yards.  Just in case she fudges a little, I'm looking for the widest kill pattern at 15 yards which will still take out the bird at 30 yards.  I know a full Turkey choke would be the worst case scenario being so tight she could miss at that close of a range.  Or, am I just overthinking this? 

[allaboutshooting]

Hi Everybody!  I am new to this forum but am not new to shotguns!  I have a very interesting question for all of you.  My wife and I went out looking for a shotgun for her for both Turkey and Ducks.  She settled on the Beretta A300 as it fit her well. (I let the gun guy fit her with a shotgun instead of me...always best that way when the hubby is not involved - HaHaHa!)  Anyway, here is my question:  I would like to see her limit her Turkey shooting yardage to around 30 yards max.  I know that Turkey hunters normally go with a tight choke so they can shoot farther out than a normal, let's say, full choke would achieve.  My fear, because she does not yet have any real hands on experience hunting with a shotgun, (she has shot trap a few times but that's pretty much it) is that with too tight a choke, the shot will blow right past the birds head in a close range situation if she is not dead on with the shot.  Which of these 4 chokes would you suggest she use for shots within 30 yards so if she gets a little nervous at the shot, will have the best chance of hitting the Turkey at close range, preferably in the head of course:  Factory IC - .715, Factory Mod - .703, Factory Full - .686, or an extended Turkey Choke - .660?

I want her to have the largest pattern and still be effective out to 30 yards.  Also, please include what type (size) load would work best with your choice of choke.   AIN'T THIS STUFF FUN???

I'd recommend the factory full. I'd suggest that you take it to the range with some big paper and some 3" Hevi-13 shells with 2 oz. of either #6 or #7 shot. I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Lastly, I'd recommend that you "deep clean" that new barrel. You may be amazed at what you find and it will help with patterns now and in the future.

Thanks,
Clark

[BRUKSHOT]

OK Clark.  I will start my patterning with the factory fuul choke and see where I end up within those ranges.  I also will make sure the barrel is squeaky clean before and during the pattern testing. Thanks for the suggestion!  Bruk.

[SumToy]

Just go get some Win XR if you going to run the factory chokes.  The A300 has turned out to be a good gun in the testing we have did.  From ducks to turkey to target shooting. 

Now BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THE CLEANING PART.   

[allaboutshooting]

OK Clark.  I will start my patterning with the factory fuul choke and see where I end up within those ranges.  I also will make sure the barrel is squeaky clean before and during the pattern testing. Thanks for the suggestion!  Bruk.

You're welcome. Please let us know how it works for you.

Thanks,
Clark

[BandedSpur]

Brukshot, welcome to the forum and good on you for getting your wife involved in this wonderful sport. She has chosen a very well made, soft shooting gun.

Some people will howl at what I am going to suggest. For turkeys, if you are serious about staying inside 30 yds, Win LBs are the very last load I would recommend. They are optimized for long range shooting and have very tight patterns even at 40 yds when used with a turkey choke. I would use the factory full choke and a quality target load of 7.5s (Win AA, Rem STS, or Fed GM). Lead 7.5s have more than ample energy to kill a turkey at 30 yds, throw a dense swarm of shot, have very low recoil, and a box of 25 will cost you less than a 10 pack of the cheapest turkey load on the market.

Don't believe me? Screw in that factory full choke, shoot a LB XR at 15 yds, then shoot the target load of 7.5s and tell me which you would rather see her hunt with. Then do the same at 30 yds. All you need is 100 pellets in a 10" circle, and the target load is going to exceed that. Also, being inexpensive and having very light recoil, she will be able to practice a lot from different shooting positions so that she will be super confident in her ability to put the pattern on target when Mr. Tom steps in front of the gun. Lead 7.5s is all I shoot in the open barrel of my O/U for turkeys 30 yds and in (Mod choke), and a pile of dead turkeys can attest to its effectiveness.

Now if you plan to shoot beyond 30 yds, the equation changes. Good luck hunting and have fun.