What's your personal minimum?

[Lucky Clucker]

1 in the brain, killed 2 with only one pellet in the brain, One ran when I shot,the other ran and I shot through a tree like my arm,but  really need at least 6 to 8 in vital on target and 90 to 100 in a 10 inch circle at 40 with modern shells.Lead 6 shot needs at least 120 in a 10 in. Lead 6 shot will cripple one if you do not have a swarm hitting the vitals.

[rpinks]

140 minimum in a 12inch circle at 50 yards. Now I'm not promoting 50 yard shots. When I first started turkey hunting 12 years ago I would test my gun at the rifle range. First at the 25 and then at 50 off the bench. In the beginning it was 12 hits in the head and neck that's what I read somewhere. Now I have evolved to this as my minimum. I have learned a lot on this site about turkey guns. The reason i still finalize my pattern at 50 is because they don't have a 40 yard bench.

[Old Gobbler]

Anything over 100 (consistent )is a killer at 40 yards , any more over that is overkill essentially , but overkill isn't a dirty word

I purchased a Remington sp10, 20 years ago , it's something that is defiantly overkill , I could have never afforded it but a local sporting goods store had it brand new for $500 , and I jumped on it - the current setup on this gun is a federal #7 hw with a kicks .690 , I've never seen it shoot below 160 even in horrible conditions , it usually does 200

hear me out on this ....it's the most forgiving turkey gun I've ever shot , it is 12 pounds , but like a good target rifle , there is hardly a flinch or wobble -the patterns are very broad anf there is a wide margin for user error , I would say at 40 yards the killing radius with a 100% certainty of demise for the gobbler is 20 inch pattern , I've shot a good amount off my left shoulder - it's very forgiving

Hard to miss...hits hard

[Dr Juice]

I was mentored from a very successful turkey hunter when I was a youngster and I go by the 15-pellet rule in the neck and head region.

[Shaky Jake]

I'm looking for no less that 120 in a 10 at 40.

[Thundermtn]

My min. for if I'll run a load is I have to have ten pellets in the head and neck @40 from the first three consecutive shells, no barrel cleaning between shots. I also won't run a shell that's slower than 1200fps. #5 lead or bigger, #6 hw usually get the cuttoff for size

[Ihuntoldschool]

The absolute minimum that you can get by with and still kill a turkey dead every time is 1 in the brain or neck vertebrae.   More pellets in that magical circle just increases the probability of this occurring.

[the Ward]

Anything over 100 (consistent )is a killer at 40 yards , any more over that is overkill essentially , but overkill isn't a dirty word

I purchased a Remington sp10, 20 years ago , it's something that is defiantly overkill , I could have never afforded it but a local sporting goods store had it brand new for $500 , and I jumped on it - the current setup on this gun is a federal #7 hw with a kicks .690 , I've never seen it shoot below 160 even in horrible conditions , it usually does 200

hear me out on this ....it's the most forgiving turkey gun I've ever shot , it is 12 pounds , but like a good target rifle , there is hardly a flinch or wobble -the patterns are very broad anf there is a wide margin for user error , I would say at 40 yards the killing radius with a 100% certainty of demise for the gobbler is 20 inch pattern , I've shot a good amount off my left shoulder - it's very forgiving

Hard to miss...hits hard

Spot on analysis of the 10! That is why I have gravitated toward it. You can get more than adequate 10" numbers at 40 yrds and nice even coverage in the 15" and 20" that is harder to duplicate in other gauges imho.

[Thundermtn]

I packed an SP10 for a year and it is everything you say but I just couldn't run and gun with it all day. If I had a little better hunting spot for it, it would work but that gun was as heavy as my T/C Hawken and my 10/22 combined. It sure bulldozed gobblers though!

[Ihuntoldschool]

This is true about the 10 gauge.   If you can handle the weight you will have more forgiveness in the pattern.   To me it is too heavy.   But this is also a good reason to shoot a 10 or 12 vs. a 20.   Obviously there are exceptions like youth, female, maybe some elderly hunters are also better suited with a 20.

[owlhoot]

Started in the 70's , got 18 in the head and neck with Rem 2 3/4" 6 shot express mags at 35 paces.
A Springfield pump 12 gauge . An exceptional shooter for the times. Beat many others at that time.
Shot it for turkeys probably til 1990 or so. Killed good, just didn't try very far.
Stopped using it because hit and miss with the firing pin. Had it worked on but still failed me.
Got the 21" turkey remington when it first come out.  Shot alot of Remington 4x6.
Always patterned even back then , but was always a turkey head drawn or the old winchester targets with all the circles on them. Couldn't tell you the 10" counts.

[owlhoot]

This is true about the 10 gauge.   If you can handle the weight you will have more forgiveness in the pattern.   To me it is too heavy.   But this is also a good reason to shoot a 10 or 12 vs. a 20.   Obviously there are exceptions like youth, female, maybe some elderly hunters are also better suited with a 20.

So what the heck you try to say about the 20 :character0029