3" mag or the 3 1/2" mag turkey guns

Big Sky Redneck

If you was to buy a new turkey gun tomorrow, what would it be? What are the advantages of using a 3.5 verses the 3"? How important is barrel length when it comes to a gun bought soley for turkeys? How important is choke selection and do you choose the choke by the area to be hunted in relation to possible distances involved? And just what do you think of a semi in 3.5? What shot size do you use and what is the deciding factor? Forget multi purpose, turkey hunting only for this gun.


Edited by - 7mm nut on 08/10/2002 01:34:26

Harleeman1030

I set up an 870 express mag 3" just for turkey and deer hunting...At 50 yards 2.75 and 3 " shells Winchester super X # 4..It has a 21" rem choke barrel with a remington ported extened full choke(keeps the shot tight real good)...Dead on with it more kick with a 3 inch..Barrel length well shorter is better to me say you have to crawl up to get a good shot etc:...Dead on with it more kick with a 3 inch..But just think about this my grandfather had a 1100 2.75 chamber killed more deer,turkey,ducks,birds..Then a lot of people using these great mama killer guns...So i for one will use the 2.75 less recoil shells and also less money...P.S. this shotgun also has a burris 2.5 shotgun scope on it...Good luck I think the most important part to turkey hunting will be getting close to them (getting them close to you) not how much of the bird you will find after you shoot lol

Harleeman1030@aol.com

Edited by - harleeman1030 on 08/10/2002 02:09:59

aglore

With Remington now making loads with Hevi-shot, I would probably just stick with the 3" and #4 shot.

AlleninAlaska

Free men are not equal and equal men are not free

idsman75

The 3 1/2" shells are going to put more pellets downrange. The goal is to put at least a few of those pellets in the head/neck region. Additional pellets will increase those odds. My philosophy, when it comes to turkey hunting, is that people have been hunting turkey long before these fancy new camoflauge finishes were invented and long before 3 1/2" chambers were created. I have a plain old Mossberg 835 Ulti Mag that accepts 3 1/2" shells. I've only been turkey hunting once and never saw a single bird that day until my hunting partner and I left the area for a late breakfast. However, I think my Mossberg will do the job just as well as any of those fancy jobs that cost more than my $235 Mossberg which has never fired a 3 1/2" shell.

E.Williams

10 Gauge!Otherwise the 3 1/2" would probasbly be the better of the 2 12 gauges.But 3" will still work.

Eric S. Williams

gskyhawk

7mm: I'm no expert but having owned both 3" and 31/2" in the rem 870, one was their 870 super mag the other just a plain 870 express turkey , both with 21" barrel and having had both of them scoped so to speak with bushnells holesight , I found that the 3" is all you need, in the first place the 3 1/2" gun is alot heavier and it actually shot worst patterns than my 3 " gun does and this was with tring several different choke tubes and different shot ie. 4,5,and 6 shot in rem., win.,and fed. loads , have not had a chance to try their Hevi-shot yet but hear good things about it... believe it or not but the best bird I ever took was using a rem 870 20 ga youth that I had bought for my son to use when he gets old enough,,, that gun flat gets it out to 40 yards using their Rem turkey choke and rem 3" # 4 that bird was 24 1/2lbs and a 9 " beard, 1 shot at 28 paces drop him in his tracks,,

HappyNanoq

I'd choose a Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag pump-action or a semi Benelli Black Eagle any day

The Mossberg 835 is a 3.5" - do really well with 2 3/4" too.
The thing with both Benelli and Mossberg 835 - is, they don't need to be "worn in", they work smoothly right out of the box.
Don't go for less - go with something that works, and keeps working !!

3" is a quite good for turkeys too.. 3.5" packs a bit more punch (and pellets) but kicks like a mule sometimes.
At the range - a buddy of mine emptied my old 835 UltiMag pumpgun with Federal Classic Magnum 3.5" shells... he drank beer with his left arm that evening. (he's afraid of anything that kicks!! but it isn't all that bad - so don't worry.)


Have a looksie on http://www.benelli.it
There's an english flag in the upper right corner... if you don't read italian. =o)

Have a look at the Super Black Eagle, in the Product - Shotgun section.

PS : Forgot to mention the Benelli Nova !!!!!
WHOA for a shotgun, haven't got around to one just yet.. but I recon one of those poofffsss up my two gun collection sometime.. =o)


Regards
Peter E Jeppesen
Greenland.

I love my silenced .22 Anshutz rifle =o) Now also my Steyr Scout in .308W. ;o_
Those guns are YUMMMYYYY !

Edited by - HappyNanoq on 08/10/2002 19:11:54

rameleni1

I recently bought a Benelli Nova pump 3.5. I love it. I have never been Turkey hunting yet, but I take it you are only going to get one shot. So all autos are out. It would be nice to have, but not worth the price. I would get the Nova, in camo. 299.99

Rameleni1