The typical, modern turkey shotgun has a red dot, camo pattern, pistol grip, and a super-short barrel. And while these compact rigs are handy in the woods, they don’t always pattern that well. In my opinion, a turkey gun is only as good as the pattern it throws.
So I recently got together with two other Outdoor Life editors, Scott Einsmann and Roy Holdford, and we discussed our favorite turkey guns. As it turns out, our favorite shotguns weren’t the fancy, expensive, tricked out models. In fact, some of the best performing guns in the field were actually the older classics. So based on our combined testing and hunting experience I compiled the list below.
As a group we’ve shot more than 100 gobblers with the roster of guns below. And we’ve patterned them with a variety of different loads at various distances. So if you’re hunting for an affordable turkey shotgun that will serve you for a lifetime of springs, then look no further.
The Best Turkey Shotguns of All Time
- Best of All Time: Remington 870
- Best New Pump: Mossberg 500 Turkey
- Best Semi Auto: Beretta A300 Turkey
- Best Value: Retay Gordion Turkey
- Best Value .410: Stevens 301 Turkey
- Best Classic: Remington 11-87 Youth Model
Best of All Time: Remington 870
Pros
- Excellent patterns
- Affordable
- Reliable
Cons
- New models are hard to find, but the used market has many options
Specs for Robinson’s Gun
Gauge: 12
Barrel Length: 26 inches
Overall Length: 46 inches
Weight: 8.2 pounds
Price: $630 (for a new Fieldmaster)
The 870 is my pick for the best all-around turkey gun because through the years, I’ve seen a variety of 870s pattern exceptionally well, especially when compared to Mossberg 12 gauges. Plus, they are perfectly reliable. These guns aren’t fancy, so you don’t have to feel bad about beating them up through seasons of hard hunting. With the popularity of Vortex’s new Viper red dot featuring its universal mount, it’s easier to attach an optic to an 870 than ever before.
I took a new 870 Fieldmaster and fitted it with an aftermarket 24-inch barrel, plus an old Primos Jellyhead choke. With the Viper red dot, I think the setup is the best all-around turkey rig I’ve ever hunted with. Sure, it’s a bit heavy at 8.2 pounds, but the tradeoff is downrange performance. I tested it with a variety of TSS loads and it easily averaged more than 100 pellet strikes in a 10-inch circle at 60 yards (which is as far as I’d ever want to shoot a turkey). At 40 yards it put 439 pellets in the zone with Apex’s Greenleaf TSS load. That’s outstanding pattern density.
The downside is that new 870s are tough to find. RemArms is a bit of a mystery these days and new 870 Fieldmasters don’t seem to be hitting the market. Fortunately, there’s an endless supply of 870s on the used market, and most of them can be had for under $500. I suggest finding one with a 24- or 26-inch barrel and making sure it has a receiver that is drilled and tapped. Add the Vortex red dot and an aftermarket turkey choke (there are a ton of options but I like Primos and Jebs) and you’ll have the ultimate gobbler slaying rig for well under a grand.
Best New Pump: Mossberg 500 Turkey
Pros
- Ready to hunt out of the box
- Relatively affordable
Cons
- Might need aftermarket choke for better patterns at distance
Specs for Einsmann’s Gun
Gauge: 20
Barrel Length: 20 inches
Overall Length:
Weight: 6.5 pounds
Price: $720 (including Holosun red dot)
If you don’t want to set up your own turkey rig, the easy button is to buy a Mossberg 500 turkey, which has an option that’s fitted with a Holosun red dot and a turkey choke. Simply sight the gun in, pattern test it with your hunting ammo, and you’re ready to start blasting gobblers.
For mounting optics, Mossberg has an ingenious design where the red dot footprint is cut into the receiver. This allows you to mount your red dot directly to the gun (no rail or plate needed). With the red dot low on the gun you have a fast and natural gun mount and cheek weld. Plus if your red dot batteries fail you can just look down the barrel and use your bead for aiming on close shots.
The 500 Turkey comes in .410 and 20 gauge options while the Mossberg 835 line offers 12 gauge options. You can go with a shorter barrel of 20 inches here, but I’d recommend running with the 22- or 24-inch barrels for optimal patterns.
With the .410 version, I was able to put 154 pellets in a 10-inch circle at 40 yards, shooting Apex Ninja loads. With the 20 gauge version, you’ll have no problem putting well over 100 pellets in the zone shooting any No. 9 TSS load at 40 yards. But for dense patterns at 50 yards you’ll need to experiment with loads and possibly aftermarket chokes. The choke included with the gun has a diameter of .585 inches.
Best Semi Auto: Beretta A300 Turkey
Pros
- Gas system reduces recoil
- Excellent patterns at 40 yards
- Made in USA
Cons
- Rail mount sets optic high on the gun
Specs for Einsmann’s Gun
Gauge: 20
Barrel Length: 24 inches
Overall Length: 43.9 inches
Weight: 7.1 pounds
Price: $999
With the popularity of TSS, a whole bunch of turkey hunters are opting for 20 gauges. They’ll shoot killer patterns out to 50 yards, they are lighter for carrying, and they generate less recoil — at least in theory. But the reality is, a 1 ⅝-ounce payload fired out of a light, short-barreled 20-gauge can still rock you pretty good. That’s where the Beretta A300 Turkey really shines. The gas operated recoil and Kickoff system — which uses hydraulic shock absorbers in the stock — help mitigate recoil which ultimately makes for more accurate shooting. This gun is also available in 12 gauge, where recoil mitigation is even more important.
It’s also worth noting that this is perhaps the best patterning 20 gauge that we’ve ever shot turkey loads through. With Apex Greenleaf loads it was putting 324 pellet strikes inside a 10-inch circle at 40 yards. This was through the basic Full choke that was included with the gun.
“The A300 Ultima is a solid semi-auto turkey gun that doesn’t cost thousands of dollars,” Einsmann says. “For the street price of around $999, it’s a fine value. It shot a wide range of TSS loads with great results, and those patterns could be improved by experimenting with aftermarket chokes.” Read Einsmann’s full Beretta A300 Turkey review, here.
Best Value: Retay Gordion Turkey
Pros
- Comfortable pistol grip
- Affordable
- Great patterns
Cons
- Does not come with a turkey choke
Specs for Robinson’s Gun
Gauge: 20 gauge
Barrel Length: 22 inches
Overall Length: 43.5 inches
Weight: 6.6 pounds
Price: $879
I’ve shot a bunch of long beards with this shotgun in the last few seasons and I think it’s the most underrated turkey gun on the market today. It’s light and maneuverable, prints excellent patterns, and can be had for well under a grand. I love the rubbery pistol grip for holding the shotgun steady and aiming precisely when it’s rested on my knee.
The one downside is that the gun doesn’t ship with a turkey-specific choke. Even so, it delivered killer patterns through its full choke (239 pellet strikes in a 10-inch circle using Hevi Shot’s No. 9 TSS). I’ve since upgraded my gun with a Jebs Headhunter choke (.565 diameter) and used it to pattern the best 20 gauge turkey loads. You can see all that data by hitting the link.
The fact that the Gordion patterned so well is especially notable when compared to some of the other Turkish-made shotguns out there, which often deliver fine but not stellar patterns. So, what’s the secret?
If you ask Retay, it’s all about the barrel. The company uses a drilling process for producing barrels (as opposed to cold hammer forging).
“A deep-bore-drilled process involves taking a tube of bar stock, cut to the desired length of the final barrel, placing the bar stock in a lathe and manually drilling out the barrel from the center and contouring and profile the barrel with lathe cutters,” says Rus Hinkle, a service lead at Retay. “This leaves the bar stock in its original, homogenous form as it was cast or forged from the factory.”
I can’t confirm that their drilling process is the reason behind these killer patterns, I can only comment on what I’ve seen in the field and on the range — which is that this rig is an all-out gobbler slayer. Read my full review of the Retay Gordion Turkey here.
Best Value .410: Stevens 301 Turkey
Pros
- Light and compact
- Optic included
- Cheap
Cons
- Comes with a cheap sight that should be replaced
Specs for Robinson’s Gun
Gauge: .410 bore
Barrel Length: 26 inches
Overall Length: 41.5 inches
Weight: 5.1 pounds
Price: $291 (with red dot included)
Advanced turkey loads and chokes have turned the .410 from a small game gun to a deadly accurate turkey slayer. The Stevens 310 Turkey Obsession makes a great, lightweight option—even with its 26-inch barrel—if you tend to put dozens of miles under your boots every turkey season. And your arms shouldn’t shake after holding your gun at the ready waiting for a shot opportunity.
This is not a fancy gun and it does not have pristine fit and finish. For example, the lever that opens the action rattles when you bring the shotgun to your shoulder. That said, it functions reliably and shoots outstanding patterns, and that is all that we can reasonably ask of a $200 gun.
The Stevens 310 comes with a rail that you can easily remove with two screws or equip with an optic. I shot the included Truglo red-dot on this gun and it produced deadly patterns at 30 yards with the stock choke. But when I switched to a Carlson’s TSS choke and Apex Ninja 3-inch loads, I was able to get plenty of pellets on paper out to 40 yards to have gobbler killing confidence at that range. At just over $200, it’s probably the best all-around deal in the turkey gun market.
Best Classic: Remington 11-87 Youth Model
Pros
- Compact and light
- Surprisingly great patterns
Cons
- Must find them on the used market
- Not drilled and tapped for optics
Specs for Holdford’s Gun
Gauge: 20
Overall Length: 42 inches
Weight: 7 lbs
Price: $350 to $700 used
Every spring, Outdoor Life’s multi-media producer Roy Holdford travels the country in his van hunting turkeys. The gun that he brings with him is an old, beat up youth model Remington 1187. His choice is part nostalgia and part performance. Many diehard turkey hunters opt for youth model guns for their light weight and compact size. Holdford’s gun is by far the shortest shotgun in our roster, making it easier to maneuver in tight cover.
Plus, youth-model shotguns typically have a shorter length of pull, which can make it easier to slide the gun to your shoulder when you’re sitting against a tree and a gobbler’s close.
But the key to picking a youth-model turkey gun is to find one that patterns well, and Holdford’s old Remington brings the heat. With a Jellyhead turkey choke and Apex Greenleaf loads it easily puts more than 150 pellet strikes inside a 10-inch circle at 50 yards, which is about as far as you’d ever want to shoot a 20 gauge.
Over the years he’s had the gun drilled and tapped for a red dot, and he’d applied a DIY paint job. And this is the other great reason to go with an old beater gun — you can make it unique to you.
How to Choose a Turkey Shotgun
With the right choke and load combination, any turkey gun on this list will shoot excellent patterns at realistic hunting ranges. So if your primary interest is to buy a turkey shotgun for reliability, you can’t beat a pump-action. But that platform is also likely to produce the most recoil (along with break-action options) unless the gun has more weight to it.
Gas-driven autoloaders are soft shooters, but are also typically the most expensive. Inertia shotguns are light —and less expensive than gas guns—but they don’t handle recoil as well. And if the gun has a rotating bolt head, it may not send the shotshell into battery if you ease the action forward like so many turkey hunters do to load their shotguns (it keeps noise at a minimum). If you’re buying a dedicated turkey gun for the first time, it’s smart to start with an affordable model, and work your way up.
FAQs
Most turkey hunters like to shoot a 12- or 20-gauge pump-action shotgun. The most common models are a Remington 870 Express or the Mossberg 500 or 835. The 870s are fairly light and like with any pump gun, you can also easily remove a shell from the chamber if you need to make a move. With the rise in popularity of TSS shotshells, many hardcore turkey hunters are opting for 28-gauge and even .410 shotguns because they are so light and manuverable—and they’re lighter on recoil. These days you’ll find plenty of sub-gauge guns in pump, semi-auto, and brake-action platforms.
I shot “open sights” on my turkey shotgun for a long time, and still do. But I have also shot turkey guns with a red-dot reflex sight and they will greatly improve your accuracy. Red-dot sights also help you get on target more quickly because there’s only one point of alignment compared to an open sight (or iron sight) which has two—rear sight to front sight to target (though some hunters, myself included, shoot turkeys like they would a duck and don’t use a sight to line up the shot at all).
This concept also helps if you have to take a shot from an awkward position. For example if the turkey comes in behind and you have to twist around to shoot. Even if your head isn’t perfectly mounted on the gun and you’re not looking straight down the barrel, put the red dot on target and you’ll drop the bird. Lastly, new turkey hunters—just like a new handgun shooter—will benefit from a red-dot, because all they have to do is put that ball of fire on the turkey’s neck and squeeze the trigger.
If you can afford TSS, I would recommend buying it. You don’t need tungsten to kill a turkey, but I’ve shot most of mine with straight TSS or tungsten-iron shotshells in the last 10 years and they are absolute hammers. I’ve done some penetration testing with TSS, and it will go through two sheets of ½-inch drywall with ease at 40 yards. Lead will also make it through, but with far fewer pellets.
Final Thoughts on Turkey Guns
Many hunters will put a turkey choke on a shotgun they already own and take it turkey hunting. That certainly works, but dedicated turkey shotguns come in all shapes and sizes with a wide variety of features. When you’re shooting a shotgun like a rifle from the ground amongst the trees, it’s better to have a raised comb and shorter barrel. You don’t need a turkey gun to kill a longbeard, but these time-tested turkey guns will definitely give you an advantage.
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