I shoot a Mossberg 500, taken from the scratch and dent bin at Dicks back in 96. I mounted a scope on it, because my eyes were starting to go. It is a reasonable turkey gun. I’ve used others.

Win Model 12 Trap: Heavy
Rem Model 1100 TB: Heavy
H&R Topper : Light and brutal
Mossberg 395 bolt-gun: Light and simple.

I really have not ventured to far from the Mossy since I got it, but I can tell you what I think a dream gun would be like:

1) Of all the actions, I think pump is about right. I was an auto man for about 10 years. I just never needed the second shot.

2) Some of you all are shooting 3.5″ 12 GA. I just don’t like the punishment. 3″ 12 GA is more than enough. Until 1996, I was shooting 2 3/4 and it did just fine.

3) I like an exposed hammer on a shotgun. The one problem I have with pump guns, is there’s no way to let off the trigger without unloading. I have an Winchester 1897 that I use for squirrel hunting. It has a half cock safety, which is plenty for my needs.

The big problems with defining the ideal turkey gun are:

1) Weight– light weight means excessive recoil. Heavy leads to late-morning fatigue

2) Choke — I’ll say it again: overly-tight chokes have cost me more birds at 10 yards than a too-open choke at 40. In the ideal gun, you could choose, but the choice needs to be made back at the butt-end of the gun. In the turkey woods, there is no time to change chokes.

So what does that mean? A double? A double might be fine. My buddy used to hunt with a Charles Daly O/U choked Full over Modified. I promised myself that if I ever gothold of a banged-up double with choke tubes, I might spray paint it and experiment with it.

Polychoke? Polychoke has a new device that screws into a choke tube. It’s $100. I might give it a try some time.

So what does the ideal shamanic turkey gun look like?

1) trap-length barrel. If you can’t fit a 28″ barrel through the weeds, you’re in cover that’s to darn thick.
2) A 1.5-4.5 scope mounted to the receiver
3) It would probably be a pump, it would have the trigger and hammer of the Winchester 1897
4) I am still debating with myself how to cover the choke thing. That new poly-choke might be the ticket. Check out PolyChoke.com and see what you think

I need a scope now, so a bolt gun is probably out of the question. I have never seen a scope on a double, but I bet it’s ugly. Pump gun it is!

So the other day, I’m digging through AimSurplus.com and I see they have Chinese 1897 clones for cheap. These are perfect for CASS events, and I’m thinking of getting one. Then I remember: the Chinese clones are great, except they are made really, really heavy compared to the originals. They’re also made by . . . (duh) . . . Chinese. The original 1897’s were sent to France for the Great War, and they had a nasty habit of blowing the bolt assembly back into the right eye of the doughboy when he touched off a too-hot load. I shoot mine with low-brass squirrel loads exclusively. Now I’m thinking about touching off a Remmie Buffered Magnum #4 at a turkey. Yikes! Okay. 1897 clones are out for turkey guns.

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