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difference between a deer and turkey shotgun


Trigger Mike

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i was looking around at a toy store and the guy hands me a turkey gun.  i go to research it on line and Winchester makes some shotguns for waterfowl, some for turkey and some for deer and some for all around use.  I figure the waterfowl will have a longer barrel but what is the difference between a turkey or deer shotgun?  

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TM 

 

  if it is a rifled barrel , that is for slugs only IMO . 

 I have been using a 24 in smooth bore , with rifle sights on an OLD Mossberg since 1986 or so ,  seems to have a real tight choke on it 

even tho I have more barrels for it , I don't change em out , even for bird hunting 

  IF it is rifled , I would not put shot down it 

  CB 

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Most shotguns advertised for use on deer have rifled barrels.  Personally, my smoothbore 870 is just fine, but I don't think anybody makes a smoothbore slug gun any more.

 

Waterfowl shotguns have tight chokes and longer barrels.

 

Shotguns for turkeys also have tight chokes and longer barrels, but they tend to have some sort of method of mounting a scope to the top of the receiver.  Many turkey hunters use a red-dot sight or low-power scope to improve the odds of putting a pellet into the head.

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I have my dad's Sears 12-gauge with poly choke from the early 60s. He put some deer slugs through it and he once took an unfired shell apart to show me the slug. Back then it was a roll crimp paper hull. As I recall, the slug had fluted/ribbed sides and a thick plastic disc attached to the base. Do they make them that way today?

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1 hour ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

I have my dad's Sears 12-gauge with poly choke from the early 60s. He put some deer slugs through it and he once took an unfired shell apart to show me the slug. Back then it was a roll crimp paper hull. As I recall, the slug had fluted/ribbed sides and a thick plastic disc attached to the base. Do they make them that way today?

Foster slugs are still available today, and should be used in smoothbore guns. 

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3 hours ago, Assassin said:

I believe the turkey gun needs to be capable of handling steel shot also.

Not in Indiana or Michigan. Only migratory birds and some wildlife areas require steel shot.

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On ‎8‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 2:04 PM, Michigan Slim said:

Not in Indiana or Michigan. Only migratory birds and some wildlife areas require steel shot.

 

 That steel shot law make little to no sense. When my family had their farm we had about 1800 acres of wheat or barley fields out of 2200 total to hunt in. Each Goose season we'd take the back hoe out and dig stand up in pits for hunting. (yes we filled them in after the season). We had Geese, Ducks and Sand Hill Cranes come into the fields. All had to be taken with steel shot. BUT you could hunt pheasants and grouse in the same fields (eating the same spilled grain kernel's or green sprigs that popped up) with lead shot. Over water I can see it....kind of...only a few waterfowl species are bottom feeders.

  As for the slug guns, most manufactures offer a slug barrel package anymore. I did take a deer with my Model 37 Ithaca smooth barrel shooting a slug years ago when I was hunting in Mn. It's not very accurate for distance though.

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If you want a duel purpose gun great for deer and turkeys, buy a smoothbore. A rifled choke for deer and an extra full for turkeys. Same red dot sight works for both.

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i did not know there is a rifled choke.  THAT seems to be the ticket.  the local toy store has a winchester turkey gun with 3 1/2 chamber.  fiber optic front and rear sights plus pistol grip 24 inch barrel, camo colored, way out of my norm.  i will see if i can trade a double barrel toward it. 

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