Turkey hunting gun

[Ghost23]

What ML do you use for turkey hunting?

I'm searching for a shotgun/smoothbore with tight choke for a turkey gun. I was pointed toward a jug choked cylinder bore on the traditional forum. That seems to be the consensus over there. I was leaning more toward screw in chokes like a New Englander or TK2000. Or having a barrel made for my CVA Hawken 50 with 1" channel stock.

Had the idea of the breech end of an old 1" barrel cut off and a round 12g barrel attached to create a new barrel. I asked a few barrel makers if they could make a barrel 1" octagon out to 13.5". Then start rounding it down all the way to the muzzle. No replies.

I'm just trying to build or find a fun, good shooting, tight, ML turkey gun. Screw in chokes are not a pita to me like was said on the traditional forum. It was mentioned over there that a cylinder bore barrel with full jug choke will pattern better or as well as a modern shotgun with turkey chokes.

The jug choked 12g guns with a skychief load out to 25 looks good. But I think it can be better.

What is everyone's opinions?

 

[anonymouscowherd]

The issue wiht traditionally choked barrels or screw in chokes - say, you grab a $100 single shot 12ga from the pawn shop and a Short Lane adapter to make a inline ML shotty - is that the bore diameter at the muzzle will be a LOT smaller than the wads, etc. you are trying to shove down the barrel. At least that is my experience with my pawn shop special and Short Lane, and my buddy's experience with a Pedersoli SxS with fixed chokes.

What a jug choke does is near the chamber end it is 12ga, and then it expands out to about 10ga or so, then the jug choke constricts it back down. But because it was able to go up to 10ga-ish (.83" or so), the "extra full turkey" constriction brings it back down to .725 - which is cylinder bore diameter for 12ga, so wads, etc. slide right in, but you are getting the constriction effect (ie, a tight pattern). This is how the extra full jug choke on the TK2000 works.

 

[gle3105]

Good explanation. But the jug choke is near the muzzle. Not the chamber.

 

[anonymouscowherd]

Good explanation. But the jug choke is near the muzzle. Not the chamber.

Sorry, should've said the whole system starts down near the chamber end of the barrel. About half way it starts expanding, and gets to be 10ga-ish (.83x) at muzzle, then jug choke brings it back down to .725. At least, that is what we measured the other day on my buddy's TK2k

 

[Ghost23]

I'm not too worried about removing the choke, loading, installing the choke, and killing a turkey. The better pattern of a
660 - .665 choke is worth having to remove a choke to load. I've never had to take a 2nd shot on a turkey in 24 years. So I don't really have a need to quickly and easily load another shot. Unless there is a jug choked barrel that shoots as good as my 12g .665 choked pump, Im looking more at the New Englander with choke tubes. Not against jug chokes. But the ease of loading is not worth the trade of a tight pattern when I only take one shot.

 

[gle3105]

Tk2000 40 yds. 10” target. 228 pellets IIRC. #9tss

 

[Ninering62]

Tk2000 40 yds. 10” target. 228 pellets IIRC. #9tss

Can't complain about that pattern for sure.