Rifles for turkey, anyone?

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Is anyone hunting turkey with a rifle this spring? Its legal to do so here in Fl (on private land) and some other states. If so, what are you using? I have had excellent results with 223 75 grain OTM. It anchors the bird, and causes minimal damage if you hit the breast.
 
Yup, I plan to use my M4 with my hog load, 62 grain TSX . It's legal in Texas on Rios, not on easterns in the piney woods. We have Rios around here.

Couple of years ago, I killed only my second ever turkey with a .22 magnum. The bird ran about 25 yards right back at me. :D I was hoping the .223 would anchor the bird without messing much up. :D

This year I'll get more serious about it, get out there at sun up and call. It's a pain to get up that early, but heck, it's the way if you really want a bird.
 
Similar to what LD posted above, I like my .36 SMR flintlock with a .350 lead ball over 30 grains of 3F. Both Georgia and Va. allow rifles. If I went modern I'd use my Kimber .22Hornet.
 
You know, I have a CVA Plainsman 50 cal that's super accurate at 50 yards with a patched .490 RB......hmmm.....
The nice thing about us traditional black powder shooters is that we can tailor our loads. So although a deer load in that .50 might be as John Wayne pointed out in True Grit when Glen Campbell shot the turkey with a Sharps..., "Too much gun". Yet you can drop down that powder charge to something accurate at 50 yards but not at a velocity to whack through and through on a whitetail..., and not blow the turkey up. I will have to check the state regs and see if turkey, unlike deer, has a minimum black powder load. Deer the minimum in Maryland is 60 grains of powder, but with my .40 I'd prefer about 35-40 grains against a gobbler.

LD
 
The nice thing about us traditional black powder shooters is that we can tailor our loads. So although a deer load in that .50 might be as John Wayne pointed out in True Grit when Glen Campbell shot the turkey with a Sharps..., "Too much gun". Yet you can drop down that powder charge to something accurate at 50 yards but not at a velocity to whack through and through on a whitetail..., and not blow the turkey up. I will have to check the state regs and see if turkey, unlike deer, has a minimum black powder load. Deer the minimum in Maryland is 60 grains of powder, but with my .40 I'd prefer about 35-40 grains against a gobbler.

LD
55gr is a nice 60yd target load for my .45 flinter, but for deer i go up to 70gr.
 
The nice thing about us traditional black powder shooters is that we can tailor our loads. So although a deer load in that .50 might be as John Wayne pointed out in True Grit when Glen Campbell shot the turkey with a Sharps..., "Too much gun". Yet you can drop down that powder charge to something accurate at 50 yards but not at a velocity to whack through and through on a whitetail..., and not blow the turkey up. I will have to check the state regs and see if turkey, unlike deer, has a minimum black powder load. Deer the minimum in Maryland is 60 grains of powder, but with my .40 I'd prefer about 35-40 grains against a gobbler.

LD

That thing kicks me like all billy hell with 90 grains. It's not well fitted is most of the problem. I bought it for the 1:48 twist to shoot RB as my other front loader at the time, a Cabela's Hawken Hunter Carbine, is rifled 1:24 and won't shoot RBs at all. I reduced the powder charge on that Plainsman to 1/2 the 90 grains, or 45 grains of Pyrodex RS by volume. I've not chronographed it, but it's a lot more fun to shoot my gong targets with at 50 yards and it'll make one ragged hole at that range. It should work well on Turkey methinks. I'd originally thought about shooting squirrel with it, actually. Of course a head decapitation shot would be preferable. :D I don't own a sub caliber front stuffer. That might be a purchase for the future. :D
 
shotguns in the spring, only bearded birds legal, rifles-shotguns in the fall, any bird legal.
 
They're hard to kill with a rifle. Usually takes more that one shot and you have to be quick with the follow up
 
Shotguns only, here in Wisconsin. I think a rifle would be great, though. I have a 10/22 that’s an absolute tack driver out to 50 yards and have often felt that it (or any other suitable rifle) would give me quality shots on birds that I wouldn’t attempt with a 12ga.
 
They're hard to kill with a rifle. Usually takes more that one shot and you have to be quick with the follow up
Not in my experience. OTM 223 like a Black Hills MK 262 or Hornady 75 grain BTHP match will not only anchor them with a body shot, they cause minimal damage if you put it through the breast.
 
The one I shot with a CCI maxi mag hollow point ran about 20 yards and folded up dead. That's a sample of one. I've got the M4 now, just as accurate and I'll be slappin' 'em with a 62 grain Barnes, same bullet I shot the deer with and, actually intended for hogs. I think it'll do. It's packin' a lot more energy than the .22 mag. I shot that bird at 70 yards with that .22 mag. It'll keep 1.5" groups at 100 yards, danged accurate gun.

That is, if I don't decide to use the smoke pole. :D
 
cant do it in kansas. with that said if i could i would try out a 22 WMR i hear from old timers that was the best to use back then.
 
Unfortunately, I can't post a counter picture of the one that I shot with a .308 that flew off..........because he flew off :D

Sample size = 1. I've seen many taken with rifles during deer season that didn't fly anywhere. They were hit proper, though. Turkey season isn't open here during deer season, just have a spring season, but it's more fun anyway. :D
 
If it were legal here in Madigan's Republik of IL, I'd use my Savage 24D, .222 on top with a 53gr soft point and a 3" load of copper plated #6 shot in the bottom tube. Alas.
 
If it were legal here in Madigan's Republik of IL, I'd use my Savage 24D, .222 on top with a 53gr soft point and a 3" load of copper plated #6 shot in the bottom tube. Alas.
I'd love to get one in 223 over 20.
 
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