Dual purpose shotgun - Turkey and upland

[imprezagm4]

I already own an 18.5" 870 for HD, and now I want to try at hunting a variety of birds. Being a college student I can't justify purchasing two shotguns. Is there any reason that a 28" 870 with a variety of choke tubes couldn't handle both turkey and a variety of upland birds? The reason I ask is because the "standard" turkey shotgun I see advertised is about 21". Upland shotguns are generally 26-28", from what I have seen.

Thanks

 

[janobles14]

no reason whatsoever. as a matter of fact i killed more birds of both kinds with my 870 than i ever have with my big fancy turkey gun (but i still love it!).

 

[oneounceload]

The standard upland gun has been taking turkeys before the advent of "specialized" guns. Go with the 28 inch barrel and have some fun. Get a SK, IC, M and F choke set, and you'll be covered for everything from planted quail to tom gobbler

 

[shotgunmessenger96]

I love my setup- Remmington 870 express 28 inch barrel vent.rib with a undertaker super-full turkey choke.
I've killed rabbits at 60 yards with regular 7 1/2 - 2 3/4 shells. And for doves, and quail I'll either wait till they fly out a little farther or aim for their heads.
I love the way the rib sticks up above the barrel it makes the bead so much easier to point.

Downside is I can't shoot steel through it, but I have a mod choke for that should I ever need it.

 

[MCgunner]

Just because it's all the fashion to call a 20-24" camo shotgun a "turkey gun", don't mean a standard 28" pump gun can't shoot a turkey. What is actually REQUIRED of a turkey gun is a very tight pattern with a load of 4-6 shot and pattern is controlled by the choke, not the barrel length or the finish of the gun.

In an "upland gun", if you're talking flushing birds gun, light and quick to the shoulder helps, but a lot of quail have been taken with a pump, just a matter of getting used to it and playing to its strengths. If you have to let 'em get a little farther out, so be it. But, there are pump guns that are very quick to the shoulder, light weight, yet swing well. The Ithaca 37 featherweight is a wonderfully quick, stable gun. Fit means a lot and pumps are easy to shim for fit. The 870 is a might heavy, but it can still do upland hunting like for quail, nothing says it can't. I would stick the I/C choke in it, though.

 

[rcmodel]

No reason your 18.5" Cyl bore 870 wouldn't make a fine "Quail in the brush" gun either.
It would be far more practical then a 28" IC where I hunt.

rc

 

[ArmedBear]

Hell, I've seen turkey hunters in Southern California buying $1700 Benellis set up for turkey (AR-style pistol grip, Realtree camo, 21" barrel, fiber rifle sights) where the bag limit was one per season AFAIK. That's some damned expensive turkey meat!

Don't let the stuff you see bother you. Screw some tight chokes into an O/U Skeet gun and you'll have a turkey gun. Cover it with some removable camo tape if it's too shiny. The turkey just sees the bore, anyway, unless it sneaks up on you from behind.

A turkey gun doesn't have to handle worth crap, either. It really doesn't matter much. The take-home is that, if you have screw-in chokes, you can use your shotgun for turkey, no matter what kind of shotgun it is.

I'd focus on the upland aspects of the gun. Balance, weight, handling and fit all matter a lot for upland shooting.

Tell us more about what sort of upland shooting you're looknig to do. That matters, too. (What birds, what terrain, will you hunt over a dog)

 

[tactikel]

Agreed, Get your gun to pattern #4 shot @ 40 yards tight (check out Briley chokes if you can't light up a fist sized target at 40) the gun you already have is fine for turkey. Camo it up with tape or wrap, pattern it and you'll be good to go!

 

[imprezagm4]

Thanks for all the advice gentlemen. The upland I plan on hunting will be here on the high desert, pheasant, grouse, chukar, and quail. The terrain is waist high sage brush (and shorter) with rocky outcroppings for the most part. No dog as of yet, I would love to at some point though.

 

[ArmedBear]

That's a kind of hunting I'm familiar with.

#1. Think FAST. Fast on target, fast followup shot. An O/U, with two chokes, can be a very good choice, especially since O/Us have tang safeties that you can disengage unconsciously when shouldering. My favorite gun for that kind of hunting is an old 20 Gauge 26" Ithaca SKB that I picked up for 500 bucks. It weighs less than 6.5 lbs., and it just works wonderfully for fast-moving wild-flushing birds. It is way too old to have screw-in chokes, though, so it's not a turkey gun with IC/M fixed barrels.

#2. Don't buy a pump gun specifically for that. No matter what anyone says, just don't. Especially without a dog, expect a lot of really fast shots with very short windows to hit the bird. 2 or 3 shots gives you much more chance of hitting something than 1.

#3. If you buy a gun, get a 20 Gauge. Contrary to the belief of people who are satisfied with not hitting many birds, your average 12 Gauge is not a "do-everything" gun. For what you want, it's pretty close to a "do-nothing" gun, because it's too slow on target. It's fine for pheasant and turkey, but not the other birds mentioned. A shotgun is kind of like a golf club: size and weight have to match the speed of swing.

#4. If you want to start with your 870, get a 26" barrel, not a 28". A 28" Express is an absolute slug (I have one and I figure it'll work fine if I ever want to shoot waterfowl again). And expect to be craving a new shotgun really, really soon.

 

[janobles14]

hell i got a 30 inch full choke barrel ill let go for cheap! maybe its 28? no idea...havent looked at it in years