Author Topic: turkey gun help  (Read 894 times)

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Offline midwesthunter

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turkey gun help
« on: June 29, 2008, 05:08:42 PM »
I plan on turkey hunting for the first time next spring.  I have my eyes set on a Benelli Nova with a 26" barrel. Would this barrel with a single bead be ok for turkey hunting or are adjustable sites needed?

Also, what does everyone think of this gun?

Offline Dand

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Re: turkey gun help
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2008, 05:15:19 PM »
I don't have any experience with the gun but I hear they are good.  I have some experience with sights and I prefer them over a simple bead.  For pattern testing alone I found the Williams adjustable fire sights that clamp to a rib are quite good.  The high quality Tru Glow might be even better.  2 of my friends went to the Tru Glows this year after hunting with beads for several years.  They much preferred the sights.

They both shoot Rem 870's,  I use a Mossy 500. Since none of us are really dedicated turkey hunters we stay with our 28 inch barrels but a little bit shorter could be handy in brush.

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liberal Justice Hugo Black said, and I quote: "There are 'absolutes' in our Bill of Rights, and they were put there on purpose by men who knew what words meant and meant their prohibitions to be 'absolutes.'" End quote. From a recent article by Wayne LaPierre NRA

Offline buck460XVR

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Re: turkey gun help
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2008, 02:50:33 PM »
The gun will be fine.......as for sights or bead, pattern it first, then decide. If the gun shoots where you put the bead and you feel confident with it, then sights aren't needed. If it don't pattern exactly where you put the bead and you have to remember to aim high, low, left or right...... you won't. That ol' Tom will be a struttin' out in front of you at 30 yards and you'll put the bead right on his head and you'll miss. That's when most need an adjustable sight. I have killed many turkeys with just a plain bead.....but those are guns that shoot true to the bead or guns that I shot by just lookin down the barrel like bird hunting. I have also taken several birds with guns with adjustable sights.....these are guns that when I patterned them, told me I needed more than the bead.

 FWIW...pattern your gun with several different loads to determine which one shoots best from your gun. Don't just use X-Brand because Joe does and they shoot well in his gun or because it had the full page ad in the back of the Turkey Huntin' Annual. . Turkey guns are like women and they all have their own distinct personalities and not all like to be fed the same thing. Once you find the load that consistently puts the most pellets in the kill zone, determine what your maximum realistic range is. This means the maximum range you can consistently put 9-15 pellets in the kill zone. Not 1, or 3, or 8 every once and a while, but 9-15 consistently. Then know this range whenever and wherever you setup. Even after 30 years of Turkey hunting, I will still mark ranges when setting up in a new spot.  One of the hardest things in Turkey hunting is knowing when a struttin' turkey is in range.........
"where'd you get the gun....son?"