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After years of getting bigger, turkey shotguns are now shrinking as small-gauge options attract interest among hunters. While you can still find new 3½-inch 12-gauges decked out for the spring woods, they are now joined with more and more 20s and .410s, and especially recently, 28, all of which just means more options for everyone.
You can credit new sub-gauge TSS ammo and improved lead loads like Winchester’s 20-gauge Long Beard for the trend, and it might also be true that more hunters realize the real fun of turkey hunting is bringing birds in close. Small-gauge guns fit in perfectly with that hunting philosophy, and they’re easy to carry and handle, and a lot less of a chore to pattern, too.
If there is a trend in 2024 besides lots of sub-gauges, it’s lots of Mossbergs. No one has gotten on board the turkey gun train more enthusiastically, and the company continues to add interesting new dedicated turkey guns to its lineup each year, including a new model that reflects the very latest development: the 3-inch, 28-gauge gobbler gun. All of the said, if you still favor a 12-gauge, or a Browning, Benelli, Beretta or other make, we’ve got you covered. Below are my picks for the best turkey guns on the market in 2024, big and small, including some exciting new models for this spring. Here they are, starting with the newest.
The Best Turkey Shotguns
Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag Turkey–Holosun Micro Dot Combo
Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag Turkey–Holosun Micro Dot Combo
Specs
Gauge: 3 ½-inch 12 gauge
Barrel Length: 20″
Weight: 7 lbs
Pros
Excellent optic mounted in receiver cut
Compact
Reliable
Cons
20-inch barrel can be tough to make pattern well
As a longtime 835 user and fan, I love the combination of a slide cut into the top of the receiver for mounting an optic and the Holosun’s nifty 407 Microdot sight, which allows the shooter to keep their head firmly on the stock and use the optic. In all other ways, this is the great 835, with 10-gauge dimensions to help it handle large loads of big shot. It has the top safety that left-handers like, too, and a long track record of reliability. The action is smooth and fast. I have found that 20-inch barrels (in this gun and others) can be finicky in terms of what ammo they like, but once you find the right load, this gun will deliver. Mossberg also offers 20-gauge and .410 Model 500s with same receiver cut and Holosun optic.
Mossberg Silver Reserve Eventide Turkey
Specs
Gauge: 3-inch 20-gauge, 3-inch 28-gauge, 3-inch .410
Barrel Length: 20″
Weight: 6.5 lbs
Pros
Extremely compact
Choice of chokes
Good patterns
Cons
Mushy, heavy trigger
Turkey O/Us have two major advantages over other types of shotguns. First, they are more compact because they have an action that’s about 3 inches shorter than a repeater’s, and second, they give you the choice of two chokes. Mossberg supplies this gun with two XX-full turkey chokes and one IC. You can either set it up conventionally with two tight chokes, or you can put the IC in the gun to have a wider pattern for close-range shots. The safety is also the barrel selector, so you can make your choice easily. The gun also comes with sling-swivel studs, and its super-compact overall length means no more snagging the barrel in overhanging branches as you walk through the woods. I recently put this gun through its paces on my home range and you can read the full review here.
Stoeger Predator Turkey
Specs
Gauge: 3 ½-inch 12-gauge
Barrel Length: 24″
Weight: 7.5 lbs
Pros
Enlarged controls
Comfortable grip
Good patterns with buckshot and turkey loads
Cons
Doesn’t cycle light loads well
Made for the hunter who calls turkeys in the spring and coyotes in winter, the new-for-2024 Predator/Turkey comes with a pair of Mojo chokes: one Full for buck shot, the other XX-Full for turkeys. Both delivered excellent patterns when I tested this gun recently. As a 3 ½-inch inertia gun, this 3500 definitely gets your attention when it goes off, despite the ports in the barrel that reduce muzzle rise. It does include an optional stock weight to reduce recoil, as well as shim to adjust the stock. The receiver is also drilled and tapped for an optic, and the gun’s coat of Mossy Oak Overwatch helps it both stand out and blend in. Overall, I was impressed with this gun for the price; it delivered excellent patterns and is a heck of bargain to boot. Again, you can read my full review here.
Beretta A300 Ultima Turkey
Specs
Gauge: 3-inch 12-gauge or 3-inch 20-gauge
Barrel Length: 24″
Weight: 7 lbs in 12-gauge
Pros
Recoil-reducing stock
Rail for optic
Proven reliable action
Cons
Rail mounts optic a bit too high for optimum cheek weld
Beretta’s A300 is a cheaper, USA-made version of one of the best semiautos ever made, the Beretta 391. The turkey version gives you the features turkey hunters want built into a great gas-operated platform. The camo-coated A300 Ultima Turkey has a 24-inch barrel, which a good length for a turkey gun barrel: short enough to be compact, long enough to shoot good patterns. It has a fiber-optic bead sight or, for those who would prefer an optic, a Picatinny rail is included. The A300 also has its version of Beretta’s Kick-Off recoil reduction system which really works and makes patterning sessions easier.
Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 Turkey Performance Shop
Specs
Gauge: 3 1/3-inch 12-gauge
Barrel Length: 24″
Weight: 6.8 lbs
Pros
Custom choke
Ergonomic stock
Comes with mounted optic
Cons
Expensive
The Super Black Eagle 3, the original 3 ½-inch 12-gauge semiauto, is a now an even better turkey gun than it ever was. Benelli’s Positive Locking Bolt means you can ease in a round without slamming the action shut and not risk a misfire later on because the bolt was never in battery. This gun also receives the Performance Shop treatment, getting worked over by choke maker Rob Roberts. Each gun is patterned and tuned, and it comes with Benelli’s excellent, comfortable, SteadyGrip stock and a Buriss Fastfire red dot mounted on the receiver. Although this gun will deliver at long range, it’s still easy to carry and fast to use, as I discovered last spring in Nebraska, when we snuck to within 5 yards of a gobbler in a draw, and I was able to the gun quickly and shoot the bird as it ran off following my partner’s miss. The Turkey Performance Shop isn’t cheap, but it is just about everything you want in a turkey gun.
Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey
Specs
Gauge: 2 ¾-inch 28-gauge (also available in 3-inch 20-gauge and 3-inch 410)
Barrel Length: 22″
Weight: 6 lbs
Pros
Comfortable stock, good height for optics
Rail for optic and good iron signs
Light, easy to carry
Cons
28-gauge has 2 ¾-inch, not 3-inch chamber
The SA Tactical Turkey is available in 20-gauge, 28-gauge, and .410, but as 28s are all the rage for 2024 and the SA-28 is the newest option in the line, that’s what we’ll focus on here. This smallbore turkey guns is a delight to hunt with, as I found out while toting the 28-gauge in Texas last year. It weighs practically nothing on the shoulder, and the tactical stock keeps your trigger hand at a comfortable angle during long waits. As optic mounted on the gun’s Picatinny rail puts it at a good height for aimed shots too. While the 28-gauge which I hunted with lacked the trendy 3-inch chamber, Apex 2 ¾-inch 28 gauge ammo shot great patterns to 40 yards in this gun. If that’s not enough for you, get the 20, which actually weighs the same but has a 3-inch chamber.
Browning Maxus II
Specs
Gauge: 12
Barrel Length: 26″, 28″
Weight: 7 lbs, 7.2 lbs
Pros
Rubber grip panels
Inflex recoil pad
Versatile for multi-species hunts
Cons
Expensive
Browning offers a limited run of its excellent and soft-shooting Maxus II gas gun with a 26-inch barrel, extended choke, Picatinny rail and Mossy Oak Bottomland camo. The synthetic stock features both rubber grip panels and a soft comb insert along with an Inflex buttpad, all of which will help you endure pre-season patterning sessions. At around 7 pounds, the Maxus is light enough to tote through the woods, but hefty enough for serious wingshooting, too. Remove the rail in the fall and you can hunt birds and ducks with this gun, too, which helps you rationalize the price tag.
Mossberg 940 Turkey Pro
Specs
Gauge: 12
Barrel Length: 18.5″, 24″
Weight: 7.25 lbs or 7.5 lbs
Pros
Corrosion-resistant parts
Adjustable stock
Enlarged bolt handles
Cons
Expensive
Mossberg as it extends its 940 Pro series with a pair of dedicated 3-inch 12 gauge gobbler guns. The 940 improves on the 930 with upgraded gas system parts, corrosion-resistant internals, and stainless steel return spring. Both guns feature cuts in the receiver for a RMR-footprint reflex sight and a cover should you choose not to mount one. The stocks adjust with spacers to as short as 13 inches. Both guns feature enlarged bolt handles and closer buttons, synthetic stocks and are covered in Mossy Oak Greenleaf camo. One has a 24-inch barrel, usually a length conducive to better patterns, while the other comes in at a compact 18 ½ inches, ideal for carrying and close quarters.
Sauer SL5 Turkey Gun
Specs
Gauge: 12
Barrel Length: 18.5″
Weight: 7 lbs
Pros
Lightweight and easy to carry
Pistol grip
Extended turkey choke included
Cons
Expensive
German gunmaker Sauer dates to the 18th century, but there is nothing old-fashioned or traditional about the SL5 turkey gun. Sauer partnered with Bruno Civolani, inventor of the inertia system, on a lineup of inertia semiauto shotguns that now includes a turkey model. The guns have barrels bobbed back to the 18½-inch legal minimum to make them easy to carry through the woods and handle in the brush. The barrels have a fiber-optic bead and the receivers come with Picatinny rail installed. The pistol-gripped synthetic stock comes in your choice of three different Mossy Oak patterns. The three choke tubes that come with the gun include an extended Carlson turkey choke.
Weatherby Element Turkey Gun
Specs
Gauge: 12, 20
Barrel Length: 22″
Weight: 6.2 lbs
Pros
Lightweight
Rubber grip panels
Multiple gauges
Cons
Stronger recoil
Inertia semiautos are light, which makes them easy to carry through the spring woods. They kick more than heavier guns and gas guns, but who cares when you may only shoot once all spring? The Turkish-made Element comes dressed for the woods with a bobbed 22-inch barrel and a coat of original Mossy Oak Bottomland camo. It features sling swivel studs and rubber grip panels in the stock and forend. Weatherby has been sourcing guns from overseas makers since the 50s and they how to pick their partners: the Element is a good gun, and now it’s even better if you want a turkey gun.
Henry Single-Shot Turkey 12-Gauge
Specs
Gauge: 12
Barrel Length: 24″
Weight: 6.78 lbs
Pros
Lightweight
Turkey choke included
Pre-drilled and tapped for optics
Cons
Single-shot
Stronger recoil
Turkey hunting–done right–is a one-shot sport, and it’s good to see a single shot represented among this year’s guns. Break-action single-shots are both light and compact, which are good traits in a gobbler gun, and Henry’s new Single-Shot is woods-ready with a coat of Mossy Oak Obsession, iron sights, a barrel drilled and tapped for an optics, and a turkey choke. It has a 24-inch barrel and weighs just 6¾ pounds. You’ll feel this gun go off if you shoot it with a 3½-inch load, but you’ll hardly know it’s there when you’ve got it slung over your shoulder.
Retay Masai Mara Turkey XT in 20-Gauge
Specs
Gauge: 20
Barrel Length: 22″
Weight: 6.5 lbs
Pros
Lightweight
Easy to point and swing
Pre-drilled for optics
Cons
None
A well-made Turkish inertia gun that has come on strong in the short time it’s been available in the U.S., the Retay Masai Mara comes in a new 20-gauge turkey model available in several camo patterns. It has a 22-inch vent-ribbed barrel and a receiver drilled and tapped for the supplied Picatinny rail if you want to mount an optic. The Masai Mara features a bolt designed to do away with the out-of-battery misfire that occurs with inertia guns from time to time, and is especially frustrating when it happens in the spring woods.
Savage 320 Turkey Thumbhole
Specs
Gauge: 12, 20
Barrel Length: 22″
Weight: 7.6 lbs
Pros
Affordable
Turkey choke included
Thumbhole design for better grip
Cons
Doesn’t come in camo
Modeled after Winchester’s Model 1300/SXP, the Savage 320 is a Chinese-made pump that sells for a very low price that can put a dedicated 3-inch 12- or 20-gauge turkey gun in the hands of almost anyone. The 22-inch barrel comes with a turkey choke and adjustable fiber-optic sights clamped to a vent rib. The drab-green synthetic stock features a hybrid thumbhole design that is highly practical for turkey hunting.
Franchi Affinity Turkey and Turkey Elite
Specs
Gauge: 12, 20
Barrel Length: 24″
Weight: 7.2 lbs, 6.5 lbs
Pros
Comfortable pistol grip
Adjustable sights
Pre-drilled and tapped for optics
Cons
Expensive
The Franchi Affinity has become quite popular among upland hunters and waterfowlers who more or less want to shoot a Benelli without paying Benelli prices. Now, turkey hunters can buy a lightweight, reliable Franchi inertia gun made expressly for the spring woods. The Affinity Turkey and Turkey Elite shotguns feature a very comfortable pistol grip, camo finish, and a 24-inch barrel with a turkey choke and adjustable rear and hooded front sights. They are also drilled and tapped for an optic. The Turkey comes in 3-inch 12- and 20-gauge, as well as a 3½-inch 12 with a choice of camo patterns. The Turkey Elite comes in 3-inch 12- or 20-gauge with camo and Cerakote.
Tri Star Viper G2 Turkey
Specs
Gauge: 12, 20, .410
Barrel Length: 24″
Weight: 6.8 lbs, 6.3 lbs, 6lbs
Pros
Lightweight
Three different gauges
Comfortable pistol grip
Cons
None
The Tri Star Viper G2 Turkey comes in 12, 20, and .410 versions for hunters who want to shoot a lightweight semiauto. The 12 weighs just 6.8 pounds, the 20 6.3, and the .410 6 pounds even. The tactical-style pistol grip is extremely comfortable to hang on to when you’re seated against a tree, and the gun has a Picatinny rail for mounting an optic. The 24-inch barrels are the right length to shoot good patterns with high dollar TSS loads through the gun’s XX Full turkey choke.
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