Trimming a few ounces in your turkey kit gets easier with a light-weight turkey gun.
Several years ago I started counting up the estimated miles I walked during a typical turkey season. I was spending most of my time hunting on national forest land that had a low turkey population. I spent a lot more of my time walking in search of a gobbling bird than looking down the sights as a bird strutted into range. Dogged persistence, 45 days afield and a worn out pair of Browning kangaroo leather boots I managed to kill a few turkeys. Averaging a minimum of three miles a day, I had walked at least 135 miles in search of a gobbler.
One of the things that I learned was that carrying a gun and a loaded turkey vest became tiring, to say the least. Toting a light-weight turkey gun became a premium, and I was resolved to trim as many ounces as reasonably possible to ease the burden.
Carrying a lighter-weight turkey gun is something hunters might wish to consider as well. There is a down side to shooting a light-weight turkey gun, namely greater felt recoil. But since most turkey hunters spend a lot more time carrying a gun rather than shooting it, a featherweight gun might be worth the tradeoff if you can handle the recoil during patterning sessions. Face it, once a bird is on the way, we seldom remember the recoil, or hear the shot, for that matter.
Light-Weight Options
Borrowing the line of thought from the backpacking crowd, turkey hunters can shave pounds and ounces from their equipment carried afield to achieve super-light loads. Staying with the focus of this column, considerations about gun weight follow basic tenants: Synthetic stocks are lighter than wood; carbine-length barrels popular on most dedicated turkey guns are lighter than longer field-length tubes; and action type dictates average weights.
Pump-Actions
Pump-action guns are the most popular among turkey hunters, according to industry sales figures. Close behind, semi-autos round out about 90 percent of what goes afield each spring. From the start, we’re handicapped by action type when it comes to shaving ounces. Most 12 gauge repeaters that can handle 3-inch magnum loads weigh between 6.7 and 8.0 pounds unloaded. Loaded with three shells will raise their carrying weight another half pound. Add a scope and you are basically adding a pound of carrying weight, hence I’ll go without one when I’m trying to shave ounces.
Double-Barrels
Switching to a twin-bore or a single shot action is one option to shave a few ounces on your journey to a light-weight turkey gun. Many double-barrel 12 gauges weight a half-pound less than the average semi-auto. Going to the extreme, single shot shotguns typically chambered for 3-inch shells weigh between 5 and 6 pounds.
Single-Shots
One of the handiest turkey guns I’ve shot was a highly modified Winchester Model 52 that had the barrel bobbed to 22 inches, sights installed and some serious choke and forcing cone modifications. Weighing a hair over five pounds, this gun was a dream to carry and devastating to any gobbler standing within 45 yards.
New England Firearms offers a single-shot 3 ½-inch magnum model, but it tips the scales at 9.5 pounds. On the other hand, Stoeger Industries offers a single-shot 12 gauge 3-inch chambered model with a ventilated rib and screw-in chokes that weighs a sprite 5.4 pounds. Thompson/Center’s Encore 12 gauge turkey gun qualifies as a lightweight, as it pulls the scale to 6.2 pounds.
20 Gauge Options
Another approach to finding an easier-to-carry firearm is to select a 20 gauge version of your favorite 12 gauge turkey gun action. Shooting today’s 20 gauge turkey loads, such as Hevi-Shot No. 6 shot, does not offer a handicap if you limit your shots to 40 yards. Even before the advent of Hevi-Shot, I have shot a handful of 20 gauge guns that were consistent performers with No. 5 shot out to 40 yards. At standard velocities No. 6 shot, no matter which gauge you are shooting, loses enough velocity and pellet energy between 34 and 36 yards to consistently penetrate and break a turkey’s neck vertebrae.
Semi-auto and pump 20 gauges typically weigh 1 ½ to 2 pounds less than their 12 gauge counterparts. For example, a Benelli M1 20 gauge weighs 5.7 pounds, while the 12 gauge M1 with a comparable 21-inch barrel weighs 7.2 pounds. I’ve hiked more than 15 miles in rough terrain in a single day’s hunt on several occasions. At the end of the day I could tell a dramatic difference in carrying a gun that’s 1 to 2 pounds lighter.
.410 Anyone?
By their very nature, spring turkey hunters are in it for the challenge. That’s why so many hunters are opting for .410 shotguns loaded with TSS to kill gobblers out to 40 yards. Carrying a .410 is the pinnacle of light-weight turkey guns.
One of the hotest shotguns this season is the Savage 301 Turkey Obsession in .410. This little champ tipps the scales at a hair over 5 pounds. It’ll rock a gobbler’s world out to 40 yards, too, with TSS.
Sling It
By this point, it is assumed that your turkey gun has a sling or carrying strap. Which sling you chose could make a difference in how tired your shoulder feels at the end of the day. And, newer versions constructed with rubber or neoprene will absorb the shock produced with every step much better than older leather models. Try one of the new synthetic models and you’ll notice a big difference.
Once you’ve shaved a few ounces here and there you will be on your way to more enjoyable turkey hunting.
Turkey Gun Weights
| Model | Weight |
| Benelli | |
| Super Black Eagle 12 ga. (3 ½ in.) | 7.3 |
| Super Black Eagle II 12 ga. (3 ½ in.) | 7.3 |
| Super Black Eagle III 12 ga. (3 ½ in.) | 7.3 |
| M1 12 ga. (3 in.) | 7.2 |
| M2 12 ga. (3 in.) | 7.1 |
| Nova 12 ga. (3 ½ in.) | 7.8 |
| Nova 20 ga. | 6.5 |
| Beretta | |
| Xtrema 12 ga. (3 ½ in.) | 7.8 |
| AL391 (3 in.) | 7.4 |
| A400 X400 12 ga. | 7.4 |
| A300 20 ga. | 6.7 |
| Browning | |
| Gold 12 ga. (3 ½ in.) | 8.0 |
| BPS 12 ga. (3 ½ in.) | 8.0 |
| CZ | |
| Reaper Magnum 3 1/2 in. 12 gauge | 7.0 |
| Franchi | |
| 612 12 ga. (3 in.) | 6.8 |
| 712 12 ga. (3 in.) | 6.8 |
| 912 12 ga. (3 ½ in.) | 7.5 |
| AL48 20 ga. | 5.5 |
| Affinity Turkey | 7.2 |
| New England Firearms (H & R) | |
| Single-Shot 12 ga. (3 ½ in.) | 9.5 |
| Ithaca | |
| Model 37 Turkey Slayer 12 ga. (3 in.) | 7.0 |
| Mossberg | |
| 835 (3 ½ in.) | 7.0 |
| SA-410 | 6.5 |
| 935 | 7.5 |
| Remington | |
| 11/87 12 ga. (3 ½ in.) | 7.5 |
| 870 12 ga. (3 ½ in.) | 7.3 |
| SP10 10 ga. | 11.0 |
| J.P. Sauer & Sohns | |
| SL5 12 ga. | 7.0 |
| Savage | |
| Model 301 Turkey Obsession .410 | 5.07 |
| Stoeger | |
| Model 2000 12 ga. (3 in.) | 6.7 |
| Uplander SxS 12 ga. (3 in.) | 7.4 |
| Condor O/U 12 ga. (3 in.) | 7.7 |
| Coach Gun SxS 12 ga. (3 in.) | 6.5 |
| Thompson/Center | |
| Encore 12 ga. (3 in.) | 6.5 |
| Encore 20 ga. (3 in.) | 6.0 |
| Weatherby | |
| Element Turkey 12 ga. (3 in.) | 6.7 |
| Element Turkey 20 ga. (3 in.) | 6.2 |
| SA410 | |
| Winchester | |
| 1300 12 ga. (3 in.) | 7.5 |
| SuperX 2 12 ga. (3 ½ in.) | 8.0 |
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