After a day and a half trying to double-team a particular Arkansas tom we nicknamed “Old Long-gobble,” Roger Hook and I advanced up the spine of a ridge to get closer to the bird’s strut zone. Listening to the distinctively voiced bird advance and retreat along the ridgetop gave me audible clues as to what this bird was doing.
The time felt right when Old Long-gobble strutted to the farthest end of his strut zone, so I scrambled a hundred yards up the rock-strewn ridge trail to the edge of a little clearing to set up. Fearing that I might have bumped the bird, I clucked once to check his progress. Not getting the answer I wanted, I waited a few moments and cutt hard at the bird with a mouth call and he obliged me with his unique invitation to join him for a woodland tryst.
Over the next 45 minutes we traded calls as the bird advanced toward my setup. Since I was set up in a relatively open spot and the bird stubbornly held his ground just out of sight over a rise 35 yards away, I stayed frozen in shooting position for a long time. When my right leg went to sleep from the somewhat awkward sitting position I chose, I just ignored it.
Tensed from the excitement my right arm started going numb, but I couldn’t ignore that. Every two or three minutes I relaxed my grip on the stock to slowly flex my hand and wrist while the bird shook the ground with his gobbles from just over the rise.
I was relieved when I heard Roger strike up his Cody slate call down the trail behind me. I quit calling, hoping the bird would move forward to check out Roger’s calls. Seconds ticked into minutes as the bird strutted and drummed just out of sight. When the bird gobbled close and to the left, I slowly swung the gun toward the sound. Stepping past a stunted cedar bush at 21 yards, Old Long-gobble lived up to his nickname one last time.
A Cure for the Pain
This hunt played out like many others in the regard of my trigger hand—not to mention several other parts of my anatomy—becoming numb after long periods locked in the ready position. Experience with thumb-hole rifle stocks led me to believe that applying the same design to a shotgun stock would lead to a more relaxed and comfortable grip.
A Thumb-Hole Stock Came First
Back in 1998, I searched for a thumb-hole stock for my Remington 870 to get a more comfortable grip on the situation. I had several conversations with a fiberglass stock maker about this issue, but the final outcome was that it was too expensive for the company to tool up a new mold for a stock that had questionable sales potential.
I located another stock maker that offered walnut thumb-hole versions that would fit a shotgun. When I learned that the price of the walnut stock surpassed the cost of a new gun, I thought I had head a dead end. In October 1998 I was hunting with old friend Tad Brown on Truman Lake in Missouri for a fall turkey. That was also the last week that long-time gun stock maker Fajan was in business in Warsaw, Missouri. We stopped by the factory the last afternoon their doors were open and I bought a Remington 870 thumbhole trap stock for $40. It was a good transition toward a pistol-grip.
Mossberg Missed Their Chance
A couple of months later I had a conversation with then Mossberg P.R. man, Matt Wettish, in early 1999. He had fitted a camouflaged pistol-grip stock to his Model 835 Ulti-Mag 12 ga., and was happy with the setup. I was pleasantly surprised a few days later when a prototype Mossy Oak camouflaged pistol-grip stock fitted for the Mossberg Model 9200 I had showed up at my door.
I replaced the original stock on the 9200 with the radical looking handle. I took the outfit on a late-spring hunt in New York and was pleased with the fit. In hunting situations the pistol grip stock did its intended job of keeping the trigger hand and wrist in line with the rest of the arm, thus creating a more relaxed grip.
At the time, I was the Editor of the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Turkey Call Magazine, and hunted with the setup frequently. It worked! Not only did it provide a more comfortable grip, it allowed one-hand shooting with more flexibility to swing further to my right to get on a bird if necessary. Over the next couple of months I shared the pistol-grip Mossberg with the NWTF’s CEO who didn’t like the concept, saying that it looked a little too militaristic for his taste. He even went so far as to suppress my coverage and promotion of the new turkey gun concept. Within days, Mossberg’s General Manager at the time called the CEO and asked his opinion of the pistol-grip turkey gun concept after Matt Wettish brought it to his attention. As you might guess, Mossberg shelved the idea… for a few years.
In mid-2001, I left the NWTF and went to work for Stoeger Publishing, which was a part of the Beretta Holdings conglomerate. It was housed at the BerettaUSA factory in Accokeek, Maryland, and was put under the management of BenelliUSA.
During my initial job interview the conversation turned to my opinions about the future of turkey guns. A few weeks later when I arrived at my new job, my boss had four prototype Benelli M1s fitted with pistol-grip stocks and ghost ring sights. I soon thereafter got a chance to buy a Benelli M1 at a rock bottom price that had a test camo, Realtree’s 20/200. I added a black pistol-grip stock and an 18 ½-inch tactical barrel that accepted choke tubes.
A few months later, BenelliUSA was the first firearms manufacturer to offer pistol-grip turkey guns; the M1 and Super Black Eagle fitted with a “Steady Grip” stock. BenelliUSA’s National Sales Manager didn’t really like the concept, so he ordered the minimum quantity from the factory in Italy. The first guns sold out quickly and supply couldn’t keep up with demand for several months. The following year Mossberg, Remington, Franchi, and several other companies offered their own pistol-grip or thumbhole turkey gun models.
A Bevy of Benellis
Twenty years after their first introduction to the market, pistol-grip turkey guns are still popular. Benelli offers what may be the ultimate turkey gun with a price tag of $3,399. Their Performance Shop offers Turkey Editions that come with enhancements by Rob Roberts, who is world renowned for shot pattern gunsmithing and performance. A Burris FastFire II sight is fitted to each gun, which is them pattern tested with Federal Premium ammunition.
Computer printouts are provided with each gun to show actual points of impact in 10-, 20- and 30-inch circles. If you want a 3 ½-inch 12 gauge, the Super Black Eagle II is the platform for the Performance Shop Turkey Edition. This will come with both a SteadyGrip pistol-grip stock and a ComforTech stock.
If you’re looking for a 3-inch magnum 12 or 20 gauge, then the M2 is the platform for the Turkey Edition. All of these guns come with Mossy Oak Bottomland camouflage and tan Cerakote finish on the metal. Barrel lengths are 24 inches, and these guns tip the scales at about 7 pounds.
BenelliUSA still offered their M2 SteadyGrip in Realtree APG camouflage for a few years. Today, their Super Black Eagle 3 comes with a 24-inch barrel and Mossy Oak Bottomland.
Benelli’s SuperNova pump shotgun that sports their SteadyGrip stock cames with a 24-inch barrel and three chokes. When you find them on the used-gun market, they sported a 14 ¼-inch length of pull stock, with a 2 1/8-inch drop at heel and 1 3/8-inch drop at comb. The receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounting, which comes in handy since most hunters over 40 years of age need some type of optic to make up for failing sight.
This now-discontinued SuperNova came dressed in Realtree APG camouflage, can shoot 3 ½-inch magnums or shorter ammunition and retailed for $669.
If you want a super pistol-grip turkey gun and like classic black, the Benelli Vinci Tactical comes with an 18 ½-inch barrel and Crio chokes. It features ghost ring sights and a receiver-mounted Picatinny rail for an optic.
This model will digest 2 ¾- and 3-inch magnum loads with ease. If you want a Vinci with camouflage, it’s quite possible that you’re in luck. Even though Benelli has removed their Realtree APG model with a 24-inch barrel from their catalog, it is very probable that you can still find on one your local Benelli dealer’s gun rack. These will retail in the $1,500 price range.
Stoeger
If you have a tighter budget, check out Stoeger’s lineup. The P350 with camo finish and a pistol-grip stock can still be found on dealers’ shelves, but it has been replaced by the P3000 in Stoeger’s catalog. This $339 shotgun comes in black synthetic and a pistol-grip stock, too. It sports an 18 ½-inch barrel, and tips the scales at 6.4 pounds.
Within Stoeger’s semi-auto lineup, they offer the M3000, which shoots 3-inch magnums and shorter shells. Their M3500 steps up the power by handling 3 ½-inch magnum 12 gauge shells. This one comes with a SteadyGrip stock and Realtree APG camo, a 24-inch barrel and retails for $669.
Weatherby
Weatherby also offers a pistol-grip turkey gun; the Model SA-459. Dressed in camo, this guns sports a vent rib, a receiver-mounted Picatinny rail and a screw-in turkey full choke. It has a 22-inch barrel and an overall length of 42 inches. It weighs 6 ¾ pounds and retails for $799.
It seems that today’s turkey guns have achieved a plateau of performance that makes them consistent tools for taking birds at 40 yards. Several of the changes in styling have transformed a wingshooter’s fowling piece into a rifle-like shotgun with refinements geared toward the specialized needs of turkey hunters. Check out the pistol-grip versions and you might like the change.
Editor’s Note: Learn more about turkey guns and loads from the author’s book, “Turkey Hunter’s Tool Kit: Shooting Savvy™.”
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