What are you shooting this spring?

[TN Larry]

Yildiz youth SPZ ME 20 gauge, magnum butt pad added to make LOP equivalent to an adult stock. Sumtoy .570 choke in the top barrel and I ordered a Trulock improved modified for the bottom. Topped with a Fastfire III and loaded with hand rolled 1 5/8 oz 9s.
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High Standard Flite King K4111 .410. Factory full barrel, Fastfire III, hand rolled 13/16 oz 9.5s or 10s. I'm really fond of this gun, probably more for nostalgia than anything else, but it has performed admirably on turkeys along with several other species.
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I love the Yildiz. I bought a turkey choke for mine to tinker with last year but never did.

I need to shoot it. I also have a very old 410 o/u that was my first gun that I bought some TSS 410 for last year that I want to pattern as well.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

I love the Yildiz. I bought a turkey choke for mine to tinker with last year but never did.

Mine easily outperforms the 12 gauge 870 I used to shoot, even with both shooting TSS. And it's a whole lot lighter and more enjoyable to carry around.

 

[Stlbaseball1]

What are your thoughts on a .410 with a modified barrel? My son who is 6 and short armed is itching to kill one. He has a single shot Tuffy that is an option with 3 in 9.5 oz Apex Ninja. We have some 20 gauge options, as well just wanted opinions on the .410 with modified barrel. We have not pattered, yet. Waiting on shells...

 

[TN Larry]

Mine easily outperforms the 12 gauge 870 I used to shoot, even with both shooting TSS. And it's a whole lot lighter and more enjoyable to carry around.

I'm currently shooting a 20 ga 870 due to it being more light weight and less recoil than my 12 without sacrificing performance. I want to kill one with the o/u though. It will be with the bead as I don't want it to be a dedicated turkey gun with a reflex sight but need to pattern it to see how it shoots.

 

[Spurhunter]

Mine easily outperforms the 12 gauge 870 I used to shoot, even with both shooting TSS. And it's a whole lot lighter and more enjoyable to carry around.

How does a 20 outperform a 12 with everything else being equal?

 

[Southern Sportsman]

How does a 20 outperform a 12 with everything else being equal?

All things being equal, meaning both guns shooting great patterns for the payload, it doesn't. But the difference between a 2 oz load of 9s (12 gauge) and a 1 5/8 oz load (20 gauge) is ~ 135 pellets. So a very good 20 gauge pattern can outpace an average 12 gauge pattern - which is what a had.

I got my 12 gauge patterning "good enough, but I was never 100% happy with it. I tried various load recipes but never shot a high-end choke. It would typically shoot 70-75% of the payload in a 20" circle at 40 with 200-225 in the 10".

My 20 shoots 85-90% of the payload in a 20" circle with 250+ in the 10". And it is a more uniform pattern.

Just the difference in a great shooting 20 versus a so-so shooting 12.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

What are your thoughts on a .410 with a modified barrel? My son who is 6 and short armed is itching to kill one. He has a single shot Tuffy that is an option with 3 in 9.5 oz Apex Ninja. We have some 20 gauge options, as well just wanted opinions on the .410 with modified barrel. We have not pattered, yet. Waiting on shells...

Not a super helpful answer, but the truth is .410 are quirky guns. Some will shoot really good patterns straight out of the box. I've seen great pattern pics from fixed modified barrels. Other guns (even the same model) may struggle even with endless choke options and tinkering. It's hard to even hazard a guess. You just have to shoot it on paper and see what it does.

 

[Spurhunter]

All things being equal, meaning both guns shooting great patterns for the payload, it doesn't. But the difference between a 2 oz load of 9s (12 gauge) and a 1 5/8 oz load (20 gauge) is ~ 135 pellets. So a very good 20 gauge pattern can outpace an average 12 gauge pattern - which is what a had.

I got my 12 gauge patterning "good enough, but I was never 100% happy with it. I tried various load recipes but never shot a high-end choke. It would typically shoot 70-75% of the payload in a 20" circle at 40 with 200-225 in the 10".

My 20 shoots 85-90% of the payload in a 20" circle with 250+ in the 10". And it is a more uniform pattern.

Just the difference in a great shooting 20 versus a so-so shooting 12.

Gotcha. My son shot his buddy's 20g 870 with TSS and was so impressed he thought about buying one.

 

[Stlbaseball1]

Not a super helpful answer, but the truth is .410 are quirky guns. Some will shoot really good patterns straight out of the box. I've seen great pattern pics from fixed modified barrels. Other guns (even the same model) may struggle even with endless choke options and tinkering. It's hard to even hazard a guess. You just have to shoot it on paper and see what it does.

Thanks for taking the time to provide the response. I do appreciate it and put on paper soon, hopefully.

 

[muddyboots]

Remington sps-t 12 ga 3 1/2. #8 tss

 

[Eli103]

idk the brand but its either benelli or mossberg youth 20 gauge or my dads 12 gauge.

 

[Southern Sportsman]

its either benelli or mossberg . . .

You've got both ends of the spectrum covered.

 

[Eli103]

You've got both ends of the spectrum covered.

yes sir, love both of them great guns

 

[ZachMarkus]

Hopefully a 20 gauge if I can find one. If not I'll be carrying a stoeger m3500.

 

[timberghost35]

Benelli M2 20 in bottomland, 26in barrel, with boss #9.

 

[EastTNboy]

Franchi affinity 20 ga bottomland

 

[MrJim43]

Winchester SXP 20ga. turkey special TSS#7. Made in Turkey for turkeys......

 

[tndave59]

Stoeger M3500

 

[stringtalker]

CVA Scout 20 gauge and Winchester longbeard #6's

 

[Bgoodman30]

^This. TSS game changer. May have tanked the 10ga turkey gun market, and really chipped into the 12ga turkey gun market.

Can't even remember the last time I saw a box of 10 gauge shells on the shelf..