# 2 3/4 inch Turkey loads ?



## Dj witt

2 3/4 inch Turkey load for older shotgun .what do you recommend


----------



## multibeard

I would try Remington Premier magnums in #6 shot. Tough I shoot them in 3 inch they have always done me well. They are copper plated lead.

A friend sent his brand new Mossberg 935 back to them as it would not shoot straight. When he got it back they included a target they patterned it on. In the picture was the box of shells they used. They were Remington Premiers in #6 shot. I had to rib my friend because he always had to buy super loads for big $$ while Mossberg felt that those Remington's were the go to shell.


----------



## OnHoPr

What is the definition of older shotgun? Damascus steel barrel or just older 2.75" chamber? Fixed choke, what choke? Do you reload? If so, they have sporting clays loads that push a 1.25 oz load about 1550 fps nowadays. Loaded with 7.5s or 8s could pepper a turkey target pretty good. If the choke is MOD or more open maybe a HEVI SHOT or TSS load to tighten up the pattern. Remington or how about Federal with their Flight Control wads. Depending on what funds you have for ammo testing or willing to spend testing, actually you gun barrel combo will tell you what it likes before anybody tells you the go to load. With a $10 - $15 box of shells and the standard 28" MOD you might get a decent 33 yd pattern. With a $25 to $45 box of shells you might get a 45 + yd pattern. 

It also depends of what season and what terrain you will be hunting. If it is early before the ferns and greens pop up you might need a longer range if you are in fields, hardwoods, or pine plantations. If you are in mixed woods after the ferns pop up you should be able to get away with the shorter range load. Or, set you self and gun up for the short and long range scenario. I carry two loads with me, a long range load and a short range load. Some of that HEVI SHOT or TSS can shoot pretty tight in 20 - 25 yd scenarios if Tom comes in on your on shoulder side from behind you being somewhat off balance in mounting your shotty.


----------



## Dj witt

I'M sorry, I didn't specify it's a winchester 37 12ga. 2 3/4 chamber 30in barrel full choke.


----------



## DEDGOOSE

I'd go winchester longbeard xr in 6s you'll have a 40 yard gun. I have a box of old activ 2 3/4 that are awesome just to much sentimental value to part with


----------



## OnHoPr

Does it say 2 3/4" on the barrel? Wiki says there are 3" guns of that model. regardless you should get a pretty decent pattern out pass 40 with it and possibly way pass 40 yds with it with some of the more expensive Turkey loads especially if it will shoot 3". If it does state just 2 3/4" and the gun doesn't have any special meaning to you, you could take it to a gunsmith and have him/her ream out the chamber for 3" without to much cost (same pressure). It should be a fine fixed barreled turkey gun, light, quiet, quiet to change loads if you're running and gunnin when a turkey sounds off in different terrain/brush scenarios.


----------



## TriggerDiscipline

The Winchester Super-X in #6 work well out of my Winchester model 1897. I've got a Cutt's compensator with a super-full choke and that thing patterns like a dream. Good out to 50 yards.


----------



## LG1

My recommendation? Put the “ older” gun in the safe and buy a 10ga. Ha


----------



## LWCClub

Blasphemy! You can’t use 2 3/4” shells to hunt turkeys!! Everyone knows you have to use 3.5” armor piercing tungsten nuclear matrix quad blend of 4.25, 5.125, 6.6, and 8 sized shot to kill turkeys THESE days. God forbid you actually call the thing in within 30 yards too, you simply have to have an 80 yard load or you just ain’t doin’ it right!
Seriously, just pattern your gun, choose lead 5’s or 6’s to keep your pellet count up, keep your shots inside an honest 40 yards and you’ll be fine. If you don’t want to drop a fortune and use loads that pull double duty some of the newer high velocity pheasant loads in #5 or #6 will work very well. My ol man stacked ‘em up for years with a 2 3/4” 1100. Never had any problems until he got a new gun, started messing around with new loads and pushing shots farther than he should have, the 2 3-4” gun kept him honest about his distances.


----------



## Forest Meister

LWCClub, this is going to be even more blasphemous than your tongue in cheek first paragraph. 
I must be some sort of turkey heretic but my last two birds were killed with #8 trap loads pushed out of the 26" barrels of an OI 12 ga. I believe both may have been from the IC barrel but could have been from the modified. Granted, they were both fall birds but both were also gobblers and both were shot between 20 and 30 yards. FM


----------



## toppm

#4 High Brass

Sent from my SM-G930V using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


----------



## River raider

Pattern the gun with different loads, you may find the pattern is left or right regardless of loads. We found this to be true with every Remington 870 wing master we have tried. But I did find when I put the 870 express barrel on the 870 wing master it was a tight fit but the gun shot straight. I'm thinking the older shotguns were not made to the tight tolerances that modern technology has provided. I have never shot a turkey with anything other than 2 3/4 loads. But I don't shoot much over 20 yards.


----------



## FIJI

APEX . might as well go with the best!


----------



## TriggerDiscipline

LWCClub said:


> Blasphemy! You can’t use 2 3/4” shells to hunt turkeys!! Everyone knows you have to use 3.5” armor piercing tungsten nuclear matrix quad blend of 4.25, 5.125, 6.6, and 8 sized shot to kill turkeys THESE days. God forbid you actually call the thing in within 30 yards too, you simply have to have an 80 yard load or you just ain’t doin’ it right!
> Seriously, just pattern your gun, choose lead 5’s or 6’s to keep your pellet count up, keep your shots inside an honest 40 yards and you’ll be fine. If you don’t want to drop a fortune and use loads that pull double duty some of the newer high velocity pheasant loads in #5 or #6 will work very well. My ol man stacked ‘em up for years with a 2 3/4” 1100. Never had any problems until he got a new gun, started messing around with new loads and pushing shots farther than he should have, the 2 3-4” gun kept him honest about his distances.


I killed my turkey last year from 25 yards with Fiocchi Golden Pheasants in #5. I was driving around in my subaru down a dirt road scouting a new spot when I saw a big Tom with a few hens. Stopped my subaru about 30 yards away, to call him with a ghost cut diaphragm call. The dummy stopped in his tracks and started to strut. I opened my door very slowly to get my shotgun in the trunk. Didn't have any turkey shells with me, so I grabbed a couple golden pheasants which have been lying around my trunk since pheasant hunting a few months before (you can also find a bunch of #8's for grouse back there if you're willing to dig). Amazingly, the dumb tom didn't move, so I crept around the car, kept purring, and bent down to imitate a walking turkey, and shot him.


----------



## Dj witt

Golden Turkey 5 shot .ya!


----------



## fanrwing

Forest Meister said:


> LWCClub,Granted, they were both fall birds but both were also gobblers and both were shot between 20 and 30 yards. FM






I shoot mine between the head and neck 

Whatever 4, 5 or 6 shot shell that patterns best in your gun.
Don’t buy any”special turkey” loads, you pay a few bucks more because there is a turkey on the box.


----------



## OnHoPr

Any game load velocity 6s will kill a turkey @ 40 yds. IMO the choke of the individual barrel plays probably the higher % of density pattern making. Individual chokes or fixed choke barrels may have their own idiosyncrasies. These idiosyncrasies of the choke may like one shot size over the other and this goes hand in hand with the different loads and ammo manufacturers. They can be very finicky for optimum results. 

A nice ole 3 yo ugly Tom with a 11" beard that turns real purdy when he fans out in the morning sun @ 43 yds can be tempting to shoot at. But, if your turkey gun is only producing 2 to 4 head/neck hits at 34 yds, that bird is not really in range. Then he sees your wacky looking FeatherFlex Jake or Hen and thinks WTF is that thing and hangs up. Toodaloo. When you only have maybe 3 or 4 days to hunt in the first two seasons with possible schittty weather happening. Then you may only have 7 or 8 outings for the late season when the birds experienced their yearly season education on 6' tall weird talkin turkeys.

The turkey ad boxes can be a little over advertised, but they usually have heavier payloads. Win or Rem mag shells that come in the 25 box are basically similar. They are plus $25 though, where a box of turkey loads may only be $10 for 10, so you get to try more different types if you are looking for optimum results.


----------



## Yankee#1

Dj witt said:


> I'M sorry, I didn't specify it's a winchester 37 12ga. 2 3/4 chamber 30in barrel full choke.


For whatever reason, my older Winchester shotguns tend to prefer Federal or Winchester ammo. I would try the Federal Mag-Shok and Winchester Super X. Unless you're 110% confident in judging distances past 30 years, I would recommend #5 shot. For a smaller payload it will split give you a balance between high shot density (of #6) and deeper penetration (of #4). But then again, I've recently become a big fan of #5 shot in general, so my opinion is a bit biased on my experiences and preferences...


----------



## TheLionsFan

I also recommend Win Longbeards. But as mentioned before, any game load of 6's will work.


----------

