Turkey shotgun question: choke and point of impact

[Sriracha]

Hi everyone,

I've a Mossberg 500 with an X-full turkey choke (Carlson?). I tried some informal patterning, and it seems to put the center of the pattern about 5" right of the point of aim at 20 yards using Heavishot. I was using the adhesive-backed Truglo fiber optic sights as well as the plain beads on a ribbed 28" barrel.

Could this inaccuracy be caused by the choke? Should I try another choke or am I better off installing windage-adjustable sights (or red dot)?

Thanks for your advice,
- Sriracha

[Doyle]

Possibly but more likely caused by the sights being a slight bit off. Unless the sight is adjustable, you are just going to have to use Kentucky Windage and adjust as you shoot.

[Gunfixr]

You say the tube is a Carlson? Take it out and put another tube in and shoot it. That will positively answer your question.
Is it possible?
Yes, if the tube is bored out of center, or at an angle.
It's also possible the sticky backed front sight is off center, and the bead may be drilled off center.
For that matter, the barrel could be slightly bent.

[Blindstitch]

Yeah try another choke and see where it hits.

[Bake]

I would adjust the rear sight.

[bamaranger]

I'm a big believer in a turkey gun needing a rear sight. An adjustable rear will solve most POI problems, and help insure a proper cheek weld/gun mount also.

I don't think I want anything that is just "stuck" on a turkey shotgun, its just to rough and tumble a business, and always wet it seems too.

I"ve had surprising good luck with a set of FO's from Tru-glo that clamp on with screws.........but don't know if your Mossberg has a rib? The FO's are not as durable as a steel sight set, but their easy/easier to see, and that's an acceptable cost for me.

Could the tube be off, sure, but adjustable sights will let you shoot that one, or any other you choose as well.

[hartcreek]

My bet is that someone needs to shoot his shotgun more. Change the choke and pattern it again. So far I have not been in the right place at the right time with turkeys but my practice down on the ditch back with pest birds that get into the apple orchards tell me that all I need is the beads on two shotguns and the rib on the barrel of the other.

[wvcoltsfan]

I'm going to get slammed on this opinion, but here goes anyway.

The problem is on top of the gun, not the gun it's self. The best shooting gun I have (rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader) is a single shot H&R 20gauge slug gun that I paided right at $200 dollars for brand new. It shoots cloverleaf groups at 100 yards. Here's the thing though, it's topped off with a $1200 Swarovski 3-9 scope. With a gun your basically putting a shell into a barrel that's specifically made for that caliber/gauge so that gun if it's clean is going to shoot the same place every time. Take a cheap 22 and vice down the front and back of the gun. Shoot it, clean it still in the vice, and shoot it again. You'll find its hole for hole. I'm amazed at the people who buy $800 guns and put $200 scopes on them. It should be the other way around.

This being said me and my turkey hunting buddies are shooting J-points. These sights are right at $300 plus I had to give another $60 dollars for the sight mount to fit my Mossberg 835. I'm not rich, I'm a factory worker who has a wife and two kids. So money in my house is awful tight at times. Take a dumb man's advice. Figure out how much you can spend on a sighting system for the top of your gun, then borrow another $200 dollars off one of your buddies just in case. You won't regret it.

Also seen you said you are shooting Hevi-shot. If your not shooting Hevi-shot #7's you should be. It gives you over 200 more chances to kill a turkey as apposed to #5's. If your worried about the energy of the 7's down range don't be. We're killing turkeys just as dead at 55 yards as we are at 15 with them.

[FITASC]

You might also want to try a different brand/type of ammo. Another thing to do to rule out the gun is have another person shoot it. If another shooter replicates your results with current and different ammo, then you can begin to think it is the gun. Rule out ammo and operator error before trying to fox a gun that might not be broken.......

[bamaranger]

I shot two beads on a vent rib barrel for a while, and the barrel shot to point of aim and I killed turkey's with it consistently. But I still had to be very conscious about looking down the barrel, and not over the beads. And I was fortunate that that old school, fixed choke barrel shot to point of aim. It's when the guns do not shoot to POA that the advantages of adjustable sights come to surface.

I'm not going to argue that a good gun doesn't deserve a good optic, that is certainly true. But I've got a safe full of blue collar Leupolds and Burris's, most bought used for right around $200 bucks, that are giving more than adequate service, and have for years. But we are on shotgun's right, so to stay on track.....

It's anybody's money, and if one wants to drop big bucks on a sight system for their turkey gun, near $100 bucks on a tube, and $8-10 a shell, more power to'em. And dot sights are durable enough now, the good ones, that some deserve consideration. Many folks are accustomed to them too...., and I have begun to at least glance at them as my eyes and depth of focus slide past age 56 now, and traditional blade and bead sights are a bit hazy. So wvcolt.....good luck to you, hope you kill a big'n...but we aren't going to be hunting the same gear.

But....gobbler hunting is essentially a short range game and the shotguns we hunt with in the spring are short range weapons. There have been many attempts and developments to extend the range of our turkey guns, and we have gained a bit.....but to me, the price we pay for 10-15 more yds, at best, is just not worth it. Once the leaves come out, seems difficult to see past 50 yds or so in the turkey woods anyhow. For me, the Rem factory bead and blade rifle/slug sights are all I want, and on the 835 I've recently started hunting, a similar pair of tru-glo fiber optics. The FO's are not as tough, and I have to watch my gun handling a bit more than I'd like, but I can really see them.

I will say that the birds I have lost shot/at (not too many mind you) have all been either because I pitifully under estimated the range (like by 20 yds!!!!all those on open country ROW set ups,) or, I blew a sapling up right off the muzzle I did not see. I don't think space shot would have helped collect the birds at all. It wasn't a gun/load fail, I failed.

Finally, on a Moss 500, at one time, Mossberg offered the guns with factory PEEP sights, winged and very rugged looking. At least I handled one so equipped. I noticed that , Brownells stocked such a sight set up for the Mossbergs too. Had a blaze orange metal front blade, ghost ring rear. MIght be more than one would be willing to pay for turkey sights, but I really liked the look of that rig. Likely required a drill and tap for install on an early 500.

Longer than I intended.......but I do love gobbler hunting.

[Erno86]

Try some shots at 5 or 10 yards and see how close the cluster of shot is to zero.