I have been looking for a good turkey gun and have found a Remington auto 10ga for a nice price. I was wondering if there is a big difference in a 12ga 3.5 mag and a 10ga. I know 12ga ammo is easier to find. What are your opions?

Bill

Blindfolded, I doubt you'd be able to tell one from the other from the firing end....I can't.

The long 12 has advantages in ammo avaialbility, and can actually be found with loads that toss a heavier pay load than the 10, but not by much. While they may not function the action, the smaller length 12's can be fired in it...not real useful in hunting, but perhaps good in an emergency.

There is a lure to the 10ga.. Not nearly as many shops carry 10ga. as 12, when they do it's a limited selection; still I like the 10ga.

If you can get it for a good price pick it up. I bought my 3 1/2 Remington 870 with the black composite stocks from Walmart when they were $229. It's a nice gun, but it kicks the daylights out of you with the maximum loads.

Just a second, got to chec to see if the wife is looking.

My motto is "You can never own to many guns"

If the ten gauge is an autoloader the recoil will be less than a pump 3 1/2" twelve. If it is strictly a turkey gun there is not much difference in downrange performance with the right chokes.

As far as the ammo question goes even a box of 10 shells usually lasts both spring and fall turkey hunts here in Idaho.

[QUOTE=faucettb]If you can get it for a good price pick it up. I bought my 3 1/2 Remington 870 with the black composite stocks from Walmart when they were $229. It's a nice gun, but it kicks the daylights out of you with the maximum loads.

Yep...that's the first 3 1/2" twelve I shot extensivley...recoil is a factor (it's not all tha heavy of a gun)...pass shooting, where the gun is held at a high angle and the butt stock is up nearer your collar bone is memeorable. You learn to lean way back rather than push the gun higher on your shoulder pretty quickly.

At least in turkey hunting, you don't run through several boxes of shells in a morning.

If that auto-loader is priced right, and not abused, would be a bit easier recoiling...usually they are heavier, which by itself helps a great deal, but the semi-auto cycle takes smooths out the recoil to a large extent (may not actaully reduce it so much as spread it out over a longer time frame).

If you can afford the 10 ga. gun as well as the ammo, then that is the route I would take. I shoot a Browning BPS 10 ga. and load for load, it has farr less felt recoil than any 3 1/2" 12 ga. out there. Also, with the 10 ga. you usually get better patterns and higher velocities over the 12 ga. and therefore a higher success in kill rate and for me, that offsets the price diffrence in ammo....

God Bless,

DAVID

I shoot a Browning BPS 10 ga. and load for load, it has farr less felt recoil than any 3 1/2" 12 ga. out there. Also, with the 10 ga. you usually get better patterns and higher velocities over the 12 ga. and therefore a higher success in kill rate and for me, that offsets the price diffrence in ammo....

I shoot a a BP-10 for turkey too with a Hastings tube , I agree ! It IS heavier to carry around too though , if that is a factor to you . I've found that a good neoprene sling helps with rhat .

I've owned a BPS 10 and the 1st thing I did was proport it. Wisest move I made.

Personally, I see no need for the 10 or 3 1/2" 12 for turkeys. The challenge should not be so much to 'kill' but to 'call'. I like to call'em in close, fool'm and then shoot for a sure, clean kill. A 3" 20 with quality #6 shot works quite well and the gun is a whole lot lighter to carry. A big advantage at my age!
Surely the 10 will kill way out there but the 12ga 3" will do it at 40-45yds, tuned properly. My feeling is the further away a bird is the more chance you have to miss, with any gauge. Course, you CAN get'm TO close also. Years ago I convinced myself that killing a turkey is NOT why I turkey hunt and now the years are telling me to travel light!

If you buy factory loads the velocity and payloads are higher. a 10ga. is a heavy gun and awful expensive ammo too