Well I thought I'd update you folks on my new turkey gun. I got it a few months ago and put my old aimpoint 5000 on it off the SRH. I'd shot my hunting partners last fall and was so impressed with his Mossberg 835 that I sold my 870 super express.

That 870 just beat me to death with the 3.5 inch shells. I had the chance to sell my Rem 700 muzzle loader this fall and the money went right to Wally World for the new 835. The 835 is ported and boy is it nice to shoot. The 3.5 inch turkey loads feel like high base 2 and 3/4 inchers. What a pleasent surprise.

With a Weaver mount and a set of Simmons 30mm rings the aimpoint went right on and for under 300 bucks I was ready for the spring season.

Well along came a heart attack and off to Seattle to have a couple more stints added to the nine already in there. Then I got home and somehow got a disk in my neck crushed and have been figting that for the last three months.

I don't care what anyone tells you guys, getting old is no fun. Besides missing turkey season this spring my grand daughters are not to happy that they've also pretty much missed ground squirrel season. The grass is so high now that you can't see them to shoot them.

Anyway here is a pix of the new gun. The turkeys were photographed just above my house this spring just before the season opened.

plastic/synthetic guns look terrible

plastic/synthetic guns look terrible


What??? I like Walnut stocks myself, but a good camo stock has its place. Especially Turkey hunting. I love the looks of a good camo'ed gun.

i just dont like the look with it all camoflaged and with special sights, whatever happened with the good ol way with wooden stocked guns 2 3/4 inch shells and bead sights.

i just dont like the look with it all camoflaged and with special sights, whatever happened with the good ol way with wooden stocked guns 2 3/4 inch shells and bead sights.


Just trying to take every advantage for concealment possible. It was not available years ago so they made do. But if it was available I would bet anything that most turkey hunters from 40 or 50 years ago would also be using camo on their guns.

i just dont like the look with it all camoflaged and with special sights, whatever happened with the good ol way with wooden stocked guns 2 3/4 inch shells and bead sights.


Everyone's got their favorites and though I've got a couple of stainless revolvers all the rest of my guns are blue steel and wood stocks. In fact this is the first camo gun I've ever owned.

A few years ago I bought into a couple of Ruger 77's with the plastic stocks and stainless barrels and actions. Like you I didn't really like them after owning them and both are now long down the road even though they were very practical and good shooting guns.

I have to admit I do like this Mossberg shotgun. I don't do any real bird hunting and turkeys is the only reason this gun exists.

I've had several Rem 870's and as most folks on this forum know I'm pretty much a diehard Remington man. I've got an 870 youth express 20 gauge for my grand daughters to turkey hunt with (its blue steel and wood stocked) and I had an 870 express magnum with the 3.5 inch chamber. It was blue and black and to tell the truth kicked the living dickens out of me.

Last year I used my hunting buddies 835 Mossberg and lo and behold it was much easier on my shoulder than my 870. I also like the tang safety better also.

As far as the special sights turkey hunting is a precise sport and with diebetis my eyes are not as precise as I wish they were and better shot placement that puts an animal down rather than injuring is, in my opinion, more sporting and ethical. This goes along with using a cartridge powerful enough to do the job at todays turkey hunting ranges.

The only problem I see with the "old ways" is that most 2 3/4 inch chamber shotguns with large bead sights were mostly designed for general bird shooting that did not include chokes and sights for making precise head shots at turkeys out to 50 yards.

In fact most guns marketed as turkey guns will have some kind of sights simular to rifle sights just for that purpose and extremly tight chokes designed just for turkey hunting.

I'm not saying that turkeys can't be killed using more open choked guns shooting 2 3/4 loads it's just that special purpose guns and sights increase a hunters chances of a successful hunt.

Anyway that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Darn this getting old is no fun.