NWTF Spring Turkey Forecast
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20 Guage Turkey Loads

There is a good selection of 20-gauge turkey loads now available with denser-than-lead shot and in some cases, such as the Federal load, loaded with greatly improved wads.

New loads that make a
20 gauge almost a 12

I am not sure if it was envy or awe. I was on a Texas spring gobbler hunt with the management team of Benelli. We were videoing hunts for their TV programs and had split up into two teams. Joe Coogan, Benelli brand marketing manager, and I were hunting with the 12-gauge Franchi I-12, and Stephen McKelvain, Benelli vice president of marketing and communications, along with Cally Morris of Hazel Creek Taxidermy, were hunting with an M-2 Benelli 20 gauge. Also, Stephen and Cally were using the new 20-gauge Federal 3-inch Heavyweight Turkey Load featuring 1½-ounce of high-density No. 7 shot held in place with the new Flitecontrol wad.

The second morning of the hunt, I called up five 4-plus-year-old gobblers, and because the camera was not in the right place, Joe and I avoided the temptation to take a couple of the trophy toms anyway. That was hard to do, but we wanted the action on tape. That morning, I saw some of the best spurs on live birds I had ever seen, and watched them walk off.

Two days later, Stephen and Cally called the same birds to a decoy, and this time the camera was set up just right. They took three of the big gobblers with a 20 gauge, shooting the new Federal loads well beyond 40 yards. All three gobblers went down instantly, and we saw it all on playback. The big birds went down as if struck by lightning. The 20-gauge combination gave a solid 12-gauge performance.

Since that hunt two years ago, I have spent several days on the pattern-board range and on hunts using the new generation of 20-gauge turkey loads featuring high-density shot. It’s amazing how close they come to making a properly choked 20 gauge perform like a 12, with less recoil, noise and, in most cases, weight.

Anyone who has read many of my shooting articles knows I am a fan of the 20 gauge from way back. I took my first few gobblers using a double-barreled 20-gauge Lefever Nitro Special. There was no choice: Growing up, it was the only shotgun in the house.

Many years later, an ATV accident almost destroyed my right shoulder and, once again, I turned to the 20 gauge due to the reduced recoil. I found the loads available at that time gave good gobbler killing results out to 35 yards from a tightly choked 20 gauge, but the best was yet to come.

A few years ago, the development of denser-than-lead pellets, and wad improvements, reached a point where 20-gauge shot shells, designed specifically for turkey hunting, gave the 20-gauge turkey shotgun near 12-gauge lethality out to 40 yards and beyond — thanks to much tighter patterns and extended downrange energy. With the exception of pellet count, the 20 can perform like a 12.

As we speak of pellet count there are two factors turkey hunters will want to remember so they are not disappointed in using their 20-gauge turkey gun with the new high density loads. For example, a 3-inch Federal Premium Mag Shok Heavyweight Turkey load of 1 1/2 ounces of No. 7 HD shot for a 20 gauge contains 337 pellets, according to Federal, while the 3-inch, 12-gauge load of 1 5/8 ounces of No. 7 HD contains 353 pellets. That’s 16 fewer pellets in the 20-gauge load. If you compare the 1 1/2-ounce load of No. 7 HD to the 12-gauge 2-ounce load of No. 6 lead, then you are talking about 450 pellets, a difference of 113. So, when shooting the new 20-gauge load, don’t think in terms of your old trusty 12 in the number of pellets thrown.

20 Guage Turkey Load Pattern

Due to extremely tight patterns, it is easy to miss the point of aim (as shown), so having the shotgun sighted in is a must

Another factor to consider is when you are using one of the new generation of choke tubes designed for HD 20-gauge loads, such as the Trulock Full Precision Hunter for Federal or the Indian Creek Black Diamond Strike for Winchester, Remington or Hevi-Shot, you will get very tight pattern densities at 40 yards. So, you need to have your shotgun sighted in — as you would your deer rifle — or misses can be easy. These dense patterns require rifle-like marksmanship.

For this article, I range tested three loads on my pattern board to see how they held up at 40 yards and how they rated when compared to a 12-gauge lead turkey load at the same distance:

When matched with one of the choke tubes I mentioned above, it was amazing to see how dense each of the 20-gauge patterns were and how well they compared to traditional 12-gauge turkey loads and, in several cases, exceeded the 12 gauge in pattern density on head/neck targets at 40 yards.

Having a dozen or more pellets in the central nervous system of the turkey targets was common, with the best being 23. In fact, range tests by others using ballistic gelatin show at 40 yards some of the HD 20-gauge loads are exceeding the 12-gauge lead shot loads for penetration of target.

We have entered an entirely new phase of turkey shotgunning. And while I am sure there are plenty of hunters out there who will not retire their 3 1/2-inch 12 gauge, there is now a legitimate place for the 20 gauge in turkey hunting, and for many of us, we welcome the improved loads. — J. Wayne Fears