Small Gauges for Big Birds
Parker Knox for SPLIT REED
[Photos Courtesy of Cade Trickey]
Hunting has always embraced the smaller shotguns. Everyone knows an old-timer with a trusted 28 gauge, a buddy that only shoots birds with a 20, or a hidden spot in some flooded woods deemed “The 410 hole.” Smaller gauged shotguns have become more and more common over the years and are a trend in the turkey woods of today. But why is that? Are there practical reasons to enter the woods seemingly under-gunned? It could be just another fad hyped by social media, or is it an opportunity to up the ante on entertainment? Maybe it’s just another way hunters are adding challenge to the sport. One could suppose it’s a combination of the few. After all, freethinking seems to be back by popular demand, so let us assume that all are in the right.
When I think of a turkey gun I still think of a camouflage Mossberg 835 12 gauge with a ported 24” barrel, purchased with the factory extra-full choke that read, “Lead Shot Only” A true canon… It’s the gun that I carried for almost 2 decades. Sadly, however, I haven’t carried it once in the last 2 years. I traded the heavy pump-action and 3 ½” number 5’s for a lighter weight 20 gauge. I traded a gun that has killed turkeys dead at 60+ yards, decapitated them at 15, and would punch through any amount of undergrowth for something new. Why? Well, personally I did it for the challenge – something different. I remember plugging in an old Realtree Road Trips DVD of Michael Waddell shooting turkeys with a 20 gauge. I was hooked. I had to try it.
Given the current world circumstances, most of us are in front of our phones a little more than normal. Social media traffic is at an all-time high and digital communication has never been more popular. There is an interesting relationship that our hunting community has with social media, and just as our own priorities change with the seasons, so do those of whom rely on social media for influence and marketing. Photos of strutting Toms have replaced spring ducks and videos of decoying gobblers have replaced big snow goose spins. Everyone is trying to set themselves apart from the next guy. Does the hunter representing “Company X” tell a more influencing story when he kills his spring bird with a .410? I think there’s more to it than one’s choice of weapon. But does it make me want to buy a new box of shells and try to kill a Tom with a .410? You bet!
New developments in shotgun shell technology have certainly given hunters more confidence in their shotguns. Smaller shot sizes and denser projectiles have proven to outperform most of our old go-to shells. At first, we saw blends of 5-shot, 6-shot, and 7-shot in lead or non-toxic payload. Then the shot size decreased. TSS or Tungsten Super Shot has become popular with turkey hunters and waterfowlers alike, and companies like veteran-owned, Apex Ammunition specialize in high-quality shotshells for all of your scatterguns. Your granddads’ old bolt action .410 could make a few more trips into the spring woods with the ammo selection available today. The interesting part is that these ammunition manufacturers are pushing the limit with shot sizes on the end of the spectrum that some folks may not have expected. For example, Kansas law states that legal shot sizes to take turkey are between 2 and 9. The popular number 7s, 7 ½, 8 1/2 and 9s fall right at the end of the legal limit. However, the simple fact is this: the smaller, heavier shot is being hand-loaded for you, or your young protégé, to effectively take a bird with virtually any gun of your choosing.
I think the hunting community in general – especially the crowd of younger to millennial-aged hunters has gone through an interesting time, not only in society, but also in the hunting industry as a whole. The amount of information and technology and how much we rely on it when we hunt has steadily increased over time. Sure… the fundamentals like shooting and calling are always going to contribute to success, or lack thereof, but knowing the unfair advantage we have as intellectual beings may contribute to our desire to challenge our skills with less firepower. That’s the allure to smaller shotguns. So whether you’re dusting off that old .410, or calling on a reliable wing-shooting 20. Knowing that a 50-yard shot is probably out of the question, but 25 yards would feel more comfortable. It’s the last 25 yards that will test you and it will likely make you a better turkey hunter in the process.
Interested in small gauge shells? Check out our friends at APEX Ammunition
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