Light Recoil
The ultimate in light-recoiling – one might even say recoil-free – shotgunning is the .410 bore. Because of that, it’s taken a wildly increasing market share among turkey hunters.
The 28-gauge, though, offers considerably higher pellet counts and increased ranges while remaining soft on the shoulder. For decades, upland hunters have appreciated the easy-carrying and gentle nature of the gauge, all while realizing its capability in the field. Young, old, or any age in between, the 28 gauge is an easy and pleasant gauge to fire.
Light, Compact Shotgun Options
Compared to the average 12 or even 20-gauge guns, 28-gauge shotguns are lighter, slimmer, more easily carried afield, and often quite compact. Plus, many of the latest turkey guns are set up for optics. There are now plenty of single shot, semi-automatics, pumps, and even O/Us that are plenty useful, if not purpose built, for turkey hunting.
Mossberg leads the way in hot 28 gauges, with an SA-28 Tactical Turkey and the latest Eventide Turkey O/U. Benelli is close behind with some sweet repeaters that do double duty on waterfowl and gobblers in the Super Black Eagle 3 family of hunting shotguns.
The barrels on our Mossberg Eventide Turkey are 20 inches, with an overall length of only 37.75 inches. It checks in at 6.5 pounds and wears full camouflage. Those metrics equate to a compact, handy, svelte, fast-handling double that maneuvers easily in a tight blind.
Expansion to 3-inch Chambers
The author has bagged multiple toms with .410 bores, both pre- and post-“boom,” with improved choke tubes and ammunition options. Effective ranges can be surprising, yet the small hull of even a 3-inch .410 shell can only hold so much shot.
Until recently, 28-gauge shells measured 2.75 inches. Now, both gun builders and ammo manufacturers are shifting to 3 inches on 28s. While the “Magnum” 3-inchers are not necessary for success on gobblers, having the option to upsize is never a bad thing. Both the Mossberg Eventide Turkey and Benelli SBE3 are built around the longer chamber.
Ammo Builders Finally Awaken
With the advent of specialty tungsten super shot, .410 ranges for turkey hunting doubled seemingly overnight. Yes, you can absolutely kill turkeys without expensive shot types, but almost universally, your patterns will be less dense, with less impressive downrange performance, and ultimately, a considerably shorter effective ethical range.
That same principle applies directly to the 28 gauge, where we’re just now beginning to see factory loads tailored to turkey hunters.
At the patterning board in Florida on a recent Osceola hunt, we saw devastating patterns from the Mossberg Eventide O/U shooting Apex TSS at 40 yards, and even beyond. A few other solid choices in 28-gauge TSS have emerged: Federal Premium Heavyweight TSS (now available in both 2.75 and 3-inch lengths), HEVI Shot Hevi-18, and of course, Apex Turkey TSS loaded with either #9 or #9.5 shot.
Final Thoughts
To be clear, the move to 28-gauge dominance is just beginning. But rest assured, it’s coming. We can list a dozen ammo manufacturers and gun builders that are all-in on the .410 bores. It’s only a matter of time before they expand into the larger, more capable 28-gauge hull that touts just slightly more recoil but considerably improved performance.
Mossberg, Benelli, Federal, HEVI, and Apex are leading the way. Benelli already moved to increase the presence of the 28-gauge with its SBE3 in the duck and waterfowl seasons, so the progression to other game is natural.
What big brands will hop aboard the 28-gauge train next? Time will tell. For me, a well-made 28-gauge shotgun and TSS ammunition will always be welcome in my turkey blind.
