Each year, the latest and greatest dedicated turkey guns steal headlines, but many stellar shotguns, both new and used, go unnoticed. Don’t sleep on some of the most handy, reliable, and often affordable options. Here’s a look at some of the most underrated shotguns that continue to fly under the radar, bagging gobblers for savvy shotgun shoppers. 
 

Table of Contents

Inexpensive Single Shots: Stevens 301 Turkey, CVA Scout Spur, Henry Turkey Hunter Single Shot
Double Barrels: Mossberg Silver Reserve Eventide Turkey, Browning Cynergy Ultimate Turkey
Turkish Repeaters: TriStar Raptor II, Retay Gordion Turkey
Overlooked Pumps: Winchester SXP, Mossberg Model 500

Inexpensive Single Shots

While there’s nothing wrong with dropping big dollars on quality firearms, it’s important that hunters know true bargains still exist. Many fall into the single-shot category. Don’t shy away from a one-shot with a proper turkey choke, because those guns get the job done. 
 

Stevens 301 Turkey

For a handful of years now, one of our favorites has been the Stevens 301 Turkey in either .410 bore or 20 gauge. It’s compact, lightweight, and purpose-built for gobbler-chasing with Mossy Oak furniture. Both the barrel and choke are optimized for use with Tungsten Super Shot, and partnering the Model 301 with TSS loads is lethal on big birds. 
 

CVA Scout Spur 

New for 2026, CVA’s Scout Spur raises eyebrows with its addition of a 28-gauge break action using the magnum 3-inch chamber. The raised comb insert, camouflage coverage, and XX-Full choke tube help seal the deal. The Spur is also available in the baby .410 bore for the ultimate in compact, lowest-recoiling beard collecting. The Spur is also optics ready, another bonus for the gobbler chaser preferring scoped or red dot shooting. 
 

Henry Turkey Hunter Single Shot 

In the world of single shots, Henry’s Turkey Hunter stands atop the heap in terms of both price and warranty. These fully-camouflaged one-shooters are available in both 12-gauge with a magnum 3.5-inch chamber and the .410 bore.  Made in America and dressed in walnut under that camo, the Turkey Hunter wears fiber optic sights and is drilled and tapped for optics mounting. That lifetime warranty doesn’t hurt, either. 

Double Barrels

The world of double barrels for turkey hunting is by far the most overlooked. We’re looking at you, over/unders. Sometimes gobblers sneak in close; other times, the shots are longer. With a double, you can easily have two different choke tubes ready at the flip of a selector. 

Bird strut in at 15 yards? Flip the selector to the more open choke. Out just past your decoys but still in range? Switch to the tight Extra Full. Double barrels are generally reliable, classy, and practical, especially with their shorter overall lengths and interchangeable chokes. 
 

Mossberg International Silver Reserve Eventide Turkey

We’ve been crushing on Mossberg’s Silver Reserve Eventide Turkey for a couple years now, having claimed several birds across state lines with the fully camouflaged double. It’s also one of the most inexpensive of all the doubles. It’s built in 12, 20, 28, and now also .410. All have a tang-mounted safety/barrel selector, chrome-lined barrels and chambers, and a full set of extended choke tubes, including two XX-Full. With a 20-inch barrel, the Eventide Turkey is wieldy in tight blinds, but most importantly, patterns well and has a reliable track record in the field. 
 

Browning Cynergy Ultimate Turkey

Browning’s O/U family of Cynergy shotguns has a mean reputation among hardcore clay competitors and even upland hunters, yet few turkey hunters consider this option. The Cynergy Ultimate Turkey is a serious gobbler machine. The low-profile receiver lends itself to natural sight lines, whether using the Marble Arms Bullseye fiber-optic irons or included Picatinny rail. There’s stem-to-stern camo coverage and a set of five extended Invector Plus choke tubes. 

Turkish Repeaters

Don’t get us wrong: we are fans of most any semi-automatic shotguns, especially those made in America. Yet, for those on a budget, just getting into the turkey game, or seeking an easily accessible do-all gun, the booming space of repeaters built in Turkey is tempting. 
 

Tristar Raptor II

A gun needn’t be purpose-built for gobbler hunting to succeed in the field. TriStar’s revamped Raptor II series of semi-autos fit into a do-all space, yet multiple variants are indeed underrated turkey guns. We recently tested the Compact Camo version, and even with its 26-inch barrel, it proved mighty handy in the woods and pop-up blinds. Available in either 12 or 20-gauge, buyers have a choice of black synthetic, camo, or checkered walnut, not to mention full-size and compact lengths of pull. 
 

Retay Gordion Turkey

Though not new to the market, Retay continues its run as an underrated hunting option. The Retay Gordion Turkey is an inertia-driven repeater loaded with features for the turkey hunter.  There’s an integrated cantilevered Picatinny rail, Easy-Out magazine unloading, TruGlo front sight, and comfortable pistol grip. The Gordion Turkey is available in both 12 and 20 gauge, each with a 3-inch chamber. It’s also one of the only to advertise a plastic-free trigger and trigger guard. 

Overlooked Pumps

Semi-automatics are hot and fast. Double barrels are classy and convenient – but pump-action shotguns are the quintessential bread-and-butter utilitarian scattergun. They’re often surprisingly affordable, durable, and reliable. Don’t be fooled into thinking you need the latest and greatest high-dollar arms to bag dandy birds. Guns like Mossberg’s 75-year-old Model 500s continue tagging toms, as do older Remington 870s. 

Turkey-specific models often have the ideal length barrels and chokes, but a workaday hunter can easily find success with most any variant.
 

Winchester SXP Turkey

Winchester builds so many model variants of its slide-action SXP that it’s difficult to tag just one here. Of course, the SXP Turkey makes sense with its 24-inch barrel and magnum chambers. Take one step up to the SXP Long Beard, with all the same features along with an added pistol grip and adjustable stock system. Don’t sleep on more “standard” SXP models like the Universal Hunter or even one of the short-barreled Defender series. Just be sure the SXP includes interchangeable choke tubes so you can find the optimal pattern for your hunting range. 
 

Mossberg Model 500

It may not have the flashy features of newer models, but the Mossberg 500 has what younger shotguns lack: decades of experience bagging toms. You can find these at a bargain in the Guns.com Certified Used section and be on your way to a turkey dinner in no time.