Budget turkey hunting 12g ?

[Oldbloke]

12g must the most common on the planet. Plenty of cheap ammo options.
2 3/4" will be fine, single or double.
I've shot a lot of game with my old single.
It's just a bird. Nothing flash required.

You can always use 1oz load if recoil is a problem.

 

[Lefty2506]

I think the things that haven't been mentioned yet are what is your bird population like, and how good are your calling skills? I've met guys who can call a tom off 2 hens from half a mile away (ok, I'm exaggerating a bit) and they take a bird opening morning every year. I've also met people who have lived where they were so thick that you really didn't need a gun to kill them. When I was a kid, turkeys were pretty rare where I hunt. It wasn't until I was in my 30s that the population was high enough that people started hunting them. Now I frequently see a dozen or so of them during deer season. I know a couple of guys who hunt areas that are not great, and have decent calling skills but have limited opportunities to spend time in the woods and often end up reaching well past 40 yds to take their bird. Those guys are normally using a Benelli with tungsten shot. Point being, if there's a really good chance that you'll be able to call them in to 20yds, use what ever you have and feed it with whatever you can find at walmart. If you don't have anything, then buy something that you can also use for something else. If the population isn't very good and/or your calling skills are lacking (like mine), then you might want to have a more detailed conversation with the wife about the budget. Forgiveness is better than permission until it ain't....

 

[TimS]

I’ve never had the interest in hunting turkey. My friend has a hunting preserve and they have gone to.410’s almost exclusively.

 

[Shawlerbrook]

Find a good used 3” 20 ga SS and send the barrel to Mike Orlen, MA, and have it fitted for a screw in turkey choke.
The TSS stuff is amazing but $12-15 a shot is a bit crazy to shoot a turkey IMHO.

 

[Webster]

Wife wants to get into turkey hunting. I quit after dad passed . It was our thing but it was difficult for me to go after ...
15 years later wife wants to try so she wants her own shotgun. Was thinking maby a single shot 12g ? But never seen one with x- full choke? Not wanting to spend a ton on one .
Thanks

Is a 22RF legal?

 

[Ohio Varmint Shooter]

My worthless 2 cents:

If she's recoil sensitive, a gas operated semi auto would be at the top of the list. Maybe even try to find used. If it's a field gun, no need to buy fancy and new. But if new, there are lots of budget friendly models out there. It's not like it's going to get 5000 rounds per year. I would also cast a vote to consider Turkish guns.