Tennessee.45 said:
I have a 24 gauge fowler myself but have no experice with the larger bores. Would like y’alls opinion.
I've shot a whole mess of birds using modern 28 gauge, so for your personal reference and with the forbearance of the moderators for a moment of modern talk, I'll add this before returning to muzzleloaders where I belong.
The relevant point of the modern talk is pheasant hunting in creek bottoms with lots of willows and brush. Close, very fast shooting with 5/8-ounce shot charges and skeet chokes, darned near cylinder bore. Wicked as can be out to about 20 yards where whole-bird hits are good enough. Now and then I've failed to change chokes when we moved out into the open and shots stretched.
Using that little bit of choke (Skeet 1 and 2) in the 28, whole bird shots went to pieces on me at somewhere around 25 yards. Shooting a 20 gauge with the same chokes and 7/8 oz stretched that to maybe 30, and a 12 with 1 1/8 oz poked the range out to no more than 35. The numbers are relevant because the range limit is about 30 with my CYL bored 12 gauge muzzleloader and 1 1/8 ounces.
A fair bit of load testing and patterning with my 12 SxS muzzleloader tells me if a guy wants to hit turkey heads, it's gonna be equal parts load development, charge weight, and frankly the choke you use.
Twas me building the fowler for him with turkey in mind, I'd build a 12, jug choke it, and do a bunch of load testing. The jug choke will be just fine for ball shooting at hogs, but for turkey heads you'll need the jug choke, larger shot charges and a very reliable load to stretch the range anywhere close to "modern" ranges. I'd choose the 12 over a 20 or even a 16, just because it should be a little more helpful in stretching the range on turkey heads.
I'm not totally guilty of supposition, cuzz a bud has a 12 gauge fowler he uses up here for ptarmigan and ducks. He built it CYL bore and got pretty frustrated with the range limits cuzz he was used to modern gear. He had it jug choked, and now he has to wait a bit on close birds before popping a cap, just so he doesn't overload them with shot inside 20 yards. Sure puts a smile on his face, and he's making plans for a turkey safari next spring. And yeah, he whangs a whole mess of deer with ball going through the jug choke.