Shot size for turkey

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Headed to Oklahoma in a couple of months to turkey hunt.
I plan to use my 16 gauge fowler. I have #6 and #5 shot on hand.

Should I get a bag of #4?
 

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#6, is my guess and experience.

Depends on your choke and what range you can pattern limits you.

No need for #4 if your pattern limits you bc of NO choke aka cylinder bore at 30 yrds
 
Headed to Oklahoma in a couple of months to turkey hunt.
I plan to use my 16 gauge fowler. I have #6 and #5 shot on hand.

Should I get a bag of #4?
If you want to get a bag of #4 shot, get it, but in my opinion #5 or #6 will work great. It will depend on your gun and what patterns best at your maximum intended hunting distance. Maybe even try a mix of #5 and #6 just to see.

Years ago learned to test turkey hunting loads on tin cans (not talking about aluminum cans like cat food comes in). If the pellets penetrated both sides of the can, you were good to go. Likely more ‘scientific’ methods out there, but that’s how I was taught. And remember, that tin can is larger that a turkey head, so look for multiple hits.
 
Back when I had my Navy Arms double I used nothing but #6’s as well as in my unmentionables. #6’s are fine but I swapped to using the #7 1/2’s because of pattern density. 6’s and 7 1/2s pattern very well in full or modified chokes but I like the smaller shot size and I’ve never regretted using them.
 
#6, is my guess and experience.

Depends on your choke and what range you can pattern limits you.

No need for #4 if your pattern limits you bc of NO choke aka cylinder bore at 30 yrds
This would be my take also with my original SxSs, no choke and about 20-30 yds max I basiiclly use #6 in all my unchoked smoothbores.
 
For most guys reading this, trying to get a gun to shoot 40 yards well enough to kill a turkey is not going to happen. Most guns will not pattern consistently at 40. I’ve shot a lot of turkey in my life and they are a very tough bird.
Every year I cringe when I hear someone in the distance hunting another bird shoot 3 times. You know they probably didn’t kill that bird. They say “ I missed”.
Well you didn’t miss. You just didn’t kill the bird. You still put a bunch of shot into that bird. I’ve shot turkey late in the season that I wouldn’t eat because someone shot it earlier in the season and it was all festered up. It happens. They deserve better than that. 40 yards is WAY too far for most. Keep your shots at 20 yards and under.
 
Nothing larger than #6. I like #7 1/2 for pattern density. A single pellet in the head is all that is needed.
I shot a turkey in Oklahoma that had only one pellet in it. Number 5 shot from an unmentionable. I’m from Pennsylvania and I was not used to judging distance in that terrain. I was young n dumb then. I killed the bird but I would not take that shot today. It’s not worth the risk of crippling a turkey.
 
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