Turkey Hunting with Your
Home-Defense Shotgun
By Frank Melloni
Finding practice opportunities with shorter-barreled scatter guns is tough; try taking it afield to better understand it.
“Just get a shotgun…” We’ve all heard this uttered across a gun counter, and I’ll admit, the hair stands up on the back of my neck every time it’s said. The issue I have isn’t with the recommendation of the platform itself; it’s the cure-all mentality that surrounds it, particularly for the inexperienced. The idea that you can hand someone a scattergun and they’ll instinctually have a basic understanding of its use is just ludicrous. Nevertheless, everybody can learn, just so long as there’s ample opportunity to practice, which brings me to the root of the problem. Home-defense shotguns are short by nature, and I don’t advocate ever changing that. However, this boost in maneuverability cuts down on their overall utility. Shooting clays is off the table, as is waterfowling, as you just won’t have the reach. This leaves you with slugs and paper targets, and if your shoulder doesn’t hate you by the end of the day, your wallet will. However, thanks to modern ammunition and design features, the line that typically defined these guns is getting blurred with that of a turkey gun, and there is no reason not to take that shorty out for a gobbler this season.
Like most of what I write, the inspiration for this piece comes from experience—and like most of what I do, it was a less-than-perfect circumstance. The story takes us back to when we first bought our place in Pennsylvania. A property rife with eastern turkeys, my wife, Barbara, and I decided that, although the ink was still drying on the deed, we were going to try to bag a spring bird. Setting a blind out a few days prior to opening day, we planned on sitting with our respective shotguns, with Barb’s being a sentimental Remington 870 Wingmaster. The next morning would, of course, bring us a torrential downpour, but with the promise of clearing a few hours after we made it to the blind. Understandably, Barb didn’t want to expose her gun to the elements, at least not over a bird, so we needed to quickly come up with a plan B. Rifling through the safes, I realized that we just got a pair of Tokarev TX3 12HDMA1s in, which are built explicitly for defending close quarters in wet conditions. Loading them with better ammo and drawing upon my experience from patterning both a few weeks prior, I felt we were in good enough shape to head out the door.
Making our way to the blind under the cover of darkness, we were happy about having a foot less of barrel to maneuver, and found that we had noticeably more options for resting our guns while we waited. With the rain ending and daylight just about to crack, we hit the call and sat idly by. Less than an hour passed before a pair of Jake’s came strolling through at a distance of 35 yards. Looking over to Barb, I whispered, “These might be the only birds we see today, and we have a lot of unpacking to do.” Then, with a nod and two pops, we had the pair on the ground and were quickly frying the breast meat, at least in our heads.
The preceding story changed my opinion of what a turkey gun should be, and also became part of my spiel for new gun owners who come through Renaissance Firearms Instruction. Ever since, it’s become my dedicated “turkey” gun, and I have harvested my biggest Tom to date with it.
Although I didn’t start it, stories like this mark an industry trend of blending the two styles of shotguns together, as they have uncannily similar features. Products like Mossberg’s SA-20 Tactical Turkey celebrate this right in the name and are a prime example of the overlap. Features like extended charging handles, refined sights, and attachment systems like M-Lok and Picatinny will serve both camps equally well. Don’t forget that defensive shotguns are typically lighter than full-length field guns, too. So, when it comes to hiking a few hundred yards to your favorite spot, they serve a benefit here as well. In a world where every dollar counts, a little bit of research before heading to the gun store could quite possibly save you the expense of buying two separate guns.
While the ammunition has changed, so has the face of the multi-projectile platform. Today, scatterguns reach beyond conventional shotguns and include firearms like the IWI Ma'ateh or the Taurus Judge. While the Mafteah will share the benefits of most everything written above, it pays to look at the revolver a bit closer. In the past, the .410 Borein, which is chambered, wasn’t considered to be an effective turkey round by many.
Thanks to advancements in ammunition, we can capitalize on the most defining feature of a defensive shotgun, as extended barrels with deep constriction are no longer required for long-range lethality. In the past, we were essentially limited to lead shot, which couldn’t be driven as hard as modern materials and lost its pattern rather quickly. This would require ultra-tight chokes and ample runway to gradually build up velocity. The advent of TSS, or Tungsten Super Shot, reshaped all of this. Harder and denser than lead, it can be pushed faster without deforming and better retains its momentum. So, although you’ll lose some muzzle velocity in a shorter barrel, things start to even out a bit downrange when using this stuff.
Lastly, if your gun doesn’t accept choke tubes, you’ll still be impressed with its performance out of a cylinder bore gun. As I pen these words, I’m reminded of the time I accidentally test-fired some of Federal’s TSS without a choke tube installed. While I don’t recommend this, I still put enough pellets on paper to humanely dispatch a bird. After that day, I haven’t found a need for anything tighter than the factory Full choke that came with the Tokarev, and honestly, most days I debate going down to the Modified.
Today, again, thanks to shells made with TSS, it’s hard to find folks who still agree with this. In the case of the larger Judges, like the Home Defender, you can even go up to 3-inch versions of these shells while enjoying even more room in a tight blind and an unparalleled reduction of weight in your overall kit. I would say it adds an extra challenge, as you have to get closer, but with the right ammo, 25-yard shots, or even a touch further, are a reality.
Protecting your home with a firearm takes much more than a trip to the gun store, a skim of a manual, and the occasional dusting off of your investment. Routine practice is paramount, but for that to happen, it has to be fun, and each session needs to have a clear objective. Will you get your round count in by solely hunting turkey? Hardly. But it will likely entice you to break those backyard clays, pattern different loads, or even try out different sights. Combined, these things will get your gun out of the safe more often and help build that bond that could ultimately be called upon in the dead of night. While it’s a good idea to get a shotgun, it’s a far better one to actually use your shotgun.
