The Best Turkey Chokes for Tighter Shot Patterns and Increased Range

There’s a bit of black magic involved in picking the best turkey choke for your setup. That’s because there are three major variables involved in how a turkey setup patterns: the gun, the load, and the choke. Changing any one of these three variables could significantly impact patterning performance. Because of this, there really is no single best turkey choke.

So how, exactly, do you get started finding the right after-market choke without blowing through a bunch of money on chokes and ammo and testing them all through your gun? Luckily, after-market choke makers and ammo manufacturers have done extensive testing on almost all the gun/choke/load combinations out there. We interviewed a bunch of them, and their expertise will help you decide which is the right turkey choke for your gun and your hunting style. We’ll also give you options for which load to pair with your choke.

Finding the Right Choke for TSS

Tungsten Super Shot (known as TSS) has taken the turkey hunting world by storm. But to get the most out of a TSS load, you need to shoot it through an optimized choke. Interestingly, some TSS loads will pattern well with tight .640 or .650 constriction (12-gauge). Other TSS loads will like a .665 or even a .675 constriction.

Many people tend to over-choke their turkey guns when shooting TSS, which blows out patterns.

“If you try to over constrict [TSS] only so much of the shot will be able to get through in such a time, and so it just kind of creates a backup,” said Nick Charney of Apex Ammunition. “The shot is hard so it can’t give, and just starts leaking out. As soon as the pellets get free [of the barrel] there is so much force behind them that they start spraying everywhere.”

Wad technology, shot cushions, how the shot is loaded, shot size, the physical makeup of the pellets themselves, and even barrel fouling all factor into how a payload performs when it passes through the constriction of a choke. The diameter of the forcing cone matters too. The larger the back boring (you can measure this with a bore gauge), the more open choke you should be able to shoot for best pattern results. For instance, Mossberg 12 gauges, like the 935 or 835, generally have a slightly larger forcing cone diameter than Benellis or Berettas, so they should shoot a 2-ounce payload of TSS No. 9s better with a .675 choke. The Italian guns (Berettas and Benellis) typically shoot best patterns with more constriction. But the brand of shotshell plays a factor too. —Joe Genzel

Apex patterns at 40 yards. Left to right: Remington 870, Benelli SBE III, Browning BPS. Joe Genzel

Here’s one more complication: A “good pattern” means different things to different types of turkey hunters. Hunters who chase turkeys in the woods and don’t shoot beyond 40 yards won’t want as tight of a pattern (100 to 200 pellets inside a 10-inch circle at 40 yards is fine performance). If you’re shooting a 12-gauge, you should be able to achieve this kind of performance out of a factory full choke, especially if you’re using TSS.

But turkey hunters looking to shoot to 50 yards and beyond will want to choke their guns for tighter patterns (more than 200 pellet strikes inside a 10-inch circle at 40 yards using TSS). Interestingly, that doesn’t necessarily mean a tighter constriction if you’re shooting TSS (more details on this below). The trade-off is that those super-tight patterns make it easier to miss a bird at close range.

Why Go With An Aftermarket Turkey Choke?

Aftermarket choke tubes paired with premium turkey loads can make regular old shotguns absolute turkey slayers out to 50 yards and beyond. So instead of investing in a new turkey hunting shotgun, you could run an aftermarket turkey choke in your duck gun with TSS and likely get similar performance that high-end turkey guns deliver. Plus, if you’re interested in hunting with a sub-gauge, an aftermarket choke will deliver superior patterns at longer ranges.

Every gauge of shotgun has its own bore diameter, which is measured forward of the chamber but before any restrictive choke, according to standards set by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer Institute (SAAMI). The bore of a 10-gauge is .779 inches; 12-gauge is .729; 16 is .667. The smaller the gauge, the smaller the bore. When you insert a screw-in choke at the muzzle it constricts the opening and the shotshell’s payload will pattern tighter.

Let’s use the 12-gauge as an example. An improved cylinder choke can squeeze the bore diameter from .729 to .720. Modified can take it down to .710. Put in a full choke (.694) and that constriction becomes considerably tighter (as will your pattern). Turkey chokes for 12 gauges typically range from .675 to .640, delivering even tighter patterns. The reason for the added constriction is so more of the pattern is likely to impact the turkey’s head and neck, which is a relatively small target.

It’s important to know that you must match any choke with the specific threading of your shotgun (check your owner’s manual). You cannot use the exact same choke from a Remington 870 in a Mossberg 500. Choke makers build their tubes for the most popular shotguns, but you still need to make sure the choke you’re shopping for is available for your model of gun. Also, different guns (even with the same choke model) will have different constrictions. For example, a Primos Jellyhead Remington choke has a constriction of .660 while the Mossberg version of a Jellyhead is .690 (that’s a significant difference). Because of this, loads will throw different patterns through different guns, even if each gun is using the same model of choke.

Testing the BEST TURKEY HUNTING Choke and Shell Combo! (Results are surprising!)