Best Turkey Shotguns of 2025

Most days in the turkey woods, you don’t shoot your gun at all. You load it, you walk with it, you sit with it, you unload it, you go home. After all the time you invest in getting close to a tom, and it comes time to shoot, you really want a turkey gun that performs. It has to saturate a small target with a lot of pellets at distances between 10 and 50 yards, or even a little more. While turkey hunting is mostly a single-shot game, sometimes you need the ability to deliver a quick follow-up.

The best shotguns for turkey hunting were almost exclusively 12-gauges until a few years ago. The widespread popularity of Tungsten Super Shot (TSS) changed that. Spend enough in ammo, and any shotgun, all the way down to a .410, can shoot gobbler-getting patterns to 40 yards or more. Twelve- and 20-gauge guns remain the standard turkey shotguns for most of us. Either one, loaded with TSS or lead, makes an effective turkey gun. That’s especially true if it’s a dedicated model with an extra-full choke, shorter barrel, matte or camo finish, and some provision for mounting an optic. This year saw a few good new turkey gun introductions. Add those to the lineup of good guns already on the market, and you have lots of choices for the best turkey shotgun.

• Best Value: Stoeger M3000 Turkey Gun *NEW*
• Best Small-Gauge: Benelli SBE3 28-gauge *NEW*
• Best Pump: Mossberg 835 Ulti-Mag Turkey/Holosun Micro Dot Combo
• Best Break Action: Browning Cynergy
• Best Single Shot: Henry Turkey Gun
• Best Crossover: Weatherby Sorix
• Best Gas Gun: Winchester SX4 Longbeard

How We Made Our Picks

I have gone through a lot of different turkey guns in my time, and based on experiences, good and bad, I have well-formed opinions on what to look for in the best turkey hunting shotguns. I’ve had a chance to shoot many of these guns, or other configurations of them. A few factors really matter to me in a turkey gun: it has to pattern well, and it has to shoot accurately. With the tight patterns produced by TSS, I think it’s important to be able to mount an optic on any turkey gun, too. I looked at these features and others in making the choices below.

Best Turkey Guns of 2025

The following turkey guns, a mix of new and tried-and-true models from various manufacturers, actions, and gauges, make our list of the best turkey guns of 2025.

Best Value

Stoeger M3000 Turkey Gun

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Key Features: 

• Action: Semi-auto inertia action
• Gauge: 3-inch 12-gauge ( 3-inch 20-gauge Model 3020 also available)
• Barrel length: 22-inch barrel
• Optic ready: Yes, receiver cut for Burris- or RMR-footprint sight

Pros: 

• Optic-ready
• Turkey choke and paracord sling included
• Lightweight

Cons:

• Front bead only, no rear sight
• Left-handers must buy aftermarket safety

Stoeger semiautos were the original Turkish inertia guns, and they have stood the test of time. Stoeger licensed Benelli’s action around 2000, and has made affordable inertia semiautos ever since. New for this year, the Model 3000 Turkey has an impressive number of features for a relatively inexpensive dedicated turkey semiauto. It has a 22-inch barrel to keep it compact, and a tight turkey choke for good patterns. Most impressive is the receiver cut for a compact red dot. The cut keeps the sight very low over the bore so you can aim the gun without the need to hold your head up off the stock.

The gun comes in full Mossy Oak New Bottomland camo and includes a nice paracord sling. Although the gun is light at just a bit under seven pounds, it’s still nice to be able to sling it for long hikes. The 20-gauge version is quite similar. It’s light at just 5.4 pounds with a 22-inch barrel. The only difference between the two is that the 20-gauge lacks the receiver cut for an optic and has a Picatinny rail instead.

Key Features:

• Action: Semi-auto inertia action
• Gauge: 28-gauge
• Barrel Length: 24-inch
• Optic Ready: Not optic cut

Pros: 

• Lightweight
• Recoil-reducing stock
• Easy Locking Bolt

Cons:

• Bead sight only
• Expensive
• Needs aftermarket choke

The 28-gauge is the current darling of smallbore turkey hunters. Twenty-eight gauge payloads outweigh .410 loads with all shot types, making it a much better choice for those who want to downsize their shotguns. Benelli offers its new 3-inch, 28-gauge SBE3 with a 24-inch barrel to make this gun even lighter and more compact than previous SBE 28s.

The 28 features all the SBE3 technologies, including the vibration- and kick-reducing ComforTech stock and the Easy Locking bolt. With the Easy Locking bolt, you can ease the bolt shut quietly in the morning without worrying that the gun won’t be in battery when it comes time to shoot. It has a lightweight carbon-fiber rib, too, that helps keep the gun’s weight down to below 5 ½ pounds. It has Cerakoted metal and Mossy Oak original Bottomland furniture to help it blend into the woods. The gun does come with standard IC, M and Full chokes, so you might want to invest in a turkey tube and some means of sighting the gun beyond the single bright bead. That does mean added expense over and above the $2189 list, but once you’ve added choke and sights, you’ll have a terrific smallbore turkey gun. The larger 20- and 12-gauge SBE3s and the original 3 ½-inch SBE3 all make excellent turkey guns as well.

Key Features:

• Action: pump action
• Gauge: 12-gauge
• Barrel Length: 20-inch barrel
• Optic Ready: Yes, receiver cut for Holosun 407 closed reflex sight

Pros:

• Improved ambidextrous safety
• Slick stroke
• Packaged with Holosun optic
• Receiver cut and also drilled/tapped for other optic systems

Cons:

• Mushy trigger
• Front bead sight only

Mossberg’s 835 was the original 3 ½-inch 12-gauge, and it remains a great choice for turkeys. The new optic-ready version has a receiver cut to accept a low-mounted reflex sight. The receiver is also drilled and tapped for other optic bases or a rail. While a top thumb safety has long been a hallmark of Mossberg pumps, the old versions could be difficult to use in the turkey woods. All new Mossbergs, including the 835 Turkey, have an improved, enlarged tactical safety that’s much easier to slide off. This 835 has a 20-inch barrel that makes it compact in the woods and an extended Mossberg Ulti-Full choke.

The Holosun 407 open reflex sight comes mounted on the gun. It has a red 6 MOA dot that’s a good size for close-range shooting in the woods, and it will run up to 50,000 hours on one 1632 battery. The package lists for $915.

Key Features:

• Action: Break action
• Gauge: 12-gauge
• Barrel Length: 24- or 26-inch barrels
• Optic Ready: Yes, Picatinny rail

Pros:

• Compact action
• Good trigger
• High quality iron peep sights
• Mossy Oak new Bottomland camo

Cons:

• No swivel studs
• Limited run, only available with some dealers
• Comb doesn’t adjust for high-mounted red dot

Over/Unders have two big advantages in the woods. They are shorter than pumps or semiautos of the same barrel length by about three inches, making them more compact. And, an O/U offers a quick choice of two different chokes. If you hunt where turkeys might hang up way out there or sneak up to ten yards, a gun that’s choked for both possibilities can give you an edge.

Browning’s Cynergy makes an excellent platform for an O/U turkey gun. It has a very good trigger, so you can put your two shots precisely on target. Browning guns have well-regulated barrels, too, that almost always shoot within an inch or two of one another.

Available with 24- or 26-inch barrels and extended chokes, the Cynergy has a Marble Arms Bullseye rear sight and front fiber-optic for quick, accurate aim. The gun also has a Picatinny rail for a red dot as well. The entire gun is dipped in Mossy Oak New Bottomland. In addition to its looks, the stock has the Cynergy’s unconventional recoil pad on the butt. It is quite effective at managing the recoil of magnum turkey loads.

Key Features

• Action: Single shot
• Gauge: 3 ½-inch 12-gauge or .410
• Barrel Length: 24-inch barrel
• Optic Ready: Yes, drilled and tapped

Pros:

• Excellent adjustable iron sights
• Barrel drilled and tapped
• Good trigger pull

Cons: 

• .410 is heavy for its gauge

Henry Arms makes a high-quality single shot shotgun that fits perfectly into the turkey woods, where one shell is usually all you need. The break-action guns have exposed hammers equipped with a rebounding safety. The opening lever works for either left- or right-handed shooters. Trigger pulls on these guns are excellent, and they have a substantial feel, in part because Henry uses walnut furniture which is then dipped in Mossy Oak camo. The guns are also fitted with very good adjustable fiber-optic iron sights, and the barrels are drilled and tapped if you’d prefer to mount an optic. The barrels are threaded for choke tubes and come with extra-full turkey chokes.

These guns are a step up in quality from other single shots, a fact reflected in their price of $780. This may be a lot compared to other single shots, if you can find one, but it’s not much for a very well-made turkey gun.

Key Features

• Action: Semi-auto inertia action
• Gauge: 3 ½- and 3-inch 12-gauge, 3-inch 20-gauge available
• Barrel Length: 28-inch barrel
• Optic Ready: Yes, drilled/tapped receiver

Pros:

• Well-made, Italian shotgun
• Reversible controls
• Easy-loading

Cons: 

• Comes with 28-inch barrel only

The Sorix, Weatherby’s latest inertia semiauto, is a well-made, Italian shotgun with a unique reversible bolt handle. While the bolt handle strikes me, a left-hander, as unnecessary, the feature draws attention to this gun, which is solid choice in an inertia semiauto. One of the nice features of the gun is a relaxed magazine spring and loading latch, which make it easy to load and prevent the finger- or glove-grab of other repeaters.

While the gun only comes with a 28-inch barrel, which makes it best suited to upland and waterfowl hunting, the drilled, tapped receiver means you can add an optic and bring it to the woods. The camo stocks are individually hand-daubed with paint, giving each gun its own camo pattern that goes well with the drab Cerakoted stock. If you want one gun to use spring and fall, the Sorix is worth a look.

Key Features

• Action: Semi-auto gas operation
• Gauge: 3 ½-inch 12-gauge or 3-inch 20-gauge
• Barrel Length: 24-inch barrel
• Optic Ready: Yes, cantilever optic mount

Pros:

• Recoil reducing gas operation and soft pad
• Backup iron sights
• Comes with interchangeable high and low combs for optics or iron sight use

Cons: 

• 20-gauge is heavy at  7 pounds, 6 ounces

Winchester’s SX4 semiauto becomes an intriguing turkey gun with a short barrel, integral optic mount and a coat of Mossy Oak Obsession camo. Available both as a 3 ½-inch 12-gauge and a 3-inch 20-gauge, the guns have the 24-inch barrels that often pattern best with turkey loads. 

The SX4’s gas system and soft Inflex recoil pad take some of the bite out of heavy loads, and the cantilever mount attached to the barrel allows you to add an optic in full confidence that it will remain zeroed even if the barrel moves. The gun also comes with a choice of low or high-comb inserts to aid with the fit if you choose to mount an optic that sits high over the barrel. The pistol-grip stock is comfortable to hold during long waits in the woods, and it helps you place your shot accurately when the time comes. The gun’s only real drawback is the excessive weight of the 20-gauge, which is listed at just two ounces less than the 7 ½-pound 12-gauge. In all other ways, it’s a great choice, especially in 12-gauge.

Final Thoughts

In choosing a turkey gun, think about how you hunt. If you run and gun, you might want a lightweight shotgun. If you hunt from a blind, there won’t be much carrying involved in your hunt, and you can choose a heavier gun if you like. For those that don’t want to pay $10 per shell for TSS, you should probably choose a 12-gauge for the extra range it will give you with heavy loads of lead shot. If you splurge on the premium ammo, you can shoot any gauge that appeals to you.

Many shooters are completely comfortable aiming down the rib of their gun. I used to be, until I missed enough turkeys that I feel as if a scope or red dot is almost a necessity on a turkey gun. Look at the guns on this list and decide which one fits your style of hunting best of all.