The Best Shotguns at a Glance
The Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 Turkey, or even the simple gun, is the best turkey hunting shotgun on sale in 2023.
But it’s a competitive field and other shotguns are snapping at its heels. Here are our top picks.
| Image | Product | Detail | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 |
| Price |
 | Mossberg 500 Tactical Turkey |
| Price |
 | Franchi Affinity 3 Turkey |
| Price |
 | Winchester SXP |
| Price |
 | Beretta A300 Ultima Turkey |
| Price |
 | Browning Maxus |
| Price |
Intro
Turkey hunting is a seriously popular American pastime and it’s a gateway to the world of hunting. Like training wheels hunting.
But it still requires patience, skill, and the right equipment. One of the most important pieces of equipment is a good turkey shotgun.
Now there are lots to choose from and specialist turkey shotguns with performance features that you might just not know about.
To help you out, we’ve put together a list of the 10 best turkey shotguns of 2023.
1. Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 Turkey
- Price: $2,999.99
- Gauge: 12 Gauge
- Barrel length: 24 inch
- Weight: 6.8lb
- Capacity: 3+1
The Benelli Super Black Eagle is one of the most versatile hunting shotguns on the market. From duck hunting to small and big game hunting, the 28 inch barrel Benelli is one of the best new field shotguns we have seen.
But this is a Benelli Performance Shop shotgun and it’s a whole other level of custom shotgun goodness.
Now the Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 Turkey comes with a shorter barrel, a pistol grip and a turkey choke. It’s a ported, cryogenically treated barrel and there’s a Burris Fastfire II red dot sight included in the package as well as a fiber optic front sight.
It’s a great shotgun, but we might be tempted to go with a standard Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 and live with the lack of a pistol grip. Of course you can buy a stock with a pistol grip if that’s big a deal.
2. Mossberg 500 Tactical Turkey
- Price: $593.99
- Gauge: 12 Gauge
- Barrel length: 20 inch
- Weight: 7.25lb
- Capacity: 6+1
The Mossberg Tactical Turkey shotgun is basically a pretty mildly adjusted home defense shotgun, so you can easily use it for both jobs.
A 20 inch barrel, fiber optic sights and a pistol grip are pretty good mods to any shotgun. That, the collapsible stock and the camo finish are all that separate this from the standard Mossberg Pump Action shotgun, which remains one of the best selling 12 gauge shotguns of all time.
Well it doesn’t come with a Picatinny rail or red dot sights, either, but you can add those yourself to the drilled and tapped upper receiver.
The Tactical Turkey Mossberg is a multi purpose pump action shotgun with a Mossy Oak Obsession camo that just happens to be set up perfectly for turkey hunting, and you can swap out the turkey choke tubes.
So if you don’t need an absolute specialist, consider this shotgun.
The Mossberg SA-28 is another option if you want something with a little less impact. There’s a lot to be said for smaller gauge shotguns when you’re hunting turkeys, and you can opt for the Mossberg SA-28 or the 20 gauge shotgun.
3. Franchi Affinity 3 Turkey
- Price: $949.99
- Gauge: 12 Gauge
- Barrel length: 24 inch
- Weight: 7.4lb
- Capacity: 4+1
The Franchi Affinity 3 Turkey gun finished in Mossy Oak Bottomland camo is one of those rare treats. It’s a left field choice, but also the near perfect turkey gun.
Now the Franchi Affinity 3 line goes from the entry level matte black polymer stock through to the Affinity 3.5 Elite models.
This one gets a camo finish and ghost ring sights, while other models get a different finish and fiber optic sights. Whatever you want from your turkey gun, there’s a Franchi Affinity 3 for everybody.
4. Winchester SXP Turkey
- Price: $371.99
- Gauge: 12 Gauge
- Barrel length: 24 inch
- Weight: 6.75lb
- Capacity: 4+1
This is a simple and clean pump action shotgun that works for turkey hunters, duck hunters and if you swap out the turkey choke tubes, deer hunters.
You get a drilled and tapped receiver that is all forms of optics ready, a hard chrome plated chamber and Truglo fiber optic sights.
Now you can spend a lot more on the semi automatic shotgun, the Winchester SX4 NWTF Turkey. This is a collaboration with the National Wild Turkey Federation and the end result is a camo clad semi auto shotgun that is perfect for the field.
The Winchester SX4 NWTF shotgun is a work of art,and is available for about $1000.
5. Beretta A300 Ultima Turkey
- Price: $899.99
- Gauge: 12 Gauge
- Barrel length: 26 inch
- Weight: 7lb
- Capacity: 4+1
The Beretta A300 Ultima it has overtaken the iconic 1301 in the pecking order, in tactical form at least.
There is a specialist turkey gun, but again we like the general hunting shotguns with a 26 inch barrel that could handle everything, from hog hunting to duck hunting and turkeys.
You can also go for a 28 inch barrel, or a shorter 20 inch barrel Beretta A300. Look out for the versions drilled and tapped with a picatinny rail for red dot sights if you really never want to miss with your turkey guns.
6. Browning Maxus II
- Price: $1,799.99
- Gauge: 12 Gauge
- Barrel: 26 inch
- Weight: 7lb
- Capacity: 4+1
The Browning Maxus II hunting shotgun is a high quality 12 gauge shotgun that you could easily carry in the field, and we like the retro graphics.
Browning has lots of options, including the Browning Cynergy over and under shotgun, and Browning BPS shotguns. The Browning Cynergy comes with a 26 inch barrel, a 28 inch barrel and there’s even a 30 inch barrel option.
