I look forward to next year’s turkey season beginning right around the day after the closing of this year’s turkey season. Like many other turkey enthusiasts, it is an obsession that has a grip on my soul that very few other hunting or fishing activities can obtain. For years I have lugged around a full size 12 gauge with 3” magnum TSS turkey load, covering miles of public land in search of a wary gobbler. With private land opportunities being slim, I always thought that I needed to have the maximum range and knock down power possible to capitalize on a chance at a seasoned public land long-beard. In recent years, my youngest daughter has taken up a passion for hunting as well, and I have been lucky to have her join me on many turkey hunts. My search for a shotgun that would be fitting for her to take down a gobbler landed me on the Mossberg SA-28, but it didn’t take me long to realize that this compact little shotgun would quickly become the only gun I wished to carry into the turkey woods myself.
After acquiring my Mossberg SA-28, I began the search for a quality turkey load. The SA-28 is chambered in 2 3/4’”, and while a TSS load was a little difficult to find at first, I ordered several boxes of Salt Creek Custom Ammunition “Cold Turkey” #9/#10 TSS. This load turned out to work perfectly with this shotgun, producing a nice tight pattern out to 50 yards with a muzzle velocity of 1025 FPS that would no doubt stop a gobbler in his tracks. While I had a red dot optic I planned to mount on the shotgun, I found that I greatly preferred the illuminated peep sight and bead combination that comes stock with this shotgun. I also tried a couple of different after-market chokes with the Cold Turkey load but found the stock choke to perform best with this load. I was pleasantly surprised at how light the recoil of the shotgun was, even with the turkey load. Weighing only 6 pounds, I expected the compact shotgun to have a little more muzzle-jump when fired, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it a smooth and relatively soft shooting gun. In comparison to firing a 12 gauge in 3”, it was a remarkable decrease in both felt recoil and muzzle jump and even seemed to have less recoil than some single-shot .410 shotguns I have fired. After it was all settled, I confidently headed into the woods with the stock choke and the 2 3/4” Cold Turkey load to try my luck on some long beards.
My first experience with a gobbler while hunting with my SA-28 immediately highlighted one of the many benefits of hunting with a light and compact shotgun. The gobbler managed to get around behind me at close range, and I was forced to contort myself around my left shoulder to try and get a shot. Holding the shotgun nearly one handed with the pistol grip, I was able to maintain a good sight picture and place a close range shot on a big gobbler. I attribute the compact length and the light weight of the SA-28 to closing the deal on that bird. Additionally, I also noticed how much easier it was to cover ground while carrying this shotgun. Whether carrying with a sling or simply one handed, I enjoyed that I did not feel fatigued while carrying this gun nor did I feel the need to switch hands with it while walking many miles a day.
If I had any doubts about the SA-28’s capability at longer ranges, my third gobbler of the season immediately removed any uncertainty. While hunting near the edge of a green field in some thick pines, I called a gobbler off the roost, and he was headed to me on a string. Due to the thickness of the pines, he was able to make it out into the field before I could get a shot. I ranged the long beard at 52 yards and decided to take the shot. With my daughter by my side, we watched as the bird crumpled to the ground in a heap. In my mind, this was the final test for this shotgun, and it passed with flying colors. The only slightly negative thing I noticed while hunting with the SA-28 was how loud the safety is, however, a few drops of oil and working the safety on and off fixed this issue.
Overall, I found the Mossberg SA-28 turkey shotgun to be a fully capable turkey gun that performed beyond my expectations of a smaller bore shotgun. At a retail price of less than one thousand dollars, this moderately priced shotgun delivers great value for the cost. My 11-year-old daughter also loved to shoot it, and when she is ready for the task, I have no doubt she will be successful in taking down her first turkey with it. I think the versatility of this shotgun is part of what makes it such a neat gun, as it is both fitting for a youth to hunt with while also being a great full time turkey gun for an adult. As I count down the days to opening day of next spring, I have no doubt what shotgun will be in my hands when the sun rises on the first day of turkey season.
