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My Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey didn’t make an important first impression.
“What are you shooting,” requested Gray Dutton, “a 12 or a 20?”
“A 28,” I answered.
His head shake and groan weren’t exaggerated for impact.
Dutton is the proprietor of Florida Outdoor Experience, a looking and fishing outfit positioned an hour and a half north of Tampa Bay, tucked subsequent to the tannic waters of the Suwannee River.
Dutton’s household has owned this land because the early 1800s, operating cattle, making moonshine, and in any other case scratching out a dwelling amid the towering stay oaks, magnolia bushes, and palmetto thickets.
In 2013, Dutton launched FOE, specializing in hunts for whitetails, feral hogs, and my quarry—Osceola turkeys.
Sub Gauge Trendiness
With the latest arrival of a slew of latest shotgun wonder-loads, turkey hunters and waterfowlers have taken a eager curiosity in sub-gauge looking weapons. The lethality of those heavier-than-lead masses, notably when provided in smaller shot sizes, has motivated some hunters to place their 12s and 20s apart. The Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey was launched this 12 months to cater to that crowd.
As a lot as I like leading edge firearms expertise, notably with respect to precision rifles and fashionable cartridges, relating to shotguns I’m conventional.
Of all of the turkeys I’ve killed over time, the quantity I’ve taken with one thing aside from a 12-gauge is precisely zero. So I may relate to Dutton’s skepticism.
That stated, there was a number of compelling knowledge concerning the effectiveness of those masses, and I used to be curious to see if this Mossberg 28 would ship the products.
- Gauge: 28
- Chamber: 2 ¾ in.
- Capacity: 4+1
- Action: Semi-auto
- Weight: 5 lb. 11.8 oz. (measured with no base)
- Length: 41 7/8 in.
- Barrel: 22 in.
- Choke: Extended Turkey
- Trigger: 5 lb. 9 oz. (measured)
- Sights: Fiber optic entrance and ghost-ring rear
- Stock: Synthetic pistol grip
- Finish: Mossy Oak Greenleaf
- Price: $902
Patterning the Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey
This shotgun is the brand new hotness, and there aren’t a number of samples kicking round proper now. I took supply of mine simply days earlier than boarding a airplane to depart frigid Montana for the extra agreeable Florida climate.
Prior to taking off, nevertheless, I used to be in a position to get the Mossberg dialed in.
Mounting a Red-Dot Sight
The inventory gun comes with an efficient set of fiber optic sights. It has a set inexperienced entrance put up and an orange aperture rear sight that clamps onto the rib. But the receiver can also be drilled and tapped for a rail, which Mossberg consists of with the shotgun.
I used the rail to mount a Meopta Meosight IV pink dot. The Meosight IV is a low profile and light-weight sight (1.15 oz.) that comes with a base that enables it to be connected to a cross-slot Weaver or Picatinny system. With the bottom and battery put in, the Meopta weighs simply 2.2 ounces so it doesn’t alter the shotgun’s stability or dealing with in any significant approach.
The sight has a 3 MOA dot that manually adjusts for the sunshine situations and glass that gives a great clear image. It has 120 MOA of elevation and windage adjustment, so there’s loads of room to get the dot centered with the sample.
It simply so occurred that the slots on the adjustment dials have been an ideal match for the rim of a 28-gauge, which was a pleasant bonus.
Quick and Dirty Patterning
To get a really feel for the way the shotgun functioned I ran half a field of Winchester AA 28-gauge recreation masses by the Mossberg. In these preliminary rounds I had one failure to eject. Other than that, the shotgun ran easily.
I then shot the gun with that very same load—3/4 ounce of No. 7 1/2s—on a shoot-n-c goal at 25 yards. My sample was a bit low and to the correct. I made a finest guess on the quantity of windage and elevation to maneuver it and shot once more. My elevation was advantageous, however I overshot it a bit on the windage. I moved the POI again to the correct and my third shot was properly centered up.
I then put up recent targets and loaded the shotgun with three of my valuable Federal TSS 1-ounce No. 8 shells which might be out there from Federal’s Custom store. At almost 10 bucks every, you don’t need to waste them.
I shot as soon as at 25 yards and people No. 8s left a thick dense sample in the course of the goal. The recoil was noticeably heavier with the TSS than the AAs and the impacts on the goal have been much more outlined than the holes left by the No. 7 ½ lead. It was apparent that the TSS hit tougher.
I then stepped again to 40 and 50 yards, taking pictures as soon as at every distance. The 40-yard sample was nonetheless clearly deadly, however at 50 yards the impacts turned extra scattered. Perhaps with time to experiment with different chokes—the Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey ships with a single prolonged choke marked “turkey”—I may get the TSS to tighten up at 50, however because it stood, I used to be going to maintain my pictures inside 40 yards, which to my old-school mind-set was nonetheless a hell of a poke on a mature tom with a 28 gauge.
I completed the session by operating the rest of my field of 25 AAs by the gun. It cycled all of them with none difficulty.
The one factor I did discover, nevertheless, was that the cap holding the fore-end in place would loosen a contact each few rounds. I made some extent to examine it ceaselessly.
Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey Features
Going again 25 or 30 years in the past the shotguns we carried for turkeys seemed quite a bit just like the shotguns we used for geese or upland birds, aside from that they have been typically fitted with specialised chokes. There have been some exceptions to this, however the primary profile of a turkey gun was the identical as every other general-purpose 12-gauge fowl gun. In reality, they have been usually the identical gun, particularly for poor, younger hunters like me who relied on an 870 to do every part.
But as with evolution, when a specialised area of interest exists in nature one thing is sure to fill it. And that’s what’s occurred with our turkey weapons, which have been refined to fulfill the wants of hunters craving to dispel their cabin fever every spring. The Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey incorporates lots of the options hunters need of their “ultimate” turkey gun in its development.
Stock Design
The Tactical Turkey comes with a camo inventory—executed within the stylishly retro Mossy Oak Greenleaf—with a pistol grip. The pistol grip is made from rubber with finger grooves that provides a really safe grip. Because the shotgun is so gentle—with the Picatinny rail connected and the reflex sight mounted it weighed 5 kilos 15 ounces—it’s straightforward to manage and assist the gun for lengthy intervals of time. The shotgun can also be straightforward to wield one-handed in case you want your lead hand to run a name or in any other case mess together with your gear.
Controls
The controls on the Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey are specified by a sample that might be acquainted to most shooters who’ve expertise with a semi-automatic shotgun.
The cross-bolt security behind the set off guard toggles simply from one aspect to the subsequent and is quiet. The shotgun has a generously sized charging deal with that may be manipulated whereas carrying cumbersome gloves in chilly climate. The bolt launch button is positioned on the correct aspect of the gun just under the charging deal with. Though not outsized by at this time’s requirements, it’s distinguished sufficient to have the ability to work at the hours of darkness with gloves.
The most vital management, after all, is the set off. By the requirements of semi-auto shotguns, the 5-pound 9-ounce break weight on my pattern is greater than ample. It has a little bit of creep—fairly widespread on such weapons—however is under no circumstances distracting. And it’s constant, which makes controlling the shot simpler.
Gas-Piston Action
When the fore-end is faraway from the shotgun it reveals a normal (and confirmed) fuel piston system. Ports positioned about 9.5 inches up the barrel vent fuel right into a chamber which accommodates the piston. Pressure generated by that fuel forces the piston rearward driving a pusher meeting with two motion bars rearward to cycle the motion.
The return spring that sits between the pusher meeting and the receiver will get compressed when this occurs. After the bolt completes its rearward journey and the empty hull is ejected, the return spring drives the pusher meeting and bolt ahead into battery, assuming there’s one other shell to be loaded. If the gun is empty, the bolt and pusher meeting lock open.
This system is delicate taking pictures and requires little in the best way of particular upkeep aside from occasional cleansing.
Mossberg International Vs. Domestic Mossbergs
Officially, Mossberg labels the SA-28 Tactical Turkey as a “Mossberg International” gun. Shotguns within the Mossberg line bearing that title are produced in Turkey, whereas the others are made within the U.S.
The high quality of Turkish made weapons will be fairly good—particularly for the value—which is the rationale Mossberg and plenty of different gun firms produce them there. Of course, some Turkish weapons are fairly unimpressive too. In my expertise, this association works finest when the corporate contracting with a Turkish gun maker retains shut tabs on the standard. One good friend of mine who labored for Weatherby again within the day used to fly to Turkey to examine every gun in each cargo earlier than they have been despatched to the U.S.
My pattern is effectively made, which is encouraging concerning Mossberg’s association with their Turkish companion.
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Hunting with the Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey
Forget raucous photographs of spring break—the land that Dutton hunts is Old Florida. It is unspoiled and largely undeveloped. One blessing is that there are not any seashores close by, which helps forestall the inflow of “progress.”
The morning of our turkey hunt was chilly, particularly by Florida requirements. The thermometer on Dutton’s pickup registered 30 levels as we drove down a dust street at the hours of darkness.
“It’ll warm up by the afternoon,” Dutton stated. “And hopefully they’ll be moving by then.”
Turns out he needn’t have nervous. Though it was chilly, there was no dampening the ardor of the toms Dutton had roosted the evening earlier than.
We sat in a makeshift blind utilizing palmetto fronds with a easy three-decoy structure—two feeding hens and a jake.
Several toms fired off someplace within the tangle of bushes in entrance of us, responding to hooting owls and a few deep booms from distant farm equipment.
Dutton coaxed the birds with some yelps and some cutts. After flydown, we heard a lone gobbler within the woods behind us and to our left.
Dutton is a run-and-gun turkey hunter, which is my favourite method to chase birds. He grabbed the dekes and we took off down a two-track to shut the space to that solo fowl.
We bought to a clearing and Dutton slammed the dekes into the sandy floor and we tucked into some brush. His first name was answered by a decided gobble, and he pulled the tom towards us on a string.
After a couple of minutes we noticed the fowl snaking by the undergrowth. As he stepped into the open his head flared blue and pink and he unfold his fan, giving us a present. When he fastened his gaze on the dekes he moved to them, crossing lower than 25 yards in entrance of us.
I gave him a fast double-tap to the top—one of many advantages of utilizing a gun that hardly recoils and cycles quick—and down he went. The No. 8 TSS shot couldn’t have delivered a extra decisive end result.
What the Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey Does Well
I really like how helpful and nimble this gun is. We have been in a cramped place when the tom got here into view and with an extended and bulkier shotgun it might need been tough to get the barrel away from the palmettos with out getting hung up within the fronds. But the Mossberg’s quick total size (41 7/8 in.) and compact size of pull (12 ¾ in.) make it straightforward to maneuver.
Its gentle weight is a blessing too. Though our hunt didn’t take lengthy, I may simply see how gratifying the Tactical Turkey can be to hold on lengthy forays for Western birds. Its weight additionally makes it a lot simpler to keep up a taking pictures place when you need to stay frozen for lengthy intervals of time. Anyone who’s ever had the shakes when preserving the muzzle of their 12-gauge from dipping is aware of what I’m speaking about.
And as I alluded to, the Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey will get excessive marks for its shootability.
What It Could Do Better
The incontrovertible fact that the top cap on the fore-end retains getting free after just some pictures is an annoyance. I’m undecided what the reason for that’s, however I’d in all probability strive swapping the cap with a brand new one to see if that fixes the problem.
One different factor to remember is that 28-gauge TSS ammo isn’t overflowing on the cabinets of your native massive field Mart. You’ll want to show to specialty outfits just like the Federal Custom Shop, Apex, Boss and Rogue to seek out these shells.
Read Next: Best Turkey Loads
Final Thoughts on the Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey
I’ve all the time loved taking pictures sub-gauge weapons on upland birds. Carrying a trim and effectively balanced 20 or 28 whereas within the firm of fowl canine is one among life’s supreme pleasures.
With the arrival of denser-than-lead shot there’s no motive turkey hunters can’t partake within the sub-gauge expertise as effectively—and the Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey is a perfect device for the duty.
Despite all of the hype regarding TSS (a few of it justified), this shotgun is not any long-range hammer—at the very least because it got here out of the field. As lengthy as a hunter can respect the bounds of the 28—which as I stated on mine is about 40 yards—this new Mossberg is a enjoyable and succesful choice.