Rob Roberts hails from Batesville, Ark. and spent many years hunting the woods in the Razorback State, along with shooting scatterguns in the sporting clays, skeet, and trap competition circuits. With years of his own expertise and working on some of the guns of the world’s best competitive shooters, the Rob Roberts Gun Works Final Strut Turkey Tube turns out the lights again and again on a springtime longbeard roaming the woods in loud-mouthed fashion. (Photo courtesy of Rob Roberts Gun Works)
March 30, 2023
By Lynn Burkhead
In days gone by, spring turkey hunters made do with the standard-issue full and modified fixed chokes that came with their shotguns, do-it-all scatterguns that handled everything from September mourning doves to November mallards to January’s big old Canada goose honkers dropping onto a snow-covered field.
But as the springtime hunting game has changed to become more specialized, guns, chokes, and ammunition have become more tailor-made for issuing an invite to the dinner table for a longbeard that struts about and gobbles his head off.
With recent advancements in choke-making technology and hard-hitting ammunition, there are a number of choke tubes on the market that deliver blistering tight patterns.
If you're looking to tweak a new or existing turkey gun setup, keep these 10 turkey hunting shotgun choke options in mind this spring:
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Carlson's Long Beard XR Turkey Choke Tube The Carlson's Long Beard XR Turkey Choke is locked and lethal in the springtime woods, delivering legendary results gleaned from quality construction and nearly 30 years of data for the Kansas company. (Photo courtesy of Carlson's Choke Tubes) The Carlson's Choke Tube booth was a popular stop at the 2023 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, and it's no wonder, given the Kansas company's reputation for producing top-flight choke tubes. That’s thanks to CNC milling of solid 17-4 heat-treated stainless steel to go along with almost three decades of load and choke tube data. Originally produced to work with Winchester's Long Beard XR Turkey Loads, the Carlson's turkey choke tube gives up 10 percent greater shot pellet penetration on a gobbler’s boiler room, extremely tight patterns, and lethal knock-down power on the terminal end of the shot. Backed by a lifetime warranty, these American-made turkey choke tubes can be matched to numerous shotgun models and work with a variety of shotshells (except for steel shot larger than #4, according to the company). choketube.com | $69.99
Carlson's TSS Turkey Choke Tube The TSS ammunition makers across the turkey hunting world have certainly revolutionized the springtime gobbler getting game. With multiple TSS designed choke tubes on the market, the Carlson's TSS Turkey Choke Tube is one of the best. (Photo courtesy of Carlson’s Choke Tubes) There's little doubt that TSS (Tungsten Super Shot) has revolutionized many corners of the turkey hunting world, opening up gobbler getting potential for smaller sub-gauge scatterguns like the .410. With specialized tubes available for TSS loads, that has opened the door for optimized performances with tubes like Carlson's TSS Turkey Choke Tubes, designed originally for Federal Premium Heavyweight TSS Turkey Loads. When using smaller TSS shot pellet sizes in the #7 to #9 range (this tube will work with other brands of TSS ammo), it all works to deliver TSS payloads as much as 56 percent heavier in density than traditional lead turkey shotshell loads. That means more pellets sent downrange and incredibly effective shotgun ranges (always pattern your turkey shotgun, choke, and load combinations before heading afield). choketube.com | $62.99
Indian Creek Black Diamond Strike Turkey Choke Tube Have a .410 that you want to shoot this spring? Along with turkey choke tubes for other gauges, Indian Creek Shooting Systems offers turkey choke tubes for the lightweight sub-gauge becoming more popular in the woods. (Photo courtesy of Indian Creek Shooting Systems) The state of Missouri is known as the Show Me State, and the Indian Creek Shooting System company isn't afraid to step up to that challenge. And that's true on the competition range where Indian Creek choke tubes won several NWTF Still Target World Championships in a row, as well as in the springtime woods for big gobblers roaming the Missouri woods and beyond. The Black Diamond Strike Turkey Choke Tube will work with four shotgun gauges (12, 20, 10, and .410), and is compatible with all lead and hybrid heavy shot loads from #2 through #10 pellet sizes. All of this is designed to increase pattern density by an amazing 40 percent or better, and with more pellets in the kill zone, the result is tighter groups down range. indiancreekss.com | $85.95
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JEBS Turkey Choke Tube JEBS Turkey Choke Tube. (Photo courtesy of JEBS) If you've got a new 28-gauge Benelli SBE 3 shotgun, then you might be looking for a specialty turkey choke tube to put in the end of that sub-gauge barrel for springtime hunting. JEBS Chokes can help with the Georgia-based company's new turkey choke tube for the 28 gauge (they also offer turkey tubes for 12, 20, .410, and 10 gauges). American-made, the tubes feature the company's revolutionary interior-bore design, are built with rigorous specs and quality-control standards—all of which have led shotgunners using JEBS choke tubes to capture several NWTF Still Target World Championship titles. For scattergun enthusiasts working a box call this spring, the only title that matters is a downed longbeard that is strutting and refusing to come any closer, a job that the JEBS Turkey Choke Tube is made to handle. jebschokes.com | $100
Kick's Gobblin' Thunder Turkey Choke Tube One of the original turkey choke tube makers in the hunting industry, Kick’s Gobblin' Thunder Turkey Choke Tube still delivers one of the best jellyhead wallops on a longbeard’s strutting noggin each spring. (Photo courtesy of Kick's Chokes) An award-winner, the Kick's Thunder Choke Tube is one of the industry's original longbeard-getting designs, working to consistently deliver a 14-to 16-inch pattern downrange at distances of up to 40 yards. Available in one of the turkey hunting industry's widest range of available shotgun gauges (12, 10, 20, 16, 28, and .410), this choke tube is machined to high tolerance standards. When that milling ability is turned loose on the 17-4ph stainless steel, the Gobblin' Thunder's unique conical/parallel internal design and outward angled diagonal ports give pattern density improvements of up to 20 percent, along with a reduction of muzzle jump and felt recoil. The end result is the idea that Kick’s started with many years ago—that with the right combination of a shotgun, turkey ammo, and choke tube constriction, an affordable and high-quality product that will last a lifetime. kicks-ind.com | $59.99
Patternmaster Anaconda Striker Choke Tube Patternmaster choke tubes are made from aircraft-quality 17-4ph stainless steel. (Photo courtesy of Patternmaster) Patternmaster is a Pennsylvania company with choke-tube makers that are part engineer, part artisan, and part turkey hunter. Add that combination up, and include Patternmaster's patented Coil Zone gas over constriction technology and the result is a tube that delivers crushing results downrange. In fact, this tube provides some of the best bang-for-your-buck turkey getting performance on the market today. It's a design that delivers consistently tight Full to Extra Full patterns at an effective range of up to 60 yards. Made from aircraft-quality 17-4ph stainless steel and powder coated with a military-spec Chemical Agent Resistant Coating (CARC), this turkey tube will last a lifetime. patternmaster.com | $74.99
Patternmaster Code Black Turkey Choke Tube The Patternmaster Code Black Turkey tube delivers on the company’s rich legacy of design perfection. (Photo courtesy of Patternmaster) Long positioned near the top of the crowded choke-tube industry, the Patternmaster Code Black Turkey tube delivers on the company’s rich legacy of design perfection and stellar in-the-field results. The Code Black Turkey Tube achieves amazing downrange pattern performance thanks to a variety of technologies, which is no surprise for a company with multiple U.S. patents. To accomplish its goals of swarming patterns downrange and a gobbler on the dinner table, the Code Black Turkey tube uses Separating Ring technology and proprietary canoe-porting, which shortens shot-strings by as much as 75 percent versus other constriction tubes. Built from titanium-infused 17-4ph stainless steel and the work of craftsmen with more than 100 years of experience, these products are among the best in the game for multiple shotgun gauges and brands. patternmaster.com | $99.99
Primos Maximum Range Jellyhead Turkey Choke Tube The Primos Jellyhead Maximum Turkey Choke Tube is one of the industry standards, and it comes with a highly affordable price tag too. (Photo courtesy of Primos) Will Primos and the legendary Primos call-making gang down in Mississippi have carved out a reputation of turning out some of the outdoor industry's best products, and that includes turkey hunting with the Primos Maximum Range Jellyhead Turkey Choke Tube. Utilizing an extended range taper, fluted ports that tighten patterns up to 20 percent, and recoil-reducing design, and this tube increases effective shotgun range and delivers dense patterns downrange. With a proprietary Black-T coating, a process that prevents corrosion on weapons that is reportedly used by U.S. Special Forces, this is a great turkey hunting choke tube option at an amazingly affordable price. primos.com | $59.99
Primos TSS Jellyhead Turkey Choke Tube Primos has made specialized choke tubes for years that allow spring turkey hunters to knock down a big old jellyhead gobbler sounding off at the edge of effective range, all at an affordable price point. With the appearance of TSS (Tungsten Super Shot) loads a few years ago, the Primos engineers did it again, delivering a top-shelf product that won’t break the bank. (Photo courtesy of Primos) Built on the long-running Jellyhead choke tube design, the appearance of TSS loads a few years ago caused the choke tube makers at Primos to up their manufacturing game with the arrival of game-changing Tungsten Super Shot loads. The Mississippi company's TSS Jellyhead turkey tubes are popular today with springtime hunters using HEVI-Shot, copper-plated, and even traditional lead shot, according to the company. And with easy tool-less installation and an affordable price tag, and this is another great product from the legendary outdoors industry company that Will Primos built from the ground up. And as Mr. Primos likes to say, that's the truth. primos.com | $75.99
Rob Roberts Custom Gun Works Final Strut Turkey Choke Tube The Rob Roberts Gun Works Final Strut Turkey Tube. (Photo courtesy of Rob Roberts Gun Works) A passionate hunter and outdoorsman throughout his life, Rob Roberts spent many years shooting competitively in the world of sporting clays, skeet, and trap. Hailing from Batesville, Ark., Roberts spent large amounts of time around some of the world's top shotgun shooters, leading to his working on guns, learning what makes them tick, and eventually opening up his own company that produces some of the industry's top products designed to deliver amazing shotshell pattern performances. That includes the Rob Roberts Gun Works Final Strut Turkey Tube, which when combined with the correct turkey load, delivers consistent kills out to 50 yards or more. A product years in development process, Rob Roberts' turkey tubes have been tested on paper, in the woods, and analyzed to perform at their best whenever the scattergun trigger is pulled. robrobertsgunworks.com | $90
