Range Report: Henry Single Shot Turkey

In those dark days before the emergence of tungsten turkey loads, very few hunters carried a .410-bore shotgun for gobblers because they wanted to. They hunted with a .410 because they had to. Either they were too young or recoil-shy to handle a larger gun, or a .410 was the only shotgun they owned. Loads for the .410 just didn’t hold enough No. 6 lead pellets to reliably dispatch longbeards past 20 yards—an unfavorable constraint in the spring woods.

Most turkey hunters (except maybe those with an envious amount of time on their hands) still don’t want to limit their shots to 20 yards, but soft-shooting, wand-like .410 shotguns are becoming increasingly popular gobbler guns. Thanks to incredibly dense Tungsten Super Shot (TSS), the effective range of the .410 as a turkey gun has virtually doubled.

While smaller TSS pellets substantially increase pattern density and range, a hunter still must deliver a good swarm of them to a turkey’s head and neck to kill the bird cleanly. The recently introduced Henry Single Shot Turkey is purpose-built for that exact task. Cloaked in Mossy Oak Bottomland, the break-action shotgun is designed with features to help hunters get the most performance out of modern .410 loads while in pursuit of longbeards.

The Single Shot Turkey (model H015T-410) is a full-size shotgun with a 14-inch length of pull. I mention this up front lest anyone get the notion that the gun is made for kids just because it’s a .410. The Single Shot Turkey is sized to fit adults, and it is worth mentioning that the gun’s mild recoil makes it a good choice for both experienced hunters who are tired of getting thumped by heavier loads and adult beginners who are reluctant to take such abuse. (Henry does offer a youth-size .410, model H015Y-410, but it’s a general-purpose scattergun without turkey-specific features.)

Pushing the locking lever located at the rear of the steel receiver to the left or right opens the gun. Simpler and quieter to load than a pump or semi-automatic gun, the Single Shot Turkey doesn’t have a cross-bolt or sliding safety to contend with, either. The gun will not fire until the external hammer is cocked and the trigger is pulled. There is no half-cock position; the rebounding hammer will not contact the firing pin in the receiver unless the trigger is held fully to the rear while the hammer drops. Removing the index finger from the trigger while lowering the hammer safely returns it to the forward position. The action will not open or close if the hammer is cocked.

Chambered for 3-inch shells, the Single Shot Turkey is equipped with a stout, spring-loaded ejector. It quickly clears an empty hull or a loaded shell from the chamber with a force that may be surprising. Placing a hand behind the ejector before the barrel is tipped fully downward prevents a hull or shell from flying from the chamber.

At the other end of the 26-inch barrel, Henry provides an Invector-style extended turkey choke tube rated for TSS. The choke tube is removable, allowing hunters to use aftermarket models that perform best with their chosen loads. However, the factory choke tube produces impressive patterns with TSS and many hunters will see no reason to change it.

The Single Shot Turkey comes with fiber-optic, rifle-style sights. The front sight is a post with a green insert that contrasts with its two red counterparts that highlight the narrow notch in the rear sight. Moving the rear sight up or down a ramp adjusts elevation; drifting the top component of the assembly left or right in a dovetail addresses windage. For hunters who want to add an optic, the rear of the barrel is drilled and tapped for a Weaver 82 base.

Beneath the stock’s camo finish is American black walnut. Panels of deep checkering on the fore-end and grip improve purchase, and the stock has two sling swivel studs. With a full-size walnut buttstock and a steel receiver, the shotgun has a slightly butt-heavy feel. This puts more weight closer to the body, making the gun easier to support while waiting for a tom to strut within range.

Firing the Single Shot Turkey with 3-inch TSS loads was a joy compared to shooting turkey ammo in 12- and 20-gauge guns. Its nearly 7-pound weight, plus the buttstock’s rubber recoil pad, reduced the already minimal kick produced by .410 loads to not much more than a pop. Another feature I appreciated during testing was the crisp trigger that broke at 2 1/2 pounds of pull weight. I can’t remember ever shooting a turkey shotgun, or any shotgun for that matter, with a trigger that good.

I am a big believer in red-dot optics on turkey guns, so I mounted a Burris Fastfire 4 reflex sight to the Single Shot Turkey for testing. At the range, I fired three different TSS loads at 35 yards and for each pattern counted the number of pellets in a 10-inch circle. I repeated the test five times with each load. The results showed just how deadly a properly set-up .410 can be on turkeys. Two loads put considerably more than 100 pellets in the circle. The best pattern of the test, shot with the new Apex Mossy Oak Greenleaf Turkey load with 7/8 ounce of No. 9 and 10 TSS, had a whopping 230 hits!

With today’s loads tailored for longbeards, the .410 bore is no longer just a small-game shotgun. Hunters questioning whether the .410 is an honest option for gobblers need look no further than the effectiveness of the Henry Single Shot Turkey for their answer.

SPECIFICATIONS: Henry Single Shot Turkey

• Type: break-action shotgun
• Bore: .410
• Chamber: 3”
• Barrel: 26"; Invector-style turkey choke tube
• Trigger: single stage; 2 1/2-lb. pull weight
• Safety: rebounding hammer
• Sights: rifle-style fiber-optic; barrel drilled and tapped for mounting optics
• Stock: American black walnut with Mossy Oak Bottomland finish
• Metal Finish: Mossy Oak Bottomland
• Overall Length: 41 1/2"
• Weight: 6.73 lbs.
• MSRP: $780

PATTERN RESULTS

Apex Mossy Oak Greenleaf Turkey TSS

• Payload: 7/8 oz.
• Shot Size: No. 9 and 10v
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,060 fps
• Pellets in 10" Circle: 174

Browning TSS Tungsten Turkey

• Payload: 13/16 oz.
• Shot Size: No. 9
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,100 fps
• Pellets in 10" Circle: 129

Federal Premium Heavyweight TSS

• Payload: 13/16 oz.
• Shot Size: No. 8
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,100 fps
• Pellets in 10" Circle: 72

Muzzle velocity is listed as reported by manufacturer. Number of pellets in 10" circle is the average of five consecutive patterns fired from a sandbag rest at 35 yards.

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• This article was featured in the March 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe.