Best Mossberg 500 Turkey Chokes: A Review and Buyer’s Guide

Introduction

Mossberg 500 is a popular pump-action shotgun. Many bird hunters love it due to its accuracy and ease of operation. This shotguns performance in turkey hunting can improve if you install the best choke tubes. Well, shooting turkey is not only fun but a sensitive endeavor.

 It isn’t like shooting waterfowls, plinking or for self-defense. In most shooting cases you’ll be looking widespread off damage. In turkey shooting, it is important to impact a wider swath of destruction than to do lots of damage to a small portion. 

As you may already know, a wounded turkey can still escape into the woods. To avoid this, you need to ensure your gun delivers a great knockdown shot that offers sudden humane kill, and this is where the turkey choke comes handy. It’s a device that attaches to the tip of your shotgun barrel and functions by restricting the spread of pellets to a smaller area. Hence, it offers maximum damage to a turkey’s vital organ, delivering instant and painless killing.

How Do You Select the Best Turkey Choke?

Before we dive into the best turkey choke reviews, let’s learn some basics. Here are two good-to-know things.

The Best Depends on the Kind of Load.

If you have high- powered load and a lower quantity of shot you’ll require a tighter choke that will deliver the same pellet number in the correct place.  Typically you’ll be looking at about 18 pellets in the head or neck of the target. If the choke capacity is below that, you’ll need to try a heavier shell.

The Range Affects Performance

If a choke puts 18 pellets at 40 yards range, it might be a bit wide at 50 yards.  Similarly, an ideal 75-yard choke will tend to be a bit tight at 40 or 50 yards. 

A Review of the Best Turkey Chokes

Beretta Choke-Tube Optimachoke HP “Ported Edition” 12 GA (The Best Overall Turkey Choke)

 Do you want to give your shotgun more power and accuracy? The Beretta Choke tube makes it super easy to achieve such great performance. 

It features stunning engineering as it is forged from the best material to ensure it withstands the heat of the competition. This choke offers perfect corrosion resistance and can withstand the consistency of steel shot thanks to the premium high-strength steel construction. 

Also, this choke tube is incredibly versatile as it is interchangeable on all Beretta barrels and 12 gauge shotguns featuring Optimachoke HP system. This choke fits tightly to ensure the barrel doesn’t get damaged thanks to the precision machined threads and upgraded cylinder engineering. The external and internal surfaces feature heat-treated coating to allow the best performance.

Pros

• Corrosion-proof
• Lightweight and robust
• Precisely engineered
• Versatile fit

Cons

• I have not found any significant limitations with the Beretta choke tubes.

Primos Jelly Head Maximum Turkey Choke

This turkey choke boasts innovative engineering with the 12 gauge shot in mind; a 20 gauge version is not available.

Using the number 4 shot, you’ll enjoy a reasonable spread up to 50 yards. It is also ideal for short-range if you are using the number 6 shot. 

This choke features a rather interesting design as it elongates a good two inches from the barrel. Thus, you won’t need a wrench to install this choke. It’s easy to fix into the barrel by merely twisting using your hand.

Along this tube are holes which allow reliable outgassing. It provides substantial reduction of recoil to save your shoulder from impacts. Every feature of this turkey choke seems perfect only that it isn’t compatible with steel shot. Besides, it boasts a rust-resistant coating to guarantee prolonged durability.

Pros

• Incredibly large port-holes
• Hassle-free installation
• Corrosion-resistant coating
• Fair price

Cons

• Not ideal for steel shot
• It’s only available for 12-gauge

​Carlson’s Choke Tubes, 20 Gauge

This turkey choke features a state of the art design and is exclusively designed for #6 Long Beard turkey shots. It is a nice round that will shoot the turkeys annihilating pattern within a range of 30 to 50 yards. You can go ahead with heavier, but I’m a bit skeptical regarding the benefits of using a heavier shot in a 20 gauge.

 Well, the shell is quite smaller than the 12 gauge, and hence you’ve fewer pellets to use. For this reason, I recommend the #6 shot for you to enjoy a reliable pattern. Besides, Carlson’s Choke isn’t compatible with a steel shot, but you shouldn’t worry as you can apply Hevi-shot load which offers incredible killing power. It is always proper to check your state’s regulation before you purchase the load. 

Unlike others, this turkey choke doesn’t have outgassing holes and therefore delivers high recoil but reliable power. Also, installing it requires a wrench hence requires some work. However, it is one of the affordable turkey chokes you’ll find around. If your gun is a 20-gauge Mossberg, this choke is the best.

Pros

• Compatible with Hevi-shot loads
• Versatile range performance
• Ideal for #6 shot
• Nice price tag

Cons

• Not ideal for steel shot
• Lacks ports

TruGlo Bone Collector SmackDown Choke Tube

If you’re looking for the best turkey choke, the TruGlo Bone Collector is a perfect option. It boasts precision machining technology and protrudes two inches from the barrel. Besides, it is built to last thanks to its corrosion-resistant finish. It is also glossy to spark a touch of elegance onto your gun. 

If you’re among those who fear high recoil, this is your turkey choke. It features a total of four port holes for efficient outgassing.

 Also, this is a versatile choke tube as it is available in both 12 gauge and 20 gauge sizes. Thus, it is compatible with any Mossberg 500 shotgun. It installs and comes out easily without the use of any tools. Also if the range allows, this turkey choke is ideal for .00 buckshot as it is engineered for 4 to 7-grain birdshot. The typical range for this device is 40 yards though this can largely depend on the ammo you’re firing. 

For a four-grain three-inch shot shell it can offer 12-inch spread at that range but can still land perfect shots at 70 yards. At this range, it’s obvious you’ll have too much spread, but it’s quite absurd to shoot turkeys at that yardage. Unfortunately, this turkey choke is designed to be used with lead shot only. Thus, it would be a problem if your state doesn’t allow lead ammunition. If you dare use steel shot, the bore will quickly degrade, lowering the efficiency as a result.

Pros

• Flawless installation
• Incredibly tight pattern
• Durable glossy finish
• Both 12 and 20 gauges are available

Cons

• Not compatible with steel shot

Carlson’s – Long Beard Turkey Choke Tubes

Here is another amazingly built turkey choke from Carlson’s. Like most turkey chokes, this one is made for a specific shot; none other than Winchester Long Beard turkey shot which is a number 4 shot. No wonder this choke is ideal for long-range hunting as it delivers impressive results when shooting at 60 yards or more. It isn’t advisable for short ranges like 20 yards because it will leave a slug-size hole. 

Amazingly, the installation of the Long Beard is a challenge as it fits all of it inside the barrel. Installing and removing it will require you to use a wrench. One negative aspect of this choke tube is that it isn’t compatible with steel shots. It is machined specially for lead shots, and hence you’ve to check with your state’s regulations.

 This choke tube is available in 12 gauge size only. Equipped with relatively small holes, it delivers lower recoil than others which don’t have holes at all. It’s worth trying number 5 and number 6 shots although it is built for a heavy shot. Since the spread will be wider, lighter shot yardage should be about 40 yards.

Pros

• Affordable 
• Specific for turkey shot
• Ideal for both short and long ranges
• Solid machining

Cons

• Available in 12-gauge only
• Pretty hard installation

Conclusion 

The ideal choke tube depends on the range and the load you’re using. Having given you a list of options, you can now purchase the best choke for your Mossberg 500. It is a beautiful gun, but it becomes a sophisticated and reliable hunting weapon when you install a perfect choke tube on the barrel. Once you’ve made your selection and fixed the gun, you can now enjoy turkey hunting to the maximum.