John W
Next Monday , Maine wild turkey opens up.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 12:09

The plan is to head out early in the AM with one of three pre-scouted spots where I can hunt. This season will be a tad different. The state of Maine does not have a minimum barrel length for shotguns thus the TC Contender or Encore .410 pistol barrel is legal.

I know some are cringing but there are some using the TSS 9 shot to take down birds with the .410 in a handgun configuration.

A while back I bought an SSK .410 barrel with a very tight choke. The barrel is rifled in the sense that it is very shallow straight rifling which does not affect the spread.

I was a tad disappointed at the performance. As you can see here on a couple of targets, the patterns at 20-25 yards aren't impressive.

I know others who are using different chokes and loads to take birds at 30 to 40 yards. I know it is a stretch but I would like to see a tighter group so that a 30 yard bird is doable.

Maybe the smart thing would be to just put the 20 gauge 3" Encore barrel on the Encore frame and use some 20 gauge turkey loads.