Turkey hunters know that the head is the thing, the prime target — and that it’s also the prime problem. That’s because a tom turkey’s head rarely holds still, bobbing and weaving like a professional boxer defending his title.

Which is one reason a hunter needs a shotgun shooting a generous but lethal pattern. A pattern tight enough to fill a hunting tag, but wide enough to allow for a quick head shift.

The traditional way to solve this head problem has been to use a 12-gauge shotgun and feed it a steady diet of 3.0-inch and even 3.5-inch turkey shells. It works. But that rig can also slam back like a Civil War-era cannon, and more than a couple hunters have missed their tom thanks to a hefty flinch in anticipation of the god-awful recoil. 

But as tungsten continues to become a more common material for shotgun pellets, and the effective range of these tungsten shells has increased, smaller-bore shotguns are increasingly capable of taking a big bird, at close ranges but at some distance, too.

A 28-Gauge

Which is a long way to say: Mossberg has introduced a lighter recoiling 28-gauge turkey gun that can do the job and, when paired with new, high-tech loads, can do so at solid turkey hunting distances.

Mossberg’s new Silver Reserve Eventide Turkey 28-gauge over-and-under is a nifty little scattergun weighing in at just 6.5 pounds. Imported from Turkey and made to Mossberg’s specifications, the gun is comfortable in hand and on the shoulder for both adult and youth shooters, with much-reduced recoil compared to its 12-gauge brothers. It’s also very capable of taking down Mr. Tom, in no small part due to its ability to use 3-inch shells. It’s one of the very few 28-gauge shotguns to even have a 3-inch chamber.

This newest addition to Mossberg’s Reserve O/U series is a more effective choice thanks to the ever-increasing number of tungsten-based loads in the 28-gauge, several of which I ran through my test shotgun.

Features

Compact with an overall length of just under 38-inches, the Silver Reserve Eventide Turkey still features a 20-inch barrel. The barrel sports a vented rib and a red fiber-optic front sight.  

Like all models in the Silver Reserve Turkey O/U line up, the 28-gauge stock and forend are manufactured from durable, synthetic materials, with both finished in the Mossy Oak Greenleaf pattern. The Greenleaf finish covers the barrel and receiver, too; the Mossberg logo is engraved on the receiver.

Other standard features include shell extractors and two extended XX-choke tubes included plus one Improved Cylinder tube. The chrome-lined bores and chambers provide corrosion resistance. Dual locking lugs make for a very solid lock up. A tang-mounted safety, which also operates as a barrel selector, rounds out the features.

Warne, Meet Trijicon 

The red fiber-optic front sight on the Mossberg popped nicely. But I knew my shooting would be better with some optical help. One small problem: an O/U shotgun really isn’t set up to mount an optic, certainly not the way a pump or semi-automatic shotgun is with their more traditional receivers. 

Actually, this wasn’t a problem at all. Warne Scope Mounts made it easy.

One of Warne’s newer products is the Red-Dot Shotgun Rib Reflex Mount (SKU: 6108M), which attaches right to the barrel’s rib. The Rib Reflex Mount features three mounting screws per side which attached firmly to the rib and the unit weighed in at just 1.6 ounces. The mount fits over a dozen specific red-dot optics and a half-dozen optic footprints.

One of those matching footprints is the Trijicon RMR. Having recently reviewed it for this very publication, I had the new Trijicon RCR closed-emitter red-dot on hand. Yes, it is built on the RMR footprint. 

Trijicon manufactured the RCR tactical-tough, so I had no worries about taking the optic afield on the Mossberg for my own turkey hunting. I liked the fact that the RCR is a closed emitter, too, so I didn’t have to worry about mud and rain getting between emitter and lens.

I affixed the Rib Reflex Mount and the RCR to the Mossberg in just five minutes.

Heavy Metal

Every turkey hunting season produces more tungsten-based shells, and this year Hevi-Shot launched two new 28-gauge, 3-inch versions: HEVI-18 Turkey loaded with 1 ¼ ounce of No. 9 TSS pellets; and Magnum Blend, with 1 ounce of Nos. 5, 6 and 7 pellets made from a somewhat less heavy tungsten mix compared to the HEVI-18.  

APEX Ammunition produces some top tungsten loads, too, and I used their Turkey Ninja TSS packed with 1 3/8-ounces of #8.5 shot in a 2 ¾ inch shell.

Patterns

First, I zeroed the shotgun and RCR using Fiocchi’s High Velocity upland load, a 3-inch option delivering 1-ounce of No. 5 lead shot. Shooting at 20 yards, I needed only four of the Fiocchi’s to get the RCR on point.

I used Champion Life-Size Turkey Targets and Primos Shotgun Patterning Turkey targets. I shot these targets with the tungsten-based shells at 30 yards, from both sitting and standing positions. For the relatively diminutive 28 gauge, patterns were impressive.

Apex Ninja Turkey TSS scored over 40 hits on the vitals of one turkey target. 

Hevi-18’s best drilled the head and neck of a target with 52 pellets.

On a shot specifically aimed at the head, the Hevi Magnum-Blend came through with a 25-count blitz.

Even more impressive: The backsides of the paper targets revealed palm-sized patterns surrounding the target head and neck areas, patterns large enough to defeat most head twitches.

A Solid Rig 

The Eventide Turkey’s single trigger fires off both barrels, first one and then the other, depending on the barrel selector setting. The trigger did have some uptake. The first barrel pull measured out at 4 pounds, 14 ounces on average, the second at 3 pounds, 5 ounces.

The ejectors performed well, offering up the ends of the 28-gauge shells. Recoil was very manageable with the inch-wide rubber butt pad doing its job.

To me, the shotgun just felt really good in hand and on the shoulder. I did take it turkey hunting for two days. I didn’t have any luck but I practiced in the field aiming from a seat and bipod, as well as swinging on target from sitting and standing positions. Had Tom appeared within 40 yards, I knew I could drop him.

The RCR and the Warne mount were first-rate additions, too. The RCR’s red dot came right to my eye. The controls adjusted the dot’s brightness quickly as light conditions changed, and the optic provided a wide field of view. 

Selling the 28

A key and very visual feature that will catch a customer’s attention is the 28-gauge Silver Reserve’s compact size. The 20-inch barrels and lightweight 6.5 pounds promise maneuverability whether hunting in the woods or from a blind.  

To highlight the shotgun’s nifty size, consider displaying a Silver Reserve alongside a full-sized turkey gun. And be ready to answer questions!

Potential customers might be a bit confused as to why an over-and-under can be a great choice for the turkey hunter. Part of that is the compact size. Another is the O/U’s ability to customize the choke tubes for varying distances or shot type. A hunter can outfit one barrel with the provided XX-Full choke for longer shots and the Improved Cylinder for the tom that unexpectedly pops up three trees over.

Don’t be shy about noting the 28-gauge’s reduced recoil compared to its 12- and 20-gauge brethren, too.  

Of course, give the Mossy Oak Greenleaf finish its due. The camo pattern blends in wonderfully with most vegetation. Note, too, that the synthetic stock and forend will provide years of hard use in the field, where it counts.

In-Store Help

According to Brian Krouse, Mossberg’s director of sales, Mossberg dealers can expect a good deal of in-store help from the gun maker. 

“We offer in-store signage and POP materials to our dealers,” Krouse noted. “We also offer product catalogs and item spec sheets, and we tailor dealer training to their needs. For that training, a meeting with one of our regional sales managers will determine what we can do to help out a specific dealer and their staff.”

Mossberg dealers must purchase firearms through a Mossberg distributor. Mossberg partners with all the major industry distributors, including Amchar, Big Rock Sports, Bill Hicks, Chattanooga Shooters, Camfour, Kinseys, Lipsey's, and Sports South, plus many others. 

Not already a Mossberg dealer? Make that happen by filling out the dealer application at 

https://resources.mossberg.com/become-a-mossberg-dealer. A Mossberg representative will be in touch soon afterwards.

Marketing Efforts

Mossberg firearms receive regular and significant coverage all across the shooting sports media outlets, including print and digital, as well as social media and influencers. 

 Linda Powell, Mosberg’s director of media relations, noted that the Silver Reserve 28-gauge itself had received very positive coverage in Field & Stream Online and Hunting Retailer. Various editors, writers and social media influencers also had the Silver Reserves on hand for reviews and hunts. Powell expected additional coverage for the shotgun as we approach the 2024 fall turkey hunting season and the all-important spring season next year.