1878 LIFTER COMES THROUGH (FINALLY)
 

This gun has been a jinx. But not the gun's fault I am sure. Needed one more gobbler to fill out my three tags so it was do or die for the old 10 lifter on a number 2 frame. Thirty-five to forty yards, RST Lite 10s, 1 1/4 ounce #6. Choked .030 both barrels. Would have been a great video but stupid junk GoPro cut off on its own right in the middle of the point between strutting and the shot. Should have used the left barrel on the GoPro camera. A two or more year old tom, 19 lbs. 3 oz. with a 3 inch beard? Web says it is Beard Rot. The end looked like it was burned. But 1 1/2" hooks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmE9jcjLxD4

Congratulations, I am headed to New Mexico tomorrow for a week. I hope I am able to call half as good as you. Hunting the Gila Mountains its public land so a fair amount of pressure. Cannot wait!!!!

Good Luck. Thanks to global warming/climate change, the first week was a pleasure to hunt this year and the turkeys agreed with the warm weather, voicing their approval often. No frost like normal years.

Nice turkey and s super nice hammer gun!

Good job, Jerry. I had another beautiful morning with lots of gobbling. No luck. Frustration continues

Mills,

My first spring being retired reaffirmed what I already knew. I was in the woods before 6 a.m. and first daylight. We can only hunt until noon. I killed two turkeys at 10 a.m. and one at 11 a.m. So I would usually be headed to work when the lucky part of the day was just beginning. I know an old turkey hunter who never got up early and went out mid-morning, and always killed turkeys. I killed all three cold-calling. Not knowing where the turkeys were (no gobbling) but calling them to me from a distance, while I hid in a well thought out location. The old gobblers are lonely at that time, but quiet until they get close. And then only say a few words to the hen they are looking for. One never made a sound. I heard him drumming. If you hear them gobbling, that's where to go and cold-call later. Good Luck.

Great story! I have an 1878 lifter 12088. Is yours close?

Jerry I plan to give that mid morning hunting a chance this year. I notice that where we hunt almost everyone is out of the woods by 9:00 AM.
Also on the way out of the house today I remembered the 10 to 12 gauge reducers I was going to sell and grabbed a box of number 5's and my frame 5 10 an put it in the truck. Sure hope to take a bird with this gun.

About 650 guns away from yours.

My wife and I start our season here in MN tomorrow. I will be using a DH 12ga 30" bbls choked .022 and .038 using some 1 1/8oz #5 loads with a pressure of about 8000 so myself and the gun don't get beat up.
I just bought this gun about two months ago and can't wait to enjoy it in the field. I also bought a 10ga 32" #3 frame top lever hammer gun that I'm hoping to use for my WI season in two weeks. I'll be trying the RST 1 1/4oz 2 7/8" #6 in this gun.
Can't wait.

Good Luck. The 10 gauge RST load you are using is what I used to kill my turkey. Kind of slow at 1175 fps but they worked. Patterned well at 35 yards which is what I thought were their limit with only 1 1/4 ounces.

I'm sure they'll work fine as I don't shoot further than about 25-28 yards, just my choice.
I'll pattern it soon. I'm having a Silvers #3 pad put on it as it was ordered new with a short LOP and I wanted to make it a bit longer as to be more shootable. I'm not changing the buttstock curvature so I can put the steel buttplate back on in the future. My first hammer gun so I'm excited to give it a go.

The hardest thing for me to remember about a hammer gun is when I shoot only one time, I get up and walk around with a gun that still has one barrel cocked. I did it on the turkey and did it a lot when dove hunting.