Stevens 301 Turkey 20 Gauge 26 in. Single Shot – Superb Mossy Oak Bottomland

Description

The Stevens 301 Turkey 20 Gauge is about as much gun as turkey hunting actually requires, and considerably less money than most people spend finding that out. One barrel, one shell, a break-action lockup, and a Mossy Oak Bottomland stock that disappears against a hardwood trunk.

What makes this the turkey version rather than the plain 301 is the Picatinny rail on the receiver and the extra-full choke tube in the box. The Stevens 301 Turkey 20 Gauge therefore arrives ready for a red dot and already choked tight, which are the two things a turkey gun needs and a field gun does not.

What the turkey configuration gives you

• The Stevens 301 Turkey 20 Gauge has a Picatinny rail molded into the carbon steel receiver, so a red dot or a low-power scope mounts without drilling.
• An extra-full choke tube included, which is the constriction turkey loads want and no general-purpose shotgun ships with.
• Mossy Oak Bottomland on a synthetic stock: a genuinely good pattern for early-season hardwoods.
• A recoil pad and sling swivel studs fitted as standard.
• Twenty gauge rather than twelve, which matters a great deal when you are sitting against a tree holding the gun up for twenty minutes.

Living with a single shot

• The Stevens 301 Turkey 20 Gauge holds one round. There is no follow-up unless you break the action, eject and reload, which takes a couple of seconds you will not have.
• That is less of a limitation on turkeys than on anything else you might shoot, because the first shot is the shot.
• Break-action lockup means nothing to jam and nothing to short-stroke, and the gun can be carried visibly open and obviously safe.
• Three-inch chamber, so it handles full-power turkey loads as well as light field shells.
• Forty-one inches overall with a 26-inch barrel, which is short enough to swing in cover.

Stevens 301 Turkey 20 Gauge specifications

• Gauge: 20
• Chamber: 3 in
• Capacity: 1 round
• Action: break action, single shot
• Barrel length: 26.00 in, matte black steel
• Overall length: 41.00 in
• Receiver: carbon steel with Picatinny rail
• Stock: synthetic, Mossy Oak Bottomland, recoil pad, swivel studs
• Chokes: internal, extra-full turkey tube included
• Manufacturer part number: 19618
• UPC: 011356196187

Shotshell dimensions and pressures are standardized and published by SAAMI, and a 3-inch chamber will safely take 2-3/4 inch shells as well. Pattern the Stevens 301 Turkey 20 Gauge before you hunt with it: a single shot gives you one chance, and knowing where the center of your pattern sits at forty yards is not optional.

For turkeys with the Stevens 301 Turkey 20 Gauge, Winchester Magnum number 5 lead is the traditional choice through a tight choke. For general use and for anywhere that requires non-toxic shot, Federal Raptor Steel number 4 is the practical option.

If you want the same gun in a different gauge, the range runs from the .410 in black through the plain 20 gauge and the 20 gauge compact, up to the 12 gauge Turkey in the same Bottomland finish. If you would rather have a semi-automatic, the Beretta A300 Ultima Turkey is the step up.

Why the Stevens 301 Turkey 20 Gauge earns its place

• A rail and a turkey choke included, which together cost most of the difference over the plain 301.
• Twenty gauge is enough gun for turkeys inside forty yards and far kinder to carry and hold.
• Break action: nothing to jam, nothing to learn, and obviously safe when open.
• Cheap enough to leave in a blind, a truck or a barn without worrying about it.
• The right first shotgun for a young or new hunter, and it still shoots turkeys when they outgrow it.

Be realistic about the single shot. If you want a second barrel or a magazine, this is not the gun, and no amount of enthusiasm changes that. For dove, clays or anything where volume matters, buy a pump or a semi-auto instead.

For turkeys specifically, and for teaching someone to make the first round count, it is close to ideal. The Stevens 301 Turkey 20 Gauge costs less than most people spend on a decoy spread, patterns well with the tube it ships with, and takes a dot without a gunsmith. That is a genuinely well-judged product.

In stock now at MAG5 Firearms in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Transfers to your FFL, and we answer the phone.