The Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is a hub that attracts fantastic outfitters, vendors, companies, and speakers. The 2024 GAOS was a thrill, as I eagerly anticipated meeting old friends and making some new ones. Among the companies I was most excited to reconnect with was Mossberg Guns.
On the opening morning of the GOAS show, I made a beeline to the Hall of Guns to visit the Mossberg Gun booth. The SA-410 turkey gun has been my trusted companion, delivering fantastic results over the past two years. I was eager to share the pictures and videos of my successful hunts with the Mossberg team.
When I arrived at the booth, I took a minute to walk around to see their display. Josh from Mossberg greeted me, listened to my stories, and enjoyed my videos and pictures. I asked Josh if Mossberg had anything new for 2024 that I could see. A large grin grew across Josh’s face, and he asked Wes to grab the new turkey gun.
Wes grabbed a gun from the display and walked in our direction. As he closed the distance, I could see a turkey gun, which looked interesting. The Mossy Oak Bottomlands Greenleaf camo was perfect. This new SA model had a pistol grip and was in 28 gauge. Wes passed me the gun, and I shouldered it. The gun was solid against my shoulder, and the Dead Ringer optics made it easy to see down the barrel. I had to have one!
Purchase at Guns.com: Mossberg SA-28 Tactical Turkey Shotgun
Options to put Optics on my new Mossberg SA-28
After drooling over the SA-28 at the Mossberg booth, I decided the gun needed a Red Dot or a scope. I walked down the aisle, looking for the Hawke booth. I heard Hawke sold both Red Dot and traditional turkey scopes, and they were at the GAOS. Surprisingly, the Hawke booth was close to the Mossberg booth.
Two energetic employees working the Hawke booth greeted me. They asked what I was looking for, and I told them I needed optics for a Mossberg SA-28. One employee reached into the glass case and pulled out a turkey scope I had never heard of. Grinning ear to ear, the employee started telling me all about their Hawke Vantage IR Turkey Scope. After listening carefully to all the details, I was amazed that the scope had three reticle settings. The employee handed me the scope, and I looked through it. I was impressed with the sight picture and how light the scope was. The minute I turned the illumination rheostat, and the reticle glowed green, I knew this was the scope I was looking for! I thanked the two employees as they bagged up my scope and a range finder.
See our Review of the HAWKE Vantage IR Scope
Ammunition Selection – Verdict TSS
After I returned home from the show, I emailed Mossberg all the information needed to ship the SA-28 to my local shop and waited patiently. Since I had time to wait, I had plenty of time to purchase a Rectifire 28-gauge Spade series choke tube and Verdict #9-shot TSS. I had fantastic success with that combo for my Mossberg SA-410, so I trusted my gut and placed my order.
Waiting for news about my SA-28 arriving took forever. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait very long. After a two-week wait, my local gun shop called to report that the gun was in and that I could pick it up when I had time. The next day, after school, I stopped at the shop, filled out the necessary paperwork, and took the gun home. I couldn’t wait to put the gun together and add the accessories I purchased.
Putting It All Together
I placed the SA-28 in my Gunsmith’s Maintenance Center and used the four provided screws to attach the Picatinny rail. After the rail was attached, I used the Hawke low-profile scope rings and attached the Vantage IR scope. Next, I made sure the scope was level and tightened the screws.
The SA-28 comes with an extra full turkey choke, but I knew from experience that a Rectifire choke works fantastic with Verdict ammunition. I unscrewed the Mossberg choke and replaced it with the Spade series Rectifire choke. Lastly, I used my laser boresight kit to boresight the scope. The gun was finally ready to shoot!
Patterning the Mossberg SA-28
After two weeks of rain, snow, and high winds, there was finally a calm day on which I could pattern the SA-28. I grabbed all my targets, the lead sled, a table, and 28-gauge ammo. It took me a few minutes to set everything up and place the target at twenty yards. I couldn’t wait to see how the gun performed.
I loaded the SA-28 with one Federal 9-shot shell. I like to use cheaper ammunition to pattern the choke and move the scope before shooting the TSS ammo. I adjusted the Hawke Vantage IR scope to four power, focused on the center of the target, and slowly squeezed the trigger.
The Mossberg barked, and the 9 shot peppered the target. I made sure the gun was clear and put the safety on. I walked to the target and observed the pattern. I was pleasantly surprised that the pattern was tight and only a few inches left of the center of the target. I was confident the gun was ready for the Verdict 9-shot TSS.
I replaced the target with a new 12×18 Turkey Splattering Target and returned to my gun. My heart raced with anticipation as I loaded one Verdict 9-shot TSS shell. I centered the crosshairs of the Hawke scope on the turkey target and pulled the trigger. The splattering target showed the pattern’s center was an inch low and two inches left. I replaced the target with another splattering target and then moved it back to forty yards.
I moved the scope up two inches before shooting the next shot at forty yards. Unfortunately, I forgot to adjust the scope to the right! I chambered another Verdict shell and fired it at the forty-yard target. The scope adjustment improved the gun’s pattern, but I was still left of the center. I needed to move the target back to twenty yards and adjust the scope two inches to the right.
Final Adjustments
After seeing the forty-yard pattern, my confidence was high. I replaced the splattering target again and brought it back to twenty yards. Before I shot another shell, the Hawke scope needed to be adjusted to the right two inches. I made the necessary adjustments and loaded another Verdict shell.
The SA-28 was solid in the Lead Sled, and I slowly pulled the trigger. The splattering target showed the pattern was still half an inch to the left, but I was shocked at how tight it was. I was happy with the third shot’s result and knew I could bump the scope another half inch and be centered. The gun was now ready for the Pennsylvania Spring Turkey Season.
Heading into the Turkey Woods to hunt
Turkey season couldn’t come fast enough. I wanted to hunt with the SA-28 in the worst way. The Pennsylvania turkey season finally arrived on Saturday, May 4th. My son and I woke up early and headed to our property. I called in two gobblers but was unable to get a shot. My son squeezed the trigger on his 12-gauge and knocked a bird stone dead. I hunted the rest of the morning, but I couldn’t locate a lonely bird.
I was up before school the following Monday, ready to go to the woods. I hunted until I had to leave for school, but the woods were silent. I did the same thing the following day, and the woods were eerily quiet. I wasn’t sure where the turkeys had gone, but I knew I needed to find out. I used Wednesday morning to scout for turkeys and located three large love-sick toms strutting in my neighbor’s field.
Later that day, I texted my neighbor, asking permission to hunt his property. He replied quickly, permitted me, and wished me luck. I couldn’t wait to set up on those toms the following day. I had a feeling the morning would be one I wouldn’t forget.
Success – score on a Big Gobbler
On Thursday, May 9th, I woke up at 4:30 a.m. hoping to fill one of my Pennsylvania tags. I gathered my Mossberg SA-28 and the decoys and headed out the door. The morning air was cool, and I knew that rain was approaching. I prayed the rain would hold off until my hunt was over.
Quietly, I snuck through the open field to set up along the tree line, where I saw the gobblers strutting the previous morning. I picked out an open area to sit where I could see the plowed field. I laid my SA-28 on the ground and set up my decoy spread. The two decoys gave the illusion of Jake trying to breed a hen. I returned to the tree line, grabbed my SA-28, and sat at the base of a cherry tree.
The eastern sky was on fire with vibrant, colorful shades of red. I watched the sunrise and listened carefully for the first gobble. A lone gobbler broke the silence with a long, deep gobble. Three more birds erupted in the ravine behind me. My heart skipped a beat as I finished saying my morning prayers.
I had a Mountain Hollow Game Call in my mouth but resisted calling the gobblers too soon. Crows called back and forth, causing the turkeys to double and triple gobble. I looked at my decoys, hoping the birds would be interested if they made it into the open field. The gobblers gobbled back and forth at each other every few minutes. I remained tight-lipped and didn’t make any calls.
The familiar sound of wings flapping told me that one of the birds had left his roost. More wings flapped, and all the birds were on the ground. I could hear spitting and drumming behind me, and I thought I would get busted. I sat still and hoped the tom would emerge in the field, but he gobbled and walked down the ravine.
A million questions ran through my head, but I calmed myself and concentrated on calling the turkey back to me. I made a few soft yelps, and three birds cut me off! I knew the birds were close but couldn’t see them. The three amigos continued gobbling at each other and kept me hopeful that they would emerge to see the decoys.
Finally, I looked to my right and saw the three strutters in the field. All the birds had long beards and were trying to show off in the field. Slowly, I reached down and turned on the red reticle on the Hawke scope. With all the green foliage, the red dot would be better than the green. I needed the trio to close the distance and come to the decoys.
Yelp, Yelp, Yelp, I softly called. Thunderous gobbles broke the silence! The birds were interested but unwilling to close the distance. The lead bird turned into the longer green grass and headed up the hill. My heart sank, and I figured the hunt was over as the other two birds followed.
I watched as the birds disappeared over the hill. I let loose a tirade of cackles and calls, and the turkeys gobbled. Soon, I saw the lead bird come back down the hill. I shouldered my SA-28 and waited for the birds to enter a clearing. Looking through the Hawke reticle, I watched the last bird stop and look at the decoys.
I counted the steps to the gobbler and was shocked when I hit forty-seven. The shot was a poke, but I couldn’t believe it was pushing fifty yards. The SA-28, Rectifire choke, and Verdict ammo worked to perfection. The icing on the cake was the performance of the Hawke scope. I wouldn’t have been confident taking the shot without the scope.
Final Thoughts – Mossberg SA-28
The Mossberg SA-28 comes ready to hunt. I love that you can use a scope, red dot, or the installed Dead Ringer sight. The pistol grip allows for a solid hold, and the gun is light. The trigger pull is smooth, and the Mossyoak Bottomlands Greenleaf camo looks fantastic. Because of the minimal recoil, youth hunters can use this gun. I am in love with this gun!
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