Mossberg Silver Reserve Review

From the first time I carried the Mossberg Silver Reserve Eventide Turkey 🛒, I was amazed with the lightness and quick handling of the gun. Introduced in 2024, the Silver Reserve Turkey is a short-barreled over under. Dressed in Mossy Oak Greenleaf camouflage, the pattern is effective at blending in to multiple hunting situations.

I had the Mossberg in tow on the opening day of 2025 turkey season and was looking forward to taking a bird with it, and had it loaded with Federal TSS #7s. My hopes were high early in the morning, with a tom sounding off to my right. Although he was gobbling back at my calls, he went silent when he hit the ground. Figuring he was with hens, I cut occasionally, trying to get the hens to come in looking for a fight. After about 10 minutes of silence, I heard a faint gobble. I answered with a jake gobble, then more hen calls. Then the gobble was closer. I rested the gun on my shooting stick and peered for any action to my right. I was surprised to hear a hen cut to my left, then saw movement in my decoys with my peripheral vision. I peered through the small opening in my blind to my left, readying to move the gun to take a shot out of the mostly-closed window, then saw the tom out front coming into my decoys. I moved the gun back to the front for the shot. One shot to the head with the #7 TSS dropped the bird.

My experience showed the short length makes the Mossberg Silver Reserve 12 gauge Turkey 🛒 a unique and adaptable turkey gun that is ready for any situation and easily maneuverable. Although I didn’t turn and shoot out of the side of the blind window, the gun was short enough to facilitate this.

The Mossberg Silver Reserve origins

Long known for its pump and semi-automatic turkey guns, Mossberg made a decision to venture into over-and-under turkey guns based on demand.

“For several years, there have been turkey hunters who were using their over-and-under shotguns for turkey hunting,” said Linda Powell of Mossberg. “The driving factor is the ability to set up your gun with chokes for close-range or longer shots, and quickly switch from one barrel to the other. We continued to hear from dealers and customers that they would like a fully camouflaged over-and-under with shorter barrels and the ability to customize their choke selections for turkey hunting.”

Looking deeper into the ability to change from tighter chokes for long-range shots to a more open shot, this crosses off one of the most common reasons for missing turkeys: the bird being too close and the pattern being too tight. Having a more open choke by sliding a switch can easily overcome the issue of birds that come in too close.

Getting back to my amazement with the gun’s short length, it’s important to consider how an over-and-under is put together compared to a semi-automatic or pump. My normal turkey gun, a Winchester pump 12-gauge, has a 20-inch barrel, but the thing to keep in mind is that with a pump, the barrel length starts at the end of the receiver, in front of the bolt. With an over-and-under, the barrel starts back further, meaning a 20-inch barrel gun has a much shorter overall length.

The particulars

Mossberg’s International Silver Reserve is not a new series for the company, but the Mossberg over under turkey model is more recent. The gun is a box lock with double under lugs built by Khan in Turkey. It only comes with 20-inch barrels and is available in 12 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge, and 410 bore. Both the 20 and 28 have three-inch chambers, while the 12 gauge has 3.5-inch chambers.

This isn’t the first over-and-under turkey gun on the market. Browning’s Cynergy Ultimate Turkey was first, but it is pricy at $2,669 MSRP. CZ’s Reaper Magnum followed for $1,149. Each of these guns is unique, but none has Mossberg’s shorter barrels. The Browning comes with sights, and the CZ has a Picatinny rail at the start of the rib to attach an optic easily.

My first look at the Mossberg Silver Reserve 12 gauge – Turkey was at the National Wild Turkey Federation convention in February 2024. All three gauges were on display and gaining a lot of attention. The Mossberg representatives pointed out that the 28 had garnered the most interest, so much so that they said to look at the handling wear on the guns, which was much more visible on the 28. Weight is not a factor in choosing between the three, as all weigh 6.5 pounds.

The only finish on the turkey version of the Silver Reserve Eventide is Mossy Oak Greenleaf with a synthetic stock and foreend. The gun comes with extractors, not ejectors.

The turkey version of the Silver Reserve has a Mossy Oak Greenleaf finish and a synthetic stock and forend. It also has extractors instead of ejectors. The recoil pad is hefty, about an inch thick, and appears to be solid rubber. Patterning the gun, I found it has more kick than a Mossberg 500 pump, which has a recoil pad with more engineering and vents that provide more cushioning.

My patterning session showed Hevi-18 TSS (Tungsten Super Shot) with #9 shot had the best pattern, with 17 hits in the turkey vitals on my target. Federal’s 3^rd Degree, which is more economical than pure TSS, combines #5 copper-plated lead, #6 Flitestopper lead, and #7 Heavyweight TSS. This shell resulted in 11 hits in the vitals. Hevi Shot’s Triple Beard, a lead load with #5, ,6 and 7 pellets, had three hits at 40, but performed better at 20 yards with the improved cylinder choke with 13 hits. With premium turkey ammunition easily hitting $10, or more, per shot, this raised the possibility of putting the more economical Triple Beard shells in the bottom barrel for closer shots.

The trigger pull was consistently seven pounds for the upper barrel, but often it was eight pounds on the bottom barrel. There was a small amount of creep in the trigger before hitting the release point, but then it broke crisply.

The safety is on the tang, like most doubles, and there is a selector switch for the barrels. An “O” and “U” signify which barrel is chosen. This worked smoothly in hunting situations and was an easy transition from a push-button safety in front of the trigger guard.

Price point

At $952 MSRP, the Mossberg is the most economical of the current mainstream turkey doubles.

It cannot easily add optics, or a sight, since the receiver isn’t tapped either, which I would want to do. I asked Powell about this, and she replied, “Most Mossberg shots do have drilled and tapped receivers for the ease of adding a rail and optics. I anticipate this could be a revision with future models of the Silver Reserve Eventide.”

The shortness outweighs the lack of easy optic mounting, making this a worthy choice for someone wanting a turkey double.

Specs

• Barrel: 20-inch chrome-lined for corrosion resistance
• Receiver: Box lock with double under lugs
• Chokes: Beretta Mobil thread. Comes with two extra full turkey and improved cylinder.
• Length of Pull: 14.5 inches
• Finish: Mossy Oak Greenleaf

Pros

• Short barrel
• Reasonable cost
• Common thread pattern
• Provides an extra barrel compared to single-shot guns for those wanting a break-action gun
• Quick handling
• Flip a barrel selector switch and change chokes for close-in shots
• Ability to change chokes with ease

Cons

• No  integrated optic attachment option
• Increased recoil

Conclusion: Field-Tested Confidence in the Mossberg Silver Reserve

After a spring filled with early mornings, gobbling toms, and tight shots through tangled timber, I can confidently say the Mossberg Silver Reserve has earned a place in my turkey-hunting arsenal. For a shotgun that comes in well under a grand, it handles like a much pricier piece of glass and walnut.

What stood out most? The balance. This isn’t one of those front-heavy scatterguns that wear on you by midday. The Silver Reserve shoulders smoothly, and the light weight helps prevent weary arms. The dual barrels allow me to load a long-range shell and a mid-range thumper—something semi-autos and pumps just can’t offer.

The extractors, though not ejectors, are reliable. The dual locking lugs keep the action tight, and the vented rib and fiber optic bead make finding your target in that golden morning light fast and intuitive. If you’re a dyed-in-the-wool turkey hunter who likes simplicity, reliability, and value-packed performance, you owe it to yourself to shoulder this gun.

Is it perfect? No. The trigger isn’t rifle-grade, and while the aesthetics are solid, it’s not a showpiece. But it wasn’t built to be. The Mossberg Silver Reserve is a blue-collar workhorse built for the turkey woods, not a gun safe.

This gun never let me down from the first gobble to the final flop. And in my book, that makes it a turkey gun worth owning.

FAQs About the Mossberg Silver Reserve for Turkey Hunting

Where Is the Best Place to Purchase?  The most competitive pricing and options are found at Sportsman’s Warehouse – please use this link to purchase
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Is the Mossberg Silver Reserve a good gun for turkey hunting? Yes. Its over-under configuration allows for versatile shell combinations, and its tight patterning capabilities make it highly effective at both close and extended ranges.

What choke should I use with the Silver Reserve for turkeys? Use a full or extra-full turkey choke with a #5 or #6 shot turkey load. Always pattern your gun with the intended load and choke combo before hitting the woods.

Does the Silver Reserve come with a turkey-specific camo or finish? Most Silver Reserves come in traditional walnut and blued steel, but Mossberg has released Silver Reserve Field variants with synthetic stocks or camo finishes suitable for turkey hunting.

Can you mount an optic on the Mossberg Silver Reserve? There’s no factory rail or tapped holes for mounts. However, aftermarket rib mounts or sights designed to mount directly on a rib can allow for a red dot sight or reflex sight, which many modern turkey hunters prefer.

Is the recoil manageable for smaller shooters? With turkey loads, recoil is stout, but the solid build and recoil pad help mitigate it. For youth or smaller-framed hunters, consider lighter loads and stick to the smaller gauges.

What gauges are available in the Mossberg Silver Reserve? The Silver Reserve line includes shotguns chambered in the traditionally popular 12 and 20 gauges, as well as the increasingly interesting 410 and 28 gauges.  These latter two provide much less felt recoil, and when coupled with TSS shotshells, they are devastating. The barrels and chambers are made to be corrosion resistant.

How does the Mossberg Silver Reserve compare to other turkey guns like the Remington 870 or Stoeger M3500? The Mossberg Silver Reserve Eventide – Turkey is difficult to compare to these guns. With turkey chokes in both barrels, it has a quick second shot, but with an open choke in the second barrel, it has to be reloaded like a single-shot for shots at any distance. With an open choke in the second barrel, it offers the versatility of switching chokes to achieve a better pattern for close shots at the flick of a switch. The short barrel also provides easier handling in blinds or tight cover.