OutdoorHub Review: The Henry Single Shot Turkey Camo Shotgun
Nicolas Lenze 09.01.23
Francisco Scaramanga was not a very scary villain. If you’re familiar with The Man With the Golden Gun, you know that Fransisco possessed the Golden Gun, a pistol with the ability to kill anybody with one shot. Well, at least that was the case in the 007 video games. In the real world, one-shot kills are not ruled by magic, or the keystroke of Ian Flemming’s typewriter. Choosing the right firearm, ammunition, and shot is critical in dropping your game with one pull of the trigger. Doing it all with one blast is not only ethical but can be thrilling. Only having one shot to do the job increases the stakes of your hunt. Henry Repeating Arms wants to increase the excitement of your next turkey hunt with the Single Shot Turkey Camo Shotgun.
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The Single Shot Turkey Camo Shotgun: Specifications
- Caliber: 12 gauge
- Chamber: 3 ½”
- Capacity: 1
- Barrel length: 24”
- Overall length: 39.5″
- Weight: 6.78 lbs.
- Camo pattern: Mossy Oak Obsession
- MSRP: $756.00
Single Shot.
The name of the gun basically tells you everything you need to know. Well, almost. This shotgun holds only one shell, which is manually loaded into the chamber. The chamber is able to accept shells up to 3 ½”. The 24” barrel is smooth inside and ends with internal threading for Remington-style chokes. The gun comes with a turkey choke.
The receiver is drilled and tapped for a Weaver-style base if you’d like to attach an optic. If not, the Single Shot comes with high-visibility orange fiber-optic rear sights and a green fiber-optic front. A classic bead will work fine for flying birds, but when it comes to the precision needed for turkey hunting, I’ll always opt for upgraded sights.
Turkey.
This shotgun was designed with turkey hunters in mind. The simple and reliable single-shot design keeps in-field problems to a minimum. The ability to switch between different loads can also come in handy, depending on what kind of shot you’re presented with. To illustrate this, I took some shots with different loads at different distances.
The first target was shot with 3″ Winchester Super X Turkey, 5 shot at 15 yards and 30 yards. The upper right trend happened throughout my shooting on this day, but after I worked the adjustable sights, I was hitting dead center.
Unloading the current shell and replacing it with another is a very simple process, though it will make some noise. The second target was shot with Remington Nitro Turkey 3″ 5 shot at 15 yards and 30 yards.
While this shotgun is a very simple, and thus more reliable system, that comes with some drawbacks. Semi-auto gas shotguns cut down on perceived recoil due to the moving parts eating some of the force. In this case, all of the energy is directed straight into your shoulder. This isn’t the gun you’re going to take out for a full day of recreational shooting.
The adjustable sights draw in so much light, getting a good sight picture was very fast and intuitive. I’m colorblind, so I don’t think I saw any benefit from the orange/green combination, but that should help a lot of you. The shotgun also comes with traditional sling swivels, and the right sling could help you gain more stability.
Camo.
The entire shotgun is finished with Mossy Oak Obsession camouflage, including the American walnut stock and forend. This pattern was a great choice by Henry, considering it’s the official camo of the National Wild Turkey Federation. The pattern was designed for turkey hunters, regardless of their preferred hunting season. The colors are meant to blend in during spring or fall.
Shotgun.
The Henry Single Shot Turkey Camo Shotgun is a traditional hunting shotgun and includes all of the same benefits and faults of the type. Thankfully, Henry did what they could to change that balance in your favor. The sights are probably my favorite thing about this boomstick. It also includes a rebounding hammer safety mechanism, which I tested, and it worked every time. The action is also locked in place while the hammer is back. The locking lever is ambidextrous for all of you lefties.
As much as I love the sights, I wish the gun came to me ready for optics. Adding a base really isn’t a problem, but in this modern age where people are hunting with AR-pattern rifles, Picatinny is what all of my optics are ready for. I would like to at least see a base included in the box. I’d also prefer a composite stock. One typical benefit of single-shots is their light weight, so why not go all the way? At 6.8 pounds, the Single Shot is barely lighter than a stock pump shotgun.
I was impressed by the accuracy I was able to achieve with a smooth-bore gun, largely thanks to the turkey choke and the right ammo. I have confidence that the Henry Single Shot Turkey Camo Shotgun could put a fresh turkey on the table, and do it again season after season. If you’re interested in learning more, head to the Henry website. Make sure you also follow them on social media. Henry can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Happy hunting!
