Turkey Kill Zone: Locked Down with Kick’s

Gobblin’ Thunder

Kick’s is a talented maker of shotgun chokes. The Kick’s know-how is evident in both the world shooting titles that have been won with Kick’s turkey chokes as well their simplified product line.

The Kick’s “Recipe for Turkey” is the Gobblin’ Thunder brand of turkey chokes.

Choke Selection
Choke selection is the most important means a turkey hunter has over how commercial ammunition performs, whereas the gun itself is more of a constant than a variable. 

“An authentic turkey choke gives you the ability to kill only one turkey at a time.” -TRF

Probably the most underreported aspect of turkey hunting is the unintentional killing, wounding or crippling of extra turkeys when a shot pattern or spread is too scattered or unfocused.

The Turkey Kill Zone | Shot Placement
Although it’s clever not to add shot pellets to the most edible parts of a turkey, 19th century books describe hunting turkey bodies in trees, at night, during a full moon.

Nowadays and based on principal, the shot placement guidelines for killing a turkey is an intricate headshot which includes the neck.

Exactly when the modern headshot directive was instituted is unclear because turkey hunting sometimes wanes for as long as 20-30 years when turkey populations dwindle or disappear. Hunting then resumes after the successful restocking of turkeys. A November 1970 Field -and- Stream article refers to turkey hunting as an “ancient art” following a 24 year hunting moratorium.

Nevertheless, the author’s father-in-law revealed that when turkey hunting briefly resumed in America’s Upper Midwest, in the late 1960’s and again in the late 1970’s, it was considered important to call a turkey to ruffle it’s feathers just before the shot, to allow penetration, otherwise, the shot pellets cold be seen bouncing off the back of the turkey.

Design
Gobblin’ Thunder is an extra long tube milled from solid 17-4PH stainless steel with a parallel section after the choke that stabilizes the shot constriction. It extends approximately 1 ¾ inches beyond the muzzle, and has a round/flat, precision crown. Gobblin’ Thunder allows you to extend your range, barrel length and mass. A longer barrel handles more steadily and generally improves shot pattern. Increasing the mass of a barrel reduces recoil acceleration.

Installation | Finish | Markings
Kick’s choke tubes are installed and removed by hand. I thought these chokes were visibly glossy at first, but I took them outside, in the natural light and they do have a duller, black finish preferred for hunting. These chokes have stamped/engraved lettering for easy identification that remains visible when installed and during use.

Porting | Braking System
Gobblin’ Thunder chokes are diagonally and directionally ported at a precise, prescribed angle of 135 degrees forward of the shooter. Upon firing, these ports vent forward, slowing the recoil and better protecting the shooter, bystanders and hunting position from shock pressure, smoke and debris.

Gobblin’ Thunder’s heavy porting is very similar in appearance to many of the newest compensator designs and is a long-established, ballistic improvement characteristic.

24 sharp-edged cut outs, measuring nearly ¼ inch each, are oriented to provide momentary, retrograde traction for the stressed boundaries of shotcup-wads.

Surface interruption by perforations (porting) also vibrate the wad by converting some of the otherwise wasted energy from wad stress. This vibrational energy yields a more efficient separation between the wad and pellets (author’s conceptual model based on improved pellet release and the deformation and shear of plastic components).

Ranging | Accuracy | Pattern
The Gobblin’ Thunder choke was extremely accurate, delivering a dense core pattern or “Bull’s Eye” at multiple ranges/distances. Beyond the “hot core” at short ranges, shot patterns had a very good distribution across the targets.

Magnum Shot Pellet Count Percentages:

20”dia.@50yrd.//089.54% | 15”dia.@50yrd.//081.07%
20”dia.@50yrd.//083.61% | 15”dia.@50yrd.//060.45%
20”dia.@40yrd.//092.65% | 15”dia.@40yrd.//083.61%
20”dia.@25yrd.//100.00% | 15”dia.@25yrd.//094.63%
20”dia.@10yrd.//   N/A %  | 15”dia.@10yrd.//100.00%

Unhelpful Aspects
There are very few unhelpful aspects of the Gobblin’ Thunder choke. Ported chokes are generally louder (the equivalent of removing the outside wall of a muffler) and have an increased surface area that requires cleaning. Furthermore, Gobblin’ Thunder chokes are not recommended for use with steel or hard tungsten pellets.

Contact:

Kick's Industries Inc. 800-587-2779

http://www.kicks-ind.com

About:
I requested the opportunity to test, review and give opinion for Gobblin’ Thunder choke tubes. I utilized a donated sample for this purpose. Currently, I am not otherwise affiliated or associated with Kick’s Industries and have not received pecuniary compensation or incentive from Kick’s.