For hunting a large, slow bird like a turkey, a full or extra‑full (turkey) choke is generally the best choice, with extra‑full being the most common “dedicated turkey” option.

Quick Scoop

  • Cylinder / Improved Cylinder: Too open; patterns spread fast and thin, better for very close shots on small game or home defense, not ideal for turkey.
  • Modified: Usable in a pinch out to around 30–35 yards, but many hunters find it does not give the dense head/neck pattern they want on turkeys.
  • Full: Tight pattern that stays lethal in the 35–40+ yard window, a classic all‑around choice for turkey hunting.
  • Extra‑Full / Turkey‑specific choke: Even tighter constriction built to keep a dense cloud of pellets on a turkey’s head and neck at longer distances, often 40–50 yards with modern loads like TSS.

In practical terms:

  • If you’re primarily hunting turkeys , use an extra‑full / turkey choke and pattern it with your chosen shells at 20, 30, and 40 yards to ensure it hits where you aim and stays dense but not so tight that it’s easy to miss up close.
  • If you want a bit more forgiveness at closer ranges or you’re using more traditional lead loads, a full choke is a solid and often more versatile choice for a “large, slow bird” like a turkey.

Think of it this way: the larger, tougher bird and small vital area (head/neck) reward a tighter pattern, as long as you’ve tested it on paper first and know your true effective range.

TL;DR:
Use a turkey‑specific extra‑full choke if you’re setting up a dedicated turkey gun and are comfortable shooting at 35–45 yards after patterning your load; choose full if you want a bit more margin for error at closer ranges.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.