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An O/U like the Tristar Upland Hunter Thumbhole makes sense as a turkey gun, especially in this era of TSS and very tight chokes. As much as I love the confidence a tungsten-and-turkey-choke combo gives me at 40-45 yards, I get nervous about my aim at 20 yards when my gun throws a pattern the size of a small grapefruit. What you need is a gun that lets you switch instantly from a close- to a long-range choke—and the Upland Hunter Thumbhole does. I recently tested this new shotgun at my range. Here is my full review.
Quick Overview
Tristar Upland Hunter Thumbhole
Pros
- Lightweight
- Comfortable grip
- Decent, if heavy, trigger pull
Cons
- Does not include a turkey choke or swivel studs
- Barrels shoot to different points of impact
- Stiff safety switch
Specs
- Length: 44 inches with 26-inch barrels
- Weight: 6 pounds, 1 ounce
- Barrel: 26-inch vent- and mid-rib barrels, green fiber-optic bead, extractors, five extended chokes
- Action: Break-action side-by-side
- Trigger: 7 pounds
- Capacity: 2
- Finish: Bronze Cerakote metal, Mossy Oak Greenleaf furniture and chokes
- Stock: Camo synthetic thumbhole
- Chambering: 3-inch 20-gauge only
Tristar began importing O/Us from Turkey in the mid-90s. Made by Kral Arms, the O/Us are a Turkish version of the standard Italian O/U design, with a barrel hinging on trunnions and a locking lug at the bottom of the monoblock. It bears an eerie similarity to the Mossberg “Reserve” series, but the guns are made in different factories. It is a proven action design, and Tristar has been importing this gun through its Kansas City headquarters for about 30 years now. As O/Us in the under-$1000 range go, these guns generally offer good value and work reliably.
The Upland Hunter Thumbhole has a barrel selector/safety, a mechanical trigger, and extractors in place of ejectors. The 26-inch barrels have a vent rib, mid-rib, and a bronze Cerakote finish. The gun comes with five choke tubes, ranging from Cylinder to Full. The tubes are dipped in Mossy Oak Greenleaf to match the furniture. As its name suggests, the gun has a synthetic thumbhole stock and a forend with an angled tip. It weighs an ounce over six pounds. The stock and forend have textured grip panels.
Test Results
At 6 pounds, 1 ounce, the Upland Hunter Thumbhole is an easy gun to carry, which is a good thing, as it comes without swivel studs, though they would be easy to add. The thumbhole stock gives a steady grip on the gun and, while it’s a right-hand-specific grip, it’s easy enough for a left-hander to use, too. Since the gun is billed as an “Upland Hunter” and it comes with five chokes, including Cylinder and Improved Cylinder, I took Tristar at its word that this was an upland gun and shot some skeet with it. The gun balanced at a point an inch and a half or so in front of the hinge pin, which should make it swing well, but I found the thumbhole stock encouraged me to over-control the gun with my trigger hand and pull it off the target’s line. Once I got used to the grip, the gun shot okay. Everything worked, although the safety/selector switch was stiff. The trigger broke at 7 pounds, but very cleanly. I would have no trouble shooting turkeys with it.
This gun is best-suited to turkey hunting, but it comes with no choke tighter than Full. At 35 yards, the Full choke put 180 pellets in a 10-inch circle with Winchester TSS 9 shot. That’s more than enough density to kill a turkey, if not an exciting number of hits. And, you could add an aftermarket choke if you wanted to put gaudy numbers of pellets into a target or a turkey. You might even load TSS in one X-Full choked barrel for a very tight pattern, and a lead load in the other with a Modified choke for a more open pattern.
My main problem with the Upland Hunter Thumbhole revealed itself when I tested both barrels for point of impact. At 25 yards, the bottom barrel shot an inch or so high, which is fine for turkey hunting. The top barrel, however, hit four inches below the aiming mark and to the right. Since turkey hunting requires aiming your gun, barrels regulated to the same point of impact are a necessity. The safety was stiff, too, which is not a good feature in a turkey gun, but easily fixed by a gunsmith.
Final Verdict
Even as a left-hander who is semi-excluded from the use of this gun, I like the idea behind it. Two instantly selectable chokes, one for close-range and one for long-range, solve the dilemma of how to best take advantage of TSS. But, my test gun’s poor barrel regulation would make field use difficult and sighting in with a red dot on a rib mount next to impossible. And, you would probably want to buy an aftermarket choke and some swivel studs for it. In other ways, this gun is a good fit for the woods. It’s light and compact. If you found a Tristar Upland Hunter Thumbhole that shot both barrels to the same place, it would be an intriguing choice in a turkey gun.
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