Bobby Sears, co-owner and CEO of JEBS Choke Tubes, the world’s most trusted choke tubes, set out in spring 2018 to tackle a modern day turkey hunting challenge.
For 40 years, Bobby has been a passionate turkey hunter and has harvested birds with both a 12-gauge and 20-gauge shotgun, as well as with a bow. JEBS Choke Tubes recently introduced a brand-new line of choke tubes for small bore shotguns that includes both the .410 and 28 gauges. Bobby knew if he could accomplish this slam with his .410 handgun, it would not only bring more credibility to their line of small bore chokes, but it would also give them more insight into their sustainability of today’s market. Turkey hunting guarantees challenges, but with significant advances in both shotguns and their choke tubes, Bobby was excited to meet this one head on.
The idea actually came about in the early stages of prototyping and developing the new line of JEBS small bore choke tubes. Bobby found that the patterns being created with their small-bore choke tubes were just as effective as any other shotgun model with the correct ammunition and choke tube restriction. To that point, with the introduction of T.S.S. (Tungsten Super Shot) combined with their choke tubes, they were able to give the end user the advantage of less recoil and a lighter setup. Bobby wanted this to be at the forefront of this “small bore revolution,” and what better way to prove its success than by accomplishing a slam with a .410 handgun and his choke tubes.
The slam itself included four different turkey species in one single season. This year, Bobby successfully harvested an Osceola, Eastern, Merriam, and Rio. He did it with the help of God’s Country Outfitters in Florida, Wayne Pearson’s Ultimate Outdoors in Alabama, Bowman Creek Outfitters in Southern Nebraska, and High Caliber Outdoors in Northern Nebraska. For each hunt, Bobby chose Mossy Oak’s Original Bottomland, and used a Kauger Arms Tomahawk .410 with a JEBS X-Full choke tube, and a T.S.S. #7.5.
The handgun Bobby used to complete the slam was a true collaboration between JEBS Choke Tubes and custom firearms company, Kauger Arms. After spending many hours at the shooting range, and several cases of shells later, they came to perfect what is now known as the .410 “Tomahawk” handgun. With a smooth bore barrel, custom hand-carved stock, custom scope mounts, and detachable magazine clip that can hold two additional shells, this particular handgun is truly the most effective .410 handgun on the market.
As to who or what inspired Bobby, that answer couldn’t be clearer to him, “I can honestly say that I have drawn my inspiration in everything that I do in life from my family, especially my Dad (Bob Sears). He loved his family first and foremost, but he also loved hunting and anything associated with shooting sports. As far as hunting goes, he specifically loved shooting pistols because of the challenges they presented while he and I were hunting together growing up. When my team and I were in the early stages of planning this single-season slam, I knew accomplishing this feat with a .410 would be a true challenge for me, but what better way to honor my late father than accomplishing it with a handgun.”
Bobby tells us, “As Co-Owner and C.E.O. of JEBS Choke Tubes, I will continue striving to build revolutionary choke tubes for all hunters, no matter the shooting sport. Most importantly to me and as part of our mission statement, I hope to continue to see our Customer Service and Customer Experience stay priority number one. As of right now, the groups of individuals that make up this Company are second to none, and I will continue doing my part to ensure their success in the future. I want to thank the good Lord for allowing me to live out my dream of not only working in the hunting industry but having the opportunity to work side-by-side with my wife, Amy Sears and my son, Trey Sears at JEBS Choke Tubes. I also want to thank my partner and Co-Owner of JEBS Chokes, Jimmy Washam for the dedication and effort he puts forth into both myself and our Company’s continued success.”
