Dove gun--is my 8lb target gun too heavy?

[ExMachina]

Never ever been dove hunting before.

I have a 12ga O/U gun that I use for sporting clays. It's a good size for me and I can swing it pretty well when tracking the known trajectory of clay birds.

But it's also 8 pounds and I've heard tell that doves don't like to fly in nice parabolic arcs

Will I be hating life @ the end of the day if I choose to shoot this gun?

Oh, and it's ported (but I shouldn't have anyone right next to me)

 

[MtnCreek]

It'll be perfict. You're basically going to hang out, eat BBQ and talk to your friends till 3:30, then blast doves for 2.5 hrs.

 

[jmr40]

For dove hunting that would be about right. If you were walking for miles a day carrying the gun it would be a bit more than I would want.

 

[butwhat]

What's your limit and hunting times there?

We have a limit of 15 here in Illinois. We can hunt from dawn til dusk. There's times when the whole group of us has been done by 7:30 am.
Not the past 2 years though. We haven't had anything for a dove population. About 40 dove or so all season the last 3 years. Used to be about 600 a season.

 

[Nimrod2]

If you are lucky enough to get in some good shooting, your shoulder will thank you for using an 8 lb. gun.
I have always preferred a dove gun that was a mite on the heavy side.

 

[butwhat]

After shoulder surgery I went to a 20 ga semi auto synthetic stock. Light to carry and no kick.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Worked for me, though I prefer using my lighter 20 gauge O/U.

My Beretta 686 White Onyx Sporter weighs 8 lbs and a little is a good choice for dove taken at 25 to 40 yards. Chokes,IIRC were LM and Mod. loads 7/8 oz of 7.5 shot at 1200 FPS.

Good luck....

 

[35 Whelen]

When I was teen I shot 4-H trap so my Dad bought me one of those heavy, walnut stocked 870 TB's with a 30" full-choked barrel. Then at a gun show he found for me a 26" I/C that I could use for hunting. That shotgun really was quite heavy, but it work like a magic wand. Hunting quail over dogs, doubles were commonplace and I ever shot a few triples.
Dove hunting typically involves lots of pass shooting and as such, the heavier guns seem to swing a little more smoothly.

35W

 

[newbuckeye]

It won't be bad it you are not walking around. I switched to a CZ 720 a few years ago, and won't go back to a 12 ga.

 

[Sav .250]

It will work fine. At the very least you`ll be arm weary.

 

[Jonah71]

No matter what the weight of the shotgun I was firing, dove were always pretty safe with me firing at them.

 

[butwhat]

I really miss my old TB I can't believe I ever sold it.

 

[41 Mag]

Like the others mentioned you should do fine. If your already shooting it you know how it tracks and also where to touch the trigger on the follow through.

Those dove breast sure are good with a half a jalapeño laid up on them, and then wrapped up in bacon, and tossed on the grill.

Let us know how you do.....

 

[natman]

Try it. It won't kill you to do it once and you'll know if an 8lb gun is too heavy for you, something we can't tell better than you can.

IMO 8 lb is a bit heavier than I'd like, but doable.

 

[colt1911fan]

Does it shoot? Yes, then your good to go.

 

[MCgunner]

I really prefer my 20 gauge light SxS coach gun choked I/C-Mod. It swings fast, changes direction on a dime, and when you get used to it, you can swing smoothly with it. It takes some concentratino on follow through at first, but it's not as whippy as you'd think for a sub 6 lb gun. I still like to use my Winchester 1400 gas gun in 12 occasionally and it's not too slow for doves except that it's more a handful when they're right on top of you than is the 20. It will make up for that on long, passing shots, though, although I did pretty good with the 20 on 35-40 yard passing shots last season using the modified choked barrel.

Yes, You can use an 8 lb gun successfully, to cut to the chase. I just prefer a light 20. I didn't really realize how much I'd like this little coach gun when I bought it. I bought it after making a trip on my GoldWing to my buddy's place in Waco some years ago for doves and having to strap my gun case to the back of the seat and being paranoid of leaving it even to go in to a store to pay for gas. The little coach gun, I reasoned, might not be as effective, but would be able to be locked in the top case of the bike. Well, I've been pleasantly supprised at just HOW effective that little gun is and it's a delight when we decide to "walk the creek" which is a long walk.

I'm headed back to Waco this weekend. YIPPEE! I'm taking both the 20 and the 12, but plan to use the 20.

 

[rcmodel]

Dove gun--is my 8lb target gun too heavy?

It is if you are looking for a good excuse to buy another gun.

Otherwise, put some open choke tubes in it and go kill doves.

If you do well with it shooting sporting clays, there is no reason you won't do well with it shooting doves.
Except using too much choke for the ranges in question.

Depending on where and how you hunt them, you may be pass shooting at 45 yards in a corn stubble field, or they may be trying to land on your gun muzzle coming into water at a pond in the evening.

Picking the right chokes to match the hunting conditions is the key to success.

BTW: The deadliest dove shot I ever hunted with used an old Winchester Model 12 Trap gun.
And it weighed more then your gun does, and was probably choked tighter.

Also BTW: There is no way to keep a muzzle on the spiraling flight of a dove, even if you had a magic wand.
So don't even try.

rc

 

[MCgunner]

It is if you are looking for a good excuse to buy another gun.

Mmm, well, I'll admit that was a motivation.

Depending on where and how you hunt them, you may be pass shooting at 45 yards in a corn stubble field, or they may be trying to land on your gun muzzle coming into water at a pond in the evening.

That's part of my reason for liking the little 20. I hunt ponds a lot and, this year, will be an especially productive tactic in central Texas, I'm hoping. We still have ONE tank with water in it and one with about 2" left in it. There's dead 6 lb bass in one that just dried up. Kinda makes one sick to think about that.

Those "trying to land on your muzzle" shots are quite common and sometimes one sits down next to the tank and the dove come up over the lip low and you have to get on 'em fast. That's when a quick handling gun works better than a slower one. Still, a bigger gun can be successful even there. It ain't majic if you're used to it.

And, at least I have the perfect arm if I ever get to go after quail.

 

[Germster]

Gut it out and take the gun you have shot a lot. Oh, when you get really old you can buy a lighter gun. Grunts carried a 10 pound rifle all over those Islands in the Pacific and in the frozen hills in Korea. You can hump an 8 pound shotgun just fine. I did when I was young too. It was an ancient Remington Model 10. It was made of solid lead. least that's what if felt like.

 

[MCgunner]

Gut it out and take the gun you have shot a lot. Oh, when you get really old you can buy a lighter gun. Grunts carried a 10 pound rifle all over those Islands in the Pacific and in the frozen hills in Korea. You can hump an 8 pound shotgun just fine. I did when I was young too. It was an ancient Remington Model 10. It was made of solid lead. least that's what if felt like.

It ain't the humpin', it's the swingin'. I like a light gun that comes to my shoulder fast and swings quick for those little buzz bombs at short range hunting over tanks. Hell, the only "hump" I have to do is to get my cokes in the cooler and my lawn chair out of the truck and over to the tank, about 25 yards maybe. Then, just kick back, relax, and enjoy the day watching for the birds as the flights come in. That's what I like about dove hunting. I'm a lazy old fart.