home made hunting plug for mossberg 590

[Lowlander91]

Hello my friend has invited me to join him for dove season here in arizona and i dont feel like buying a dedicated hunting shotgun until I even know if it is something i enjoy. So he and his father suggested i use my mossberg 590 with its 20 inch barrel and open cylinder. So now i need to find out how to make a plug for the magazine tube to limit to 2 in the tube and one in the chamber. so how thick of a dowel will fit my mag tube. i currently cant find a ruler right now that is why im asking . Also has anyone ever hunted with a 590 for dove or the like if so can you tell me how it went. the 590 sure makes clay shooting fun.

thank you

 

[swampboy]

Yank out the spring from the mag tube. Get a wooden dowel smaller than the inside diameter of the spring with a little wiggle room. 3/8 to 1/2 inch should be about right. If your mag tube holds 7 shells, stack up 5 shells and cut the dowel to that length, or slightly longer.

 

[Virginian]

How many shells does your mag tube hold? Make the plug that long, minus two shells and 1/2". A 3/8" dowel will work, round the ends a little so it doesn't snag the spring. I have used a corn stalk in a pinch.

 

[Lowlander91]

it hold 8 in the tube currently thanks for the advice

 

[ArmedBear]

Be sure it will only fit 2 rounds in the magazine. You WILL be busted if it doesn't. Never had a game warden say a thing to me in the field besides "hi!", except during dove opener down there.

Dove hunting in the Southwest can be ridiculously crowded, and the wardens are none too lenient on opening weekend. Generally, they've spent the whole time dealing with a bunch of dangerous morons. Of course, not everyone is a dangerous moron, but the people the wardens are called out to deal with, sure are.

Personally, I wouldn't do it with a 590, just because I didn't want to draw undue attention to myself. But that's assuming I had other guns to use.

You'll see what I mean, unless you have a large private area all to yourself.

There are whole towns in southeastern California that seem like nothing but blowing tumbleweeds and crickets, until dove opener, when you can't get a burger without waiting an hour, and it seems like everyone is wearing camo.

 

[Fred Fuller]

When you get your plug cut properly and you get to the dove field, pick your shooting spot. Then pace off 25 yards or so in several directions and either set up a mark or note an existing landmark at that range. Try to pick your shots just when the doves are crossing your marks. Much further out and your patterns are likely to be too sparse for clean kills. A little patterning work ahead of time will give you some idea how your gun patterns with birdshot at various ranges.

Early season doves are said to be a bit easier to hit- after they get shot at, they tend to speed up even more. Remember to keep the gun swinging and don't stop it- a shorter barrel doesn't have to be a liability with wingshooting, IF you keep it moving. The weight of the extended magazine will make up for the short barrel a bit in that department. Your main problem is going to be lack of choke, but if you wait for closer shots and don't go 'skybusting' at birds out of range, you should do better. Remember, you owe it to the game to manage quick, clean kills.

I like to 'swing through' from behind a passing dove and press the trigger when the muzzle gets out in front of its beak. Since the gun is moving a bit faster than the dove is flying, in order to be able to 'swing through, the lead gets built in. Some shooters like to try and hold a sustained lead in front of the bird, others just poke'n'hope 8^). Keep at it long enough and you'll find something that works for you. But stopping the gun in midswing is going to guarantee misses most of the time.

And take LOTS of shells....

lpl