Whats your Favorite "Dove Gun"?

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chas08

chas08

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It's almost here. Dove season is the first bird season to open in Texas.(Sept. 1) I bet it's the same in most other states that have a season. I know that not all shotgunners hunt live game, but even the strictly "clay shooters" must have a game that imitates it. Lets hear from you too. Quail hunters feel free to chime in. Many characteristics of a good quail gun are an asset in a good dove gun. There are no wrong answers and pic's are welcome. :)
 
28 gauge, preferably a nice O/U or SxS, 28 inch or longer barrels, chokes SK/LM

worse comes to worse, a Remington 1100 28 gauge with an IC in the tube:D
 
20ga Remmy 1100

As an aside, when hunting chukar out west, I found that my Stoeger 12ga coach gun with #6 was fantastic. It's short & light, and therefore easy to carry and maneuver against those evil bastages in the mountains. It's also cheap, so I didn't get bent outta shape when it got banged up.
 
Damn.

It's hard to pick just one.

There's a couple 870s here that come close to being ideal.

So's the B gun, albeit it's long and relatively heavy.

Heck, even the little NEF single will work.
 
I like 20ga 870 wingmaster or beretta A 302. My old man shoots a 410 wingmaster and makes most of us look foolish. Of course he shoots 10k + clays a year and shoot far far less.
 
I gotta go with the 870 Wingmaster. It takes a lickin and keeps on shootin. I have three of them so when friends or relatives come for dove season they don't have to worry about bringing their own guns. So far they all like the 870 as well as I do.
 
Ain't it the truth

It's hard to pick just one.
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My dilema exactly. I'm real partial to a 28 ga SxS I picked up a few years ago. 26 in. barrel choked I/C & Mod. 3/4 oz of 7 1/2 shot....sweet.

a nostalgia hunt somewhere along the way with my 42 yr old "H&R Topper158" 20 ga mod choke that started it all when I was 10 years old.

Finish out the season with a hunt or two with my duck gun. Remington 870Express Super-Mag 26 in barrel I/C or Mod choke. 1 1/8 oz 7 1/2 shot.

This year I'm going to have to work in some time for a Winchester 1400 12ga, a Remington 1187 Super-Mag and an Ithaca 37 Ultra-Featherlight 20 ga that I picked up during the off season with funds aquired mostly from the sale of a benelli sbe1. so many guns ...so little time....:D
 
20 Gauge Ithaca SKB 500 Over/Under.

But any will do. I don't keep guns I don't want to shoot.:)

This year, I may try out a very old 16 Gauge SxS I picked up. I suspect I might like it.
 
Remington Spartan SPR220 20 gauge coach gun I picked up a few years ago. It saves me money on hunting trips. 40 mpg motorcycle vs 15 mpg truck.
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MC If I ever see a guy on a bike on Highway 87 or 35 with a shotgun in a scabbard I'll know it's you. (LOL) I'll be the guy in the dirty white KIA with bloody feathers stuck to the trunk lid. :D
 
ArmedBear, what choke does that old 16 have? Problem with a lot of older guns is they got carried away with the chokes, mod/full. I'd rather shoot IC/Mod on dove. Full is almost unusable, too tight. That's one reason I rarely use my old 12 SxS anymore, but I keep it. Ain't gonna sell it, had it too long.
 
MC If I ever see a guy on a bike on Highway 87 or 35 with a shotgun in a scabbard I'll know it's you. (LOL) I'll be the guy in the dirty white KIA with bloody feathers stuck to the trunk lid.
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LOL, well, that's the deal with the Spartan. I can break it down and it fits in the top trunk of my GoldWing. :D I can lock it up safe and secure while I chow out in a restaurant or whatever. I got paranoid hauling a hard gun case bungeed to the seat, didn't wanna be out of sight of it on a trip.
 
SPRED-R

http://www.polywad-shotgun-shells.com/spreader-16-gauge-loads/

spr1.jpg
 
Problem with a lot of older guns is they got carried away with the chokes, mod/full. I'd rather shoot IC/Mod on dove. Full is almost unusable, too tight. That's one reason I rarely use my old 12 SxS anymore, but I keep it. Ain't gonna sell it, had it too long.
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My old SxS 12 has 30" modified and full barrels, and the full is really full too, but it's my favorite dove gun - it's harder to hit them with, but I like a little challenge.

We shoot a lot of hand thrown clays on the opening weekend of Dove season, and My SxS never breaks the clay in half - it vaporizes them.
 
Sitting on a bucket in a fence row or tree line shooting doves would call for my 12ga Win1300 or my 12ga 1100.

My all time favorite for quail would be an old 12ga Ithaca 37 I stupidly sold years ago. It was light to carry when a lot of walking was involved. I have a BPS that would serve that purpose nicely now. The BPS is a little heavier, but it doesn't throw the hot hulls in anyone's collar close to me.
 
Being a range officer at my local range people are more than happy to let the range officer try one of their guns especially if you make a special trip down to the trap range for them. I have shot atleast 15 different makes and models of *bird guns*. And personally I think the best choice I made was my Benelli Nova. Its light, its not fancy its got a quick action and everyone of my friends and family I have let shoot it have agreed with me its awesome.

Its the basic 3 1/2 26" model, nothing extra, black finish. I love this gun.
 
It used to be my Daisy BB gun, when I was a kid. :D 10 pumps in the old Powerline 860 did the job with copper BBs. I was into non-toxic shot even in those days! ;) Makes me wonder what the fuss is about, really. We'd take 'em right off the power lines back then.

Now I'd use my NEF .410 or use the 28 ga. barrel I have for it.

gp911
 
My Citori, with IC and mod chokes in. I've had it for 25 years so it's like an extension of me.

Last year, though, I tried Sandy's little Baikal 28 ga SXS, and did really well. The gun just seems to work for everybody.
 
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