Barrel length for dove hunting?
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I'll go through this once. Shotgun barrel length is not a big deal.
The shells use fast burning powder. Most shotgun and pistol powders are dual purpose. The choke is a big deal. It determines the pattern at whatever distance you feel like you can hit something at. The weight of the shot charge , the velocity of the shot, the diameter of the shot all come into play when dove hunting.
Find a shotgun that fits you. If it shoulders good, it's probably a fine match. IF it has interchangeable choke tubes. If it feels natural when you bring it to your shoulder, then you're halfway there. Now, make sure you ve got adequate room and swing it left to right and right to left while shouldered. Cuz that's 90% of dove hunting. If it's too long and heavy, you'll find yourself having a little trouble starting and stopping the swing. If it's too short and light, you'll go too fast and shoot in front of the birds.
TL;DR
Go shoot skeet with whoever you can and pay close attention to what works for you. That boils down to weight of gun (with no more than 3 rounds in chamber and magazine) shot charge and velocity of shot. Once those parameters are known, you can go buy a shotgun and some ammo that won't make you give up after one trip afield.
P.S. You're still gonna change guns in a couple of seasons, so go don't blow a budget this year.
The shells use fast burning powder. Most shotgun and pistol powders are dual purpose. The choke is a big deal. It determines the pattern at whatever distance you feel like you can hit something at. The weight of the shot charge , the velocity of the shot, the diameter of the shot all come into play when dove hunting.
Find a shotgun that fits you. If it shoulders good, it's probably a fine match. IF it has interchangeable choke tubes. If it feels natural when you bring it to your shoulder, then you're halfway there. Now, make sure you ve got adequate room and swing it left to right and right to left while shouldered. Cuz that's 90% of dove hunting. If it's too long and heavy, you'll find yourself having a little trouble starting and stopping the swing. If it's too short and light, you'll go too fast and shoot in front of the birds.
TL;DR
Go shoot skeet with whoever you can and pay close attention to what works for you. That boils down to weight of gun (with no more than 3 rounds in chamber and magazine) shot charge and velocity of shot. Once those parameters are known, you can go buy a shotgun and some ammo that won't make you give up after one trip afield.
P.S. You're still gonna change guns in a couple of seasons, so go don't blow a budget this year.
I’d like to see the look on the Game Warden’s face.
Inspector43
Everything I Own Is Paid For
I quit hunting a long time ago. I never hunted Doves, But I'm sure that Quail are similar. The best shotgun is one that shoulders perfect for you. When you put it to your shoulder it is on target if you're looking at the target. My Winchester Model 21 fit so perfect that it seemed like I didn't even have to search for the bird. The same with my Winchester Model 12.
20" is pretty short for a hunting gun. 24" or 26" is much more popular.
Don't get me wrong, they all work in the right hands.
Vaquero covered it pretty well.
The shotgun has to fit you well and swing smoothly. That trumps barrel length.
Don't get me wrong, they all work in the right hands.
Vaquero covered it pretty well.
The shotgun has to fit you well and swing smoothly. That trumps barrel length.
I thank you all for your input. Especially since I’m new to dove hunting. I have a chance to go September 1st. I know it’s over a month away but why not plan ahead and get some practice in as well once the gun issue is solved. Now I have great directions on how to get setup gun wise. Again many thanks.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
https://www.realtree.com/small-game-hunting/articles/10-tips-for-better-dove-hunting
I think this is a good read for you OP
I think this is a good read for you OP
You may also want to invest in a couple of mojos.
Sit against some trees or tall brush to break up your outline.
Do not swing on the bird until it’s within distance. It’s probably already been shot at multiple times and any movement will make it cut directions.
Take a couple weights that have bright colors attached. It helps to mark the general area of your bird while searching. Sometimes more birds will fly in while you’re searching and you take your eyes off the downed bird. If you hit the second bird, now you’re searching for two.
Plan to miss some and have fun
Sit against some trees or tall brush to break up your outline.
Do not swing on the bird until it’s within distance. It’s probably already been shot at multiple times and any movement will make it cut directions.
Take a couple weights that have bright colors attached. It helps to mark the general area of your bird while searching. Sometimes more birds will fly in while you’re searching and you take your eyes off the downed bird. If you hit the second bird, now you’re searching for two.
Plan to miss some and have fun
I am a lifelong dove hunter, have lived in much of the southern part of Texas, Brownsville to Austin to Midland.
Some 40 years ago, i made a 10 day "guided" Rocky Mountain hunt with the late Bob Ramsland. Although we didn't get an elk, I did get an education on shotgun barrels.
Bob ran those "dove safari's" from the McAllen Miller Airport into northern Tamaulipas during the 1960's & '70, and was the world's largest individual purchaser of shotgun shells.
At times, Bob would have over 100 hunters in one caravan. He had learned to bribe the top General there, so as to control "morditida" demands & harassment from the local "authorities", the top General was getting $50,000.00/year; it was BIG business.
As such, he was a "vip" to Remington, and was invited to their ammo plants in Mexico & the USA, for educational/promotional visits.
Bob said that the engineers had conducted many scientific tests of gun barrels with differing ammo types and loads. According to Bob, when using modern plastic shot-cup cartridges & spacers/wads, that any barrel length over 19' was superfluous.
Please go back and re-read the first reply to your o.p. What "Vaquero" told you is very accurate & appropriate.
Also, "pass shooting" is very different from "stock tank" shooting, and may require a different bbl or gun.
Good Luck and Good Hunting!
leVieux
Fit is more important than barrel length..
I was always taught that before you buy a shotgun you need to shoulder it with your eyes closed. Imagine your eye looking down the barrel, then open your eyes. If your eye is lined up perfectly it is a good fit. If the sight is too low you need to adjust the comb of the butt stock, and if it is too high it doesn't fit you.
The rest is up to you.
I was always taught that before you buy a shotgun you need to shoulder it with your eyes closed. Imagine your eye looking down the barrel, then open your eyes. If your eye is lined up perfectly it is a good fit. If the sight is too low you need to adjust the comb of the butt stock, and if it is too high it doesn't fit you.
The rest is up to you.
Re: "fit"
"standards" for stock gun-stocks were established long, long ago, when people were much smaller than now.
Our current 14.25 & 14.5" gun-stock lengths "length of pull" (l.o.p.'s) are way too short for most modern men.
I easily correct for this by having my gunsmith add "spacer's" to the recoil pad, AND adding a leather "gun boot" type removable recoil pad/gun butt protector. Never, NEVER "cut" a shotgun stock !
Most very large shops have someone expert in "shotgun fitting", who could help you with this. This is EXTREMELY important for any quick-shooting shotgun sport; as in dove, quail, or woodcock hunting.
If you are over 5'6", the standard is most likely too short for you.
Of course, this is far away from the original item of "barrel length", but is of extreme importance for both sighting and especially for felt recoil.
Please note also that heavy clothing can affect needed l.o.p.'s. It is easy to remove the leather outer pads when dressed heavily for cold weather.
Your bruised shoulder can be helped more by proper gun-stock length than by layers of sorbothane.
I learned all this the very HARD WAY; you don't have to do it that way.
leVieux
I prefer a 28" over and under shotgun in 28 gauge. Bottom barrel choked modified and the top barrel chocked full. I prefer to shoot the bottom barrel first. The upper barrel is for the follow up shot when the first shot misses.
Years ago I was close friends with a fellow who owned a local gun store. He said ammo manufactures sell the majority of their shotgun ammo during dove season. Seems like the average shot to hit ratio is something like 7 to 1. The average shooter will shoot seven times before he finally gets a hit. That is about 3.5 birds per box of ammo.
The reason I like the 28 gauge O/U is it will pattern similarly to a 20 gauge pattern as far as shot density goes, but it is much lighter and has less recoil.
Let me give you an insiders tip on ammo selection. The cheap dove loads are just that cheap. Their shot cup is usually multiple pieces and very bad. This causes the shot pattern to look like a donut. The center of your pattern will have less shot impacts than at the perimeter. A higher quality shell will have a one piece shot cup that will cradle the shot until it exits the barrel giving you a much more uniform pattern.
Remember as you swing your shotgun and pull the trigger, the shot exits the barrel in a horizontal spread.
The denser the swoosh, the better luck you will have.
I base my opinions on twenty years of shotgun competition. Skeet, trap, and sporting clays. In the mid 80s I was the president of the Rockwall Gun Club. Sadly it became a victim of public sprawl and was closed and the land cleared. We got the last laugh though. The owner had died and his heirs wanted to develop the land. What they failed to consider was the tons of lead that was deposited in our fall out area.
Over three feet of top soil had to be removed and disposed of in a haz mat landfill. The old man who owned the land used our fall out area to plant maize and other feed products. He plowed the acreage twice a year causing the shot to migrate deeper and deeper each year.
Thankfully the heirs did not sue use. Our lease was specific in all parties knowing that the area was to be used as a shotgun gun club.
Here is another tip for a first tip dove hunter. The dove fly at about 70 mph. They dart all over the sky. Your biggest mistake will be in trying to shoot a dove that is out of range. Be patient. Follow through after your shot. This time of year, with the heat we usually have, you need to get the birds to a cool place as soon as possible. A bird left on the ground will start to cook within a few minutes.
Years ago I was close friends with a fellow who owned a local gun store. He said ammo manufactures sell the majority of their shotgun ammo during dove season. Seems like the average shot to hit ratio is something like 7 to 1. The average shooter will shoot seven times before he finally gets a hit. That is about 3.5 birds per box of ammo.
The reason I like the 28 gauge O/U is it will pattern similarly to a 20 gauge pattern as far as shot density goes, but it is much lighter and has less recoil.
Let me give you an insiders tip on ammo selection. The cheap dove loads are just that cheap. Their shot cup is usually multiple pieces and very bad. This causes the shot pattern to look like a donut. The center of your pattern will have less shot impacts than at the perimeter. A higher quality shell will have a one piece shot cup that will cradle the shot until it exits the barrel giving you a much more uniform pattern.
Remember as you swing your shotgun and pull the trigger, the shot exits the barrel in a horizontal spread.
The denser the swoosh, the better luck you will have.
I base my opinions on twenty years of shotgun competition. Skeet, trap, and sporting clays. In the mid 80s I was the president of the Rockwall Gun Club. Sadly it became a victim of public sprawl and was closed and the land cleared. We got the last laugh though. The owner had died and his heirs wanted to develop the land. What they failed to consider was the tons of lead that was deposited in our fall out area.
Over three feet of top soil had to be removed and disposed of in a haz mat landfill. The old man who owned the land used our fall out area to plant maize and other feed products. He plowed the acreage twice a year causing the shot to migrate deeper and deeper each year.
Thankfully the heirs did not sue use. Our lease was specific in all parties knowing that the area was to be used as a shotgun gun club.
Here is another tip for a first tip dove hunter. The dove fly at about 70 mph. They dart all over the sky. Your biggest mistake will be in trying to shoot a dove that is out of range. Be patient. Follow through after your shot. This time of year, with the heat we usually have, you need to get the birds to a cool place as soon as possible. A bird left on the ground will start to cook within a few minutes.
StamblinRanger
New Member
You might be able to find a old, well used 870 or something similar for a good price for you to learn with. Don't be afraid of the "little" 2 3/4" chamber. That's all you need, just ask any ol' timer. No need to shell out too much money on your first shotgun. It may be your only shotgun if you get a good enough one for a great used price. Once you develop a relationship with an old shotgun, it will be hard to part with it.
Yep, choke is the important part. I've dove hunted a few times with 18 inch barreled mossberg 500 basic entry level shotguns.. First time was with no choke, i.e. cylinder bore, didnt hit a thing. Good thing that I loved to shoot or it would have been a miserable day. Second time, the very next day, I borrowed an 18 inch full choke barrel from my dad and limited out in an hour.
The following has many variables that would alter the numbers ÷/- but is a good baseline idea of the difference in chokes.
With a cylinder bore, no choke whatsoever, your pattern is about 45 inches at 25 yards and probably not lethal due to energy bleed off by expanding pattern and the number of pellets in any one spot.
A full choke essentially doubles the pellet density at 25 yards and has half the pattern spread of cylinder bore. At about 40 yards the full choke equals the cylinder bore specs at 20 yards.
The following has many variables that would alter the numbers ÷/- but is a good baseline idea of the difference in chokes.
With a cylinder bore, no choke whatsoever, your pattern is about 45 inches at 25 yards and probably not lethal due to energy bleed off by expanding pattern and the number of pellets in any one spot.
A full choke essentially doubles the pellet density at 25 yards and has half the pattern spread of cylinder bore. At about 40 yards the full choke equals the cylinder bore specs at 20 yards.
StamblinRanger
New Member
Totally agree! Choke is everything. And for doves, I would recommend Modified. I've never hunted with Improved Cyl or no choke, only used Modified or Full and have killed a bunch of birds with both, mostly Modified though, which is my old Wingmaster. I basically learned on that gun and have never been tempted to let it go. Those Mossberg 500's are really good shotguns for the money too. I've had a few new to the sport dove hunters who I recommended that gun to and they shoot well and the action is plenty quick. I'd own one.
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