What's your favorite gauge of shot gun for Doves?

[Legband]

Over the past few years I have reduced the size of the OU I shoot for doves , from 12 to 20 to 28 and now almost exclusively my .410 ,
I think its a safe bet that the 12 gauge is the gun of choice for your weekend warriors but is it for committed wing shooters as well ?
I was wondering what gauge and type of gun most of you shoot ?

[fishvik]

My son and I switch off between 12 and 20 gauge pumps.

[jimbo&rooster]

I like a 20ga auto for doves. skeet tube and 7/8oz of #9s

[bigeyedfish]

12 or 20. Whatever sounds good that day.

[ezzy333]

Whatever gauge I shoot I do it for me and not for what I am hunting. They all kill what they hit so use what works best for you.
Ezzy

[Neil]

28 gauge for the last 25 years. I do not think it more sporting and does not prove I am a better shot. I just enjoy it for small birds; dove, quail, and woodcock.

I do not believe the. 410 kills cleanly enough for any live game.

[SetterNut]

All I own now is 20ga. I think for upland birds over pointing dog they are about perfect.
Doves are fun for a tune-up for the real bird season to come later in the year, quail.

[Legband]

28 gauge for the last 25 years. I do not think it more sporting and does not prove I am a better shot. I just enjoy it for small birds; dove, quail, and woodcock.

I do not believe the. 410 kills cleanly enough for any live game.

I can not speak for any one else but I did not have one dove that was not stone dead last season with my .410
I realize its only ten per day but as for me the small gun causes me to bare down and take better shots.

[Neil]

28 gauge for the last 25 years. I do not think it more sporting and does not prove I am a better shot. I just enjoy it for small birds; dove, quail, and woodcock.

I do not believe the. 410 kills cleanly enough for any live game.

I can not speak for any one else but I did not have one dove that was not stone dead last season with my .410
I realize its only ten per day but as for me the small gun causes me to bare down and take better shots.

So you are saying you went 10 for 10, never missing, every time out? Knowing that unlikely, I say you are wounding birds you would kill cleanly with a larger gauge.

One exception I will make is a youngster after bunnies, with larger shot and at least mod choke, the .410 does OK.

I have spent a lot of hours the pattern board. The. 410 just does not have enough payload to kill cleanly much beyond 20 yards, and dove rarely come that close. If you are a good enough shot to kill 50 - 60%, then I suspect many of those you think you mised, you didn't.

[Legband]

No , not all last year I started with my 28 ga the last few hunts I shot my .410 almost every time
Of course there were missed birds but to my recollection the dog brought nothing back alive
And he has a very soft mouth , in point of fact the concentration on better, closer shots and the tighter pattern of the full and I.M. Chokes May send less wide pellets , to wound a bird , my point is and was you can kill doves cleanly with a .410 and not ruin the entire breast.

[BigShooter]

I shoot them on the wing with a .410 handgun.

[Neil]

No , not all last year I started with my 28 ga the last few hunts I shot my .410 almost every time
Of course there were missed birds but to my recollection the dog brought nothing back alive
And he has a very soft mouth , in point of fact the concentration on better, closer shots and the tighter pattern of the full and I.M. Chokes May send less wide pellets , to wound a bird , my point is and was you can kill doves cleanly with a .410 and not ruin the entire breast.

OK, you are right.

[Mountaineer]

The last dove I shot was with a 16 gauge, Auto 5....I would guess that scattergun will also shoot the next dove.
Whether the IC or M barrel was in place, I do not recall...which indicates the importance of either.

I have had a couple of 410s over the years and while they worked within their limits, as any gauge will, I saw and see little reason to make the 410 a choice du jour.

I would think that either the 12 or 20 semi-auto would be the wisest choice delivering the most bang for the buck.....shotgun action though, relatively unimportant and strictly a personal choice.
Same with shell used, or cap and boot worn.

[displaced_texan]

I shoot a 12ga 870 for everything with wings. The gun is ugly, but I shoot it well, and don't mind another scratch on it?

[akardos]

For doves i mostly use a Beretta O/U 20 cal and sometimes i take the semiauto benelli 12 cal...and always 8 or 71/2 shots.

[jeff shumaker]

I shoot both 12 and 20. I like the new 20 gauge I just bought. But will shoot some with both guns. Just like to tune up for season.

[gotpointers]

My old faithful 16 guage side by side will go in the morning after work. But I picked up a Browning citori lighting sporting clays 12 guage over the summer and I will put it to the test. I don't expect to keep it past September dove but who knows.

[big_fish]

just bought a wothington 12 sxs (Stevens 315) and plan on using it to get used to it other that that I like a 20 o/u with 7 to 9 shot if I can find it . I did see rst sells a #10 shot.

[NorCalGSP]

Good ol model 12 does it for me. I used to use a 410 when I was knockin them out of trees.