short barrel for dove?

LSU12ga · June 9, 2006, 08:19 PM

HI all.

I live in Louisiana, and in september i am going to go dove hunting with my friends up in new roads.

My current shotgun has an 18 inch barrel. i know i can find a longer barreled shotgun somewhere, but if i can hunt with mine that would be best.

has anyone ever dove hunted with a barrel this short?

Art Eatman · June 10, 2006, 10:35 AM

On a shotgun, when hunting, barrel length affects the rate of swing--mostly. What's more important for you is the choke. Doves, generally, are out around 25 to 40 yards, so cylinder bore is at a disadvantage. If you have screw-in chokes, you're golden.

Art

whiskey · June 11, 2006, 08:04 PM

my buddy tried with his winchester defender, but he did not kill any

You can do it, with screw in chokes.

formerflyer · June 13, 2006, 10:52 PM

You can also do it with no choke. Back in college I kept a single shot H&R behind the seat of my pickup. That particular gun was chambered for 3” shells, and I had lopped off the barrel at 18.5” and put a new bead front sight on it. I kept it with a butt-cuff full of slugs and buckshot for unanticipated emergencies.

It took some work, but many were the days I would grab a box of trap loads and a cup of coffee and run out to my dove spot at dawn and pick up a limit of dove before work. Just takes practice. Oh, and since it weighed about 4 lbs and had no recoil pad, it also helped if one had a certain, um, insensitivity to recoil.

These days I hunt with a 21” 12ga 3” Stoeger Coach Gun for almost everything. I picked it up because when disassembled it fit in the saddlebags of my motorcycle, it was choked IC/M, it was nickel plated (weatherproof) and CHEAP. I’ve taken everything from dove to geese, rabbits and coyotes to wild boar, and it has gone with me all around the country. It is also my primary bear defense gun in Alaska when fishing. My friends call it my “pimp gun” because of the nickel plating, even though I cover it up with camouflage tape during hunting season. My primary hunting partner calls it “the crumpler” after seeing me drop wild hogs with it, though.

Mannlicher · June 17, 2006, 05:28 PM

formerflyer

Quote:

It took some work, but many were the days I would grab a box of trap loads and a cup of coffee and run out to my dove spot at dawn and pick up a limit of dove before work. Just takes practice.

Limiting out with a single box of trap loads, and with a single barrel shotty with a homemade open cylinder. Wow, who would have ever thunk it possible?

Dave R · June 17, 2006, 11:31 PM

My brother has an 18" Win Defender. We have shot skeet together, and he hit as many as I did with my long-barreled 870. I've always wanted to take that shotgun hunting, but have never got around to it.

I'm sure it would make a 25 yard shot as easy as any other shotgun. Might have trouble with a 40 yard shot, but then I'd have trouble making a 40 yard shot with my 870, too.

June 9, 2006, 08:19 PM	#1
LSU12ga Senior Member Join Date: April 13, 2006 Posts: 407	short barrel for dove? HI all. I live in Louisiana, and in september i am going to go dove hunting with my friends up in new roads. My current shotgun has an 18 inch barrel. i know i can find a longer barreled shotgun somewhere, but if i can hunt with mine that would be best. has anyone ever dove hunted with a barrel this short?

June 11, 2006, 08:04 PM	#3
whiskey Senior Member Join Date: January 19, 2000 Location: Clarksville, TN Posts: 431	my buddy tried with his winchester defender, but he did not kill any You can do it, with screw in chokes. __________________ "So he cocked both his pistols, spit in the dirt and walked out in to the street."

June 13, 2006, 10:52 PM	#4
formerflyer Member Join Date: November 7, 2005 Posts: 28	You can also do it with no choke. Back in college I kept a single shot H&R behind the seat of my pickup. That particular gun was chambered for 3” shells, and I had lopped off the barrel at 18.5” and put a new bead front sight on it. I kept it with a butt-cuff full of slugs and buckshot for unanticipated emergencies. It took some work, but many were the days I would grab a box of trap loads and a cup of coffee and run out to my dove spot at dawn and pick up a limit of dove before work. Just takes practice. Oh, and since it weighed about 4 lbs and had no recoil pad, it also helped if one had a certain, um, insensitivity to recoil. These days I hunt with a 21” 12ga 3” Stoeger Coach Gun for almost everything. I picked it up because when disassembled it fit in the saddlebags of my motorcycle, it was choked IC/M, it was nickel plated (weatherproof) and CHEAP. I’ve taken everything from dove to geese, rabbits and coyotes to wild boar, and it has gone with me all around the country. It is also my primary bear defense gun in Alaska when fishing. My friends call it my “pimp gun” because of the nickel plating, even though I cover it up with camouflage tape during hunting season. My primary hunting partner calls it “the crumpler” after seeing me drop wild hogs with it, though. __________________ Draw quickly, shoot carefully. If you can get closer, get closer. If you can get steadier, get steadier.

June 17, 2006, 11:31 PM	#6
Dave R Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2000 Location: Idaho Posts: 6,073	My brother has an 18" Win Defender. We have shot skeet together, and he hit as many as I did with my long-barreled 870. I've always wanted to take that shotgun hunting, but have never got around to it. I'm sure it would make a 25 yard shot as easy as any other shotgun. Might have trouble with a 40 yard shot, but then I'd have trouble making a 40 yard shot with my 870, too. __________________ I am Pro-Rights (on gun issues).

June 10, 2006, 10:35 AM	#2
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	On a shotgun, when hunting, barrel length affects the rate of swing--mostly. What's more important for you is the choke. Doves, generally, are out around 25 to 40 yards, so cylinder bore is at a disadvantage. If you have screw-in chokes, you're golden. Art