Uses for my 12 gauge?

J. Parker · February 13, 2001, 01:15 PM

Not being an experienced shotgunner I would like some of your expert advice. I recently picked up a Western Field (Mossberg) 12 gauge pump with a 24" cylinder bore barrel, rifle type sights, and a 3" chamber. My brother-in-law wants me to go Grouse hunting with him this year. Would it work for Grouse? How about Turkey or Deer? Are flying birds out of the question? Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Best Regards, J. Parker

Dave McC · February 13, 2001, 04:24 PM

Sure, it could work, but not well for flying stuff, or turkey. Lots of old threads, a little research can work wonders.

OTOH, it should work well with slugs for deer and hogs...

Dave R · February 13, 2001, 07:12 PM

J, it should work fine for birds if you are not taking long shots (over 30 yards??).

Best way to know for sure is to buy some butcher paper or newsprint and pattern the gun with some different loads. That is, shoot different loads at a paper target at different distances and see what the patterns look like. Its traditional to draw a 30" circle on the paper and count the pellets, but that's too much work for me. I draw circles and just look at what the pattern looks like relative to my point of aim.

My brother got a Winchester 1300 defender with 18" barrel (20"?) and when we patterned it, we saw good patterns with size 6 shot out to about 25-30 yards. He let my son take it hunting once, but we didn't get any shots...

Any way, see how it shoots with different loads and you'll find what your effective range is.

By the way, my brother got a quote for putting screw-in choke tubes on his Win. It was $40 for the "drilling" and then $25 or so per choke tube. A tighter choke (like modified or full) would give you better range for those grouse. Something to consider...

Kernel · February 13, 2001, 11:32 PM

Opinions vary but for grouse I'd think you'd want to use a 2 3/4" shell with 1 to 1 1/8th oz of #7 or #8 shot and 3 1/2 Drams powder. A cylinder bore choke is gonna spread pellets pretty fast so keep shots to under 30 yds. Best to pattern first like Dave suggests. What you have is a deer shotgun, 3" chamber isn't really need for hunting upland fowl, but it's always nice to have anyway. Shop around gun shows and I bet you can find a used Mossberg bird barrel for under $90. -- Kernel

huntsman · February 13, 2001, 11:32 PM

With sights and a cyl bore you should be good for deer with either buck or slug,and there's nothing like a cyl choke gun to make a guy think he's a first rate grouse hunter

You could use it for most upland or small game
(execept turkey) out to 30 yards,it will take some practice to not focus on the sights when wingshooting but it can be done.

February 13, 2001, 11:32 PM	#5
huntsman Senior Member Join Date: March 7, 2000 Location: ohio Posts: 121	12 gauge With sights and a cyl bore you should be good for deer with either buck or slug,and there's nothing like a cyl choke gun to make a guy think he's a first rate grouse hunter You could use it for most upland or small game (execept turkey) out to 30 yards,it will take some practice to not focus on the sights when wingshooting but it can be done. __________________ cause he liked the quiet clean country livin and 20 more years slipped away -JB

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February 13, 2001, 01:15 PM	#1
J. Parker Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2000 Location: Ephrata, wa. USA Posts: 1,338	Not being an experienced shotgunner I would like some of your expert advice. I recently picked up a Western Field (Mossberg) 12 gauge pump with a 24" cylinder bore barrel, rifle type sights, and a 3" chamber. My brother-in-law wants me to go Grouse hunting with him this year. Would it work for Grouse? How about Turkey or Deer? Are flying birds out of the question? Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Best Regards, J. Parker

February 13, 2001, 04:24 PM	#2
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Sure, it could work, but not well for flying stuff, or turkey. Lots of old threads, a little research can work wonders. OTOH, it should work well with slugs for deer and hogs...

February 13, 2001, 07:12 PM	#3
Dave R Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2000 Location: Idaho Posts: 6,073	J, it should work fine for birds if you are not taking long shots (over 30 yards??). Best way to know for sure is to buy some butcher paper or newsprint and pattern the gun with some different loads. That is, shoot different loads at a paper target at different distances and see what the patterns look like. Its traditional to draw a 30" circle on the paper and count the pellets, but that's too much work for me. I draw circles and just look at what the pattern looks like relative to my point of aim. My brother got a Winchester 1300 defender with 18" barrel (20"?) and when we patterned it, we saw good patterns with size 6 shot out to about 25-30 yards. He let my son take it hunting once, but we didn't get any shots... Any way, see how it shoots with different loads and you'll find what your effective range is. By the way, my brother got a quote for putting screw-in choke tubes on his Win. It was $40 for the "drilling" and then $25 or so per choke tube. A tighter choke (like modified or full) would give you better range for those grouse. Something to consider...

February 13, 2001, 11:32 PM	#4
Kernel Senior Member Join Date: November 21, 1999 Location: Madison, WI.... "78 Square Miles Surrounded by Reality" Posts: 923	Opinions vary but for grouse I'd think you'd want to use a 2 3/4" shell with 1 to 1 1/8th oz of #7 or #8 shot and 3 1/2 Drams powder. A cylinder bore choke is gonna spread pellets pretty fast so keep shots to under 30 yds. Best to pattern first like Dave suggests. What you have is a deer shotgun, 3" chamber isn't really need for hunting upland fowl, but it's always nice to have anyway. Shop around gun shows and I bet you can find a used Mossberg bird barrel for under $90. -- Kernel