The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Dave McCracken Memorial Shotgun Forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old July 9, 2011, 05:01 PM   #1
jaughtman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 2, 2010
Location: Alabama
Posts: 868
Dove loads.....

I usually prefer my 20 guage in the dove field. However, nostalgia drives me to use several 12 guages from time to time. Does anyone else drop back to a 7/8 ounce load with a 12 to avoid "overkill"?

J
jaughtman is offline  
Old July 9, 2011, 05:11 PM   #2
Steel Talon
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 30, 2007
Posts: 138
Myself I use standard "dove loads" 12 or 20ga. I'm not to worried about "overkill" , I'm a "regular Kill" type of dove hunter.
Steel Talon is offline  
Old July 9, 2011, 06:09 PM   #3
oneounceload
Junior member
 
Join Date: April 18, 2008
Location: N. Central Florida
Posts: 8,518
I use 12 gauge 7/8oz loads for targets year round. If I was to use a 12 for doves, I would use those loads. but I use a 20 with either 7/8 or 3/4 oz loads
oneounceload is offline  
Old July 9, 2011, 06:21 PM   #4
Doyle
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 20, 2007
Location: Rainbow City, Alabama
Posts: 7,167
On those rare occasions when I actually get to go shoot dove, I need all the help I can get. 12ga with the 1 1/4 oz loads.
Doyle is offline  
Old July 9, 2011, 06:35 PM   #5
zippy13
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 23, 2008
Location: SoCal
Posts: 6,442
Around here, along the CA/MX border, lightweight 28-ga guns with 3/4-inch loads are becoming popular. For opening day, standard #9 skeet loads work well. For later in the season, after the birds have smartened-up, you might wanna go with #8s.

It's been my experience that you'll get better 7/8-oz performance from a 20-ga gun than from a downloaded 12-ga. If you wanna hump a big gun for nostalgia, don't worry about a 12-ga with 7/8-oz being overkill.

…12ga with the 1 1/4 oz loads.
Yikes, are those duck sized dove?
zippy13 is offline  
Old July 9, 2011, 07:18 PM   #6
Sailor1911
Member
 
Join Date: June 23, 2011
Location: Kansas
Posts: 22
I usually use the 20 with 7 1/2's-9's Never use the 12 for dove.
Sailor1911 is offline  
Old July 9, 2011, 08:18 PM   #7
Doyle
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 20, 2007
Location: Rainbow City, Alabama
Posts: 7,167
Quote:
Yikes, are those duck sized dove?
No, they just fly fast enough to make the Navy Blue Angles jealous. I need to put up all the shot I can just to stand a chance of hitting anything.
Doyle is offline  
Old July 9, 2011, 09:46 PM   #8
Dave McC
Staff In Memoriam
 
Join Date: October 13, 1999
Location: Columbia, Md, USA
Posts: 8,811
My Beretta White Onyx Sporter is a trifle ponderous for dove, but I have used it with 7/8 oz loads with decent results. Since I obtained an Ithaca/SKB 20 gauge O/U last year, I plan on using that instead.

IIRC, I used Trap grade 7/8 oz loads of 7.5 shot at 1200 FPS through LM and Mod chokes. If I hit them they were dead before impact....
Dave McC is offline  
Old July 9, 2011, 09:56 PM   #9
egor20
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 14, 2010
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 1,824
My wife uses a Beretta Onyx Sporter and my Savage 350 with 7 1/2's, there's not a lot of birds lately
__________________
Chief stall mucker and grain chef

Country don't mean dumb.
Steven King. The Stand
egor20 is offline  
Old July 9, 2011, 11:01 PM   #10
publius
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 25, 2005
Location: Mississippi/Texas
Posts: 2,505
In a 12 I reload 1 1/8 oz. #9. Good high quality hard shot is key in any load.
__________________
"Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress, but I repeat myself." Mark Twain
publius is offline  
Old July 10, 2011, 02:09 AM   #11
.300 Weatherby Mag
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 6, 2008
Posts: 1,777
In whatever 20 gauge gun I take... I use Estate or Federal Game Loads with 7/8 oz of 8 shot...

Something like this.. http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=975167

For the .410 I use this... Remington STS #8 @ 1300 FPS..

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=813402

I haven't used a 12 gauge in years... Although I generally have one with me in case the conditions are poor..

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=968868

If you feel that 7/8 oz out of a 20 gauge is not enough.. Just check out this load

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct...tNumber=713814

Last edited by .300 Weatherby Mag; July 10, 2011 at 02:36 AM.
.300 Weatherby Mag is offline  
Old July 10, 2011, 09:30 AM   #12
armsmaster270
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 25, 2008
Location: California
Posts: 1,951
1 ounce for me I bought 2 cases (20 box cases) of 12 ga 1 oz Activs at GEMCO when they folded and still have a case.
__________________
http://www.armsmaster.net-a.googlepages.com
http://s239.photobucket.com/albums/f...aster270/Guns/
Retired LE, M.P., Sr. M.P. Investigator F.B.I. Trained Rangemaster/Firearms Instructor & Armorer, Presently Forensic Document Examiner for D.H.S.
armsmaster270 is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:08 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.05145 seconds with 10 queries