What is everyone's opinion on 12 ga Dove loads what shot size,type shells. brand? Just curious I have never been serious about Dove hunting and not very good at it,but want to do more this year and thought some expert advice might help.
Dove loads
- Thread starter dmonty
- Start date
I dont buy the cheap crap at walmart. Hate seeing feathers go everywhere and the dove keep flying. Chaneylake could give u more specifics but i buy 7 1/2 shot 1 1/8 load with max powder.
pressfit
Well-Known Member
I have killed hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of doves with the cheapest 7/8 to 1 1/8 ounce shells walmart has... 6 to 8 size shot will work fine... it doesnt take a lot to bring down a dove..
I shoot AA's or rem STS target loads for early season. Rem gun club is a good shell also.
I have a really good field that is always prime right around Christmas. It has a huge power line that is pretty high. I use Rio 3 3/4 dram 1 1/4oz 8's for that field. Some will argue, but it really makes a difference on those high late season adult birds.
I have a really good field that is always prime right around Christmas. It has a huge power line that is pretty high. I use Rio 3 3/4 dram 1 1/4oz 8's for that field. Some will argue, but it really makes a difference on those high late season adult birds.
pressfit
Well-Known Member
I have been having some shoulder issues.. one of the kids on our trap team brought a box of those rio's you mentioned..he was afraid to shoot one.. he is kinda slim built.. I grabbed his gun and said i'd shoot one to show him there was nothing to be afraid off.. i called for the bird... shot and it felt like some one hit me with a ball bat..lol.. that joker had some punch to it... but on the other hand... my shoulder pain went away shortly after my "adjustment"...
I am partial to winchester AA's simply because that was what I shot while shooting competition skeet, I am a big recoil freak, i do not like recoil, i shoot the Win AA 1150-1200 fps skeet loads while dove hunting, the recoil is basically nil, with these light loads I can kill a dove at 50-60 yards, have been doing so for years
Federal shells is my second choice
Federal shells is my second choice
muddyboots said:
I but 7 1/2 shot 1 1/8 load with minimum powder. yet during the later seasons hunting I will kick it up a knotch
pressfit
Well-Known Member
I have hunted doves when it was so cold the action on my 1100 would hardly cycle.. but.. the doves were still coming into the feed and most shots were 30-40 yards.. just because its late season doesnt mean all the birds are going to be far off.. I cant really tell the difference between a dove hit with a 1150 fps load vs a 1300 fps load..
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
What size shot are u using?Chaneylake said:
sfredneck23
Well-Known Member
I have shot Estate, Rios, Federals, Remington Shur shots, Winchester AA, and Nobel sport. I always shoot 8 shot and either shoot 1oz or 1 1/8 oz loads. I cant tell a difference in them, if the birds are flying, all of them will kill em!
Thanks guys,I picked up some Remington shur shot heavy dove loads in 8's 1 1/8 oz hopefully this will do the trick.
Wes Parrish said:
7 1/2 when I can find them, sometimes shoot 8's early on, I just purchased 50 boxes AA 7 1/2 and 50 boxes federal 8's, I will shoot the 8's first and finish up later season with the 7 1/2
I hope that I run out and have to purchase more
Chaneylake said:
please remember, my long range shooting is about 3 levels above the average shooter, this is why the 50+ yardage is possible
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Chaneylake, thanks for coming back and answering this. Makes logical sense. I'd always gone with #8's early, then switched to # 7 1/2 later (and/or for anticipation of longer shots). I've seen many birds killed over 50 yards with #8's, so apparently doves are just not as tough a bird as many other species. Late season quail hunting, #8's could be a handicap.Chaneylake said:
Early season dove, what are your thoughts on using #8 1/2 size shot for less experienced shooters who would be started out with an improved cylinder choke and encouraged not to take shots over about 40 yards?
arctic_cat
Well-Known Member
pressfit said:
X2
Wes Parrish said:
back in the late 60's and early 70's I shot #9's skeet load, I never had a problem with kills under 40 yards, they will even kill at 50 yards, more cripples that wing away though
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
I had a similar experiences, way back, too. I suspect the greater density of the #9's resulting in more likelihood of a pellet to the brain, but those dust-sized pellets just wouldn't so well beyond 35 to 40 yards. They are a heck of a load for English sparrow.Chaneylake said:
Wes Parrish said:I had a similar experiences, way back, too. I suspect the greater density of the #9's resulting in more likelihood of a pellet to the brain, but those dust-sized pellets just wouldn't so well beyond 35 to 40 yards. They are a heck of a load for English sparrow.Chaneylake said:
when I was in high school in the 60's the football coach and I would shoot sparrows in the gym using 22's and rat shot, things sure have changed
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
And changed for the worst with all this gun phobia that's been purposefully created by politicians, preying on the ignorance of people who've never been around guns in a positive way.Chaneylake said:
When I was in high school, I had two teachers that I would sometimes go bird (that means quail where I come from) hunting with after school. I'd simply bring my shotgun, shells & vest to school, and set it all in the corner of one of their offices (which were shared offices with other teachers). No one was concerned about it, nor did they need be.
In my junior year, in my English class, I even did a "research paper" on the merits of Remington vs. Browning shotguns, bringing both into class so everyone could compare the differences. I was a "Browning" man (maybe a Browning "boy" at the time), and so was my English teacher, Mr. Miller. Thought I did a good job on the project, and did get an "A+" on my research paper.
man did we hijack this thread, lol
spring 1968, I purchased a .22-250, could not get ammo at the time, I carried rifle into my homeroom and laid it on Mr T. B. Southards desk and told him the ammo problem, Mr. T. B.'s hobby was reloading, he simply stated to leave the rifle with him and he would figure something out, about 2:00 pm that day the Principal of Haywood High School barks out on the intercom system telling me to report to my home room, scared the crap out of me, anyways when I walk into homeroom Mr T B tells me that there is a set of reloading dies at YorkArms downtown Memphis and that he did not expect me to answer roll call the next morning at homeroom, aka he told me to skip school drive to Memphis and purchase the dies, so I did, little did I know that it would snow 18 inches March 21 or 22, 1968, just a few days later MLK was killed in Memphis and YorkArms never seemed the same after everything sorta settled down
spring 1968, I purchased a .22-250, could not get ammo at the time, I carried rifle into my homeroom and laid it on Mr T. B. Southards desk and told him the ammo problem, Mr. T. B.'s hobby was reloading, he simply stated to leave the rifle with him and he would figure something out, about 2:00 pm that day the Principal of Haywood High School barks out on the intercom system telling me to report to my home room, scared the crap out of me, anyways when I walk into homeroom Mr T B tells me that there is a set of reloading dies at YorkArms downtown Memphis and that he did not expect me to answer roll call the next morning at homeroom, aka he told me to skip school drive to Memphis and purchase the dies, so I did, little did I know that it would snow 18 inches March 21 or 22, 1968, just a few days later MLK was killed in Memphis and YorkArms never seemed the same after everything sorta settled down
catman529
Well-Known Member
picked up 4 boxes of Winchester Super X 1 ounce 7 1/2 shot last night. Have shot these before and they are just plain old shot shells that will kill a dove... now the bad part is my shooting, and if all goes well I am about to head out the door and shoot some clay...
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
I shoot 7 1/2 usually federal or Winchesters. last year I found a smoking deal on a case of estates and they did pretty good but I didn't like them as good as federals or Winchesters. ive shot 8 shot before but I like 7 1/2 the best.
holstonangler
Well-Known Member
I have a lot less cripples with 7.5 shot, but you're loosing about 50 pellets going from 8's to 7.5's. The Walmart federals shoot cleaner and usually more reliable than both the Remington and Winchesters they sell. Hope this helps
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