Any shotgun used to shoot pigeons could be considered a pigeon gun. I'm not trying to be flippant, but there are no hard rules about what constitutes a pigeon gun. As soon as someone posts the features that make up a pigeon gun, another poster will answert that Jonny "Flyer Killer" shoots something without those features so that is not true.
That said, typically, though not always, pigeon guns will often feature:
- longish barrels
- tighter chokes (especially in the second barrel, almost always Full)
- high stock dimensions to hit a rising bird
- heavier weight (Heavier than a game gun but not a tank and still lively.)
- Proof mark designations showing heavier proof standards
- No safety
- Flat, wide rib
- Engraving featuring pigeons
- A model designation denoting it is a pigeon gun - e.g., Scott "Pigeon Gun Club"
I have two pigeon guns based on the catalog advertisements - a Scott and a Francotte. Of the nine features listed above, they would score 7/9 and 5/9 respectively.
Good shooting,
Ken
