doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com No. 6s for doves

Seeing as how it is only 18 days and a wake-up 'til dove season opens, my mind is operating in shades of grey (feathers). I have been wondering about this to myself, and now aloud.

A little background. I have shot doves pretty much continuously for 52 seasons, starting at age 8. This will be season number 53 for me. I have always used 8s for early season doves (except for a short stint using 9s on early birds), and 7 1/2s for those late season, tough, migratory rockets that sometimes must be coaxed down to crash in a field from dizzying heights. I have gravitated toward tighter chokes over the years for the late season, striving to keep as dense a pattern as possible at the extreme distances (heights) we sometimes get shooting. There have been times I have questioned the energy of 7 1/2s at that distance.

Now, the question. Have any of our members here ever used 6s on high doves enough to have formed an opinion of the effectiveness of it. I, specifically, am interested in it's use through tight chokes, as I feel this would be imperative in order to maintain the pattern density necessary to prevent voids in the pattern at range. I know all the arguments about not shooting that high (far), and I also know that the tighter the choke the less room for error in centering the bird. Let's get past that to the actual efficacy of the combination, and it's use on high doves.



Thanks for your time, SRH

Try #7 shot. I like it very much. #6 shot certainly is effective on them but, as you pointed out, pattern density becomes a problem on such small targets.

Stan: I shot some #6 Estate ( 1 1/8 oz) through my 32" Perazzi Mirage with Wilkinson barrels (my live bird gun) a few yrs ago and I couldn't believe how far out I was killing doves. Had to lead them 'a day and a half' and a littler higher muzzle than normal but it was pretty effective. Like you, I normally use # 8 shot. I've even used #8 1/2 shot in a .410 and had a lot of fun shooting doves, but this was closer shooting. In southern IN where I hunt they have huge pickle patches and sometimes the doves come by the thousands. I'd like to see that again. It's been awhile since I've participated in a great dove shoot. Have fun this yr!

Stan, long ago I switched to #7 for all dove for the same reason--I prefer the slightly increased penetration of a single or few shot over a whole bunch of weaker shot. So, I think you're on the right track though it goes against convential wisdom.

The load has some bearing on this question, no? Are you shooting 1 1/8 oz through a 12 ga. or 7/8 oz through a 20 ga (or something else)?

Interestingly, none of RST pigeon loads (even the 3 3/4DE 1 1/4 oz load) come in 6s, but maybe that is because the distance to the edge of the ring is a closer shot than you are talking about.

Per Randy Wakeman


That indicates that #6s have 70% more retained energy at 40 yards than #7 1/2s.

B&P's 2 5/8" 12 ga. High Pheasant (no. 7 shot) is absolutely deadly on doves, even though I tend to put more shot in the bird than Joe does. Great early season with open chokes, even better with tighter chokes on high passing birds. There is supposed to be a new company importing the B&P line now.

last time I saw a chance like you, I shot about there.........

7's work well for late season doves. Problem is finding them to shoot. Trap shooting buddy gave me a couple bags several years ago. Never found out where he found them. They were Star shot which as I recall was made in South America. Loaded them for late season doves. Hardy birds with thick feathers and often a tail wind to make them a real challenge. I love pass shooting late season doves with a tail wind. Humbling and fantastic fun at the same time.

Stan
The best dove shot I've ever seen shot a Polychoked (set on modified as I recall) 20-gauge Remington Sportsman 58 loaded with #6 shot. As a kid I was amazed at his skill; things such as consistently having three birds dead in the air simultaneously, and timing the shooting of incomers so that he caught the dead bird before it hit the ground. Although I never came close to Tyson's skill, Tyson was my dove shooting idol and I tried hard to match his skill and ability at dove shooting to include using #6 shot exclusively. From personal experience I can testify that, with #6 shot, one can certainly make the very tall and very wide shots if one can figure the correct lead; and I can also tell you from experience that a single #6 pellet to the body of a dove will nearly always put that bird on the ground; whereas the same pellet strike with a #7 1/2 or #8 shot will often fail to penetrate deep enough, or have the energy to bring a bird down. I've made some amazing kills using #6 shot over the years, the most amazing being on a running cottontail. The wind was blowing a gale that morning; we couldn't hear a thing past 25 yards, and the dogs had chased that old bunny for almost three hours when I finally kinda/sorta figured out his routine. I was hurrying to the other end of the pasture in an effort to cut him off, when the bunny broke from thick cover and ran across an open corner of the field. Outsmarted again, I was ticked; and just for kicks and giggles, pointed the barrels of my 20 gauge GH Parker what seemed like 6 feet above and 20 feet in front of my quarry and touched off the 3/4 oz of sixes in the cylinder bore right-side barrel. The bunny took 3-4 more long strides; then to my amazement began tumbling head over heals. My old huntin' bud thought I was crazy (he was correct); but when he saw the bunny rolling head over heels said, My gosh almighty, I've been huntin' 60 years and I ain't never seen a shot like that; that's over a 100 yards! I never did measure that shot, figured no one would ever believe it happened anyway; but that rabbit was a loooong ways across that field. When I got to the bunny, it wasn't dead; but was definitely going nowhere. An autopsy revealed that a single lucky (total luck!) #6 pellet had struck the bunny just in front of the left side kidney, traveled across the body nicking the bottom portion of the spine; then lodging under the hide on the far side. Obviously the damage to the spine had stopped the rabbit; but the fact that this pellet had penetrated the rabbit's body at that distance certainly left an impression on me! So again, you get the lead picture correct and you will be amazed at height and distance at which you can pull down a dove with #6 shot.

I don't like to see anything heavier than size 7.5 shot on a dove shoot. To much danger from shot drop on a crowded field.

Size 6's would be nice though when setting up alone or with a small manageable crowd on a late season shoot. Just my impression...Geo

I grew up shooting full choke 16ga guns with 7-1/2's, because all the family guns were 16s and all the shells were 7-1/2. When I bought my first gun (870 Wingmaster in 12 ga) I got a mod choke and then traded it on a full because the full worked better for me. Now that I have plenty of guns and can shoot pretty much whatever I want, my single barrel dove guns are full in all gauges, and my doubles are mod and full. When I use a .410 on doves, it's usually with 9s for the first few early birds and then I go to 8s. Any other gauge it's 8s, then 7-1/2s as things progress. I'll use 6s for late season birds or if it gets real windy, always with tight chokes. I also use 6s on doves during quail season (they tend to be long shots on tough desert birds) or if we are likely to find rabbits. I once paced off a dropped dove at 65 yards with 6s in a full choke 16. That bird was a straight incomer so he was probably 70 yards when I hit him in the early morning light. I like 6s under the right conditions, but in 1 oz loads in 16s or 12s.