doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com The Dickinson Report

I sure wanted to be there, Stan. Appreciate the invite tho, just too much time and distance. That is just downright strong shooting with the 67 ga.
JR

Thanks, John. I missed you being there. You woulda' really had a ball. Lots of doves for a late season shoot. There were doves flying from 12:45 until I locked the cable and left at 5:00.

I'm gonna get better with it. I'm determined. I have the makings for a big steel patterning plate to put up soon down at the pond where ya'll stayed. Once it's up I intend to get serious about finding the best patterning loads for it. For now the RIOs are working okay. I can't blame my misses today on the shells.

SRH

Stan, If I shot that good I would take out a half page ad in the newspaper to make sure everyone knew. Sounds like a fine little gun, btw. Gil

I've been shooting a 12 gauge Dickinson SxS for the past 1-1/2 years and been very pleased with it. Mostly Sporting Clays and pheasant, and a bit of skeet.

I did break one trigger spring, and it was promptly repaired on warranty at no cost. Other than that, zero problems.

I lost one choke tube, and haven't yet found a replacement source. Perhaps as the Dickinson's become more popular, someone will make aftermarket tubes.

JERRY

I just returned from a small dove shoot we had this afternoon in a corn field the cows have broken down. Just eight of us, the usual suspects. Pretty good shoot though I was on the edge of the best flight.

Managed a limit barely with a 20ga and a little over a box of shells. However I had the valuable help of my yellow lab Stella who seemed to think my shooting was too poor and took up with other shooters having more luck than I. She brought all the doves she picked up to me. I had some 400 yard retrieves today...Geo

Stan, I 've been looking at the Dickinsons as well in a 410.
What can you say about what was the furthest distance you killed one with that gun?
My dove field is seeing some doves as well. Cut last September and the farmer left lots of corn on the ground.
Two weeks ago I bet I saw at least 200 to 300 doves flying in the field. Plus a big flock of pigeons from the dairy farm across the road.
I set out my decoys and had some come to the decoys.
Shooting my 32" P Gun with an 1 1/8 ounce of 7 1/2 I managed a dozen plus a couple of pigeons.

A limit in the late season is a thing to be remembered, even if with the assistance of a "convivial" retriever.

All my best, SRH

Mike,

I don't want to mislead about the little guns. With 11/16 oz. loads I really believe they should be restricted to 35 yards or less. And that 35 yards is the equivalent of a 60 yard shot with a 12 ga., IMO. I have said this before about shooting the .410 on doves ....... the hardest part of it is making yourself stick with those limits. KY Jon uses markers to help himself do this. I admire him for that. I probably should train myself to do the same.

One thing important to this discussion, too, is what presentation the shot is offering you on the bird. A straight incoming bird can be killed dead as a hammer much further than can a straight going away, because all the vitals and both wing bones are looking at you. One shot I attempted yesterday was a going away at no more than 25 yards .......... when my brain said shoot. By the time the reaction time, lock time and flight time of the shot "screwed it all up", the dove was probably 30 yds.+. I knocked a hatful of feathers out of him and he flew on, maybe to die somewhere later. I hope not. I shouldn't have taken that shot, and I will remember that.

Most of the "expertise" of using a .410 on game isn't how well you shoot it, it's how well you restrain yourself from shooting it, IMO. Everyone has to learn the limits of range with a shotgun. The .410's is just closer than the others.

SRH

Words for the ages and (all) gauges.

Using markers to help with distance . . . reminds me of the British Army getting ready to face off against the Zulu hordes!