What choke to use for doves is determined by the situation, i.e., whether you're in the middle of a sunflower field where they are coming to feed, or whether you're pass shooting them as they pass over a hedgerow on their way back to the roost, etc. No choke combination will fill the bill for all situations. It also is determined by how you take the shot. If you tend to wait, patiently, for close shots you could get by fine with IC or even SK, in one barrel. This will be my 58th season chasing them with a shotgun, and my style of shooting has led me to favor a combination of IM and LM most of the time. I will admit to being overchoked on a few shots each shoot, but almost never so much as to render the bird inedible. I love to try for a double, with my two barrels, which means I will try to take the first incomer as far out as I can make myself hit the trigger on the IM barrel, then take the other bird , still approaching, with the LM barrel. There is nothing in dove shooting more satisfying than that to me.
I use 8s in the earlier part of the season, then 7 1/2s later, but would not argue against 7 1/2s for all season. I bought 5 flats of 7 1/2s for my 28 just recently.
Glad to hear the triggers are good. That's another to add to the list that confirms that AKUS, in Turkey, has their act together. Best of luck with it on the birds!
I should add that many of my guns are fixed choke guns. With such, it is imperative to learn the range limitations of them and use them properly. I think I could get along with most any combination of chokes and not destroy the bird for the table. Not all combinations would be ideal, by any means, but I can't think of any that would be unusable, either.
All my best, SRH
Last edited by Stan; 08/25/18 10:44 PM.
