14 replies to this topic

[sxshooter]

Just a question that came up with some other friends...

Your waterfowling is not part of this poll, thanks.

Select more than one if you hunt with several gauges

[Braz]

For me, since I only have one, a Remington 870 in 12 gauge its real easy to answer this poll.

[DirtyDave]

20ga for everything except pheasants. Most of the time I use a 12ga for pheasants, sometimes the 20ga though. Might start using the 20 more on pheasants

[Yateswell]

I only one in 12 gauge, so that is the go gun for me as far as shotgun is concerned.

[Baja_Traveler]

What I like to use most is my SxS pedersoli 12ga muzzleloader. After that my 28ga Red Label followed by my A.H. Fox 16ga. I'm in the market for an old 16ga break action hammer gun to shoot black powder loads in. I'm sure that will become my favorite when I can find one...

[Divernhunter]

12ga as that is all I own. I have 2 and both are older 2.75" guns not suited for steel shot. The truth is I do not upland or waterfowl hunt anymore. When I was younger we had a ranch and I knew many others whos place I could hunt on. I have never hunted anything except wild birds of any kind. I did a great deal of shotgun hunting when I was younger. I use to build spreader loads for Quail or use a open choke 20ga or my .410 before it was stold.
If I decide to hunt waterfowl I need to get a newer shotgun

[zippy1970]

Love my 12 and my 20s . My GF asked me once why I take 2 or all three hunting . Sometimes I like to switch it up to match the conditions .

Lots of hiking , benneli 20 , it's light .
Short hump , sxs 20 .
Can't hit the birds for crap or they are further out , sxs 12 .

Andy

[dabob]

I have owned and used 10 ga,12 ga, 20 ga, 28 ga and 410s. Right now all of my shotguns are 12 ga.

For shooting Sporting Clays I use 1 oz loads. For practice on Sportiung Clays I use 7/8 oz loads. For shooting Skeet for fun I use 3/4 oz and 7/8 oz loads out of my 12 ga O/U.

[KNOCKED UP]

.I rarely use my shotguns any more, but when I do, I prefer one of my 12 gauges.
and once in a while, one of my 20 gauges.
Tom

[weber]

Without a doubt the 410 is the king for Yuma dove openers . I also use a 410 under a 22mag for quail/rabbit hunting late in the year when the coveys are thin and the rabbits are running .

My absolute goto shotgun is without a doubt 12ga Benelli SBE2 for putting birds of all types in the freezer. Never fails .

I own all of the common gauges except the 10 , would like to shoot one though . My next shotgun purchase will be a 28 o/u .The perfect quail gun .

[rustygun]

I've used the 410, 20, 12 and 10 guage. My first was a 410 bolt gun that I got when I was 10 years old. Then came a 20 pump acouple years later. In the 70's picked up an Ithica mag 10 for something different. Back then an 11 pound gun didn't bother me as much to lug around Yes I even shot some dove with it. But my go to gun was the 20 guage, still have it and love it.

[sxshooter]

There's a lot more people shooting small bore guns than I would have guessed.

So far, quail hunters shoot 16 small gauges to only a dozen 12 gauges. And no 10 guage guns for quail.

On all other upland hunting it's 17 12 guage users to 15 small gauge users.

If someone would have asked me, I would have thought it would be overwelming 12 ga shooters here. Maybe some more folks will weigh in.

[stephen722]

12 guage for every thing, got a .410 870 but have never hunted with it!

[sxshooter]

Stephen
A 410 870 is sitting right here next to me. Its a friend's gun that I changed the drop on the stock by befitting the head of the stock to the receiver.

They will really surprise you how effective they are on game. Try it on quail with a 3" 7 1/2 shot load.

Heck, you have a pointing dog. Your shots should be pretty close and planned. It's not like Bisley's shots where birds are flushing without any warning.

[stephen722]

this 870 has a ramp front sight with a bead on top really bothers me, like blocks out the targets! thinking about cutting it off, and replacing with a bead on the barrel, or nothig at all! a lot of birds this year are flushing wild, like thirty and forty yards in front of a solid point! been making a lot of wish shots ( 50 + ) yell fetch and the wire comes back with it, impresses the hell out of my partners but it"s all the force. have fun stephen oh yea the wire is a bit ugly, but she looks cool locked up!