[geish]

This year, I bought a side by side with the intent to use it for quail. I'm curious whether it will also work on dove.

28 gauge with IC/MOD fixed chokes. I believe the barrel is 27". I have heard that shiny blued barrels like the one it has could be easily seen by doves . Is that true?

If this gun doesn't work, I'll just stick to my 12ga.

 

[osok1]

28 gauge should just fine - lots of folks use them for dove.

As for shiny barrels, the doves fields are typically full of them. Mine usually are, depending on which gun I use.

Sounds like you have a great dove gun.

 

[Bones22]

I've always been of the opinion that a shiny barrel wasnt a big enough problem to keep someone from using the gun.. Although this last hunt I went on I sat about half way up a row cut in a corn field and the guy at the end had a real nice looking double barrel. And almost every time the birds would fly in over the corn headed towards us, they would get almost to the cut where he was a turn sharp and fly back. Only thing I could figure is they either seen him and turned, or it happened everytime he started waving that shiny barrel..

In any case, him and his buddy both shot more birds than I did so I say if you like the feel of the gun and the way it shoots.. Enjoy!!

 

[Calisto]

Doves will fly right at a blued barrel, you betcha. They don't care. Wait till you see doves play "Dodg'em". Fly right at you and over you, zipping to the side to avoid the pattern.

 

[modelo]

My two cents: I love 28 and .410 for quail and pheasant, all plant-and-shoot birds. But for dove, nothing smaller than 20 for me. I want to see em crumple and fall, and when I walk over to where they fell, I wanna see em lying still on their sides or backs, not on their tummies blinking at me w/ those sad brown eyes.
I think respecting the quarry counts for a lot.

 

[Chaco1]

If you can't use a 28 ga for Doves what can you use it for? I use mine for everything from Doves to Pheasants. Doves like most gamebirds will react to movement more than anything if you are moving the barrel around before shooting that will fflare them but just having a shiny barrel most tmes will not.

I get so tired of this silly crap where people say you just can't use a 28 ga when I have a game bag full of birds to prove them wrong. A 28 ga is an excellent bird gauge it hits hard and has a very short shot string. You just have to stay within the limitations of you and the gauge.

 

[geish]

My two cents: I love 28 and .410 for quail and pheasant, all plant-and-shoot birds. But for dove, nothing smaller than 20 for me. I want to see em crumple and fall, and when I walk over to where they fell, I wanna see em lying still on their sides or backs, not on their tummies blinking at me w/ those sad brown eyes.
I think respecting the quarry counts for a lot.

modelo, if I see the results that you speak of, I'll switch over to my 12 which I'll have handy that day.

I really just cant wait to use the 28. I'm getting antsy. LOL.