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Dove hunting overkill shells

976 Views 8 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  spiwonka, 
S
I think this past weekend I was huting with a little overkill. I bought a few boxes of 12 gauge Rios 2 3/4 1 1/4 oz 7.5's Hight Velocity moving at 1330 FPS. They had a nice kick compared to my normal 1oz. or 1 1/8 oz shells. Usually friends/family members reach for anyshells they can grab when the doves are flying fast, but this time they made sure they would'nt reach into my bag!! I think I might have to start using them all of the time!! I believe I'm the only one who shot them!! My local store had them for 9 bucks a box. Anybody else ever use any 1 1/4 for dove??
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brianmayeux
I can't wait to hear Chaco's reply to this one :lol:

In my opinion.... 1 1/4 oz is fine... You will have the ability to open up your choke a lot more... In fact Estate makes a 1 1/4 oz #8 that probably produces the best pattern density of any hunting load I know...

Do I use these loads ?? mmmmmmmmmm no comment....
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S
Yeah, I was really looking for some 8's, but they only had them in the 7.5's. I was shooting a LM briley choke and could'nt believe the range I was getting out of them!! Last year I was killing them with the winlight loads, now this year I'm using 1 1/4 HV loads. I can't make up my mind!! I killed more then the three other guys combined, but I don't think it wsa the shells!!! I can't wait to go this weekend and bust a few more doves!! I purchased a Briley IC to try out on the doves, since I was getting such good range with the LM chokes!! I'm going to try IC/LM on my 525 this weekend. It seems every year I shoot more and more with my shotgun. I think I'm hooked!!
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T
The old pigeon load of 1-1/4 oz of 7.5 @ 1220 full choke is what I reach for late season when it 50+ yards or no shot at all.While you'll hear people tell you it doesn't make a difference-you still have to hit them and they have a point ,their area lot of times for me it's the difference between shooting one 1-1/4 oz shell per bird or 3 per lighter shells bird for the same shot.
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Calisto
/

I decline to comment upon or answer this question; and furthermore, I would like to go on the record, to say that I only shoot authorized, politically correct loads at all times.

I only experimented with heavy field loads, one time in my youth, and I didn't like it.
Remember! A vote for Senator Blowhard, is a vote for progress!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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4
El Campo - was coming back to Houston from Port O'Connor and noticed a lot of whitewings crossing US 59, flying south to north about 3 miles west of El Campo yesterday (Thur. 9/24).

Sounds like your hunt was good as were the 1 1/4 oz. 7 1/2's. Did you hunt near El Campo?

I got into some competition shooting on the 1st. and 2nd. day of the south zone, close to Sugarland, and was using 1 1/4 oz. loads of 9's mixed with 8's @ approx. 1250fps. with a LM choke - it makes a difference. Normally though, 1 oz. of 8"s or 1 1/8 oz. is plenty sufficient.
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FullandFuller
Remington used to have an advert story on their website pushing their express loads for doves. Something like this... A lone man stands at the tree in the middle of a field; three doves whizzing by, unscathed by many guns on the way to this hunter. The lone hunter raises his 12 ga 1100 and pulls up on the first dove... 730 high speed #9 pellets through his IC choke form a cloud the dove cannot hope to escape from. He feels very little recoil with his soft recoiling gas operated autoloader, and the second bird is dropped in the same swing. With one shot left the lone hunter turns and puts a little more lead on the last dove, now going away on afterburner...the power piston wad holds the pattern tight and consistent, and the third dove falls as well. A cheer goes up around the field as he completes his limit in less than a box of shells. :D Yay Remington!

I don't subscribe to the real heavy loads for doves but some do; just today I found a pile of 7-1/2 Express loads where someone was popping away this season.

I would not want to shoot full strength 1-1/4 oz loads for doves on a regular basis due to recoil and noise, but I do knock more than a few down during pheasant season with #5s. I almost always choose the full choke of my O/U when I get that shot since there are only 210 pellets, but just one #5 pellet connecting knocks them down well. Not dead always, but pretty much always down.

Jeremiah
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brianmayeux
Man.. Funny story Jeremiah !
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S
We we're hunting A half mile South of highway 59 across from the first El Campo exit headed North or that would be the last exit headed South. Opening weekend was a slaughter, but the Front dropped the bird numbers down drastically. We went yesterday evening to kill only one dove, but we had a blast shooting clays. I always remember to bring my clay thrower and plenty of clays!! Good story fullandfuller!!
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