7/29/10
5:07 PM
Dove Guns & Loads OVE SEASON IS HERE! THE LONG, HOT summer is nearly over, and the soulcleansing smell of gunpowder once again drifts gently on the warm breezes. Makes me want to go out and shoot something. This time of year is when ammunition manufacturers make their largest profits. Every store you walk into will have cases of
D
Page 98
PHOTO: Š CHRIS AUSTIN | DREAMSTIME
ALMANAC C.qxd:1002 Coastal
Federal Game Loads stacked all over the floors. More ammo is expended on dove than on any other game animal in America. The stores are full of discount ammo that dove hunters purchase by the truckload. Most of us will do well with a standard field load. In 12-gauge, that means a load that shoots 1-1/8 ounces of shot. If it says it has less than that, beware. Some loads of less than the standard 12-gauge payload are very good. In fact, my favorite handload consists of 1 ounce of shot at about 1150 feet per second. And beware if the load brags about its velocity. That might be a way to take your attention away from the fact that it uses less shot. You do not need high velocity for dove.
Dove season launches a storm of ammo buyers into stores.
Anything that produces above Dove Time! about 1100 feet per second is just fine. Also, try to find shotshells that use plastic shot cups. Some of the low-end shells use wads and some kind of plastic shims that are supposed to protect the shot from contact with the barrel. These shells never pattern as well as those that are loaded with the tried and proven one-piece shot cup. You can tell when you shoot them because a couple or three of the thin plastic shims will come floating down to the ground like leaves falling from a dying tree. Most adults shoot 12-gauge guns and that's just fine. However, dove are small, light-boned birds and any of the gauges will work just fine if kept within their limits. If you are shooting a .410 or 28-gauge, you need to keep your shots inside 35 yards, but both of these smaller gauges are a lot of fun. One of my favorite types of hunting is shooting dove around a water hole with my little .410 Browning Citori. 98 |
S E P T E M B E R
2 0 1 0
T E X A S
F I S H
&
G A M E ÂŽ
C O A S T A L
A L M A N A C