Favorite dove loads

[Hogtamer]

Saturday is the day! Opening day of dove season and this makes my 62nd shooting my own gun. Yes, started when I was 10 after 4 yr apprenticeship picking up for Daddy and shooting at them with my bb gun. First shot with a .410, then a twenty, moved to a sixteen and later a 12. When I found this site my favorite load was 1 1/8 oz #8, 12 ga @ 1200 fps. Was loading for sons and grandson, now 2 grandsons who still like this load. 6 or 7 yrs ago went to 20 ga exclusively (those big 12 ga slug and buckshot loads excepted) and my fave was 1oz #8 shot @ 1220 fps and didn’t notice much difference. 2 years ago went all in for 28 ga. Bought the loader and all the components before I bought the gun! Now have 3. This Saturday I’ll be shooting a Franchi o/u with 7/8 oz #8 @ 1275 fps choked mod/imp mod. Always miss my Dad on opening day (who shot a sweet sixteen all his life). That special Saturday in 2003, as we sat around for the birds to show, he said, “I always thank God for giving me another season but this will be my last. Cancer is killing me.” The heat got the best of him but not before the first bird of the year paddled by and as so many had, crumpled at the boom of that Browning. He left then for the comfort of his easy chair. He died in March of 2004 just in time for the blooming daffodils, something else he always loved. So like my daddy I will thank God for another season and take as many as he sees fit to bless me with. BTW, his favorite load out of that 16 was 1 oz #8 @ 1145 fps: just like the Remington Sure Shots. I hope opening day is special for all of you who love the comraderie of a good dove shoot too.

[Budzilla 19]

Hogtamer, mine is 1-1/8 oz of #7.5 lead shot at 1200 fps! Back when I had a lot of 800X, I would load some real hot rod loads, but now, just standard trap loads. It’ll drop them out of the sky in a ball of feathers if you do your part.
Good on you for that 28! When I shot competition skeet, I loved the 28.

[35 Rem]

1 ounce of 7 1/2 or 8 shot and 16 grains Red Dot. Back when I hunted doves, that was a real long range killer for me in my Modified Ithaca 37. But haven't had a good dove hunt in 35 or more years. Corn doesn't mature until everybody has already gotten out of the mood to hunt so no birds moving by then. The whole farm is so grown up when season opens that if you shot a bird it would take a dog to ever find it. I just quit trying.

[Mk42gunner]

Back when I hunted doves, I usually went for the cheapest Dove and Quail loads I could find, Knowing I was going to miss a lot at the first of the season.

As I got older, if I was feeling flush with cash, I would buy trap loads for 12 gauge or skeet loads for 20 gauge. 16 gauge got whatever I could find in 7½ or 8 shot. Also loaded a lot of 12 gauge with Red Dot and usually 7½ shot.

For some reason Dad didn't like #8 shot so we mostly used 7½ on birds.

Robert

[Frosty Boolit]

I just got my first doves ever last Tuesday. I had 1-1/4 #5 @1300 in a cylinder bore slug barrel. I was really looking for groundhogs. But a pair of dove presented and I had my stamps already for goose so fired and both went down. I know 5 is big for dove but I wasn't pickin pellets for long!

[TNsailorman]

I used International Clays on my skeet load at around 1180fps with 8 and 8 1/2 mixed lead shot. Worked very well on both skeet and doves. james

[Texas by God]

Ya’ll- and the cooler weather-have me convinced to give it a try tomorrow.
Great post, Hogtamer!
I’ll carry the Yildiz 20 gauge SxS with 7/8 oz of 7-1/2 shot.
There’s about 5 acres of doveweed and a tank in the sheep pasture….


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[kaiser]

My two favorite dove loads are: 16ga with 1oz of 7 1/2 and a 20ga using 7/8 oz of #7's mixed with 7 1/2 shot. I seldom use a 12 ga for dove, but when I do, I prefer a 1 1/8 load of 7 1/2. Like mk40's Dad, I never cared for #8's; I always seemed to get worse patterns, especially in the smaller gauges (maybe my imagination, but they're bad luck for me!).

[Mk42gunner]

I used to like hunting doves over a harvested milo field, it seemed they liked picking up the spilled milo better than corn.

Alas, very little milo is grown around here anymore. It is rare to see a field of it growing now.

Robert

[floydboy]

1 1/8 oz 7.5 over 26 gr 7625 out of my Browning lite 12 for 1200-1250 fps. Thats the only time of year I get that gun out. It's one year older than me and been on all my dove hunts. I love that gun and the memories. I know how she got every scratch. When I'm out of 7625 I'll be using 1 oz 7.5 over 19 grains Promo which is my next favorite dove load, about 1300fps. Get you a comfortable hunting chair and you can't find a much better way to enjoy a nice fall morning or afternoon.

Floyd

[HWooldridge]

Opening week, we use 7-1/2 shot - then it’s usually best to switch to 6’s, because they start flying high and fast.

[Hogtamer]

7625 was a great powder 25 yrs ago! Like green dot more velocity, less pressure.

[W.R.Buchanan]

My favorite Load for Doves has been the 100 round box of Federal or Winchester 12 ga. #8 shot from Walmart for $21.74 per 100 rounds. Alas those days are gone and I haven't gotten to go Dove Hunting for many years. Now hand loads would be my regular Hand Loads for both 12's and .410's

If I were to go, depending where it was I'd take both my Citori .410-32" (my Skeet gun) for Avocado Orchards, and my Pristine 1964 A5 12 ga. for everything else. That way no matter where it was I have the right gun.

Come to think of it, I'd Probably take my Ithaca M37 as well.

Randy

[TNsailorman]

My Dad, my brother and his son, my son and I used to go opening day of dove season every year. It was the "family hunt" every year on opening day. Dad is in Heaven, my son is 3000 miles away. My brother can no longer shoot a shotgun because of bad shoulder damage. His son lives 2 states away also. I really miss those days and can only enjoy the memories now. A really bad flaw in my family's history is that none of us were really camera orientated and there are no pictures of those hunts. Those memories come flooding back every opening day each year though. james

[murf205]

My favorite was federal Upland 12 ga 1 1/8 oz #6's. I had a 3" mag A-5 with a 28" un-vented Modified choke that would cycle these just fine. With this combo, I killed a 12 bird limit with 1 box of shells....once. There was a dairy not too far from me and my trio of hunting buds and the birds were thick. Alas, the dairy and my hunting buds are gone now.