What should i get? What shells are good to?

[TrapperJ]

Howdy folks. Made the trip and im here in west texas and dove season has recently opened and I wanna get out and get some doves but im thinking on buying a new shotgun. Ive not went and looked at any places but how hard pressed am I gonna be to find a shotgun under 500? Also what would yall recommend for doves? I could travel back later in the year to missouri and get my 410 but I would love to expand my collection. Im thinking a 20ga but what shells are the best for dove? And what brands is everyone using for dove?? Any help would really help lol its my first time dove hunting

 

[Ajax2744]

A good dove shoot is high volume so personally I typically get the cheapest 7.5 shot I can find and I’ve never had a problem. As for good shotguns under $500 I’d look at a mossberg 500. You could get the mossberg maverick 88 which is a dressed down mossberg 500 for half the price. I wouldn’t recommend buying cheaper double barrels or semi autos as they are all Turkish and vary in quality, although they have gotten better as time has gone on they still can be a crap shoot.

The other option is a nice used shotgun. Remington 870s, beretta 3901, classic Winchester model 12, Remington 1100, or a browning bps are all solid guns that can be found for ~$500 and will last a lifetime

 

[Jnasa]

You can easily pick up a shotgun for $500 especially if looking on the used market. For pump action I like Remington 870. Semi Auto I like Beretta but may have to look to find one under $500. Over and Under there are brands you could find in your price range but I'm not familiar enough to give suggestions. Ive heard good things about CZ but think they are a little over your budget.

The 12 guard is the most versatile. If wanting to double up on waterfowl I would recommend that. If it's mostly an upland gun then a 20 gauge is my preference.

For shells it doesn't matter too much. I would avoid target loads although for Dove they'd be ok. I like shot size 7 or 71/2 for Dove. Most other species I prefer 7 or 6 shot depending on distance. Quality 6 shot is hard to beat for an overall upland load.

For economical dove shooting the heavy target/field shells 3 dram 71/2 are good. Box stores often have packs of 4 boxes for a discount.

It doesn't hurt to pattern your shotgun with new shells to confirm they pattern like you want.

 

[Wyoming270]

I biy the cheapest 4 pack of federal 7,8, or 9 shot shells at walmart for doves. If your on management area you might need steel. Run them through the winchester pump shotgun i bought for $300 when i was 18.