best 410 rounds for dove?
- Thread starter Deja vu
- Start date
CurlyQ.Howard
New member
I did it (doves, pheasants, cottontails) with a single shot .410 well over 50 years ago, but I don't see why a kid couldn't do it today too. I'd use a 3" shell loaded with 7.5 shot.
340 Weatherby
New member
15 years of dove shooting in Mexico taught me a lot about .410's and effective loads. We had a lot of birds and a lot of opportunity to experiment. What my Son said about the three inch shells is true, and they aren't necessary at all. Would you guys go hunt any other bird with a shell under 1200 FPS. I've settled on the sporting clays loads because they just flat out work for me. Everybody is welcome to their own opinion of course. And what works in a small sunflower field on private property, back east, isn't the same as shooting somewhere where Dove hunting is a popular sport. The birds are going to be higher, generally and a lot more wary. My .410 Citori is choked IC and Modified and has killed literally hundreds of dove. One thing I might caution you on is giving a kid a .410 single shot and sending him out into a Dove field is pretty tough. He may get frustrated in a big hurry. I know because it happened to me. Your looking to have a hunting partner for life so give him a reasonable chance. A twenty gauge youth model pump is a cheap investment if your looking to have a future hunting buddy. If you think I'm wrong I suggest you shoot that single shot on opening day and see how you do. A twenty-eight is really the ticket for a kid, but the price of guns and shells put it out of reach
Sheikyourbootie
New member
A 410 is what I learned on. It's a challenge, but it is still fun to shoot...sometimes I break it out just for nostalgia.
Around here, 410 shells are scarce at wally world, and you sometimes just have to shoot whatever shot size you can get.
Around here, 410 shells are scarce at wally world, and you sometimes just have to shoot whatever shot size you can get.
So I took my boy out hunting today (for ring neck eurasian doves, they can be hunting year round, morning dove season starts the 30th here.) . He had the pump 410 and I carried my 870 12ga.
the first dove we saw he pulled up on it and shot and missed. He then shot again and missed again. He fired a 3rd time (the dove was well out of range at this point) and missed.
I felt bad and was trying to think of a way I could get a 20ga. But every one i know in that area that hunts uses a 12. We walked for a while and then my son asks me if I brought him any more ammo.
He only brought the 3 rounds. We are a very long way from home so it is not like I can quickly drive back to the home and pick up the box. I have to say I am very proud. I stayed calm the entire time. We walk back to the car and drive to town. When I get to Wall-Mart the only load they have is #4 buckshot "handgun" ammo. I bought it.
We went out hunting again and we scare up 2 doves with in 5 min of starting again. I shoulder my gun and waited for my son to fire. 2 shots and two dead doves.
I did not have to fire.
We walked around a while longer and never say any more doves but did see a Coyote. I ask my son if we should shoot it and he made me proud. He said that it was too far away and to shoot it with a shotgun would be unethical. (it was about 100 yards away). I tousled his hair and told him I am proud of him.
I had a lots of fun and he did too. He is excited to go next week end. My father will be going with us as well. It will be a great trip even if we don't get any thing.
When we got home I showed him how to breast the doves. They where a little messed up from the buck shot but they where my sons first kills so they tasted mighty fine anyway. Fried them and served with some potatoes and corn grown in our garden.
the first dove we saw he pulled up on it and shot and missed. He then shot again and missed again. He fired a 3rd time (the dove was well out of range at this point) and missed.
I felt bad and was trying to think of a way I could get a 20ga. But every one i know in that area that hunts uses a 12. We walked for a while and then my son asks me if I brought him any more ammo.
He only brought the 3 rounds. We are a very long way from home so it is not like I can quickly drive back to the home and pick up the box. I have to say I am very proud. I stayed calm the entire time. We walk back to the car and drive to town. When I get to Wall-Mart the only load they have is #4 buckshot "handgun" ammo. I bought it.
We went out hunting again and we scare up 2 doves with in 5 min of starting again. I shoulder my gun and waited for my son to fire. 2 shots and two dead doves.
I did not have to fire.We walked around a while longer and never say any more doves but did see a Coyote. I ask my son if we should shoot it and he made me proud. He said that it was too far away and to shoot it with a shotgun would be unethical. (it was about 100 yards away). I tousled his hair and told him I am proud of him.
I had a lots of fun and he did too. He is excited to go next week end. My father will be going with us as well. It will be a great trip even if we don't get any thing.
When we got home I showed him how to breast the doves. They where a little messed up from the buck shot but they where my sons first kills so they tasted mighty fine anyway. Fried them and served with some potatoes and corn grown in our garden.
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