410 For Doves?, is it enough Options

[varhunter]

My grandpa has an old 410 mossberg, single shot, bolt action that has a little rust in the barrel and needs to be reblued. If he get's the work done on it, would it be good for dove hunting. My deer spot has a lot of the little buggers and i think it'd be fun to get into. The only other shotgun I'd have access to is a 12 gauge and I know that's too big. So is a 410 good for doves?

This post has been edited by Big D: May 15 2007, 05:43 PM

[StruttinBuck]

.410 shotguns can be used as dove guns... Sounds like it'd be a nice gun for dove to me! I know of a few guys that use 410s on dove and love it... Light Guns, Light Recoil... Only thing ive ever really heard um complain about is shell cost.

I know alot of guys too that use 12 Gauge on dove as well... As long as you stick to 1 ounce and 1 1/8 ounce shells for dove you should be fine... That is if you would want to use the 12 gauge... If you can afford the shells, i would probably go with the 410, but if shell price is an option, then 12 Gauge rounds from wally world for ya figure 3-4 dollars a box also work just as well... Really it comes down to whatever your most comfortable and would want to shoot.

Good Luck!!

-Ted

[varhunter]

Ok, thanks for the info. I'll deffinately think about trying it now.

[StruttinBuck]

Not a problem! Glad i could help!

-Ted

[Goose Bonker]

The 410 is a tad light for my liken. I prefer the 20 gauge but the 12 works great, and its not over kill, and it increases your range. I'd go with the 12.

[varhunter]

ya i was really thinking about the 12. My dad said that since I wanted my grandpa to get the 410 done so badly that i'd have to pay him 50 bucks to help him pay for it. i'd still like it to get done but with 12 gauge shells pretty cheep and it being better for the beginner i'll go with the 12. i'll probably be hurting for a bit afterwards though .

[Goose Bonker]

2-3/4" dove rounds? Nah, you'll be fine, you should have fun too!

[GreeneCoDeerKiller]

A 410 will work, but I would use the 12, espesically if the 12 will hold more than one shell.

[wmramse]

Is that old Mossburg a bolt action? I've hunted squirrels a couple of times with my FIL's old Mossburg .410 bolt gun, and it's pretty fun to shoot. I figure a rig like that would be just fine for doves. If it's shootable, I'd take both to the range and see if you can hit any clay pigeons with either of them. Try a few rounds with each, and then decide. For me, I think the .410 would be more of a challege, and more fun to boot, but it's a matter of personal choice. Either one you pick will do the job, and both will probably give you many years of good service.

[varhunter]

Thanks for all the replies. The 410 needs some rebluing. It's really rusty but the inside of the barrel is pretty clean except for 2 little rust spots. I'd rather just use the 12 cause it'll be easier for a beginner to bird hunting but my shoulder's will be pretty sore after a full day of it. I'll probably just get a cheep hand held launcher for the pigeons. I wouldn't think hitting them would be too hard but those doves are fast and might be kind of hard to hit. I've only hunted deer, antelope and varmints. This will be a new and hopefully fun challenge.

This post has been edited by Big D: May 16 2007, 04:40 PM