Best Pheasant Shot gun.

[-JR-]

Looks like I opened a can of worms for the best dog for Pheasant hunting.

Lets do this again . I sold my Goose gun . Now I am shopping for a Pheasant shot gun

I figure a 12 gauge , pump action would be the way to go .
Over and under sure look nice but bump might be the way to go .

What rifles are best to stay away from ,and whats good out there to use .
Whats the best load that most people like to use.

[angery jonn]

I've never hunted Pheasant with a rifle....

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by angery jonn

I've never hunted Pheasant with a rifle....

Me neither!

I prefer an English stocked SxS shotgun with two triggers. My personal favorite for hunting over pointing dogs is a 28 gauge, but I also have a 16 gauge.

[-JR-]

ha ha !

[angery jonn]

Not sure what's so funny? Do you have a PAL

[boah]

20g 1100

[oldgutpile]

Another vote for the sxs on this one! Sxs or, o/U are the more classic uplander guns, and lets face it; that third shot is usually in frustration anyways!

[sns2]

Originally Posted by oldgutpile

Another vote for the sxs on this one! Sxs or, o/U are the more classic uplander guns, and lets face it; that third shot is usually in frustration anyways!

Change that to ALWAYS

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by oldgutpile

Another vote for the sxs on this one! Sxs or, o/U are the more classic uplander guns, and lets face it; that third shot is usually in frustration anyways!

Three shots usually means that the rooster has escaped.
One shot is usually a dead bird.

[coyoteman]

Define best---haveing said that,its been my observation that most people miss because they shoot to quicklly, light weight, quick to point is good,gauge personal choice---

[boah]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Three shots usually means that the rooster has escaped.
One shot is usually a dead bird.

I always thought the third shot was for the inevitable flocks of partridge you see.
There is always the last to fly 4 seconds after the main flush.

[Daka]

20GA SxS english stock, light and barrels 26" or 28"max

[Ithaca Dog]

Well,

If you are looking at just hunting pheasants and you want a pump I would look at an older used 870, Ithaca 37, BPS, Model 12, etc. 20,16 or 12 gauge. 2 3/4 inch chamber is fine. Screw in or fixed choke. Modified preferred for a pheasant gun.

If you want an all around duck, goose, pheasant gun I would look at a 12 gauge gun. Three inch chamber with screw in chokes. Pump, semi auto, over under.

Shoot 6's for close shots. 4's for farther flushing birds.

What ever fits you and your budget will be best.

Most pheasant release sites have slow flying, hard holding birds. 20 gauge is plenty. Light guns are nice to carry. Shoot some trap, skeet, sporting clays, back 40 hand trap before you try to kill something with feathers.

Just my thoughts and experiences. There is really no wrong answer if you are happy with the experience you get out of it. I've shot pheasants with everything from a .410 over a hard held pointing dog to a 10 gauge when a pheasant flew over our decoys on a duck hunt and died next to a plastic mallard. Dog was surprised at that one.

[catnthehat]

I don't believe there is a "best gun" out there .
I do have several that I prefer to use however, and they are all Lightweight guns in several different gauges and chokes .
The only constant is that I shoot them fairly well.
Cat

[Jamie]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

I don't believe there is a "best gun" out there .
I do have several that I prefer to use however, and they are all Lightweight guns in several different gauges and chokes .
The only constant is that I shoot them fairly well.
Cat

THIS!!!!

When I saw this thread the first thing that popped into my mind was
Shoot the one that fits you best
Shoot the one that you shoot best...

I really do believe the number one mistake made in shotguns is not having one that fits you.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

I don't believe there is a "best gun" out there .
I do have several that I prefer to use however, and they are all Lightweight guns in several different gauges and chokes .
The only constant is that I shoot them fairly well.
Cat

I don't take any shotgun hunting, until I have shot skeet or sporting clays with the gun, so I know that it shoots where I am looking. If I don't shoot a shotgun well, I either make it fit, or I get rid of it. Unfortunately, many people have no clue as to shotgun fit, and choose shotguns based on appearance , brand name, or price, and they end up with a gun that doesn't fit them, and they don't shoot the gun well, even if they do have decent shooting skills. And then to make things even worse, many people get frustrated, and resort to adding hi viz beads to the shotgun, and try to aim it like a rifle, using the beads as sights. Choose a shotgun that fits you, and that you are comfortable carrying for hours, and your hunting will be more successful, and more enjoyable.

[FCLightning]

Well, seems I have been beat to it by several already, but the best one is the one you can hit stuff with at the ranges you will normally be shooting.

I have not kept stats on such things over the years, but I would hazard a guess that well over 90% of the upland birds I have put in the game bag have been dead/down with the first shot.
Whether it is real or not, my impression is that when a second shot is needed on a wounded bird that I have been more effective with the SXS than I was with the pump.
When I carry the pump gun anymore I usually don't bother with loading the third shell - it has never proven out to be of much use on departing upland birds.
If I had to hunt with a single shot that fit me well I would not feel at much of a disadvantage.

[LCCFisherman]

Full choke.

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by angery jonn

I've never hunted Pheasant with a rifle....

I have never hunted pheasants with a rifle, but I have shot a few with a .22.

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by -JR-

Looks like I opened a can of worms for the best dog for Pheasant hunting.

Lets do this again . I sold my Goose gun . Now I am shopping for a Pheasant shot gun

I figure a 12 gauge , pump action would be the way to go .
Over and under sure look nice but bump might be the way to go .

What rifles are best to stay away from ,and whats good out there to use .
Whats the best load that most people like to use.

Most will not agree on best. It is mostly personal preference. Same with loads, it is personal preference. Your goose gun may have worked for you.

When I first started hunting pheasants I used a model 12 Winchester trap gun with 30 inch full choke. I also used the same firearm for ducks and geese. My dad used a model 21 Winchester with 32 inch tubes choked improved modified and full. Ammo? Whatever I could scrounge. Usually 7 1/2 trap loads for pheasants. Both of these firearms were not really best for pheasants but I never felt handicapped.

Over the years I shot birds with just about every action type and gauge and it really does not matter much as long the one you choose fits and works well for you.

As I am a bit older I lean more towards smaller firearms and gauges. I like the 20 best.

I have a 1924 model 12 20 gauge 2 1/2 inch full choke that has been road hard and put away wet more than a few times. Look like a POS but really works well on sharpe tails. I am sure it will work well on pheasants.

You started off thinking pump. I would go with that.

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by angery jonn

I've never hunted Pheasant with a rifle....

sums up the thread eh....270 or -06........

Or my fav...image.jpg

[Newellknik]

A few years ago I sold my O/U s and bought a Weatherby
SA-08 semi in 12 ga , then in 20 ga . Both work flawlessly,
Nice and light , shoot all loads . On Huns deadly .
Easy shooting on steel loads .
I lost my love for 26" o/u s when I started shooting 3" lead .
And prices were very right !

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Newellknik

A few years ago I sold my O/U s and bought a Weatherby
SA-08 semi in 12 ga , then in 20 ga . Both work flawlessly,
Nice and light , shoot all loads . On Huns deadly .
Easy shooting on steel loads .
I lost my love for 26" o/u s when I started shooting 3" lead .
And prices were very right !

I can't think of a reason to ever use 3" lead loads on pheasants.

[MK2750]

The best pheasant gun is the one you like to carry all day.

Fit, fit , fit, for the last 100 years or so people purchased what their father or uncle recommended and learned to shoot with it. Those of us that were not born into cash, usually started with a single shot Cooey and for shotguns many never ventured further. If you were right into waterfowl or pheasant some upgraded to an 1100, or A5 and if they couldn't afford that an 870 or Mossy 500.

My Mossberg 500 was purchased at CT for around $100 and all my friends came by to admire it. It patterned a full duck to the left but I seldom missed with it.

The other day i replaced the extractor on my A500G and thought I had better go out and fire a box of shells. I took the Trius One Step Trap and powdered 10 or 15 clays in a row. My buddy smashed 10 or so and didn't miss any either, even though he had never fired the gun before. When I throw this particular shotgun up, all I see is the back of the rib step as it is too short for me. It also throws a pattern well above the bead unlike every shotgun in the house. Fortunately it has a high vis bead on it so one can easily keep track of where it is pointing without losing focus on the bird. I explained this to my buddy of course and he really liked the gun in spite of usually shooting flat ribbed shotguns.

Gun manufacturers want you to be successful and enjoy their product. Most every one is designed to fit the average Joe or is easily adapted to after a few back yard clays. Some even come with adapters. As far as farm fresh pheasants are concerned, they are big, relatively slow, not very bright and let out a big sqwuak at take off in case you were not paying attention. If you are not hitting them you need to practice, not run out and buy a multi thousand dollar SXS with English stock and double triggers.

Now if you want to shoot Ruffies over a dog or get into some hard core waterfowling in weather, you better be at one with your equipment and on your A game.

[elkhunter11]

Many of us started with a used single shot, because that is all that finances would allow,then we moved on to a used pump, and after earning our own money for a while, we decided to spend the money that many people throw away smoking, gambling, or drinking, on nice firearms .It's all about our personal priorities. But it really doesn't matter what you use, if you shoot the gun well. You could use a single shot, pump, semi, or a two barreled gun, and be successful, but many people choose a gun based on what they like to shoot, more so than on what they think is the best choice to take a limit. But in order to shoot a gun well, it helps a great deal, if the gun fits you, and shooting some skeet or sporting clays certainly helps. Aiming a shotgun using the beads as sight though, is usually counter productive, regardless of the gun that you choose.
As for pheasants, I find them one of the easiest birds to hit, especially compared to Hungarian Partridge, yet many people at the release site still miss more than they hit. Even some of the regular shooters here on AO have posted about missing the first couple of birds before they finally managed to get their limit. Perhaps it shouldn't happen, but it does. The best way to avoid this situation, is to get a gun that fits, and do some practising, and when when the dog finds a bird, try and get yourself into a shooting position that gives you good odds of making the shot.

[MK2750]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Many of us started with a used single shot, because that is all that finances would allow,then we moved on to a used pump, and after earning our own money for a while, we decided to spend the money that many people throw away smoking, gambling, or drinking, on nice firearms .It's all about our personal priorities. But it really doesn't matter what you use, if you shoot the gun well. You could use a single shot, pump, semi, or a two barreled gun, and be successful, but many people choose a gun based on what they like to shoot, more so than on what they think is the best choice to take a limit. But in order to shoot a gun well, it helps a great deal, if the gun fits you, and shooting some skeet or sporting clays certainly helps. Aiming a shotgun using the beads as sight though, is usually counter productive, regardless of the gun that you choose.
As for pheasants, I find them one of the easiest birds to hit, especially compared to Hungarian Partridge, yet many people at the release site still miss more than they hit. Even some of the regular shooters here on AO have posted about missing the first couple of birds before they finally managed to get their limit. Perhaps it shouldn't happen, but it does. The best way to avoid this situation, is to get a gun that fits, and do some practising, and when when the dog finds a bird, try and get yourself into a shooting position that gives you good odds of making the shot.

In a perfect world everyone's shotgun would shoot where they are looking. This is not a perfect world and the over the counter shotguns that the vast majority of people own do not fit perfectly AND most people do not have the time or money to practice to a point where their shotgun shoulders perfectly every time. Add to this some different clothing, uneven terrain, cold hands, hopefully a little excitement and missing becomes more than a possibility.

I tried to explain this to you before but you do not aim a shotgun. If your shotgun doesn't shoot where you are looking, you have to look where your shotgun is shooting. You reference the beads to see where the shotgun is pointing and make the necessary adjustments. This is much easier to do with a highly visible sight that you can pick up in your peripheral vision and still keep the target in focus.

Even if a shotgun fits perfectly most would be well served to reference the beads when they first shoulder their shotgun to make certain it is in the ideal shouldered position. This is not automatic for weekend hunters and exactly why hunters often miss the first few birds of the day like you mention above. And again, high visibility sights makes this reference faster and easier. In fact, if the shouldering is poor a high visibility sight will sometimes remind one of the correction needed before the miss.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by MK2750

In a perfect world everyone's shotgun would shoot where they are looking. This is not a perfect world and the over the counter shotguns that the vast majority of people own do not fit perfectly AND most people do not have the time or money to practice to a point where their shotgun shoulders perfectly every time. Add to this some different clothing, uneven terrain, cold hands, hopefully a little excitement and missing becomes more than a possibility.

I tried to explain this to you before but you do not aim a shotgun. If your shotgun doesn't shoot where you are looking, you have to look where your shotgun is shooting. You reference the beads to see where the shotgun is pointing and make the necessary adjustments. This is much easier to do with a highly visible sight that you can pick up in your peripheral vision and still keep the target in focus.

Even if a shotgun fits perfectly most would be well served to reference the beads when they first shoulder their shotgun to make certain it is in the ideal shouldered position. This is not automatic for weekend hunters and exactly why hunters often miss the first few birds of the day like you mention above. And again, high visibility sights makes this reference faster and easier. In fact, if the shouldering is poor a high visibility sight will sometimes remind one of the correction needed before the miss.

I am well aware that shotguns are not aimed. I have shot clean rounds of skeet with no bead, and I don't notice the bead/beads if the gun has any. Referencing the beads to the target is aiming, so you are contradicting yourself. Then you refer to high visibility sights, well sights are for aiming. You need to concentrate on the target, and high viz beads that draw your attention to them distract a person from concentrating on the target. If your gun doesn't fit you, make it fit, if you can't make it fit, get another gun, or get used to missing. Trying to compensate for a poorly fitting gun by aiming/referencing beads to the target is a sure way to not shoot to your potential. And yes, many people do miss because they try this aiming/referencing method, either because they don't know any better, or they are too stubborn to learn.

[MK2750]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

I am well aware that shotguns are not aimed. I have shot clean rounds of skeet with no bead, and I don't notice the bead/beads if the gun has any. Referencing the beads to the target is aiming, so you are contradicting yourself. Then you refer to high visibility sights, well sights are for aiming. You need to concentrate on the target, and high viz beads that draw your attention to them distract a person from concentrating on the target. If your gun doesn't fit you, make it fit, if you can't make it fit, get another gun, or get used to missing. Trying to compensate for a poorly fitting gun by aiming/referencing beads to the target is a sure way to not shoot to your potential. And yes, many people do miss because they try this aiming/referencing method, either because they don't know any better, or they are too stubborn to learn.

Apparently not or your reading comprehension is nonexistent. I am sorry you can not comprehend my post and refuse to realize that most of us don't have the option of getting guns fitted or simply purchasing another one.

Most people miss because they do not reference the beads and have no idea where their shotgun is hitting compared to where they are looking. A quick reference is not aiming. It is insuring your shotgun is shouldered properly and reminding you of where it is going to hit in comparison to where you are looking. Lots of time to check as farmed pheasants generally flush close and fly slow.

Most every golfer on the planet would benefit from fitted clubs and more practice. (I will try and type slowly here) They don't because they are not obsessed with the past time and don't want to waste the money. They buy what they can afford, adapt and enjoy the game. The same thing applies to the average bird hunter that gets out for pheasants a couple or three time a year and is driving a pick up worth less than your latest shotgun acquisition. Not stubborn, not stupid, not ignorant, they just don't care if the odd pheasant escapes.

Earlier you wrote, "Unfortunately, many people have no clue as to shotgun fit, and choose shotguns based on appearance, brand name, or price."

Are you suggesting that money is some sort of illusion? That quality brands and references should be ignored? That appearance of a shotgun is irrelevant???

Is this the logic you used when upgrading your shotgun recently?

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by MK2750

Apparently not or your reading comprehension is nonexistent. I am sorry you can not comprehend my post and refuse to realize that most of us don't have the option of getting guns fitted or simply purchasing another one.

Most people miss because they do not reference the beads and have no idea where their shotgun is hitting compared to where they are looking. A quick reference is not aiming. It is insuring your shotgun is shouldered properly and reminding you of where it is going to hit in comparison to where you are looking. Lots of time to check as farmed pheasants generally flush close and fly slow.

Most every golfer on the planet would benefit from fitted clubs and more practice. (I will try and type slowly here) They don't because they are not obsessed with the past time and don't want to waste the money. They buy what they can afford, adapt and enjoy the game. The same thing applies to the average bird hunter that gets out for pheasants a couple or three time a year and is driving a pick up worth less than your latest shotgun acquisition. Not stubborn, not stupid, not ignorant, they just don't care if the odd pheasant escapes.

Earlier you wrote, "Unfortunately, many people have no clue as to shotgun fit, and choose shotguns based on appearance, brand name, or price."

Are you suggesting that money is some sort of illusion? That quality brands and references should be ignored? That appearance of a shotgun is irrelevant???

Is this the logic you used when upgrading your shotgun recently?

Purchasing a shotgun that doesn't fit , and that you aren't going to make fit, because you like the appearance of the gun, is foolishness.

Purchasing a Beretta that doesn't fit, when a Browning fit's perfectly, only because you prefer Beretta, makes no more sense, unless you are going to make the gun fit.

Purchasing a gun that doesn't fit, because you got a great deal, is no bargain if you are going to miss a good percentage of your shots, as a result.

And making a gun fit, isn't always expensive . A pad can raise the comb if required, and a comb can be sanded and refinished by the average hunter. I am no gunsmith, but I just sanded down a comb and refinished the comb on a gun that I bought that didn't fit me. I knew the gun wouldn't fit me when I bought it, but I knew that I could make it fit myself, with very little expense.

As to my two recent shotgun purchases, the first fits me perfectly, even better than the gun that it replaced. It has a choke combination that I prefer, and the price was right. So my ability to shoot accurately, was a consideration, but basically, I found a good deal on a nice gun, that I knew that I could shoot well.

The second shotgun did not fit me, but I knew that I could make it fit me, and the gun was as new, for half the price of a new gun. Once again, I bought a quality gun, that I know that I can shoot well.

In both cases, the end goal was being able to shoot the gun well. I may carry higher end firearms, but I let my shooting speak for me in the field. I have seen many people carrying fancy high dollar guns, that they shot poorly, just as I have seen golfers with high dollar equipment that couldn't hit a ball decently. In many cases they didn't do well, because even though their equipment was high end, it didn't fit them, or they simply never practised.

[covey ridge]

I would rather shoot well with a $300.00 gun than not shoot well with a $5000.00 gun. The type of sights or no sights at all have no bearing on how I shoot. That's just how I shoot.

I have seen some use sights and miss an easy shot and then simply point and down the bird on a more difficult second shot.

Your dog is on point. At the flush the big rooster takes to the air. He is as big as a pumpkin and impossible to miss and you line up those sights and blow the shot though the tail feathers. You sighted perfectly but all you see is the big guy about to be gone. The bird has found the switch to his after burners and is leaving right now. In desperation you point and shoot. You don't see the sights but the bird folds.

I think that when you sight and focus on the sights and not on the bird, that action causes the gun to slow or stop and the shot is where the bird was when you are just checking those sights. The second shot that folded the bird, the shot that felt a bit desperate, was probably more instinctive and natural. Instinctive shooting if you learn to trust yourself is the most accurate.

Some that do not have time to learn might benefit from sights, but I find it sad that some who like the sport of shooting birds do not take the time to actually make themselves better shots.