12 gauge?

[dualsetters]

hey all.this will be my first year bird hunting.i will be mostly woodcock hunting.my question is instead of buying a 410 i was thinking of using a single shot 12 gauge with a shot sleeve.any advice would be helpful also the gun does not have interchangeable chokes only full.will this be serviceable?

[Mountaineer]

Not much won't work.
But consider another scattergun...and not a 410.
Your time will be more happily and profitably spent.

[steingre]

Perhaps you could try a box of Spredr shells for you 12 gauge? I personally haven't tried them...but if I had a close-choked gun I wanted to use, I would spend the $15 or so for a box, and use a few up at the patterning board!!

[nikegundog]

Why do you want to use a 410?

[displaced_texan]

If buying is an option, I'd look at a 20ga.

Nothing wrong with a single shot.

[birddogger]

hey all.this will be my first year bird hunting.i will be mostly woodcock hunting.my question is instead of buying a 410 i was thinking of using a single shot 12 gauge with a shot sleeve.any advice would be helpful also the gun does not have interchangeable chokes only full.will this be serviceable?

Good luck with that...You are going to need it.

Charlie

[Ryman Gun Dog]

dualsetters,
Although the 12 with full choke will kill Timberdoodles, they tend to make a big mess of the birds and hit directly with the full choke, there will not be much left to eat.
I suggest you save your money and purchase nice 16 or 20 gauge double gun, or even an old Win Model 12 pump, choked IC or C. Even an old 12 guage with Cylinder or Improved Cylinder chokes and light shells works well for Woodcock and Grouse. My favorite is the 16 Gauge with light shells and C & IC chokes, great woodcock and Grouse guns, and with Double Triggers you get instant choke selection. Starting out with a single BBl 12 gauge is ok, but have the choke opened to IC and use light
1oz shells if you want to eat the woodcock you shoot. I also suggest a good pointing dog be added to your life, good gun dogs are what bird hunting is really all about. With your handle, I do believe you are into the gun dogs already. DualSetters have fun with your new sport and be safe in the woods.
RGD/Dave

Ken and his 16 Gauge Parker DHE back at the log Cabin with his Grouse, while Daisy our female Ryman Setter looks over the prize she provided him.

[mcbosco]

Get a 20 gauge Baikal for around $500 new with chokes. Great gun.

[Ryman Gun Dog]

tcase,
Sure glad you had something constructive to add to the thread, maybe you need to post a few pictures of your own, and talk about shotguns to help the man who asked the original question.
RGD/Dave

[SeriousBirdman]

Unfortunately your 12ga doesn't look like an option. 20ga would be better, would not use anything more than an IC choke, and no shot bigger than #8 -- and make sure you pattern the shells before you take them hunting....

[1sloFZ]

don't know much about woodcocks but here we dove hunt alot. i personally use a 12 guage, but my son was given a 28 gauge and that is one sweet shooting bird gun, best part of all after 5 boxes of shells or more, you can still feel your shoulder.

[tommyboy72]

You could for option C like I did with my wife's Winchester 1300 that she loves so much. It had a modified fixed choke barrel and I bought a choke bore reaming tool to enlarge the choke bore to improved cylinder. It looks like a large drill bit with small teeth around the outside of it and it is adjustable out to a certain amount. It is made for reaming a bore out. You can fit it into a drill press but it also works with the handle off a tap and die set. Just put your barrel in a vice and set the reaming tool for the desired constriction and slowly ream it out using lots of lube or oil making sure to only take small amounts of metal at a time. You can also buy the choke bore reaming tool that cuts threads as well if you want to go with removable chokes. It was a bit more expensive so I opted to stay with a fixed choke. Good luck.

[SeriousBirdman]

As said already. 12ga/full will shred a woodie. 28ga will do, but maybe consider a 20ga in case you run into grouse. Shoot Cyl, shots will be close....

[Doodle]

How about some 2 1/2" 12 ga shells. It might bring it down to around a 20 ga load. RST shot shells in PA offer some unique loads.

[Ryman Gun Dog]

Doodle,
You have a good point, if he wants to use the 12 Gauge gun, some light 2 1/2" #8 might work real well if the gun is not full choked, he might even want to
purchase some Spred-R #8 loads for his 12 gauge gun. If he is going to purchase a double gun for Woodcock hunting, a lighter gun would suit him much better however.
The CZ 28 would be a nice choice, the guns are made on the correct 28 Gauge frame and the purchase price is decent also.
Pine Creek

[JWP58]

So what is a .410 good for? Squirrels?

[birddogger]

So what is a .410 good for? Squirrels?

A .410 is pretty much good for nothing as far as I am concerned unless it would be for shooting pests or in the hands of an expert.

Charlie

[gotpointers]

I think the "SHOT SLEEVE" he's talking about is a guage mate. If that's the case the single shot 12 with a guagemate sleeve should pattern much more open. Talk about backbore.

[Ryman Gun Dog]

JWP58,
We use a .410 with light shells to introduce our young dogs to gun fire and down a training bird at the same time, imprinting the young dog with gun fire meaning dead bird, we use the 28 next and so on up the guage scale a little at a time. Used the .410 in Texas to shoot wild quail behind a serious gun dog, a vary challenging gunning expereince for two men that shot well, no doubt about it.
Pine Creek

[JWP58]

Well good, looks like my wingmaster could serve a purpose afterall.

To the OP, i would suggest trying to find a used 20ga pump for cheap.

[postoakshorthairs]

So what is a .410 good for? Squirrels?

We had beagles and hunted rabbits for years when i was growing up. .410s were the only guns we ever used. I shot many rabbits and squirrels with a .410 single shot and i remember my dad and uncle knocking down several quail with them as well. It wouldn't be my first choice for upland birds but they're not worthless IMO.

[DonF]

I got a 20ga Mossberg 500 for my son. He didn't use it, instead he always used my 870 SF. So I took the Mossberg and shortened the stock and cut the barrel down to 22" in a band saw and let my ex use it. Worked very well. I never patterned it but she managed to kill birds with it any way. You could find a used Mossberg 500 in 20 ga and have a gunsmith cut the barrel down and install choke tubes. Nobody mentioned the length of the barrel. I have never hunted woodcock but have quite a bit of grouse. In tight cover a shorter barrel is to your advantage as it as it's easier to swing in cover and points much faster than a longer barrel.