Gun Dog Forum

Santa brought me a new cz canvasback gold I've never had a o/u before my question what chokes would anyone suggest I hunt all preserve birds here in ohio over a gsp so shots are usually close I usually always use #6 shot anyone want to Chime in gun came with 5 chokes

As open as possible, say like cylinder and improved. I would not go tighter than improved and modified.

I use improved and modified for my 20 ga on wild pheasant, but those shots are 25 yards or longer.

I use IC for everything upland.

I have a huglu O/U 20 that is my quail gun. I shoot an I/C over a cylinder and it does quite nicely.

kcbullets wrote:I use IC for everything upland.

Me too, but my 20ga A400 came with Cyl, M, and F chokes. I bought an IC aftermarket and have been using it. I need to pattern the gun since maybe Beretta knows something I don't know.

Skeet and cylinder along with 7/8 of RST copper 6's, the load does 1125fps and that combo should leave a well hit bird plenty palatable for the table and prompt retrieves without any hard mouth.

I prefer cylinder or sleet 1 for the first shot (bottom or right) and modified for the second; but you really need to pattern the gun and consider how quick you are with the first shot.

I also do allot of the same type of hunting as you, pheasant club over a pointing dog. I choke my guns Sk/IC and it works perfectly. If I hunted over a flusher I would use tighter chokes but over a well trained pointer there is no need to choke tighter than IC I find.

I have the Canvasback Gold 20g as well. Only released/pen raised pheasants here in Northeast Ohio. I have used both Mod over IC and IC over cyl., both with great results, on club released birds. Used same set up for quail and chucker on a preserve. Outshot my friends using long barrel 12s and 16s. Great all around upland bird gun.

Hunting preserve Phesants with a buddy. He fired 3 rounds with his 870 mod choke. I dropped the bird at 45 yards with my o/u skeet choke. He bought a skeet barrel the next day.

its not the gun but who is pullin the trigger!! I use a mod in 1 & improved in the other barrel.. been told by many a ol timmer to use a mod in both when out west hunting wild birds I install a full for my second shot, cause im a nice guy & let my buddies shoot first, then I have to kill it for them

You asked about preserve birds and mentioned 6s. So, let's say you mostly hunt chukars and or pheasants. My guns come with I/C and mod. That said, when shooting preserve birds over a pointing dog, I enjoy letting the bird get up and tracking it for the count of 3. The reason is that I enjoy eating what I shoot. Shooting too closely ruins my table fare and can promote hard mouth in a dog. I/C and mod from quality 6s are deadly. The RST shells suggested by bonasa sound super as well.
Chokes are highly over-rated anyway. Shot shells provide a much wider range of both versatility and general performance.

I couldn't agree with you more 3gsps! My Dad used to say the same thing about tools, "It's the guy on the handle..."
Funny how some folk seem to be able to shoot just about any shot gun well and others are constantly looking to buy being a good shot - magnum shells, spreader loads, too-short barrels, too-small shot size (cause there's more pellets), too much emphasis on chokes, glowing beads, etc.