Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game What gun for Chukars?

I pretty much agree with Reba regarding guns though I prefer a heavier gun and would lean toward the A-5 over the Benelli in 20 ga. Something in the 7# range to a max of 7.5# or so would be preferred if it balanced as I would like. I would look at a 12 ga over a 20 ga too as I would like a few more pellets in the pattern as the birds I found were longer than I would like to take with an ounce of shot.

Gun/load choice would also depend on the country being hunted. My lone hunt was on a rather rocky set of ridges with sparse cover. The birds ran like blue quail or pheasants in a cornfield. They did not stop until the came to some edge to contain them and then they would flush a ways away. The dogs did have points but it would be 30 yards out and typically out of sight from the birds. I don't know if these birds were heavily hunted or if it was the norm but I'm glad I had a few very experienced dogs with.

The gun I used on that hunt was a Browning Citori Upland Special in 16 ga. It was the right weight over all but too light up front for good shooting. If going out today I would use a 16 ga Citori with 28" barrels or one of my synthetic stocked Mossberg 930s in 12 ga.

I would chose them for the ability to use a heavier payload and lean toward the Mossberg's as being synthetics I would not mind the dings, scratches, and other stock damage one eventually seems to get scrambling over rocky country. If I were more sure footed I might think differently but my mountain goat days never seemed to catch up.

As for 16 ga guns, I have not only the two mentioned but a pre-WWII A-5, a Savage 311, and an Iver Johnson single shot in 16 ga. Over the years I've owned two other 311s, a BPS Upland Special, and a half dozen A-5s all in 16 ga. I use the Citoris the most followed by the 311. They get the nod as it is easy to collect the empties for reloading. The A-5 has mainly been a back up as empties are lost. The IJ isn't used as much as it was at least my grandfather's gun and has been used so much the forearm often comes off when fired. It is safe to shoot but has its quirks.