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Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 3,083 Likes: 3
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 3,083 Likes: 3 |
I was stationed at Ft. Benning in Columbus Georgia back in the late 70's. I had a really good English Pointer then. We had a lot of fun Hunting wild quail on that Base.. For me, I considered those the good old days. Things are a lot different now.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 138
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 138 |
A quick swinging 20 gauge gives you a chance with the speed and chaos of a wild bird covey rise….
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 4,432
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 4,432 |
I've hunted quail with more shotguns than I can remember.
My favorite is a Winchester Model 12 16 gauge 28" modified. I've shot more quail than any other with this combo. They're the right weight for me (6 5/8 pounds or so for a field gun with plain barrel) and with normal, lead loads, have the same range as a 12 gauge in my experience.
Honorable mentions include the wonderful Benelli Montefeltro 20 gauge. I killed a ton of black throated bobs down in Mexico one trip with one of those and have hunted with them in the US also. I also have done really well with a Benelli M2 12 gauge with 26" barrel that I hunted for 15 years or so. I have a really clean, older Winchester 101 20 gauge I want to try. It's lightweight with 28" M/F barrels and handles perfectly. I think it may work really well. I've hunted with various side by sides over the years but always migrated back to pumps, semi-autos and O/Us. I love the thought of a nice SxS but seem to shoot better with other guns.
I've primarily hunted wild flushing blues with the occasional covey of bobs thrown in and mostly on public land. Most of this hunting has been done without a dog so the birds can be hard to find. I found long ago that when I switched to modified chokes with quality 6 shot loads, I considerably increased my odds of finding downed birds.
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 4,432
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 4,432 |
Shot a lot of them with a Sweet Sixteen, but since we went to non-toxic shot, my favorite is a Benelli Montefeltro in 20.
I shoot a 3-in duplex 1-oz handload of #7 steel spiked with a pinch of #9 or #10 tungsten, but that's only because of our restrictions. Otherwise, I'd happily shoot 7/8-oz of lead #8's for early season and switch to #7.5's as they got spooky ...
The Monte is light, quick-handling, fits me well ... a perfect quail gun. Boss makes some good 16 gauge bismuth loads if you ever want to put the Browning back in the field.
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Joined: Dec 2022
Posts: 2,375 Likes: 3
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2022
Posts: 2,375 Likes: 3 |
Browning citori 410. Mod and full.
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 69,481 Likes: 27
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 69,481 Likes: 27 |
Nowadays, a Benelli Montefeltro Silver 20 ga with 24” barrel and a Briley Extended skeet choke.
When I was in HS, I had an old Ithaca Model 37 Police Riot Gun that worked very well. We had a ton of quail on the Ranch back then, 40 something years ago. Once got 5 birds on a rise. Not near as fast with a pump gun as I was back then. 😬
Last edited by chlinstructor; 12/08/22.
"Allways speak the truth and you will never have to remember what you said before..." Sam Houston Texans, "We say Grace, We Say Mam, If You Don't Like it, We Don't Give a Damn!"
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 532
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 532 |
1) Winchester 101 20ga.
2) Benelli Super 90
3) Benelli Montefeltro 20ga
Texas bred and born
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 152,375 Likes: 44
Campfire Savant
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Campfire Savant
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 152,375 Likes: 44 |
I used a Browning A-500 with 26” barrels, improved cylinder choke. I used hard #9 shot loaded to the max. I hunted them hard for 25 years with English pointers
Last edited by hanco; 12/08/22.
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 11,333
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 11,333 |
1) Winchester 101 20ga.
2) Benelli Super 90
3) Benelli Montefeltro 20ga Close to my list but mine is just a little different 1) Beretta A400 in 28 ga 2) Winchester 101 20 ga 3)Benelli Montefeltro 20 ga 4) Browning Cynergy 20 ga
I may not be smart but I can lift heavy objects
I have a shotgun so I have no need for a 30-06.....
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Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 11,317 Likes: 14
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 11,317 Likes: 14 |
Shot a lot of them with a Sweet Sixteen, but since we went to non-toxic shot, my favorite is a Benelli Montefeltro in 20.
I shoot a 3-in duplex 1-oz handload of #7 steel spiked with a pinch of #9 or #10 tungsten, but that's only because of our restrictions. Otherwise, I'd happily shoot 7/8-oz of lead #8's for early season and switch to #7.5's as they got spooky ...
The Monte is light, quick-handling, fits me well ... a perfect quail gun. Boss makes some good 16 gauge bismuth loads if you ever want to put the Browning back in the field. Yeah I am scrambling for a new 16 ga bismuth load, since the Rem Sp16 wad is now unobtainium. Good info on the BOSS.
"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated." Thomas Paine
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 529
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 529 |
I made it out this morning, we got A half dozen Gambles. My buddy used an 1100 in 12ga, I shot my 20 ga Montefeltro.
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 8,073
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 8,073 |
For me depends on early in the season or late. Early Benelli Monetefeltro 20 gauge / 26 in barrel Ithicha 200e 20 guage / 25 in barrels Late. Browning Citori 12 guage / 26 in barrels Hasbeen
hasbeen (Better a has been than a never was!)
NRA Patron member Try to live your life where the preacher doesn't have to lie at your funeral
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,726 Likes: 8
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,726 Likes: 8 |
More of a grouse guy but I do make it out for quail a few times a year. Im in the SXS 20ga crowd. Straight stock, splinter forend, and double triggers are a must. Oh and pointing dogs. Preferably a stylish setter.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 9,100
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 9,100 |
I hunted bob whites in the Red River area of North Texas for several decades. I trained my own English pointers and Brittany spaniels. Lots of birds in those days before the fire ant invasion. My favorite shotgun for it was a 20 gauge 870 from 1964. 26 inch non ribbed barrel with I/C choke. I preferred one ounce loads of #9 shot. I also used a Remington 1100 and Ruger Red Label but that 870 was lighter and fit me better. It was fairly common to kill 5 birds out of the covey rise with that shotgun.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke 1795
"Give me liberty or give me death" Patrick Henry 1775
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 554
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 554 |
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 28,172
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 28,172 |
Kudos on the choice of a Win-Lite. JB here offered one at a good price, and I jumped it. It's one of my favorite chuckar guns. They're light and fast pointing.
Hunt with Class and Classics
Religion: A founder of The Church of Spray and Pray
Acquit v. t. To render a judgment in a murder case in San Francisco... EQUAL, adj. As bad as something else. Ambrose Bierce “The Devil's Dictionary”
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 4,303 Likes: 2
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 4,303 Likes: 2 |
My friends and I use the 20 gauge Benelli Montefeltro. Scaled and Gambels with improved and 1 oz of #7 1/2s. Mearns cylinder and 1 oz of #8s. Many doubles taken on Scaled and Gambels covey rise. Quite a few triples, a few quadruples, and one quintuple taken on a mearns covey rise with this combination. Note the two Benelli 20 gauge shotguns:
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,815
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,815 |
Quntuble each with a single shot, and all on the initial covey rise...none getting up late.....is impressive.
laissez les bons temps rouler
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,127 Likes: 1
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,127 Likes: 1 |
1957 round knob Belgium browning sweet sixteen with 26 inch matte rib ic choked. The classic southern bobwhite gun
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 17,152 Likes: 5
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 17,152 Likes: 5 |
Great thread! I’ve not hunted nor had the opportunity to hunt quail, but enjoy the posts, the good guns either by description or pictures. Dogs too.
Real Campfire stuff. 👍🏼
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