Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game Your ideal pheasant-with-dogs shotgun ???

A depends on who you ask question. I've hunted them with Mossberg pump 12ga, Browning double auto 12ga, Berenidelle SxS 12ga, Remington 870 special field 20ga, Aya 12ga, Aya 16 ga, Aya 28ga and maybe a couple other's. These days I pretty much shoot only my 28ga guns.

When hunting with my buddy's pointing lab, I use my Beretta 686 White Onyx 28ga. It has 28" barrels and I use Briley extended chokes.

Improved Cyl in bottom barrel and Light Mod in top.

IC= Instant Carnage
LM= Lotsa Meat

I really like the Fiocchi Golden Pheasant 28ga load in #5 or #6. Its a 7/8 oz at 1300fps that patterns really well.

Used to raise and train Britts (back in the day). Hunted nothing but pheasants. My constant companion was (gasp !!) a Winchester 1400 XTR 12 gauge with a 22" VR barrel and the IC Winchoke tube in. Shot 1 1/4 oz of #7 1/2 lead.

I carried that gun, leaving a 20 gauge Superposed Lightning, a 16 gauge Model 21 and a 12 gauge Model 21 sitting at home. The 1400 was just the PERFECT extension of my right index finger.

I rarely get the chance but if I did it would be my model 12 Featherweight 12 gauge modified. For whatever reason I shoot that gun better than any other shotgun I own.

For the past 4 years I've used a franchi affinity 3, 20ga. IC choke, and usually #5s. Have used 12ga OU with 5s or 6s but now prefer a 20.

My Merkel 1620 with the 16 gauge barrels up, choked VZ and 1/2. Favored load is Fiocchi Golden Pheasant, 1 1/8 oz nickel plated 5’s. Kills about any bird at any reasonable distance. If it’s nasty weather I’ll use my Ruger Red Label with whatever 1 1/4 oz loads
I’ve got in 4, 5, or 6 shot, 26 inch barrels choked whatever tubes have been in them the last ten years or so. People make too much of this choke/shot size stuff.

Franchi Falconet 26" barrels fixed mod over IC. #5 shot

Pheasants, partridge, rabbits, turkey, whatever...with dogs or not, i'm carrying the old Beretta AL-2 20ga.

I carry my SKB O/U 20 ga.( IC/Mod 26” barrels ) with 2 3/4” #6 Kent Fast Lead loads. It’s been a great combination for me but I’m hunting flushing birds over a Field Bred English Cocker. I hunted with an Ithaca (SKB) Model 500 12 ga. until about 9 years ago. I’ll never go back to a 12 with today’s shotshells.

It depends on the time of the season and what type of field I'd be walking. On fields with rows such as corn or Milo Sorghum the Pheasants will often get up further away. I find that late season pheasants get up further away also. On such instances I carry a 2 3/4 heavy load of #4 shot in a twelve gauge. My favorite 12 gauge has been a 1939 vintage Model 12 with a solid rib and full choke.

Early season pheasants and in fields such as CRP, I will use a lighter load. I'll still use that shotgun, though I think a modified choke might be better.

I also use a 3200 Remington over and under in 12 gauge, a 16 gauge Model 12 with a mod choke, a model 37 Winchester in 20 gauge with a full choke.

If I were to hunt on fields where pheasants were planted there by the landowner, the pheasants will likely get up fairly close - they don't often run like wild pheasants. I have somewhat limited experience with such hunting opportunities. As I will only hunt on such ground where I don't pay the bill. Rich Eastern hunters that come to such places will often pay so much a bird and $300 per day.

I prefer a pre 1947 Browning FN Auto 5 16 gauge with IC choke with 1 ounce of 5’s or 6’s in a 65mm shell.

That is a GREAT picture. Must of been a wonderful day. 👍

Thanks one of many great days with my Britts

For years over a close pointer, I used an AYA 28 with 28” barrels, choked IC/M. 3/4 oz, size 7 1/2.
Gun weight just under 6 lbs.

Presently, I have three I’d put in your category: a 6 1/4 lb Rizzini 20 with 28” barrels. Choked IC/IM. 1 oz 6’s.

A 6 lb Citori Superlight Feather 16 ga, 24” barrels with 1 1/8 oz 6’s, and a Benelli Ultalight 20, 5 3/4 lbs, 24” barrels, 1 oz 6’s

The difference? What I feel like that day.

This pic is with a Dickinson 16 ga. Which is a quality shotgun but at 6 3/4 lb is a little too heavy for ga. IMO. I like light shotguns.

Great pics!!!!

Doesn't look that half pound heavy Dickinson hindered your shooting...Well done George!!!!

I hunted pheasants last year for the first time and I got hooked! I carried an old 870 16 gauge with a fixed modified choke. I wanted to bring my 11-48 28 gauge but I was afraid it would be too light for December roosters. Since then I have accumulated a Citori 16 gauge, a Huglu 20 SxS with English stock, Stevens 555 in 16 gauge and a Savage Fox 12 gauge SxS with MOD and IC chokes. I got addicted bad!

No, it didn’t. I shot very well with it, but was always conscious of its weight. I think I got there from carrying 8.5 lb rifles in the elk mountains for three decades, eventually being able to distinguish 1/4 ,more or less by evaluating rifles and the other items I carried.

George,
Nice gun and dog!

I have hunted wild roosters quite a bit, but more often with a flushing rather than pointing dogs--though most of the flushers tended to work more carefully as they became more experienced--and older and hence slower!

Have used a bunch of shotguns in gauges from 28 to 12, usually pretty light for gauge--and like you tend to pick which one I feel like that day. My favorite 12 is a Sauer boxlock side-by-side made in 1940, which weighs 6-1/4 pounds even with it's 28" barrels, but have also had fine results with many others, including a Fausti 28 SxS which is a pound lighter, and recently an older "Birmingham" boxlock, an R. Lisle SxS 12 which weighs 6-1/2 pounds even with 30" barrels. It has become a favorite later in the season, due to being choked IC and Full, a not uncommon combo in British guns. But I recently picked up an older Browning Citori 20, and plan to use it it some this fall!

Have used a variety of shot sizes, but in the past few years it's often hard #7s--the British #6 popular for driven birds.

Hope we can get together again sometime, maybe even to hunt birds!

Best,
John

Shot a lot of pheasants when I lived in CO and hunted KS, MT, SD, NE too. My favorite is my AYA #2 RB 16 ga, 28" barrels choked IC and Mod with 1-1/8 oz of #6 shot. Twin triggers, carries very well, fits me well, etc.

But I've shot a bunch of them with a Beretta 686 20 ga, with a straight grip stock, 28" barrels and a Briley IC and Mod tubes in it. Usually use 1 oz of #6 shot.

These days if I went I'd at least take my Beretta A400 Xplor 28 ga, 28" barrel with a mod choke in it. I'd shoot my favorite 7/8 oz reload with #6 shot...a load proven many times on sharptails, chukars and Huns in BC. Also would take my Winchester M12 with a straight grip stock, 28" barrel choked at 0.015" constriction (full choke opened up to LM) shooting 1-1/8 oz of #6 shot. And my Beretta 391 20 ga 28" barrel with a Mod choke is a great gun as well. Lots of good choices as my house.