A group of us about ten years ago started going out a couple times during the late December dove season here in Virginia . I carried my grandfathers W&C Scott crystal indicator 10 gauge with my go to load of 30 grains of SR7625 pushing 1 1/4 ounce of #8’s or 7 1/2’s . Probably killed 12-20 with it over a few trips combined .

Do you notice a big difference between the 7.5s and 8s ?

I actually don’t like 7 1/2’s that much . But since I started fooling with pheasents I like them for the first barrel and 6’s in the left barrel . As to dove I think they might be a skoosh better for the late season flight dove but if all I’ve got are 8’s or even 9’s it isn’t gonna stop me from going . A friend that moved to Colorado almost a year ago gave me four bags of Remington 7 1/2’s he’d had for about thirty years . I loaded some and used them for clays back before the crud hit and they broke targets very well especially the farther targets . I’ve since bought four more bags of 7 1/2’s to have in reserve . I suppose now I’ve got 10+ bags of 9’s same for 8’s and 6 or 7 bags of 7 1/2’s now . Got a couple bags of 8 1/2’s that came in a group of stuff I bought from the wife of a deceased friend , I don’t make an effort to keep 8 1/2’s but if I get them cheap enough I shoot them . Don’t ever keep more than a bag or two of 4’s or 6’s . Thirty years ago I’d buy chilled 9’s for 12 and 20 skeet loads , magnum 9’s for 28 and 410 skeet loads then for trap I bought chilled 8’s for 16 yard line and magnum 7 1/2’s for handicap and whatever I grabbed was okay for doubles all stations in skeet or trap .

My grandfathers old circa 1881 W&C Scott crystal indicater 10 gauge and a couple dove it plunked the first time we did the dove hunt between Xmas and New Years . The other guns a 16 gauge 30" Guild Gun thats choked tighter than the hinges of well you understand .

I used an EH 10 some years ago. I found it to be a bit too powerful, personally. Doves were really shot up

What loads did you use ? I know 1 1/8 oz is popular in modern shotguns , also all the shotguns I have are all 10 gauges haha .

Im not sure on dove but if they are similar size to our quail 9s are pretty deadly on them , then again quail are shot at almost point blank ranges at least here . Only thing I have used #4s on is squirrels and it really hammers them . I was thinking a duplex load of 6s and 8s would be interesting but from all the pattern testing ive seen duplex loads dont work out in practice as they do in theory .

They were RST

use some gage mates or skeeters and use 12 ga loads in the 10 ga...I have done this it works well andkills dove...charlie

That is a good idea Charlie