Poll....who is hunting with small gauge for up-land birds?

[24 grams]

16 for wild pheasants and prairie grouse. 28 for doves and preserve birds. 20 just for fun - whenever!

[Mark Garrett]

I mostly shoot a 16ga and sometimes a short 10

[George "Scott" Davis]

16 gauge except late season prairie birds ( pheasant, sharptail) then it's a 12 even with great dogs sometimes you shots can be a little longer.

[Dean Romig]

Askins’ opinion was exactly that - his opinion. And it certainly doesn’t fit the way I like to hunt and shoot and doesn’t even remotely define a significant number of us.





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[Woodcock survey]

Gun writers are paid to have opinions and to get paid they need a lot of them. They change them like socks and tout the latest fad as the world beater that it is.
We shoot our 100 year old technology and smile.

[Mills]

Lots of quail plantations require either a 20 or 28 double gun these days. I saw them shut down a guy with a 12 last year.

They ought to allow 16s in my opinion and why they don't I do not know.

[Craig Larter]

20 gauge 26" barrels for me either Fox or Parker everything from wild Pheasants in SD, wild quail in TX to woodcock and grouse closer to home. The Parker is 26" O frame and weights 6 lbs 12 oz. It has some heft which keeps my swing going on wild pheasants. The Fox is 5 lbs 14 oz and more open chokes, my grouse and woodcock gun.
Big ducks are a different story strictly a 12 ga or 10 ga affair for me.

[Researcher]

I've shot wild Pheasants with every gauge from my 12-gauge 3-inch Super-Fox to the 28-gauge, and I've shot some Doves and Quail with the .410-bore. For most of my years the great bulk of my Pheasants and prairie grouse have been with "Meat-in-the-Pot" my 1914 vintage A-Grade, Ansley H. Fox.

21460 12-ga A-Grade right & Catalogue.jpg

Late years I have shot quite a few with my RBL-16, especially in areas where non-tox is required. Two of my recent acquisitions have been 16-gauges, both of 1941 vintage, a Model 21 Skeet Gun and a 26-inch barrel VHE. Hoping I live long enough to shoot some birds with both.

[Double Lab]

Mr. Gietler;

Me thinks you are a troll and as I get older I have absolutely no tolerance for posters like you. Please go away. If you live near me I'd love to challenge you to a shooting match, either live birds or clay targets, you using your BSS 12ga with 1 1/4oz loads (which I'm sure you shoot at everything) and I will take the pitiful 28ga. and proceed to show you just how wrong Askins, and you, are.

BTW; I have a BSS 12ga. and it's a club.

[Keith Doty]

Gentlemen in Texas don't hunt quail with a 12 ga.! I'm a 20 ga. guy for dove and quail mostly. I HAVE, on occasion, pulled out my 30" FxF 1 1/2 VH 12 ga.for those late season high flying doves 'cause it works.
Waterfowl........all's fair. I shoot my 16s a lot over decoys, tend to go to 12 ga. late in the season. Birds are more heavily feathered and sometimes a bit shy and wary. I'm only mad at the geese about once or twice a year anymore. Then it's an Ithica Mag 10 or a 3 1/2 mag 12 ga Winchester.