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

[Bob Jurewicz]

I hope our PGCA Board does not degrade to the level commonly found on the Doublegunshop Board. Differences of opinion should be recognized and accepted as just that differences of opinion.
I know Mr. Gietler. He is not a troll and does not deserve that kind of treatment for one of his first posts here.
Bob Jurewicz

[stumpstalker]

Originally Posted by Mills Morrison

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.

Thanks, Mills. You have just given me my excuse.

Should I ever be so lucky as to present myself for Southern plantation Quail, I don’t want to be shut out by solely owning side-by-sides in the disallowed 12 and 16 gauges.

And what gun fancier really wants to be on a hunt while shooting a borrowed weapon.

[Mills]

Always happy to be of service. I will say I want to get a Parker 12 gauge half frame and take it quail hunting. RST 7/8 or 3/4 12 gauge should be just the thing. The type of load used is probably as important as gauge

[todd allen]

Originally Posted by Bob Jurewicz

I hope our PGCA Board does not degrade to the level commonly found on the Doublegunshop Board. Differences of opinion should be recognized and accepted as just that differences of opinion.
I know Mr. Gietler. He is not a troll and does not deserve that kind of treatment for one of his first posts here.
Bob Jurewicz

Thanks, Bob. I've shot competitively for many years, have made money shooting a12 gauge. I totally get the dominance of the 12 gauge, as an all around gun. I love to hear what people think regarding guns, gauges, etc.
That said, I will be opening our dove season with a .410.
I will pick my shots, and promise to not cripple any game birds.

[BRDHNTR]

16 & 20 parkers

[Zacharysmith]

16's and 20's for me here in NH. Added a 28 to the collection this year and will hopefully be fit when October comes.

[John Davis]

Yes, sub-gauges are fun to shoot and easy to carry. Yes, many of today's put and take quail preserves don't allow anything bigger than a 20 gauge. Why would you when you've either got to literally kick the bird up or send in a flushing dog to get something even close to a covey rise? And yes, sub-gauges seem to be the latest rage among collectors these day's.

But the fact remains that the 12 is and has been for the past 150 years the most popular gauge to shoot. It overtook and supplanted the 10 and it withstood the advent of all other smaller gauges. There is a reason that 99% of all guns used for trap are 12's. If you didn't have sub-gauge events in skeet and sporting clays, the same would be true for those disciplines as well. And with the opening day of dove season just around the corner, a vast majority of the guns you'll see in the field will be 12's.

So to be clear, I love a 16, 20 and 28 gauge as much as anyone. I enjoy shooting them in pursuit of most upland game. But if I'm going to travel a thousand miles to shoot wild birds in South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas or anywhere else, I'm probably going to be shooting a 12 gauge.

[OH Osthaus]

season must be getting close, the annual tribal questions begin to show as everyone gets anxious (BTW- the original post was innocent enough)


heck- Bert Spiller the poet laureate of upland hunting hunted grouse with a 10 gauge - must have been as good as 2 20's if he used one

but really, not a gentleman or a real bird hunter unless you agree with a post


i have an unusual suggestion - why don't we shoot whatever gun we shoot best and concentrate on being sportsman worthy of our game and our dogs

[Battue]

2 16 Gauge Model 12's for nasty weather...you can't hurt them
2 16 Gauge Parkers
1 16/20 Gauge Parker Repro (The 20Gauge barrels killed one Grouse and then were put away) Not the case with the 16's
1 28 Gauge Ithaca 37 (Which is a sweet handling shotgun)
1 20 Gauge Perazzi....For the most part only used for Doves...


They all get shuffled around during a season...

[Battue]

Originally Posted by harry gietler

Here are a few more words of wisdom from Askins book The popularity of the 16ga. is about on a par with death and taxes. The 20ga. on the other hand remains fairly popular shooting iron. However, there isnt anything you can do with a 20ga. that cannot be accomplished with twice the efficiency swinging a 12ga. Next we come to the stinking poor 28 and 410 ga.the unparalleled bird cripplers and the most efficient wounder of game. Harry ps. shoot 12 ga.guns, the king of the gauges

Askins obviously spent more time writing than being around good shooters. There are people out there that would let him use a 12 against their 28. At the end of the day he would be looking for someone to pay for an article...