krr6581

I would look at the Beretta's. I have not had a problem with mine and it fires first time every time and it shoots better than the Benellis or the Remingtons I own.

If your going to get an aftermarket barrel I would check with Hastings. I have bought two and was pleased with both. Not sure if they make a spare barrel for the Nova but it would be worth it to check them out.

There is very little if any difference in a pattern from a 24" barrel and a longer barrel. What the longer barrel actually does is help you with your swing and follow through on your passing shots at flying birds. That is why you see those who shoot sporting clays or trap shooting guns with 30 inch barrels. When shooting with a shorter barrel most shooters will not completely follow through after the shot is fired. The longer barrel helps remedy that situation. If you don't have any problems with follow through then don't buy the longer barrel. You can find out just by going and shooting a few clay targets. It seems to me that would be a cheaper way to find out if maybe a longer barrel is what you need for hunting ducks and geese.

Hey Tmac, I wear either hip boots or waist high waiders. I do that strictly out of safety. Years ago I had a friend who was in the army with me. I didn't have any leave to spend to go with him to hunt ducks at his home just outside of Dallas. Three days later I found out that his boat capsized and he drowned. It seems he was wearing chest waders, they filled with water and he couldn't get out of them. So ever since I have only worn the hip boots or waist high waders. Fortunately I have had dogs to fetch them in so I haven't had to get in water deeper than just below my waist. Just have never been able to get past the memory of that incident and for that reason I don't recommend them to anyone that hunts ducks who may get into water over their heads.

You know Tuck that would just about also hold true for John Browning. He also had a past and I don't think the law today would look very favorable on him either.

What I would recommend if you are going to start working him around a gun is to make sure that you not be the one to shoot the gun. Try to get someone else to do the shooting and do it from a distance. 30 to 40 feet. That bang right next to a puppy could startle him and cause him to become scared. However, have a training dummy with you and after you calm him down (if needed) then throw your training dummy. And I would definitely start with a .22 and as time goes on if you have it work up to a .410 or 20ga. As he gets used to it you can shoot closer to him. However, just like your training for his retrieving I would only shoot a 2 or 3 times and then hang it up for the day. Last thing you want is a gun shy dog on opening day.

You may want to ask some of the other shooters at your local sporting clays club which choke they would recommend. Most folks I know shoot either IC or Improved modified. Most gun shops also can give you good information as to what choke you should use for clays. Have Fun!

TopCover, They are Rugged and dependable. I use them for hunting and have put them in some pretty tough situations. Plus, I know quite a few Rangers including my son-in-law who used it on his weapon. He used it the entire time he was in Afghanistan and he swears by it. Anyway opinions are like A__holes and everyone has one but you have to be happy with what you get. Most of these similar sights will do you a great job. It is what you will feel most comfortable with.

Johnny, I fought for this country and also was in the first Persian Gulf war. Myself and many others fought so you could have the opportunity to be able to express your beliefs and opinions. However, if you want to have a discussion about our political situation here in this great country of ours do it in a new thread here in the forum. However, next year please keep comments to yourself on Memorial Day unless you are giving honors to those who serve, has served or made the ultimate sacrifice.

Topcover, there is another sight that I would recommend you take a look at. It is a red dot sight that is in use by the military and I use it on two of my shotguns. It can be mounted on a picatenny rail. The sight is made by a company called Cmore. You may find them at www.cmore.com . This sight is in use by the U.S. Military. I first saw this sight while at Fort Benning, GA at the Infantry Center. This sight may be used on shotguns, rifles or pistols and I have as of yet never had a problem with either of the sights I own.

Johnny, I don't believe Hogwild started this thread so you could grind your political axe. To all of our service men and women serving our country I wish you all the best and a safe journey back home.

Nice birds Mudhen. Wish I could show pics but after only seeing 4 hens for the 3 weekends I have hunted I found out that the MNR here in Ontario moved the birds that were here to somewhere else. It seems that the local farmers here complained so loudly that they were destroying their crops that the birds were moved and some killed. I should have gone back to Georgia to hunt another week there.

Vince, the best advice you've gotten you have ignored. As good a gun as the sbe is you apparently are not willing to spend a few dollars to have it fixed by the Benelli CS guys. Why don't you quit griping and giving excuses and send it to Benelli !!!

Liberty, I don't know for sure but I have never heard anyone talk turkey ages past 4 at the most 5yrs old. I don't know if they live longer than that or not. I know that really doesn't give you much info but your local game wardens or state DNR should be able to answer that for you.

Sdk, you made a nice point, and no I don't think any of us who commented intended to bash anyone. But your point boils down to one thing and that is respecting the game that you hunt, which is all part of being an ethical hunter. Nothing is worse than finding an animal that had been wounded and later died because of poor judgement. Ethics is a tough subject in here. Everyone here has their own set of values as defined by the way they were raised. Many who visit this site can remember the days when deer, turkeys and other game animals were scarce across this country due to poor management and poor conservation. In some respects we have more game now than I did as a youngster. When I was in my teens we didn't have any turkeys to speak of and seasons were closed. Now they have made a huge comeback thanks to conservation efforts of hunters and organizations like the NWTF. Hopefully there will be folks out there that will pay attention to the game we have today and take care of them for the generations to come. OK! I'll get off my soapbox now.

Mudhen, your as bad as I am about how many calls you have. Everytime I buy another one my wife wants to know why I need it. "You already have 50 calls, why do you need another one?" She just doesn't understand! But your right about calling in a bird. That is what really got me hooked 22 years ago on hunting those critters. I have got to the point now where I am more excited about turkey season than deer season. Almost as much fun as..... now what was that I used to be able to do???? Danged if I can remember, but I know it was a lot of fun!

When Bass Pro Shop opened their doors in Bossier City, Louisana my dad made a copy of my grandfathers first hunting license and gave it to BPS. It is the oldest hunting license that is currently known to exist in Louisana. It is displayed at the customer service counter.

I could not help but reflect on some of the stories I had heard growing up as a kid while my dad and uncles recounted stories of hunting while they were kids and young men. Tucker I have you to blame for this!!! You had to post your account of your banded duck... hehe As I thought about tucks duck ( no pun intended) Well that's a lie! I did think about some of those stories I had heard, including one where they had gone into the flooded creek bottom near the old family homeplace to hunt ducks one morning. The skies that morning according to all there was literally black with ducks and many were taken that day. One Uncle shot once and dropped six ducks in that one shot. Sounds hard to believe? Well it was true as voiced by the consensus of the brothers who hunted that day. These are days long gone and now at the age of 50+ I can't help but think back to those days sitting wide eyed, keeping quiet as a kid listening to those days gone by. We will never see days like those in our lifetimes or our childrens lifetimes, but those of us that have heard the stories of the past need to pass them on to those coming after us. I grew up hunting and fishing and even some of the great hunting I enjoyed will no longer be available to even my kids. So if any of you have a memory to tell, I and maybe a few others would appreciate hearing some of those stories.

There is not much in and around Thunder Bay! But the hunting and fishing is fantastic. And yes, it is hard to believe that ducks can travel as far as they do. It's nice to know that you got the info back on your drake.

Nobody was arguing with you. Your test just proved the point we were trying to make. As you proved with your pattern at 80 yards there were only 4 pellets in that circle. Chances are only one or two of them actually could hit the neck or head to maybe kill it. If you would sit down and look at your picture and use some reasoning you would come to the same conclusion that myself and a lot of others came to, and that is there is a high probability with that shot that the bird could have been wounded and possibly later died. Arguing? No! Trying to teach hunter ethics? Yes! It is how we embrace ethical hunting standards that people will judge us as hunters by. Have I done some bonehead things as a hunter? I hate to admit it, but I have. But even for an old fart like myself, I can learn. Constructive criticism never hurt anyone. Sometimes it can get under our skin, but it is what we do with that criticism that makes you who you are and what you can become. By the way you did take a pretty bird.

I have to agree with Tucker and Sdkidaho. I don't care how well you think you know your gun. That is a shot that is asking to wound a bird. That turkey can run a heck of a lot faster than you can even wounded. This actually comes down to one thing and that is hunter ethics. Why don't you do this, set a target at 74 yards and pattern your gun. Be honest when you do this and then post the pictures for us. I bet the pattern would be less than optimal for killing a bird.

Well CVST, I know the Heavi-Shot and XR's are more expensive, but if your using them for turkey the expense in the long run is negligible. It only takes one or two rounds to pattern your gun. Then if you can get the bird in close enough you only need one shot placed in the head and neck to kill it. In Georgia if I kill all three of my birds in one season that means I have only used 5 shells out of my box to get my birds. That means I have enough left to kill 3 more the following year and two more the next year. Sounds rather inexpensive when you look at it that way, doesn't it? I quit drinking and started using my beer money to pay for my other vices. Hehehe I would rather hunt all day than drink all night.

Hello Liberty, that thing you called a dohicky is actually called a snood. The lenth of his beard and the length of his spurs should give you a good hint at his age. I would age him to be a 2 year old bird. He is a pretty bird. Congratulations

Good Luck. Just an old soldier.

On the Benelli firearms show on cable tv they addressed this issue and they said there that you need to shoot approximately 200 rounds through the gun to get it to cycle reliably with the lighter loads.