Very quick new guy question? Long range shotgun??

[idohcvtecexi]

I was wondering if anyone could tell me what a better long range shotgun would be? I currently shoot a remington 1100 and I want something for long distance. My uncle shoots a 20 gauge (not sure what kind) and that thing shoots alot further than mine. Is there a benelli shotgun that shoots long distance that I could use for dove hunting? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

[Duggan]

I've never used one, but the cordoba seems to be made for your application

 

http://www.benelliusa.com/firearms/cordoba.tpl

[idohcvtecexi]

alright, thanks for the fast reply

[idohcvtecexi]

would you say a 20 or 12 ga?

[Duggan]

I see no reason to gimp yourself if you can handle the recoil.

 

(aka 12)

 

but please, talk to someone more knowledgeable about these models than myself before you buy anything.

[Banjo MD]

What choke are you shooting in your 1100?

[jualdeaux]

I have to ask. What exactly do you mean by long range? 20 yards? 50? 100?

[splashtx556ftw]

i dont have much experience with shotguns as far as slugs go, but ill take a shot in the dark, so to speak. i dont really think "brand name" is going to make much difference in the long range dept.i would think the longest "rifled" barrel you could find would produce the most accurate group.

[Banjo MD]

Not slugs, splash, he's talking about dove hunting.

[idohcvtecexi]

hey, im sorry for not specifying. Yardage wise, i'd say about 75 to 80 yards. Yesterday at the lease, it was like the 1100 I was using just wasn't putting the shots out there. I know it's not a slug, but it still should have took some birds down. I kept trying to adjust my lead and see where I could shoot to take down the birds, but it was like at about 40 to 50 yards I couldn't take anything down. I missed some birds,that looked long gone, at about 75 to 80 yards, and I was like " I guess there's no way of reaching them", then I look over to my left and my uncle takes them down, 2 shots and both fall. He was using a Yielders (not sure if thats the correct name or spelling) 20 ga. and earlier I asked him how in the world he took those down, he said, " You're looking at a 1000 ft. 20 ga." That true? I want something comparable.

[Duggan]

1000 foot 20 gauge?

 

I laughed.

[splashtx556ftw]

ok, he is full of it. i think what your talking about is a Yildez.1000ft shotgun? thats highly not likely.if you want more range out of your s/g, use a tighter choke, and hotter shells. like heavy field loads 1 1/8 shot,or hi-velocity duck and pheasent 1 1/4 shot. and to set the record straight 1000ft is just 320 ft short of a 1/4 mile. if your friend is hitting birds from that distance is purely accidental.

[idohcvtecexi]

haha, well im not a big hunter so whatever he said i pretty much believed. But the take down of the bird was still about 75 to 80 yards. Either way it was far, and now I want something similar for distance. We hunt in cisco, texas, and the birds out there are not flying (probably because of the extreme heat) so we have to catch them from far away, or go home empty handed. Thanks to whoever that was saying about the choke. I asked my dad just now and he said the same thing. I thought that maybe the 20ga just shot further then the 12ga (i dont know why) but looks like i'll be getting a cordoba then. Thanks everyone

[Duggan]

Like they said, get the tightest choke you can find, and pattern as many round types as you can to find out which give you the pattern you are seeking.

[idohcvtecexi]

alright, thanks again

[DumbDuck]

To increase your effective range you can tighten your choke, increase the velocity of your shot and go to a larger shot size which will maintain velocity better.

 

The 20 gauge throw shot out the barrel at the same velocity as the 12 and there is less of it. Most commercial 20 gauge shells have the same or slightly lower velocity then 12ga. You should be better off with the 12 for longer range shooting.

 

That being said, 40 yards is a stretch for a small bird like a dove. Even the tightest pattern has holes they can go through. Shooting at 75 to 80 yards is just plain stupid. You're wasting ammunition and you stand to cripple and lose more birds.

 

DumbDuck

[timb99]

If it hasn't been stated clearly here, gauge, choke, and barrel length have virtually nothing to do with how far shot travels.

 

The two things of importance are:

 

1. Muzzle velocity.

 

2. Shot pellet size.

 

Dumb Duck said, "To increase your EFFECTIVE range you can tighten your choke, increase the velocity of your shot and go to a larger shot size which will maintain velocity better. "

 

Absolutely correct.

 

Here's the key to hitting doves.

 

1. Get a gun that fits you! If you don't know what that means, find someone who does (not uncle Billy-Bob cuz he's a good shot...find someone who fits shotgun stocks as a trade.)

 

2. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Take your gun, go to your local range and shoot hundreds of skeet, trap, and sporting clays targets. Its fun, and it'll make you a MUCH better shot.

 

If you do this, and you still can't hit the broad side of a barn, find someone at the range who is a NSCA wingshooting instructor, and take some lessons. Heck, Tiger Woods has a coach, why shouldn't you?

 

Best of luck.

[Novaking]

birds out there are not flying (probably because of the extreme heat) so we have to catch them from far away, or go home empty handed.

 

 

Do you mean you shoot birds on the gound?

[idohcvtecexi]

no, im saying, we were out there for 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours at night, and we maybe saw 10 each time. Maybe im exaggerating the 10 but i would say no more than 15 in 3 hours. That was like 1 bird here, 2 birds there, you know what im saying. We used to hunt near amarillo texas, and would see flocks of them. We would easily max out in about 1-2 hours (roughly) of being out there. I am definately gonna take your advice and start going to the range to do some skeet shooting. Thanks again

[idohcvtecexi]

im not saying ill be shooting at that long range all the time, but i wouldn't mind it every now and then.

[timb99]

Know your range and don't take shots beyond it.

 

I'm a pretty good shot, but I wouldn't shoot at a dove that was more than 40-45 yards away.

 

That's just wasting ammo.

[splashtx556ftw]

If it hasn't been stated clearly here, gauge, choke, and barrel length have virtually nothing to do with how far shot travels.

 

if longer barrels dont increase distance why do "goose guns" have 32" &36" barrels???

longer barrels do produce tighter patterns, as does tighter chokes. i have done some very extensive testing in this area. the differences are not dramatic for say, but are very noticeable.

what i used for the test were, coke cans @ 40yds. a 30" barrel w/full choke put several more pellets completly through the cans than 24" barrel w/full choke. using the exact same ammo.

[splashtx556ftw]

just some helpful tips on doves....

1.watch the field where you are hunting and watch what direction the bird are entering the field. doves follow a flight pattern when leaving the roost to go to the fields to graze, as well as returning to the roost.

2.in the mourning, walk the field. dont wait for them to come to you, go to them.

3.in the evening,find a stock tank or pond and stake it out. doves like a drink of water before returning to the roost.

4. if this doesnt work let me know, we,ll get together one week end and ill take you to a place in granbury,tx. where you cant keep your gun loaded.

[timb99]

splash,

 

Modern smokeless powders are designed to be (nearly) completely burned in the first 15 to 17 inches of barrel length. Don't take my word for it, go research it as SAAMI (Small Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer's Institute.)

 

It is true that in rifle barrels, a little more barrel length will get you a little more muzzle velocity, but you're working with MUUUUCH slower burning powders and MUUUCH higher pressures in rifles than shotguns.

 

For shotgun barrels, however the effect is insignificant, and you couldn't really test this because the difference is so small its not measurable.

 

SAAMI standards only require shotshell velocities (as tested in a test barrel) to be +/- 90 fps from their stated muzzle velocity, and that difference is more than what you'd be able to measure shot-to-shot to compare a long barrel to a short barrel.

 

Regarding our pattern testing...with all due respect, comparing how many pellets in a coke can is hardly scientific, wouldn't you say?

 

I'll grant you that of the two barrels you tested, the one with the long barrel probably throws a tighter pattern than the short one. But that's hardly concrete proof to support the global statement that "longer barrels throw tighter patterns than shorter ones." You'd have to have exactly identically machined barrels, and several of them, and exactly identical shells with exactly identical amounts of powder and pellets, then shoot hundreds of patterns on paper and count every single pellet strike, and do extensive statistical method calculations to confirm.

 

And when its all said and done, the truth is, every barrel is different.

 

Both of these issues have been long held so-called "facts" of shotgunning, but when actually tested by using scientific means, the testing is, at best, inconclusive.

 

The only thing you CAN say with reasonable accuracy is that long barrels give you a longer sight plane.

 

As to why goose guns had long barrels, well, have you seen a goose gun made in the last 30 years with a 36" long barrel? Me neither. Most "goose guns" nowadays are 10 gauge shotguns or 3-1/2" chambered 12 gauge shotguns with 24" or 26" barrels. I suspect in the days before improved gunpowders and modern wads were commonly used in shotshells, a long barrel MAY have actually made a difference.

[idohcvtecexi]

alright I'll definately try that out. Thanks for all the helpful info splash. I'll definately have to hit you up one weekend because it's like we are wasting our money in cisco