Pump action 12 gauge for pheasant?...

[MisterHappy]

I'm late to the party; all the good answers are taken, but I'll say:

12 or 20: either will work, as long as you do you part.

An O/U will likely be easier to carry in the field (overall weight and balance of the gun)

Practice with whatever you're going to use. Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays. If possible, practice form a gun-down position.

As for ammo, ask the people that you're hunting with what they recommend.

Practice. Get used to taking the safety off (it's funny to watch experienced shooters lose a target or bird, because they forgot the safety. Less funny when you do it. )

Practice: Remember, at the Trap or Skeet range, you can call for another bird - not so much in the field.

That's it.

 

[Mark from MA]

Nothing wrong with a pump for pheasant.
View attachment 318917

And personally, you don’t need a 12G for state stocked birds in the Northeast. 20G is fine And does a great job... the M37 is the pic above is a 16G though..

whatever gun you use, pattern it with a few different loads and spend some time shooting clays with it.

Different shotguns will shoot different brands of ammo different.
my normal 16G O/U doesn’t pattern those Remington loads well at all... I prefer the Fiocchi Golden Pheasants in #5. The pattern well and kill birds.

Big fan of the M37 here.
If you can find one on the used rack for a little more than your barrel id buy that.

Lightweight, slickest action out there and bombproof. I have 5 of them invarious gauges. Most from the 50s-70’s. Majority of my hunting this year was done with a modified choke 20 gauge model 37 of 1957 vintage that I got for 150 and put a new stock on last winter.

 

[smokey-seven]

Clearly my follow-up shots won't be as fast as a semi-auto

Practice with that pump and you will get fast enough that others cannot hear the action work, Boom, Boom as fast as a semi auto.

Then figure out what type of ammo I need. 2.75" or 3"?

No need for 3" on pheasant. std velocity #6's are fine. The distance you will be shooting will decide the choke. IC for inside 25Yards, Mod outside of that.

Sounds like I should order that barrel and ammo.

Even if you end up with the 20 O/U, get the barrel for the mossy.

practice form a gun-down position.

^^^^^ This!! you don't walk around the wood with the shotgun on your shoulder. The proper mount is as important as taking the safety off and pointing the gun in the right place.

 

[45collector]

I have several different shotguns I’ve used for upland game and the 1958 Ithaca M37 12g is my favorite. Mod choked. It’s so light it’s like carrying a bb gun. Found it on gunbroker and got it shipped to me on the C&R for $170 or so.
Once you’ve had some time in the field under your belt you’ll learn to lead the bird enough to not get any pellets in the good eatin’ parts!
Have fun and don’t Dick Cheney anyone.

 

[Mountain]

Nothing wrong with a pump for pheasant.
View attachment 318917

And personally, you don’t need a 12G for state stocked birds in the Northeast. 20G is fine And does a great job... the M37 is the pic above is a 16G though..

whatever gun you use, pattern it with a few different loads and spend some time shooting clays with it.

Different shotguns will shoot different brands of ammo different.
my normal 16G O/U doesn’t pattern those Remington loads well at all... I prefer the Fiocchi Golden Pheasants in #5. The pattern well and kill birds.

Awesome pic- great dog and love the M37.

If hunting some of the preserves rather than state stocked WMA's, the birds can get pretty big. For those 20 is still OK but 12 or 16 better.

 

[45collector]

If hunting some of the preserves rather than state stocked WMA's, the birds can get pretty big. For those 20 is still OK but 12 or 16 better.

One of the state stocked birds I took this year had so much greasy fat in it, it was actually difficult to clean it. It was kinda gross but I vacuum packed the breast and leg meat and put it in the freezer. I'll make stroganoff with it at Easter.

 

[Upland]

I also noticed big fat stocked birds is year.

 

[dixidawg]

If hunting some of the preserves rather than state stocked WMA's, the birds can get pretty big. For those 20 is still OK but 12 or 16 better.

I've found that 3" 20 ga with 1 1/8 oz #5 shot is nearly identical in knockdown power to a 12ga 2 3/4" high brass.

 

[The Anchor]

pump, auto, side by side, o/u, all will work, and if you do score the 20g o/u, you'll enjoy it for sure. my teeth were cut with a rem model 11 12g and 12g savage sxs, and then i bought an 870, an 1100, a couple o/u, and before you know it, you have almost enough shotguns....heed the advice on letting the bird get a bit away from you!

 

[DW357]

Great advice from everyone! Really appreciate everyone chiming in. I definitely need to check out my grandfather’s shotgun. He’s almost 90 and is slowing down due to prostate cancer spreading so I’m sure he’d love for me to get some birds with his shotgun that he used for many years.

 

[45collector]

If your wingshooting is as good as your pistol shooting, you'll get them birdies good.

 

[Deleted member 67409]

If I was to buy a pheasant/upland game shotgun tomorrow, I'd buy a new Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen. Handling one is a joy. If you really want a pump over a semi-auto, I'd suggest an older 870 Wingmaster or if you're left handed, a BPS.

If you end up shooting at birds smaller than pheasant, there's 28 gauge.

 

[whacko]

If I was to buy a pheasant/upland game shotgun tomorrow, I'd buy a new Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen. Handling one is a joy. If you really want a pump over a semi-auto, I'd suggest an older 870 Wingmaster or if you're left handed, a BPS.

If you end up shooting at birds smaller than pheasant, there's 28 gauge.

I replaced my Mossberg 500 for a 1969 made Browning auto 5 light 12. The a5 Browning is a fantastic field gun. They are a classic. Mine came with a full choke barrel.......I have since purchases an IC choke barrel for snow shoe hare and also a buck special iron sight barrel deer. It's a hell of a nice set for hunting in New England.

 

[Mark from MA]

If I was to buy a pheasant/upland game shotgun tomorrow, I'd buy a new Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen. Handling one is a joy. If you really want a pump over a semi-auto, I'd suggest an older 870 Wingmaster or if you're left handed, a BPS.

If you end up shooting at birds smaller than pheasant, there's 28 gauge.

The new sweet sixteen isnt like the old steel one. Its gas operated. Aluminum reciever. None of the fancy scrollwork like old humpback. Nice gun but I like the older ones that JMB invented. I have 2 sweet 16. One belgium one Jap with the buck barrel. Both are great guns.

The 28 gauge will kill pheasants dead with a good #6 load all day long.

 

[Deleted member 67409]

The new sweet sixteen isnt like the old steel one. Its gas operated. Aluminum reciever. None of the fancy scrollwork like old humpback. Nice gun but I like the older ones that JMB invented. I have 2.

The 28 gauge will kill pheasants dead with a good #6 load all day long.

I like both the older A5s and the new inertia-driven ones. @andrew1220 could probably pick up a decent old A5 for less than say $600 if he looks around. KTP usually has a few in stock. I personally would just buy a new Sweet Sixteen because it'd have a warranty and I could send it back to Browning if, say, I ran over the gun with a truck.

I was also thinking of suggesting going with a 28 right out of the gate but there's not that many 28 gauge pumps available out there besides the 870, I believe the Ithaca M37 came in 28, and CZ/Turkish ones. They're not common used, either.

28 isn't as easy to get shells for, so he'd probably want to reload 28.

 

[Mark from MA]

I wouldnt get a 28 unless youve shot a while. Shells are expensive.

Practice is cheaper with 12 or 20.

 

[IPSC_DRL]

More importantly, is it a bad idea to use a pump action for pheasant hunting? Clearly my follow-up shots won't be as fast as a semi-auto but I was trying to avoid buying another shotgun.

Poor assumption Andrew. I had a friend who used to shoot skeet with me on occasion at Hopkinton. He used a pump gun and his doubles were every bit as fast as those shooting autos or double guns. I used to joke with the guys that "The nice thing about a pump, is you don't have to wait for the gas to cycle your action."

 

[Al-Jim19]

A mossberg 500 will work just fine. The barrel is good to go or you could just buy a new shotgun for a but more.

I like steel loads in case i run into ducks, and ive settled on some 2.75” #4 loads which are meant as a light duck load. I took two pheasant this year with them without any remarkable meat damage. Theyre probably a little bit heavy but i like to err on the heavy side. They are winchester super x brand.

If you want an excuse to buy a new cool gun instead of just the barrel i really like my mossberg 930 semi auto. Its my only shotgun and its choked once in two seasons of hunting and 5-6 rounds of skeet. Its only gotten one thorough bath in its life, around march of this year. It just works and i really like it.

 

[MJD]

A lot of wisdom passed along so far. I am basically repeating some of it:

I've hunted with a Remington 870 for over 20 years. First with a 20 gauge youth model, then with a 1970s vintage full-choked 12 gauge Wingmaster that my plant manager graciously sold me for a fair price.

You aren't giving much up by using a pump instead of a semi...if you're giving anything up at all. I can run a pump modestly fast, and I've seen folks much better than me run them equal or better to a semi. Not that there is anything wrong with a semi...but pumps aren't a handicap. My opinion.

An O/U 20 gauge would be good totin' out in the field. Just make sure it fits you. Would also be super nice to hunt with Grandpa's gun and let the legacy continue.

 

[whacko]

I like both the older A5s and the new inertia-driven ones. @andrew1220 could probably pick up a decent old A5 for less than say $600 if he looks around. KTP usually has a few in stock. I personally would just buy a new Sweet Sixteen because it'd have a warranty and I could send it back to Browning if, say, I ran over the gun with a truck.

I was also thinking of suggesting going with a 28 right out of the gate but there's not that many 28 gauge pumps available out there besides the 870, I believe the Ithaca M37 came in 28, and CZ/Turkish ones. They're not common used, either.

28 isn't as easy to get shells for, so he'd probably want to reload 28.

Kittery is a great place to find used hunting irons. I've purchased a few shotguns there to outfit the family with hunting tools. And they usually have a dozen or so used a5 on the used racks. Some beat up a bit (not that it matters in a hunting gun).

 

[dixidawg]

They (KTP) also have (had?) a bucket full of used shotgun barrels for sale. They likely have one that would work with your Mossberg 500.

 

[whacko]

They (KTP) also have (had?) a bucket full of used shotgun barrels for sale. They likely have one that would work with your Mossberg 500.

I checked that used barrel rack every time I went there for 2 years and finally found an A5 buck special barrel. Fit my a5 perfectly and is dead in accurate ......didn't even need to adjust the sights when I tested it.....dead center at 50 yards.

 

[rocket500]

With a 12 gauge do give the bird a bit of time to get away from you. I had the bead on one really quickly last season and squeezed off a shot which hit dead center. That pheasant accelerated about five fold when the shot hit him and more or less disintegrated. Nothing left to eat!

 

[vickers]

Andrew, I had hunted duck and Pheasant for years with a Mossberg 835 pump that I bought in the 80s. The 835 has the 31/2" chamber so I would usually use those "cigar" shells for geese and 3" or 2 3/4" for ducks and Pheasant depending. My brother also had a Mossberg 500 for years before he upgraded to semi-auto for ducks and an side by side for upland. Never had an issue bagging as many duck as my brother with his browning semi-auto, or with this O/U during Phesant hunts. We did a guided hunt at Green Mountain Shooting Preserve in Ossippee one year and I had a great day shooting Phesant and Chukkar with that thing as well. Our guide was impressed with the speed and accuracy of my follow up shots. A number of years ago I picked up a Weatherby 20ga semi-auto and a CZ O/U for hunting so I don't use the Mossy much anymore but it worked fine for me all those years.

 

[whacko]

If I was to buy a pheasant/upland game shotgun tomorrow, I'd buy a new Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen. Handling one is a joy. If you really want a pump over a semi-auto, I'd suggest an older 870 Wingmaster or if you're left handed, a BPS.

If you end up shooting at birds smaller than pheasant, there's 28 gauge.

New model a5 you say?!? I just picked up a new model a5 hunter at ktp for $465! It was mis marked. New they go $1400 to $1600 and used they are $1000 to $1200. Will test it out tomorrow. Clerk noticed it was a mis marked price but honored it. Pic next to a new gun so folks cant accuse me it being full of shit. Came with only one choke......IC......I'll have to pick up a mod and full........but I can't wait to see how she runs. Will be hard to decide on Feb which gun to take on the hare hunt..... The 1969 Belgian a5 or this new model!!!!

 

[Deleted member 67409]

New model a5 you say?!? I just picked up a new model a5 hunter at ktp for $465! It was mis marked. New they go $1400 to $1600 and used they are $1000 to $1200. Will test it out tomorrow. Clerk noticed it was a mis marked price but honored it. Pic next to a new gun so folks cant accuse me it being full of shit.

What, no 16-gauge?

I think I saw that shotgun you bought when I was at KTP this past Friday. At the time, I was looking for a Walther PP. Even the 12-gauges are very light and handy shotguns.

 

[whacko]

What, no 16-gauge?

I think I saw that shotgun you bought when I was at KTP this past Friday. At the time, I was looking for a Walther PP. Even the 12-gauges are very light and handy shotguns.

I feel like I stole it! I could have turned around and walked back in and traded it back to the used counter for probably $700

 

[whacko]

What, no 16-gauge?

I think I saw that shotgun you bought when I was at KTP this past Friday. At the time, I was looking for a Walther PP. Even the 12-gauges are very light and handy shotguns.

Put about 100 rounds through it. Slugs ....high brass ...target loads.....buckshot all cycled fine.

Used my spring slinger with some target loads and can smash doubles with ease.

What a find! A light, sleak, and fast pointing and cycling shotgun!

 

[DW357]

So my grandfather gave me his Winchester 101 O/U 20 gauge. This thing is really nice! Just need to somehow figure out what choke the barrels are.

 

[EddieA]

On the barrels somewhere there are probably a series of ****.
This is the code for the chokes.
I can't remember what the code is at this moment.
I think the more * the more open.