Sometimes it IS the gun....

Sorry for the late post, but I HAVE to get this out. We went out Dove hunting opening weekend. Birds were slow but steady for us.

I got a new shotgun, Stevens 555 in 20.

Result? My first limit......and my first double.

I know that's not impressive for most in here, but for me, who picks up his bird gun once a year.....I am DAMN proud of it.

I can't miss with my 20. It's amazing how much better you shoot with a proper fitting shotgun

It's all about fit, and it's different for everyone. I picked up an old Remington 1100 LT-20 a couple years ago and have never shot better with anything before or since. I'm just an amateur shooter - a good skeet round was 17 or 18 - but I can knock out 22-23 every time and keep up that percentage in the dove field as well. I didn't realize how a gun could point naturally for you until I started running this one.

That's why it's so hard to answer the ol' "which gun is better for me" question. I shot an 870 for years and my buds would always rag on me for being the worst shot out of all of us. Shelled out the money for a beretta and my hit percentage went through the roof. Now it's nothing to knock doubles with the occasional triple.

I am still searching for "that" gun.

A properly fit gun can do wonders for ones hunting experience and overall performance and outcome!

I had a great hunt last weekend myself, first three birds in one shot kill in my life. The shot was at such close range that the lead bird literally blew to pieces, I found the two wings and a bunch of feathers. The second bird was DOA and the third was knocked down but still moving. I've never seen three birds fall with one pull of the trigger in my life but I am glad that I witnessed it and that the experience was by my own doing. Later on in the morning I had just shot my 14th bird and as I was walking back towards our group with prize in hand when one of my hunting buddies yelled out to get ready for a group coming over the trees. I froze in my tracks, two shells still in the gun, bird in my left hand and my shotgun shouldered in my right when I proceeded to drop my 15th and final bird with a one handed shot. I was more thrilled about limiting out long before my buddies but they all got a kick out of the one handed shot. It truly was a great hunt.

Back on topic, my go to Dove gun is a Benelli Legacy 12ga, I like the third shot, the reliability, and its great looks, but I'm average at best with it when shooting clays. For Upland game I prefer my Caesar Guerinni 20ga for its light weight, great balance and handling, and all around form and function while hunting over dogs. That said, I am plain miserable with it while shooting Skeet. When it comes time to breaking clays I have a Browning Citori 725 Sport that I feel I can't miss with but it's heavy and far too long for use in the field with its 32" barrels. You have to find what works for you for the given task at hand and stick with it. I usually prefer longer barrels but my Dove gun has a 26" tube and yet I don't feel like it swings too quickly and it's definitely not unbalanced. Im glad to hear that you found your "It" gun for Dove hunting. Stay safe and best of luck to you and yours for the remainder of the season.

Grandpa Lee I suspect that when you move from the field to the skeet range you change your shooting style. In the field I bet your an instinctive shooter and on the skeet field your more deliberate. I'm willing to bet if you were to shoot low gun at skeet, with the Guerinni, you would go back to shooting instinctively and have better scores with it. Short light guns demand a very different shooting style then longer heavier guns. There's a lesson in it for others not only does a gun need to fit it needs to fit your shooting style. Some one that grew up shooting grouse and woodcock with a quick mount and compact swing might do miserably with a longer heavier gun.

I couldn't agree more with your observation/assumption.