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Thread: Bird Hunting Basics? What Barrels, Chokes, etc?

  1. #1

    Bird Hunting Basics? What Barrels, Chokes, etc?

    I'm a city boy, have never been bird hunting. It seems interesting but people I know who do it have to drive 90 minutes each way minimum to go to a place for it. I hate driving during my time off because I drive so much for work!!

    I'm a prepper at heart and think bird hunting could be a useful skill to learn. I do own a pair of Moss 590s, one is 18.5" and one is 20". Neither have threaded chokes. I saw a post on here a while back where someone discussed threading an existing gun for a choke. From what I've heard, if I had either of my existing shotguns threaded for chokes then the barrel length shouldn't matter.

    The barrel length of bird guns tends to be 24" to 28". I used to think it was to keep the pattern tighter, but I've heard using a choke in a 18.5" barrel will result in the same pattern as using the same choke in a 28" barrel. But the main reason bird guns are longer is to help swing them onto target.

    So here's my situation. I will probably never get into bird hunting as a hobby as something to do regularly. If I try it and love it, then I'll get a dedicated bird hunting gun for sure. But because of the driving time and distance involved, let's just say I'll probably only do it a few times for purposes of learning the basics and then maybe sporadically to maintain recency of skill.

    If TSHTF I'd like to be able to bird hunt. And I'd like to be able to do it with one of my existing guns because I have a small gun safe and simply just do not want to buy another pump action shotgun just for bird hunting during a fantasy survival event that will probably never happen. Also if I need to bug out, I'd rather not have to take a whole nother gun with me just for bird hunting purposes.

    I know a lot of what I'm saying is goofy, I admit it. TSHTF is unlikely. The ability for me to successfully hunt birds after only doing it a few times is unlikely. Giving away my position to human threats by shooting at birds is risky. Bugging out is generally stupid. That said, it seems smart if I can have one of my existing shotguns threaded for chokes, go out a few times bird hunting, and for the cost of $100 to $200 to get the shotgun threaded plus a few chokes, I've increased my capability exponentially compared to what I have now with the only added storage requirement of a few small chokes and few boxes of birdshot.

    But here's what I don't know:

    If I get my 18.5 or 20" barrel threaded for chokes, will it actually pattern as well as a 24" to 28" barrel? What if I eventually pay the tax stamp and get a 14" barrel, could I have that threaded for chokes and get good results or is that too small? A 14" pump threaded for chokes seems like a great secondary long gun to have if TSHTF with slugs, chokes + birdshot and buckshot to pair with a centerfire carbine.

    Am I just going to have an awful time tryin to bird hunt recreationally a few times to learn it, using a 590 with 18.5 or 20" barrel because I'm trying to use the wrong tool for the job and just become miserable and disheartened?

    Should I just get a longer Moss 835 barrel to pair with my existing 590 receiver and swap barrels for bird hunting? It makes the overall package less useful if "bugging out" since I'd have to take a whole second barrel with me, but bugging out on foot really is a last resort. I have ghost rings rears on both of my 590s so that wouldn't pair well with an 835 barrel. So I'd have to possibly remove my ghost ring rear and put an aimpoint on the receiver I'd use with the 835 barrel or remove the ghost ring rear and have a Remington style rear sight permanently welded onto the rear of my existing 590 barrel to make the sighting system self contained on that barrel itself so the receiver stays clear and I can use a bead sight with the 835 barrel.

    What is out of the question right now is buying a dedicated bird pump shotgun. I simply don't have the space to store it and don't want one. I am a bit tempted by the 1301 21" comp models, but realistically it also takes up gun safe space I don't have and is far less useful if TSHTF because it's a specialized gun. Whereas a 14" or 18.5" 590 is far more well rounded for 99% of what I'd need a gun for if TSHTF.

  2. #2

    Hunting Shotgun (Budget)

    If you are looking for a budget shotgun to wing shoot your best choice is likely going to be a single shot 12 Gauge shotgun with a modified fixed choke or interchangeable choke system. Henry, H&R, Handi-Rifle, or one of the Euro imported models. Is a single shot the best choice? Not necessarily, but in a survival circumstance it is simple and reliable.

    Better choice? For hunting Upland game, quail, dove, grouse, squirrels, or rabbits a double, semi-auto, or pump allows multiple shots or at least two shots in case of a miss or flushing two or three birds. Same principle with waterfowl which typically includes ducks or geese.

    Stoeger makes (imports) some very high quality budget shotguns from Turkey that are very comparable to Benelli or Berretta for under $500.00 for many models. Even the higher-end models are way under $1,000.00. The same is true of CZ shotguns offering high value. Don't rule out picking up a used pump or semi-auto off gunbroker or at a pawn shop (local gun store).

    Best advice is to find a local trap or skeet club and try a few different shotguns to see what you prefer.

  3. #3
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    In the desert, looking for water.
    Huh. That’s an interesting set of questions. I’ll address the questions around bird hunting, since my shotguns are all primarily for hunting birds and busting clays, and I don’t have a dedicated HD shotgun.

    I have owned 4 shotguns in my life, and still own 3 of them. The one I sold was a bolt action .410. I think it was a Mossberg, but it’s been a while and I honestly don’t remember for sure. What I remember is shooting at one of a pair of rabbits, the rabbit on the left running off startled, the one on the right turning and staring at me, the shotgun dumping all of the rounds in the magazine as I tried to chamber another one, and me throwing it down in disgust while I pulled my .22 pistol and shot the dumber of the two rabbits.

    So. My current guns include (1) the Spanish side-by-side 20g I’ve had forever that was my first gun. I’ve killed more critters with that gun than all of the other ones I’ve ever owned combined. Mostly birds and a few rabbits. One snake, I think. (2) A 20g Remington 870 Express youth model. IIRC it has a 22” barrel. Primarily intended for the use of my wife, daughter, and son, all of whom are smaller than I, it is a fun little gun and would definitely work in the HD role. The barrel is threaded, unlike the two barreled gun. (3) An old beauty of an Ithaca 37 Featherlight 12, which I have switched to using most of the time for clays and birds. Not threaded, and never will be as long as I’m breathing, it is choked Skeet.

    You can definitely kill birds and clays with short barreled guns. It is probably harder than the dedicated gun, unless they’re the only guns you’ve used so you won’t really know the difference. Shooting and busting a clay is one of the funner gun games to play. Hitting a flying bird or clay is a challenge of timing and skill.

    If TSHTF, shooting at flying birds is probably the last thing you’re going to be doing with your shotshells. You’ll probably abandon all “fair chase” rules of hunting and if you need to kill a bird, just shoot one out of a tree or off a power line. You won’t really need to practice much to be able to do that, and might be better off using a suppressed .22 or pellet gun anyway.

    I would encourage you to try out clays and bird shooting just to see if you like it, and then figure out if you need a game gun, but if you don’t really like it and this is all about TSHTF, don’t stress about your chokes. It really doesn’t matter that much unless you are going to have a specialized, dedicated gun.

  4. #4
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    E. Wash.
    Quote Originally Posted by Duelist View Post


    If TSHTF, shooting at flying birds is probably the last thing you’re going to be doing with your shotshells. You’ll probably abandon all “fair chase” rules of hunting and if you need to kill a bird, just shoot one out of a tree or off a power line. You won’t really need to practice much to be able to do that, and might be better off using a suppressed .22 or pellet gun anyway.
    I agree with this. There is a big difference between hunting "for survival" in some doomsday scenario and hunting in the United States.

    I've been bird hunting for years, and the amount of unwritten and written rules that are out there to be aware of are entirely inapplicable to "survival." However, they are applicable to fair chase, following state and federal laws, making clean kills and not pissing off everyone around you. (Which, I suppose, is related to survival).

    If you want to learn about hunting, I'd recommend just tagging along with some of the folks you know who hunt, without a shotgun. I wouldn't recommend just buying a shotgun and heading out (after taking hunter safety, if you haven't yet).

    If nothing else, it would save you from being the guy who shoots a shit duck thinking it's a mallard. Or, worse, the guys I remember seeing in Western Washington skybusting swans (fortunately, none were hit).

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