Best shotgun for pheasant

Rich Cronk

Rich Cronk

New member
Back in the 60's and 70's I was really hooked on pheasant hunting. I started out with a shotgun with a full choke because my pappy had taught me that this was the "only" way to go. I was missing a lot of pheasants that flushed real close, and those that I did hit with the tight pattern were almost completely destroyed (nothing left to eat). I traded for a Remington 870 with modified choke and started having much better luck on pheasants. I switched to a Zabala side by side choked modified and full. Most of the pheasants I bagged with that shotgun were taken with the "modified" barrel. The shotguns of today are available with barrels threaded for choke tubes. My opinion is that a double barreled shotgun with an improved cylinder choke on one barrel and a modified choke on the other would make a really "dandy" pheasant whacker. The double could be either side by side or over & under.
What do you guys think about this subject?

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Rich,

I own one shotgun, benelli SBE, which I use for everything. For pheasants, I have a modified choke, using 2 3/4 Four shot.

bobcat
 
Rich:

I use the same gun for grouse and phesants. It is a Win 101, O/U Diamond, 20 ga that shoots both 2 3/4" and 3".

For grouse I use the 2 3/4" with either 4 or 6, depending on the cover thickness, and I use 3"- 4 copper plated for pheasant. The 20ga-3" will get me as many pheasants as the two guys that I hunt with that both use 12 ga. They both laughed the first two years at my "pop" gun, but I consistently bring home more meat than they do. To me it seems to be more in choke selection and the shooter than anything else.

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Rich,

Believe it or not I use my trap loads and a Mod choke for pheasants. And I can't remember the last time I lost a bird. (good dog)!

Shotgun, Diamond grade 101....I'm jealous!

I once had a beautiful Citori Special Sporting Clays..problem was It was to nice to beat around in the bush so I let her go....I regret that one.

Chuck
 
Rich,

I have shot a 12 guage full choke all my life on pheasants. There are many, many birds that would tend to agree that it works just fine. For the last 15 years, I have settled on Remington 11-87s. The camo version also doubles well for a turkey and coyote gun.

Chris

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For pheasent, my favorite would have to be Browning Gold (auto) with a modified choke. I also use an over-under with a modified and a full choke (covers the close up's and the distant shots).

For ammo I use Federal 3" in 4 or 6 shot.

Ryan

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Well Rich my parents bought me a Remington Sportsman 12 pump (cheaper version of the Wingmaster but better and before the Express) for Christmas when I was 12years old. That gun had a 28" mod. vent rib barrel. Three years later my brother was 12 and he got an identicle gun for Christmas. We harvested many many roosters with those guns. Unfortunately mine was stolen two seasons ago. Feels like I lost a good friend. I'd always wanted an 870 Special Field so thats what I shoot now. It has a 21" barrel and I shoot an IC choke with Fiochi Golden Pheasant #5's or similar reloads. Hardly ever miss or lose a bird. Love those 870 actions.
Zipedo
 
Side-by-sides or O/U would be great for pheasant especially when you could change choke tubes to match conditions of your hunt. I prefer an old JC Higgins pump for birds on the wing. Not a pretty gun at all but it fits me well and I shoulder it correctly better than 90% of the time. The Remingtons don't fit me very well and consequently I don't shoot well with them. The fixed choke on the JC is between Mod and IC and I can vary the pattern density according to which reload I choose. When phesants are holding tight in cover or the opening weekend of the season, a field load equivalent (1-1/4 oz) of 6 or 7.5 shot seems to do the trick. When birds are spooky or when cover is sparse, a short magnum loading (1-1/2 oz) of 5s and 6s will take them at the longer ranges. Be carefull upclose as things can get messy with the magnum. If you have a fixed choked gun, try different loadings and see how your pattern will change.
 
I'm with dgallow on the JC Higgins! I wish I still had mine. That was one nice shootin gun.

As far as the over/under, I think the new stainless/synthetic Ruger Red Label would be an ideal hunting O/U.
 
Far from an expert, but I've chased the long tails around a bit. Conditions can vary greatly, so you need to be flexible and able to adapt. Choke tubes are a good thing, as is a selection of ammunition. I usually start the season shooting a stout load of 6's and switch to 4's by Thanksgiving. I prefer Winchester Super X, and had some great results with the Supreme copper plated high velocity stuff. I shot 26 roosters this past season with this load, including 5 hits over 50 yards. Very hard hitting load, and the speed is a big help when figuring out how much to lead 'em. As far as guns, I shoot a Benelli Montefeltro. This is a good good for walking fields all day, nice and light. The forearm is very trim helping to promote a good feel. The vent rib is low, which I prefer as alignment is right for me. I have a 28 inch pipe on this one. At times, I also use a Browning Gold, Browning BSS, and an old Winchester model 12. All in 12 guage. I prefer modified choke until January when shots are almost always over 40 yards. I have shot 3" shells at them in January and still felt undergunned. Just my thoughts and opinions.
 
GCronk, you said "Far from expert" Well buddy that sounded like an experts reply to me.
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Welcome to the board, and feel free to lend your expert opinion often.

Ryan

p.s. Oh and by the way, with the name "Cronk" in your username you might catch some grief around here.
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Hey Ryank,
GCrock sounds like an expert alright but his name is Crock, not Cronk and he is probably still much more handsome than you are.
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I don't know if this is the best gun for pheasants but I have sure had great success with it.I shoot a Remington 870 wingmaster 12 ga. with a 1/4 choke(between modified,and improved cylinder).I have been shooting this gun for about 20 years and have shot lots of pheasants,a ton of ducks and a sh#@ load of chukars.I am very pleased with this setup.GOOD HUNTING
 
I thought about changing my last name to Cronk, might get permission on a whole bunch of new hunting ground that way! ha ha I was fortunate to grow up in an area that had a very good population of pheasants and I had permission to many, many acres of good hunting ground. I still have the permission, but farming practices have removed most of the cover and the birds. I still manage to find a few here and there, just not as many as before. Still good by most peoples standards. I've focused more on coyotes the past few years, and enjoy the challenge they bring. Good Hunting to y'all, I'll have to try that Cronk thing out!
 
G Crock,
I just noticed that you are from Wahoo, NE. I went over near there a few years back to show a young farmer how to call coyotes. I think we called six of the buggers in three hours of hunting. I think the farmer's name is Kevin Petrazelka or at least sounds something like that. He calls coyotes all of the time now.
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Rich,
I moved to Wahoo about 6 years ago and live South of town on an acreage. I am not familiar with the gentleman you named. If you want to come back to Wahoo and give another lesson, I'll be your first student to sign up. We have been hit pretty hard in this area the past couple winters with mange. I did see one behind my house a week ago, and last night we spooked one while planting beans. Maybe this fall will be good for yotes again. This area has gotten better for pheasants and quail the last 2-3 years. I normally head down to the Nebraska-Kansas border for pheasants and quail, but I did have some success last year within a couple miles of my house.
 
Welll, not the best ringneck gun but hear goes. My mom used to use a little Stevens bolt action .410 for ringnecks in the ditches along the road. Dad said she was pretty good with it but I never saw her use it. It has a place in my cabinet now, and I have used it on released birds but ya gotta know your limits. Up here we don't have a lot of pheasants, but I have a little o/u in 28ga that is dynamite on ruffies. I may have to try it on pheasant some day.
Whatever works for ya, use it!
 
My deepest appologizes to you GCrock, I don't know why I saw your name as Cronk. Tryin to go to fast I think. Anyhow your opinion still does sound proffesional.

And Rich, thank you for pointing out my mistake, I probably would have never realized it otherwise.

Ryan

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Ryank,
No problem with the name thing, kind of enjoyed being thought of as a Cronk if only for a little bit. GCrock is short for Greg Crockett. Not sure how my post sounded, always have to be careful to not sound like a "know it all." Everyone has unique experiences in the field, I enjoy reading others posts to see what works for them and what they are doing. Pheasant hunting was the only game in town when I was growing up, my dad used to have friends and a few clients come in and guide them around. I enjoyed the post above about the .410, brought back many memories of the old single shot hammer gun I used to carry.
 
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