Hi all. SOme of you may have seen some of my posts in the hunting gear and gun review sections. I am a bit of an optics crank and love talking scopes and binoculars.
But I am getting interested in bird hunting (upland). My Winchester 1400 MKII 12 gge seem a bit too long for me. It is a bit heavey and unweildy. So I going to get a SxS or Over and Under for my dove and pheasant hunts. I am tending towards an older SxS or O/U made in AMerica like a Marlin model 90, Savage Steven 311, Savage 312, 330, 550, etc.
I am also looking at some older Tikka, Vlamet and some spanish guns. Most of these can be had in the 600 bucks and even much less in the case of the Stevens..
My Questions are>
1. On older double barrels, I assume the barrels are choked permanantly: What do I want as a choke combination for dove.
2. If I find a gun and it has F/F chokes, how do I change the choke? Must I get new barrels?
3. How do I measure my length of pull so I can get a gun that fits?
4. Why do may of the used older guns I see have Full/Modified as choke settings. Isnt full too tight for upland hunting.
5. If the Choke config is listed as F/M does that mean that the first barrel fired is full or the second?
I konw you upland guys are knowledgable about shotguns and I would appreciate any help.
okcmco
PS Keep in my I have other guns for Turkey and I don't do much Goose hunting so \this advice is for a dedicated dove and phesant hunting gun