i use 7.5 clay loads with my 12 or 20

man i bust out the 2 shot fr doves. i love shredded dove with the feathers all in the meat. no seriously i use 8 or 9 shot. not enough on them for anything other than that.

Wow, i am surprised to see people say 4s and 6s for doves...that would blow them up...ive tried. I personally reload my own shells for doves...just works out nicely. I like 7 1/2 reclaimed shot (recycled) becaause its not exactly round and it speads for a nice pattern. I dont like buying the 7 1/2s at wal mart for 2.98 because they are only 7/8 ounce loads...if you have ever ripped on open...it seems like there is only 20 bbs in there...oh yeah...12 gauge

I just recenlty got a .410 (Christmas) and haven't had a chcane to use it on anything besides rabbits. It seemed to work good using 6 shot 2 1/2 and 3 inch, but i was wondering if 3 inch or 2 1/2 would be better for dove.

20GA with ⅞oz of #8 shot.

A 12ga works but it can be overkill for doves. A 20ga 2.75" shell 7.5 or 8 shot will work fine. If you're a good shot then you could consider 28ga or even .410. The main problem with those gauges is that you can go through a lot of shells dove hunting, and generally the 28 & .410 cost a bit more than 12 or 20. (unless you reload)

#6 shot might give you a bit more range, but hit a dove with a full pattern and see what you got left.(my friend hit a cock pheasant at 35yds in the center of the pattern with a 20ga choked IC and it was nearly blown to pieces, he left it in the field.)

4's? 6's? way too much for doves. I go with the lightest loads i can get my hands on. if i see 9's for sale ill get them but usually they only have 8's or 7.5's. that's all you need. doesn't take much to knock them down.

i personally shoot 12ga. 2 3/4" winchester high brass shells from walmart usually in a #7 1/2 shot

I use a 12ga # 7's with an improved cylinder. Ive seen guys use a 16ga and they were just grabbing them outta the sky! What chokes do you guys use on your doves?

i usuallly use a full or mod. but ive done it with a superfull turkey choke before when i forgot all my others at the house a few of the dove were ruined though from being hit with a little to much shot