Went on a dove shoot yesterday. A good dove shoot There was about 9 guys hunting a 200 acre cut corn field. LOTS of birds!!!! We started shooting and after about 40 minutes the birds got real smart real quick, odd for this early in the season. I reached in my bag and screwed in my open water choke from Angle port chokes. I bought this choke at the end of crow season last year after a buddy of mine (who is a shooter) told me about em and was amazed at how far it would stretch my 7.5 gun clubs. I started dumpig doves that were out there a good ways. A guy that was about 100 yards from me in a hide came to ask what kind of gun I was shooting. I showed him the MAXUS and told him it wasn't the gun but the choke. I explained that I dont normaly shoot at game birds that far, only crows.
He was like everyone else I talk to around here, had never crow hunted. I was dumping birds at 50 and 55 yards while all the other guys had stopped shooting and were changing positions in the field to compensate. As we sat on our stools a single flew by and was way out there as he was saying he's too far I pulled up and dropped the bird. He walked out there to get the bird and half way back to my stool his jaw was hanging wide open. The guy stepped off 76 long steps to the end of my gun barel Needless to say he was speechless. I led that bird at least 8 feet. But I did dump him stone dead. I know it is hard to believe but it is the truth!!!! You should see what is does to the bandits Again I don't take shots like that at waterfowl and doves on a normal basis, because I think it to be unethical. Only crows and pigeons!! I wanted to prove a point and I dam sure did with this guy. I have found the ultimate crow killing combination. You will be surprised at how high you can dump them tall crows, if you wait til they are right over you. You guy's that still reload can even come up with the perfect load I'm sure
Chip, I have a Maxus that Skip Woody talked me into.. and Skip told me about Angle Port.. I bought the LM and my percentage on crows went up +20%.. I use the same LM on doves and limited out very quickly this past Sunday and Monday.. I tried some 50 yd+ shots and did not drop any.. Most of the dove were 25 - 35 yds fairly easy kills and we were set up in very well hidden blinds..You are correct about the combo of those two components... Angle Port and Maxus..fast, comfortable, smooth, very little felt recoil and most important, accurate.
Mark,,,,, I bet you were shooting behind the birds,, try it on trap, I think my 76 yard shot was no doubt a fluke. But crows are different. Bigger target 50 and 55 yard shots are common. I love the way the angle port just absolutely smashes em. The Maxus is one of the finest shotguns I have ever had in my hands, as far as feel, weight and "fitability", and over the years I've held a ton of them. It's always nice to hear from a fellow Maxus fan!!!!
Being fairly new to shotgunning and wingshooting, I would like to know what choke the Maxus was using to acheive 20% more kills and at longer ranges. Is it full, modified, something else? I realize that Browning might have some proprietary system that is not interchangeable with other manufacturers, but the choke that is being so highly spoken of in the above posts must have some standard equivalent. Again, I'm a novice, but knowing something of interior and exterior ballistics leaves me to question why the Maxus is so much different than another shotgun shooting the same 2 3/4" shell. Please explain.
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"Arms are the only true badges of liberty. The possession of arms is the distinction of a free man from a slave." -- Andrew Fletcher 1698
The only test that means anything is how does any particular gun and load pattern in a 30" circle at 40 yards. That is the age old objective metric for shotgun performance and the only way to compare one gun/load to another. I rather doubt anything new has been invented since guns and loads from the early 20th century achieved 90%+ patterns. So what is everyone's maxus throwing for patterns on the pattern board?
Glad that works for you. My idea is to get the crows in nice and close in case i miss that first shot. Also I can shoot at a buddy of theirs too. I got a triple once this way but there was also about a hundred crows in front of me too. that day I got two 'piebalds. man did they look funny black and white like short tailed magpies! (NO-no magpies in this neck of the woods!)
In any case whatever works for you is the bottom line but that is really interesting! I'd love to know more about it!
IMO the only way sizable crow kills can be had is to get them in as close a possible. Scratching crows down from 40,50 or even 60 yards is very doable and great training but never amounts to high body counts. Close in with open patterns and small shot for this dude. In the spring when all is brown and cover is lacking I shoot a full as plenty of 40+ yard shots can be expected. Handicap 7 1/2 trap loads as well.
Ted
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Life's tough... It's even tougher if you're stupid. John Wayne
Ted here is a photo taken when all Boyd & I ever used was a 7/8 ounce load of 8's and sometimes 9's in a 20 gauge. Thats Boyd using a 20 gauge model 12 FC.
Bob, that photo looks as to have a few miles on it. Classic "old time" look. Thanks for sharing. Going on, my young son and I were out yesterday evening for crows. A small roost gathers early each fall some 5 miles from our home near an old cemetery. Max I would estimate at around 1000 crows at its peak. Last half hour of daylight saw the crows move in from surrounding countryside. Set up in a old gravel pit about 1/4 mile from this roost. I shot 19 crows with 27 rounds, all with my M12 16 gauge, choked modified and 1 ounce of 8 shot at 1165 fps. Sadly no photos to share. I am confident in killing crows up to about 40 yards with this combination and prefered shots by myself being overhead passing. I feel a 20 would perform the same in the right hands as with your friend Boyd.
Regards, Ted
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Life's tough... It's even tougher if you're stupid. John Wayne
I shot that photo in Stafford County, Kansas back in 1979 or 1980. That afternoon the crows were strung out clear to the horrizon and flew non stop like that for the last hour of shooting. I like to capture the moment, a nice photo you never get tired of looking at it.
Bob A.
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To listen to this radio talk show go to episode 12, Bob Aronsohn
I too like to get the birds close, but I also like to dump the high flyers that are screaming at me and skirting my spread. The choke is an Improved Modified. It works extremely well with the gun clubs I shoot and is even better with steel shot for ducks and geese. On some of the state areas I hunt I have to shoot steel 7's. My jelly head turkey choke is way too tight for steel. And I have found that this choke patterns it very well on paper at 30 yards as well as on feathers at 55 yards You will need it in an invector plus for the maxus. My hunting partner bought the same choke for his 870 and we have had some amazing shot to kill ratio's with it. It is simply a bad ass choke. The main reason I said anything about it is because chokes are too expensive to buy several until you find one you like. This one is a gem and is field proven. Try it and you will be amazed.
I shoot a M1 or a browning gold and have a Imp Mod for my M1. Thats what I shoot 100% of the time when crow, pigeon or dove hunting. I just bought the 3 tube waterfowl set from carlson for my Gold. the close range is .10=IC the mid range is .20 mod the long range is .30 which is LT full, but is actually closer to IMP MOD cause with the browning backbored barrels take a bit more choke to get eqivelent patterns. I have patterned so many turkey loads and heavy duck and gooseloads that it makes my shoulder hurt thinking about it. What I have found is those backbored barrels are defenantly NOT a marketing skeem! They pattern beautifully with anything you feed them. My M1 is my favorite gun but it doesnt pattern as good as either of my golds. I do have a full set or custom bore matched angle port tubes for my SBE and the .25 thousandths IMP MOD shoots a awsome pattern with 3" BBs. I can kill them as far as I have the skill to hit them. Imp mod is a very versitle choke from 30 to 60 its right
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A SUPER 90 and a crow in range, life is good. A good sandwich and bag of M&Ms doesnt hurt either.
There was about 9 guys hunting a 200 acre cut corn field. LOTS of birds!!!! We started shooting and after about 40 minutes the birds got real smart real quick, odd for this early in the season. I reached in my bag and screwed in my open water choke from Angle port chokes. I bought this choke at the end of crow season last year after a buddy of mine (who is a shooter) told me about em and was amazed at how far it would stretch my 7.5 gun clubs. I started dumpig doves that were out there a good ways. A guy that was about 100 yards from me in a hide came to ask what kind of gun I was shooting. I showed him the MAXUS and told him it wasn't the gun but the choke. I explained that I dont normaly shoot at game birds that far, only crows. 
