I do enough crow hunting that I want to get a crow gun that fits the specific needs of a crow hunter. I'm wondering what gun you would go with, such as gauge, semi-auto pump, or even specific models or makers. I'm sure this has been asked before but i could not find much on it. Thanks
Well I used the Benelli Nova for quite some time, which is a all around great gun. Holds 2 3/4 all the way up to 3 1/2 inch shells. Used it for grouse, pigeons, crows, snow geese, Canada geese and turkeys. Its the all around gun, but not specifically great for anything but turkeys in my opinion.
After I got back from USMC boot camp I bought the Stoeger model 3000 semi auto and I love it. It holds 2 3/4 shells and 3 inch, has problems with low brass but you don't need low brass shells, you can buy cheap #7 shot for about the same price. Its semi auto and shoots 5 as fast as you can pull the trigger, never had any problems with jamming or stoppages. *knock on wood*. It comes with 2 chokes (one for turkey one for stuff like crows, ducks whatever), grassland camo, and a magazine plug for waterfowl. Ran me a shade over $530.
Honestly I don't think you can go wrong, with a Stoeger. Its made by Benelli, has the same internal components of a $1500 shotgun, works like a charm, very versatile as far as game hunting and setting. The camo blends in just about anywhere. 12 Gauge by the way. Some guys like pumps, I like autos. I can shoot pumps just about as fast as autos though, lol.
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A man can be beaten in two ways... he gives up or he dies.
I have used 4 or 5 different guns for crow hunting. I now use mostly, one of my 2 Lefever Nitro Specials. I have posted on here before about why I use these double barrel guns instead of a pump or auto. My reason is simply that I enjoy it more. I could certainly kill more crows with my Winchester SXP, but for me, the nostalgic image of a side by side double in a blind is what I like.
I like to think that my dead grand fathers and uncles, and friends that helped lead me to hunting are grinning down on me each time I carry one of these old doubles out hunting.
Kev I'm with you on the old school shot guns. Love the A-5 I hunt with, would'nt think about going to the blind without it. As for a new gun the stoeger is hard to beat for the money. I've got a M2000 that I duck hunt with. Great gun and easy to clean.
I have used 4 or 5 different guns for crow hunting. I now use mostly, one of my 2 Lefever Nitro Specials. I have posted on here before about why I use these double barrel guns instead of a pump or auto. My reason is simply that I enjoy it more. I could certainly kill more crows with my Winchester SXP, but for me, the nostalgic image of a side by side double in a blind is what I like.
I like to think that my dead grand fathers and uncles, and friends that helped lead me to hunting are grinning down on me each time I carry one of these old doubles out hunting.
You hit the crow wright on the head!! that is the same reason i shoot my SxS for all my hunting, good for you, thanks 10gacs
Randy I bought a Winchester Super X3 - 28" barrel waterfowl package $1,200, it came with a few choke tubes. For crow hunting just like waterfowl hunting you want to reduce any movement as much as possible, in my opinion a pump would be my last choice between a good Semi, a good double or a pump. Only because of the extra movement of operating the pump-action. This summer I will be picking up a 12 gauge double with screw-in choke tubes for shooting crows, ducks & clay pigeon. I do have an old Ithaca model 37 - 12 gauge with a full choke 2 3/4" chamber that I bought for deer hunting with 00 Buckshot in thick brushy areas. I never used it to shoot birds, but I might next season just because I have it and haven't shot it in over twelve years. Reading a couple of the other guys post got me thinking about it. What ever you buy will work, it depends on how much you want to spend and whats available. I bought an old Browning A5 last fall for $250 and gave it to my oldest son. I seen a Ithaca Mag10 at a gun show a couple of months ago for $650 that I should of bought. There are deals out there if you got the extra cash and time to look. I have about five more guns that I want to buy this year, I also have several that I will be disposing of as well.
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Kev I have two older Remington 760 Pumps one is a 30-06 and the other is a 300 Savage, an older Remington model 78 bolt action in 7mm08, a older Winchester model 131 - 22LR, an old Mossberg 16 gauge bolt action shotgun with a poly-choke.
I've been buying conceal carry pistols, I don't need any other guns but it's like getting a new toy at christmas time. Plus I want the get some extra barrels for my Thompson Center Contender.
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Walk lightly, Carry a Big Stick & NEVER WALK AWAY!!!
What about choke tubes? Here in scandinavia most of the crow hunting is done using an owl decoy so they are often quite close, they are also often shot in mid air when turning and attacking the owl. To me the best choke for that kind of hunting seems to be the cylinder. If using an over/under shotgun or sxs with choke tubes one barrel could be fitted with a cylinder choke for those close encounters and one with a full choke for those crows that are getting away or sitting in a tree further away. It would also be easy to use different shells in the barrels, maybe some size 7 or 6 in the cylinder for coverage and some size 5 for the tighter choke, to make the shots carry further.
Of course a double barrel cannot compete in rate of fire with a pump or auto, but depending on where you hunt, if some territorial birds are what you're after, the first shot is probably the most important and after that, using a crow call you can make the rest of the crow gang stick around long enough for some more shots. Teaming up with a buddy is also helpful, then one can use a crow call or reload while the other guy shoots :)
The video is not mine, but we hunt in a similar manner. To search for more videos you can use teh words kråkjakt, kråkejakt and varisjahti :)
-- Edited by rune-hammer on Friday 15th of March 2013 07:10:23 AM
You have the best camera work I have seen over the past several years, the crows are close enough to show up very well on video. Plus, you have a lens on the camera with enough magnification to see the birds! Bravo, good work.
Sorry it was not my intention to take credit for the video, because I had nothing to do with it, I just enjoyed it so I thought I'd post it here.
It is pretty great tho, and yeah we have funny letters :)
-- Edited by rune-hammer on Friday 15th of March 2013 01:38:43 PM
What about choke tubes? Here in scandinavia most of the crow hunting is done using an owl decoy so they are often quite close, they are also often shot in mid air when turning and attacking the owl. To me the best choke for that kind of hunting seems to be the cylinder. If using an over/under shotgun or sxs with choke tubes one barrel could be fitted with a cylinder choke for those close encounters and one with a full choke for those crows that are getting away or sitting in a tree further away. It would also be easy to use different shells in the barrels, maybe some size 7 or 6 in the cylinder for coverage and some size 5 for the tighter choke, to make the shots carry further.
Of course a double barrel cannot compete in rate of fire with a pump or auto, but depending on where you hunt, if some territorial birds are what you're after, the first shot is probably the most important and after that, using a crow call you can make the rest of the crow gang stick around long enough for some more shots. Teaming up with a buddy is also helpful, then one can use a crow call or reload while the other guy shoots :)
My favorite gun is a double SxS that both barrels are IC. Just what I have come to prefer.
I have another Double that has one barrel of FULL and the other MODIFIED. Works well if shots are longer.
A double barrel either SxS or O/U is not so slow in it's rate of fire, especially when equipped with ejectors, to leave one feeling undergunned, at least that is my experience. Here in the US there was a hay day of double gun manufacture from about 1890 to the start of WWII where many of the dominant makers of the time still made guns individually, hand fitting the final assembly and testing barrels for regulation and pattern performance. Essentially premium quality construction that can not be duplicated today unless you pay a huge sum of money. Then of course there is the whole history of the gun. My favorite crow blaster is 10ga (2 7/8" chamber) built in 1893. As far as choke tubes, don't see any need for them. Full choke is just as good as IC on a close one, the pattern diameter from an IC to Full at 15 yards is only a fews inches difference. Better to spend one's time shooting skeet and sporting clays with tight chokes and learn where your gun shoots IMO.
Haha, I guess the both of you are right, but these things have to be discussed tho, because otherwise one does not know why to blame the misses on the gun or the ammo!
I use a soviet TO3-34 EP over/under from the 70's myself, they are very well made those soviet guns.
You have the best camera work I have seen over the past several years, the crows are close enough to show up very well on video. Plus, you have a lens on the camera with enough magnification to see the birds! Bravo, good work.
My crow hunting merchandise has been selling in Sweden within the past year. I could tell from the writing with the zero above the A's that it was from your neck of the woods.
Bob Aronsohn
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To listen to this radio talk show go to episode 12, Bob Aronsohn
You have the best camera work I have seen over the past several years, the crows are close enough to show up very well on video. Plus, you have a lens on the camera with enough magnification to see the birds! Bravo, good work.
Sorry it was not my intention to take credit for the video, because I had nothing to do with it, I just enjoyed it so I thought I'd post it here.
It is pretty great tho, and yeah we have funny letters :)
-- Edited by rune-hammer on Friday 15th of March 2013 01:38:43 PM
Do you type that well in English or do you have a program that translates for you?
Thanks for posting it, whom ever did that camera work did a good job, most of the stuff you see is pure crap, job well done!
Bob Aronsohn
Bob, did you happen to see the video my frind Isaac posted on here? It was me shooting a crow with my Lefever SxS, he filmed it with his cell phone. The height of the crow above me looks right in the video, but it appears that my shotgun is a 28 gauge, not a 12. Strange how it came out like that.
Do you type that well in English or do you have a program that translates for you?
No I don't use no program, we study English here starting from the 5:th grade :) Plus we do not dub the english films and TV-shows, we use subtitles instead.
English is also really easy, you should try finnish :D
Haha, I guess the both of you are right, but these things have to be discussed tho, because otherwise one does not know why to blame the misses on the gun or the ammo!
I use a soviet TO3-34 EP over/under from the 70's myself, they are very well made those soviet guns.
Unless the shell fails to fire a miss is always the fault of the shooter. It's a poor carpenter (fool) who blames the hammer for striking his thumb. However one must pick the right tool for the job.
Do you type that well in English or do you have a program that translates for you?
No I don't use no program, we study English here starting from the 5:th grade :) Plus we do not dub the english films and TV-shows, we use subtitles instead.
English is also really easy, you should try finnish :D
Excellent. I teach history and geography to 6th graders. I wish they would lern English before coming to my class.......
What thread is Isaac's post under so I can view it.
My old crow hunting partner would sometimes break out his 28 gauge model 12 to shoot crows, that was Boyd Robeson. Most of the time he used a pair of 20 gauge model 12's for crows.
Bob A.
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To listen to this radio talk show go to episode 12, Bob Aronsohn
Just saw the footage, that is the type of film footage I enjoy the most; when the camera man is right in back of the shooter. You do better work with a cell phone than some folks with a video camera. So your friend was shooting a 28 gauge side by side, what make & model?
Bob A.
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To listen to this radio talk show go to episode 12, Bob Aronsohn
Bob, sorry to mislead you. That is me shooting the crow with my Lefever Nitro Special in 12 gauge. Made by Ithica, both barrels are I/C. In the video, the barrels look small like a 28 gauge, but it is a 12.
Browning MAXUS chambered in 3 inch 12 guage,,,,, Duck Blind Camo,,,Angle porting open water choke for feeding sets and run and gun tactics,,,,,, Primos Jellyhead turkey choke for flyway shoots. Cram it to the gills with Remington Gun club loads 7.5 shot 1200 fps............. Instant death with every trigger squeeze everytime!!!!!!!!!!! End of story
Doin right Aint got no End!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I keep two Mossburgs in the blind with me. One has a modified choke and the other has a full. I normally shoot 7.5s or 8s. The full is for them dang fish crows that like to stay so darn high! LOL
P.S. I going to try Hevi Shot 7s this fall. I can't wait to see what I can drop out of the high clouds with them!
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If you are not stepping forward, you are stepping backwards. Time stands still no for No Man.
Oh no. I can grab which ever one I need at the time. And the action gets so heavy sometimes, I can't keep one gun loaded. I can shoot 6 times and grab the other gun. LOL
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I hunt therefore I am!
If you are not stepping forward, you are stepping backwards. Time stands still no for No Man.
As the old saying goes,,,,,,,,,,,,, you get what you pay for,,,, Each to his own I guess. But there is a quality differance there that is unmatched. There again some guys drink Milwalkees best some drink Budwieser
As the old saying goes,,,,,,,,,,,,, you get what you pay for,,,, Each to his own I guess. But there is a quality differance there that is unmatched. There again some guys drink Milwalkees best some drink Budwieser
No doubt a Browning Maxus is superior to a Mossberg.
But Budweiser is hardly any better than many beers. I'll take a nice dark porter or a stout any day.
I can't believe ya'll are talking down about my old Mossberg shotguns. LOL
They kill them grave yard dead. Then again it could simply be that I am a much better shot than ya'll Maxus shooters! LOL
Hahahahaa, I still have a Mossberg 500 pump. I used one of them for almost 20 years. That gun has never jammed. Not a darn thing wrong with them, I just like my old doubles better.
I can't believe ya'll are talking down about my old Mossberg shotguns. LOL
They kill them grave yard dead. Then again it could simply be that I am a much better shot than ya'll Maxus shooters! LOL
Hahahahaa, I still have a Mossberg 500 pump. I used one of them for almost 20 years. That gun has never jammed. Not a darn thing wrong with them, I just like my old doubles better.
Nothing wrong with a double, except I can kill more with 6 shots than you will with your 2. LOL
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I hunt therefore I am!
If you are not stepping forward, you are stepping backwards. Time stands still no for No Man.
Mossberg does make a very reliable shotgun, I heard that Mossberg won a contract with the armed forces. It beat out the trusty 870 Remington which surprised even me. It could have been the cost to produce (per unit) was the deciding factor.
Bob A.
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To listen to this radio talk show go to episode 12, Bob Aronsohn
Mossberg does make a very reliable shotgun, I heard that Mossberg won a contract with the armed forces. It beat out the trusty 870 Remington which surprised even me. It could have been the cost to produce (per unit) was the deciding factor.
Bob A.
"As we used to say in the USAF over thirty years ago, "Your life depends equipment built by the lowest bidder."
-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Wednesday 27th of March 2013 07:07:30 AM
Bob, have you handled the "new" 870? I bought one two years ago brand new. Absolutely the worst gun I ever had the misfortune to use. I should have returned it immediately. Instead I kept it for about a year, put it up for sale. No one would touch it. Finally got a gunsmith to give me $100 for it. He's had it for a year now working on it, he said it would make a poor stake for a tomato plant.
The old Wing Masters (870's) were almost industructible. The next model or generation of 870 was the 870 Express which had real doggy looking wood and the barrel & receiver were parkerized if I remember right. They still functioned well they just didn't pump as slick as the Wing Master model did. The last time I saw one (Express) was over 10 years ago. If they have made a cheaper model since then I have not seen it as of yet. This might be the model or new generation you had a problem with. What model 870 was it?
Bob A.
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To listen to this radio talk show go to episode 12, Bob Aronsohn
The old Wing Masters (870's) were almost industructible. The next model or generation of 870 was the 870 Express which had real doggy looking wood and the barrel & receiver were parkerized if I remember right. They still functioned well they just didn't pump as slick as the Wing Master model did. The last time I saw one (Express) was over 10 years ago. If they have made a cheaper model since then I have not seen it as of yet. This might be the model or new generation you had a problem with. What model 870 was it?
Bob A.
Remington 870 Super mag. When shooting low brass skeet rounds, they would stick in the chamber. While crowhunting, many times i would have to cut a thin maple branch and run it down through the barrel to knock the shell out. Once, when very frustrated, it failed to extract. Holding on to the pump handle, I struck the butt of the stock on the ground. The action flew open, but the shell was still firmly seated in the chamber. I figured I had broken the extractor, but instead the extractor had just ripped a chunk out of the rim on the (steel) base of the cartridge.
I polished that chamber several times until it looked like it was chrome inside. It still happened every third or fourth shot. We measured the diameter of the chamber and it was right there with 4 other guns of the same gauge, to within .0002"
The steel base hulls did not work well even through my 870 Wing Masters. I either shot handloads with premium hulls or shot premium factory hulls through them.
When I started to make the switch to just factory loads I shot a pair of Benelli Montefeltros for 5 years because of the rotating bolt, it would extract anything you fed it.
Then I switched to the Beretta gas autos because of the softer recoil, they too will work with anything you feed them.
Bob A.
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To listen to this radio talk show go to episode 12, Bob Aronsohn
Bob, I understand what you're saying, but every other shotgun I have ever used, including my old Mossberg, cycle and extract those steel hulled shells without a hiccup.
After selling the junk 870, (I have used many GREAT 870's like my father's 870 in 16 hauteur) I bought the new Winchester SXP. It is 12 gauge pump with a rotary bolt. Works great with the steel hulls.
