re: New to Dove hunting. Give me your shotgun recs.

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I know it's not a pump or automatic but I have a buddy who swears by one of these for dove hunting

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I agree with the Yildiz O/U for several reasons.

Number one, most landowners require you to pick up your empty hulls, which you should be doing anyway. An over and under shotgun makes that a lot easier to do. My hulls never hit the ground. I eject them into my hand and they go into my game vest.

O/U will also force you to be a better shot. I hear guys talk about shooting 5 boxes of shells to kill a limit of doves and in a lot of cases I can tell you how that happens. They fire their first shot flock shooting. They don't pick out a specific bird. The second shot may get a little more attention but they missed on the first shot so they rush the second. Their third shot is a desperation shot that shouldn't have been fired in the first place. I think knowing you have three chances helps to lead to this type of shooting.

O/Us are also less problematic in the field. Usually no issues with ejecting shells or whatever. Some dove loads don't function well in a semi-automatic. A pump shotgun may solve some issues with ammo but has virtually the same recoil as an O/U. So it's a wash on the recoil.

I've been shooting a Yildiz for dove for several years and have had zero issues. They are light weight guns, so if you are recoil shy you could go with a 20 ga.. More than enough gun for dove. $400+ change is hard to beat on cost.

If you go with the 12 ga., Academy sells a pre-fit Limb Saver brand recoil pad for the Yildiz. Unscrew the original butt plate and screw the Limb Saver on...easy peasy. I like a soft rubber pad on any gun just so I can stand it against the wall and not wotty about the stock slipping on the floor and the gun hitting the floor.

The only real disadvantage is if you are looking for a multi-purpose gun. Although 2 shots is enough for duck hunting, for instance, you will not like shooting 3" duck loads in this gun. If you just want a dove gun, go Yildiz. You won't be sorry.

If you can actually find a tristar, go for it. I recently settled with a Yildiz a71 and it has been great. Low budget too. Only jams with Winchester shells. Loves Remington dove loads.

Father-in-law way back when shot a Rem 1100 .410 Ga. Always limited out. Rarely missed. Not a recommendation just a comment. I shot Remington/Browning/Ithaca dove loads...12 ga...Consider other uses of you may have.

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I'm not paying 1k for the shotgun either.

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I am out

But my Benelli super sport 20 ga is the cats arse for dove hunting.