The Best Dove Guns, According to Our Shotgun Expert

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Part of the fun of dove hunting is that you can shoot any gun you like. You can take more than one to the field, if you want to. If you want to shoot grandad’s gun, or the single-shot .410 you started with, you absolutely can.

If you’re interested in a limit of doves, though, you’ll be a little pickier about what you shoot. Doves are tricky birds to hit, and equipping yourself with the right shotgun makes the hitting easier. I know this well, because when my home state of Iowa finally started holding dove seasons a dozen years ago, I didn’t pick a gun for fun. I was playing catch-up for all those years I missed, and I wanted the most efficient dove gun possible. I shot the 12-gauge Beretta 391 I used for ducks and geese, and it’s hard to imagine a much better choice. I’ve had a chance to cool off, and now I allow myself to shoot some other guns besides my duck gun. My views on dove shotguns have broadened since then, but only so much. Some are still clearly better than others—and the guns below, in my opinion, are the best on the market right now.

• Benelli Performance Shop Ethos Cordoba A.I. BE.S.T.
• Franchi Affinity 3 Sport Trap
• Beretta A300 Ultima Field
• Benelli M2
• Beretta A400 28-Gauge
• Winchester SX4
• Browning Maxus II
• Browning Citori CXS
• Mossberg Gold Reserve 20-Gauge
• Ceasar Guerini Tempio SE Limited Edition

Benelli Performance Shop Ethos Cordoba A.I. BE.S.T.

Named for Argentina’s high-volume dove capital, this feature-rich inertia gun is more than up to the task of filling a 15-bird stateside limit. The Benelli Ethos Cordoba comes in a 3-inch 12-gauge with a 28-inch barrel. Benelli’s shock-absorbing ComforTech stock helps dampen recoil, and the Easy-Locking bolt eliminates any chance of the out-of-battery misfires that inertia guns are prone to suffer.

The gun’s highest-tech features are the BE.S.T. finish, which is highly corrosion- and abrasion-resistant, and, while not 100 percent necessary in the dove field, it makes this a gun you can take on to the duck marsh later in the season. Benelli’s Advanced Impact barrel profile wrings a bit of extra velocity out of shotshells and patterns very well. I found the gun to be very easy to shoot at clays once I used the included shims to adjust the stock to my liking. Is this more dove gun that most of us need? Yes, probably, but when has this been about need?

Franchi Affinity 3 Sport Trap

This inertia semi-auto combines range and field features into one 12-gauge shotgun that you can take from the trap field to the dove field. The Franchi Affinity Sport Trap has several features people like in a hunting gun: a 3-inch chamber (making it a great duck gun, too), a synthetic stock, and swivel studs. It also has a 30-inch barrel with a stepped rib, a fiber-optic sight and extended choke tubes, and it’s ported to reduce muzzle jump. The gun has Franchi’s effective TSA recoil pad and enlarged bolt handle and bolt release, all of which come in handy both on the range and in the field. The trigger breaks cleanly at 5.5 pounds, which is a plus for hunting and target shooting. The gun has a weight-forward balance that makes it feel a bit awkward when you pick it up, but feels great when you actually swing it at a target.

Beretta A300 Ultima Field

About 15 years ago Beretta introduced the new A400, moved production of its predecessor, the 391, to the US, and began making it as a budget gun called the A300 Outlander. While its technology may be older, the 391 was regarded by many as the best Beretta semi-auto ever, and the A300 is practically the same gun with a less expensive fit and finish and a gas piston that’s easier to clean. The 391, by the way, is one of the few guns rugged and reliable enough to be kept in South American dove lodges for customers who may shoot well over a thousand rounds a day.

Released last year, Beretta offers a 28-inch, 12-gauge version with bronze Cerakote metal and a handsome maple stock with upgraded checkering. The gun has enlarged controls and swivel studs in case you need to hike to the field, and it will look as good as it shoots when you get there.

Benelli M2

Rent a semi-auto at almost any South American dove lodge, and it will be an M2. Benelli’s entry-level inertia gun holds up to constant shooting better than any other make. You won’t shoot 1000 rounds a day at doves here (unless you’re a really bad shot), but it’s nice to know you won’t have to worry about your gun breaking down.

The M2 recently received a makeover. It was restyled, but, more importantly, Benelli put the Easy-Locking bolt in the gun to make it more reliable, and the magazine spring and shell latch are much softer, making the gun easy and smooth to load, which matters when the shooting gets frantic. The M2 comes in 3-inch 12- and 20-gauge. It’s also a waterfowl gun, obviously, so if it appeals to you to shoot doves as a warm-up for ducks, you can use the same gun for better practice.

Beretta A400 28-Gauge

A lot of people jumped on the 28-gauge bandwagon with the introduction of 3-inch guns and ammo. Now that the price of bismuth has entered the stratosphere and 28-gauge duck hunting doesn’t seem like such a good idea, it’s time to remember what 28-gauge shotguns are best for: little birds, like quail, woodcock and . . . doves.

Beretta’s A400 Upland has a silver receiver helpfully emblazoned with large “28s” so you’ll use the right ammo, and it has a walnut stock available with or without the Kick-Off recoil reducer. It’s also worth noting that 28-gauge gas guns already don’t kick hard. Add the Kick-Off, and you won’t feel a thing. A400s are known for shooting reliably forever between cleanings, too, so this isn’t a gun you’ll struggle to keep running while people all around you are dropping doves.

At about 6 pounds with a 28-inch barrel, this gun is on the light side but totally shootable. If it came in a 30-inch sporting version, it would be the best dove gun ever. As it is, it’s still one to look at.

Winchester SX4

The Winchester SX4 is soft-shooting, versatile, reliable, and affordable: what’s not to like about it? The latest in Winchester’s Super X line, the X4 features the same time-tested gas system of the X2 and X3, and adds some enlarged controls, all at a lower price. Its gas operation combines with a very soft Inflex recoil pad to make the X4 easy on your shoulder. The guns come with shims and length spacers so you can tinker with the stock fit, and it has the overbored Browning barrel and long Invector Plus choke tubes to throw patterns too dense for a dove to fly through.

The SX4 is also a very simple gun to maintain. It has three gas-system parts: a piston, a buffer tube, and a spring that you have to clean occasionally. The X4’s lower price does come at the expense of fit, finish, and a few more plastic parts, but it remains a durable, reliable workhorse of a gun. I’ve shot the X2, X3, and X4 (the X1 was an entirely different gun), and while I may not like the X4’s cosmetics the best, there’s no arguing that it’s a shooter. And there’s an X4 to fit almost anyone. A short-stocked compact model comes in 24 or 26-inch barrel lengths, and there’s a new, mirror-image left-handed version as well.

Browning Maxus II

The Browning Maxus II semi-auto is one of the best gas guns around. Based on the already successful Maxus, the Maxus II did away with the one annoying feature of the original Maxus, the forend latch, which has been replaced by a standard magazine cap.

The redesigned stock includes a parallel section at the butt that makes it easy to cut it to fit shorter shooters while still allowing the use of the original recoil pad. Spacers and shims included with the gun allow further fit adjustment. It has an enlarged bolt handle and release button, as well as a milled-out loading port to make it easier to load and unload in the dove field, and the stock has rubber grip inserts, the better to hold onto with sweaty hands in the heat on September 1.

A new soft comb insert works in concert with the gas system and Inflex recoil pad to make the Maxus II a very soft-kicking gun. I was able to shoot a couple of cases of target loads through the Maxus II last year, and I hunted teal with it, too, and the gun ran perfectly for me. It shot flat to the point of aim, and I found it very easy to hit with.

Browning Citori CXS

If I were going to draw up the perfect dove gun, it would look a lot like the 20-gauge Browning Citori CXS sporting-clays O/U. It’s long enough and heavy enough to shoot well without being overweight. Intended as a gun for field and target shooting, the CXS comes with target features like extended chokes, longer 28-, 30-, or 32-inch barrels. With Browning’s excellent Inflex recoil pad and a weight of almost 7 ½ pounds, which is stout for a 20, it is a nearly recoilless joy to shoot, and it swings smoothly and points steadily. The stock has a right-hand palm swell that does me, as a left-hander, no good at all, and a finish that’s glossier than I would prefer, but that’s about the end of this gun’s shortcomings. The basic Citori design has been proven across over 50 years and well over a million guns by now. You can’t go wrong with this over/under shotgun for doves.

Mossberg Gold Reserve 20-Gauge

Mossberg International added a 20-gauge model to its Gold Reserve O/U lineup in 2024. The Gold Reserve is built on an entirely different action than the robust Silver Reserves. These are light, trim shotguns. My test gun weighed just 6 pounds with 30-inch barrels, and it felt to me like a gun that could do well on flighty doves, and the rubber pad has a hard top insert to help you mount the gun without snagging the butt on your t-shirt. The gun’s one mechanical flaw is the trigger pull, which scaled about 8 pounds on my gauge, but if you’re like me, you don’t notice trigger weight when shooting a shotgun.

It’s a good-looking gun, too, with a coin-finished frame and deep-cut engraving. The monoblock is jeweled, as well, adding to the gun’s classy looks (Did I just say a Mossberg looked classy? I did). It comes with five extended chokes and a hard case, all for $1100. It also comes in 12-gauge and .410, but the 20 is probably the one you want for doves.

CZ Sharp-Tail

If you’re looking for a solid dove-hunting side-by-side, the CZ Sharp-Tail delivers at an affordable price. With a pistol-grip that provides greater control, and a handfilling beavertail forend that helps keep your fingers away from hot barrels, this single-selective-trigger double-gun is a good fit for the dove field. It’s eye-catching, too, with its case-colored, engraved sideplates. The Sharp-Tail comes in 12-, 20-, and 28-gauges and .410 bore. All have choke tubes except the .410, which has fixed IC/M chokes that are right for the dove field. The gun has extractors to lift fired hulls, not ejectors to pop them out, but that’s a concession to keep the price low, and it is quite an affordable gun at $1099.

Ceasar Guerini Tempio SE Limited Edition

Because dove hunting is a social event, and sometimes you need to dress to impress, the Caesar Guerini Tempio SE Limited Edition claims the last spot on this list. This updated version of the company’s original shotgun comes in 20- and 28-gauge only, with 28-inch barrels. The receiver has doves and bobwhites inlaid in gold on either a coin-finished or case-colored frame, while the oil-finished walnut stock has a graceful, rounded Prince of Wales grip. Neither heavy nor light, the guns range from 6 pounds 5 ounces to 6 pounds, 10 ounces, a good heft for dove-field smallbores. The Tempio SE also comes in a 20/28 two-barreled set and, if you’re truly splurging, a 20/28/.410 three-barreled set. The Tempio, like all Caesar Guerini guns, is immaculately fit and finished, and backed by some of the best customer service in the industry.

What to Look for When Choosing a Dove Gun

Gauge

I have strong opinions about the best gauge for dove guns (see below). The 12-gauge is the most efficient, hardest-hitting choice for doves, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing a 12 for a day in the sunflowers. The 20-gauge, though, is probably the most popular choice. A standard 7/8 ounce load of shot (or ¾ ounce in steel) is more than enough for doves in reasonable range. In the right gun, those loads are soft-enough-shooting for almost anyone.

The 16-gauge does anything the 20 does a little bit better, but you’ll pay more for ammunition. You’ll pay more for less when you buy ammunition for the smaller 28-gauge and .410. I have done quite a bit of dove hunting with a 28-gauge, and the ¾-ounce lead or 5/8 ounce steel loads work very well, especially over decoys, and recoil is minimal. The .410’s poor patterns make it best-suited to very close-range dove shooting, say, when birds decoy perfectly, or you shoot a small waterhole.

Action Type

The most efficient dove gun is a semi-automatic. It holds three shells (doves are migratory birds, so magazine limits apply) and can be reloaded quickly and topped up while there are still shells in the gun. There is no slide to cycle, and a gas-operated semi-auto has the advantage of reducing recoil, too. Inertia guns are very popular among dove hunters, as well. What they lack in recoil reduction, they make up for with reliability in dirty, dusty conditions.

Pumps are fine dove guns for those who can cycle them quickly, without losing focus on the target. Personally, I can shoot pumps at waterfowl fine, but not so much at doves.

Break-action guns, both side-by-side and O/Us, offer two chokes and I like them for the simple reason that it makes it easier to collect my empties. For many shooters, the narrow sight picture down the rib of an O/U works better for doves than the wide plane of a side-by-side gun.

Weight and Balance

While doves are small and fast, dove guns needn’t be small and fast. Some heft helps you swing smoothly and reduces recoil. Longer-barreled guns add some weight to the front end, resulting in a steadier gun that moves well. Everyone has a different idea about what constitutes good balance, but I have found that longer, heavier guns work best.

Why a 12-Gauge Makes the Best Dove Gun

Any gun you enjoy shooting can be the best dove gun for you. At the same time, there’s no question that if you define the “best dove gun” as the most efficient and effective dove gun, the 12-gauge semi-auto is it—hands down. Here’s why:

Ballistics 

Loaded with 1 or 1 1/8 ounces of shot, a 12-gauge can take doves from close range out to 40 yards or more, especially if you shoot size 7 1/2 shot. More shot in the pattern means that the usable pattern—the part dense enough to ensure multiple hits on a bird—is wider than it would be with a lighter load from a small-gauge gun. It’s not a huge difference, a few inches at most, but you can see that difference play out in registered Skeet averages, where almost everyone scores higher with a 12 than they do with smaller gauges. Bear in mind that Skeet shooters use one gun and sub-gauge tubes for all four gauges, so the difference has to do purely with their ammunition, not with their guns. A 20 gauge comes close to a 12, but the big-bore wins.

Also, I keep reading that doves aren’t hard to knock down. It’s one of those cliches that writers repeat that makes me wonder if they are paying attention in the field. Maybe we’re not shooting the same doves, because I’ve seen lots of birds lose feathers and keep flying, or fall and magically recover and fly away. The extra pellets in a 12-gauge pattern can make a difference between a clean kill and a crippled dove.

Weight

Heavier, bulkier guns don’t feel as good in your hands as a trim smallbore might, but they’re easier to swing and shoot. In dove hunting, your vehicle carries the gun right to the spot (or very close), so there’s no real advantage to a lightweight shotgun. A longer, heavier gun swings more smoothly, points well, and is generally easier to shoot than a lighter gun. Heavy guns can be faster to the target than lighter smallbores, if speed matters to you. The extra heft absorbs recoil, too.

Action

When I shot 12s at doves, it was almost always a semi-auto. I can’t cycle pumps smoothly and quickly enough to make good follow-ups on juking doves, so I wanted a gun that shot every time I pulled the trigger. I prefer gas guns to inertia-operated models because of the recoil reduction of gas, which can matter if you’re shooting a lot and wearing no more padding than a t-shirt. Softer recoil lets you get back on target faster after a miss. 

Any repeater beats a break-action in terms of firepower and speed of reloading. It no longer bothers me if my gun is broken open to reload and a dove comes floating in, but it used to drive me nuts. With a magazine gun, you can also quickly drop a shell into the empty port. Once in Argentina, I shot three doves out of a huge flock, threw two shells into my semi-auto, and shot two more before the bunch swept on out of range. My jaded bird boy actually cheered, and I was pretty impressed with myself. I never could have done that with a pump or break-action, only a semi-auto.

Familiarity

If you shoot the same 12-gauge semi-auto at waterfowl as you do at doves, you’ll have the advantage of confidence and familiarity with your gun when you take it to the dove field. Moreover, you’ll be getting good practice for duck season. Ignore the small-gauge snobs who mock your 12 as a cannon. You’ll have plenty of time to heckle them back after you come in early with your limit.

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