Pigeon guns are considerably different from upland guns. They usually have thirty or thirty two-inch barrels, tightly choked. A straight stock with little drop is standard. Today you will often see them with pistol grips and beavertail foreends, to allow control and a more secure grip. A top-quality pigeon gun has a deadly air to it, functional yet beautifully made, intended for one purpose only–to dispatch a live bird as quickly and completely as possible. It is the shotgun equivalent of a stopping rifle.