What type of shotgun?

jwnissen · Post by **jwnissen** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 7:58 pm

Looking for a new shotgun and cant decide. I dont understand why people love O/U so much, probably because I have never used one. I currently use an 870. Lets stay around 1500. O/U or auto, 12 or 20 mainly for upland and why...GO!!!!

Tejas · Post by **Tejas** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 8:18 pm

What do you hunt and at what range do you shoot? Is your shooting sedentary or are you walking? Do you hunt in rough country?

The answer to all of the above will impact what kind of gun would be best for you.

Beniciahd · Post by **Beniciahd** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 8:40 pm

I just got a Benelli Ethos. It's light and since I don't have a budget for a lot of different shotguns I decided to pick a semi auto that will give me a lot of hunting options.

jwnissen · Post by **jwnissen** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 10:37 pm

Tejas wrote:What do you hunt and at what range do you shoot? Is your shooting sedentary or are you walking? Do you hunt in rough country?

The answer to all of the above will impact what kind of gun would be best for you.

I hunt upland, pheasant, quail, grouse etc... I hunt on foot with a dog so I'm usually walking. As far as range I hunt, I shoot at anything within about 20 yds that I think I have a chance at hitting.

diplomat019 · Post by **diplomat019** » Sun Jun 29, 2014 8:23 am

i just bought a beretta a300 12 ga semi auto. it was in my range $700. i love it.

Escopeton · Post by **Escopeton** » Sun Jun 29, 2014 8:44 am

870 for waterfowl. Ugartechea for upland.

Doc E · Post by **Doc E** » Sun Jun 29, 2014 10:02 am

I have always huted with one and only one gun for everything (Grouse, Rabbit, Doves, Pheasants, Quail as well as Ducks and Geese).
I have shot 870's my whole life, but decided to go to an autoloader now, so I got a Benelli SBE II -- Waterfowler Special (12 ga).

For most all of our hunting, we don't have to walk long distances at all, so it should be fine, although if you do lots of walking, it might be a bit too heavy.

.

aulrich · Post by **aulrich** » Sun Jun 29, 2014 10:11 am

i Added a Yildiz OU to the mix should have got a 20 instead of a 12, lighter, faster to handle and two chokes for upland what is not to love. and besides it's illegal to shoot over a pointing dog without one (at least that is what I told SWMBO

)

jwnissen · Post by **jwnissen** » Sun Jun 29, 2014 11:10 am

The reason I asked about 12 or 20 is because it seems that all of the pheasant I am shooting are fairly close and even with a 3 second head start, I am blowing the crap out of them. I am using #6 shot and an modified choke. After the last season I changed to an IC choke hoping that might help. I am thinking that a 20g should be a little more forgiving on the amount of damage caused to the birds.

Doc E · Post by **Doc E** » Sun Jun 29, 2014 11:20 am

jwnissen wrote:The reason I asked about 12 or 20 is because it seems that all of the pheasant I am shooting are fairly close and even with a 3 second head start, I am blowing the crap out of them.

Wild birds or pen raised/released ?

.

SetterNut · Post by **SetterNut** » Sun Jun 29, 2014 11:29 am

I went to only a 20 many years ago for my upland hunting. When shooting over a pointing dog, the shots tend to be pretty close.
A 20 is more than enough for any of the upland birds at those ranges.

Then as far as the type of gun. I like to be have the gun broke open while walking around. Then close it up was I walk in on the point.
I have an O/U and would like a Sxs some day.

But the bird killingest gun I have every had is a Rem 1100 20ga LT.

jwnissen · Post by **jwnissen** » Sun Jun 29, 2014 3:23 pm

Doc E wrote:
jwnissen wrote:The reason I asked about 12 or 20 is because it seems that all of the pheasant I am shooting are fairly close and even with a 3 second head start, I am blowing the crap out of them.
Wild birds or pen raised/released ?

.

Both. I tend to kill more pen raised birds because I know where they are

but I like to chase and look for the wild ones. There are not a lot of wild pheasant in Washington.

Tejas · Post by **Tejas** » Sun Jun 29, 2014 6:52 pm

I use a Benelli Montefeltro 20 gauge for your type of hunting and it is plenty of gun. You should be able to purchase a used one in good shape for $700-800.

codym · Post by **codym** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 11:47 am

For type of gun I prefer an o/u then an auto, not a big fan of pumps and never hunted with an SxS. I like o/u's because to me they are usually better balanced or wieght forward which I prefer, also they require much less maintinence, and generally are lighter wieght. That is just my taste though and you should really shoot a few to find out what really suites you. I do like autos like the 1100, beretta 391, and the benelli montifeltro. Upland hunting over pointing dogs should be done with a ga. no larger than 16. in my opinion!lol
I make every shot with my silver pigeon 2 in 20ga w/28 inch barrels that I ever made with 12ga.'s and don't blow up as many birds, don't have the extra weight, and a 20 just swings so sweet compared to a 12! It's up to you, have fun, I love shopping for new scatterguns

czeger · Post by **czeger** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 2:08 pm

Go shoulder a beretta a300 outlander it's a sweet handling gun for half of your budget

jwnissen · Post by **jwnissen** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 3:30 pm

czeger wrote:Go shoulder a beretta a300 outlander it's a sweet handling gun for half of your budget

\
The only problem with the A300 if that it only comes in a 12ga. I went and looked at some benelli's yesterday and REALLY liked how the M2 20 ga felt. For a little cheaper, I liked the SX3 but the stock was really thick. SOOOO many choices and so little money!!!! Keep the feedback coming, I am learning about al kinds of new things. This is a big purchase for me and it takes a lot of research and talking to people like you all who use these guns everyday.

nikegundog · Post by **nikegundog** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 3:55 pm

jwnissen wrote:The reason I asked about 12 or 20 is because it seems that all of the pheasant I am shooting are fairly close and even with a 3 second head start, I am blowing the crap out of them. I am using #6 shot and an modified choke. After the last season I changed to an IC choke hoping that might help. I am thinking that a 20g should be a little more forgiving on the amount of damage caused to the birds.

No need to go down to a twenty gauge, just use a lighter load of shot, the load ranges for 12 gauge #6s start as low as 7/8 ounce, which is typical of a light load twenty gauge shell.

mask · Post by **mask** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 6:49 pm

We both shoot beretta explor 400 lite in 12 gauge with 1 ounce of shot two and one half dram equivalent, sort of an over bored 20.

USMC · Post by **USMC** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 7:38 pm

mask wrote:We both shoot beretta explor 400 lite in 12 gauge with 1 ounce of shot two and one half dram equivalent, sort of an over bored 20.

We shoot 1oz out of a 28 gauge...

jwyoung97838 · Post by **jwyoung97838** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 9:09 pm

\
The only problem with the A300 if that it only comes in a 12ga. I went and looked at some benelli's yesterday and REALLY liked how the M2 20 ga felt. For a little cheaper, I liked the SX3 but the stock was really thick. SOOOO many choices and so little money!!!! Keep the feedback coming, I am learning about al kinds of new things. This is a big purchase for me and it takes a lot of research and talking to people like you all who use these guns everyday.[/quote]

I really like my Benelli M2 Field 26" 12 ga. I appreciate that with a little maintenance it just keeps on running and if you chukar hunt a gun can get kinda roughed up at times.

mask · Post by **mask** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:16 pm

jwyoung97838 wrote:\
The only problem with the A300 if that it only comes in a 12ga. I went and looked at some benelli's yesterday and REALLY liked how the M2 20 ga felt. For a little cheaper, I liked the SX3 but the stock was really thick. SOOOO many choices and so little money!!!! Keep the feedback coming, I am learning about al kinds of new things. This is a big purchase for me and it takes a lot of research and talking to people like you all who use these guns everyday.

I really like my Benelli M2 Field 26" 12 ga. I appreciate that with a little maintenance it just keeps on running and if you chukar hunt a gun can get kinda roughed up at times.[/quote]
You've got the chukar thing right. The second time out with my brand new Beretta I fell off a rock ledge and dinged the heck out of both of us. We shoot the light load to save a little on recoil and they pattern really well. We use the ounce loads in Canada, Montana, and North Dakota and ounce and an eighth for Chukar here at home, which is what we hunt the most anyway.

jwyoung97838 · Post by **jwyoung97838** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:27 pm

I really like my Benelli M2 Field 26" 12 ga. I appreciate that with a little maintenance it just keeps on running and if you chukar hunt a gun can get kinda roughed up at times.[/quote]
You've got the chukar thing right. The second time out with my brand new Beretta I fell off a rock ledge and dinged the heck out of both of us. We shoot the light load to save a little on recoil and they pattern really well. We use the ounce loads in Canada, Montana, and North Dakota and ounce and an eighth for Chukar here at home, which is what we hunt the most anyway.[/quote]

I'm running almost exclusively Prairie Storm #6 @ 1500fps. With having a semi auto my experience has been this load gives me the best all around for hunting areas with multiple species from pheasant, quail, chukars and huns. I hunt several areas that have wild birds with most of these species.

roosterbrews · Post by **roosterbrews** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:55 pm

http://www.browning.com/products/catalo ... 13&tid=249

With out a doubt the nicest shotgun I have ever used. All of my others have been in the safe for over 2 years now no need for anything else.

Just my opinion.

Jimmy82 · Post by **Jimmy82** » Sun Jul 13, 2014 10:20 am

Some of the technical reasons that people like O/U's are their difference in balance (already mentioned above), their use of different chokes for different barrels (again, already mentioned). To add to that however, if you have a model with a manual barrel select, which is pretty standard these days, you can with a little practice quickly switch to your tighter choked barrel if the bird flushes farther than you expected. Additionally, a modern, single trigger, double gun will provide you with the fastest follow up shot possible. The difference between a double and a semi is very small, but if you're the kind of guy that is quick on the trigger it does make a difference in the end. Also, there is less of a chance of malfunction for your follow up shot. Most quality semi's these days are usually free of malfunctions, but there is always a slight chance when you're having to extract, eject, feed, chamber and lock a new round as opposed to a single lever flipping over to the other sear. Also, I have read about an opinion used to explain people's love of sxs's, the configuration of the barrels make for a wider sighting plane, making it easier for your brain to judge the location of the shotgun in relation to the target.

Some people however choose to shoot a double purely for the pleasure. They require a different mentality in some peoples eyes because you only get two shots. The double guns were "the standard" in Europe, where only high class individuals got to hunt until the massive social reforms in the 17 and 1800's (or later), and they were a natural evolution from black powder muzzle loaders. To one of the individuals with this type of mind set, using a double gun is paying homage to evolution of hunting, and appreciating each and every shot. The first guns to hold more than two shells premiered and sold the best in America, where anyone could hunt. Also, at the time, hunting was essential for many just to survive, or at least to lessen the burden that food put on a low class income. The ability to have 5 shells in a gun to bring down that goose meant that you had that many more chances to feed your family dinner that night.

I have used pumps, semi's and o/u's and I love the o/u the most. Mostly because of the balance and fit of my particular gun. I have pulled off some shots that truly amazed me, and that I don't think I could have made with one of my other guns.

czeger · Post by **czeger** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 8:21 am

jwnissen wrote:
czeger wrote:Go shoulder a beretta a300 outlander it's a sweet handling gun for half of your budget
\
The only problem with the A300 if that it only comes in a 12ga. I went and looked at some benelli's yesterday and REALLY liked how the M2 20 ga felt. For a little cheaper, I liked the SX3 but the stock was really thick. SOOOO many choices and so little money!!!! Keep the feedback coming, I am learning about al kinds of new things. This is a big purchase for me and it takes a lot of research and talking to people like you all who use these guns everyday.

I know I'm really hoping beretta is planning on bringing it out in 20 ga they would be a popular gun at that price

mask · Post by **mask** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 6:44 pm

You can easily shoot a 20 gauge equivalent load in a 12. We do it and the patterns are really good with very light recoil. You can shoot as heavy a load as you like as needed.

ridgerunner · Post by **ridgerunner** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:33 am

I would try to find a Browning Belgium made A-5 20 gauge....... sweet guns!!

GrayDawg · Post by **GrayDawg** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 7:25 am

How about this one?

Mountaineer · Post by **Mountaineer** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 9:38 am

GrayDawg wrote:How about this one?

I'd rather punt.

jwnissen · Post by **jwnissen** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 9:19 pm

GrayDawg wrote:How about this one?

Thats exactly what I am talking about!!!!

i bet I could whack a few birds with that, although there might not be much left. But it sure would be fun

jwyoung97838 · Post by **jwyoung97838** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 10:42 pm

JWNissen -

I live just a bit south of you so if you ever wanted to try the Benelli M2 that could probably be arranged. There are so many good guns out there but it's all dependent on fit and feel.

nevermind · Post by **nevermind** » Thu Jul 17, 2014 11:00 am

There you go ....finding a gun that fits or having it fitted to you is the more important than the type of gun, also important to me anyways, if you plan on walking great distances while hunting is the weight of the gun....they seem to get heavier towards the end of the day.

jwyoung97838 wrote:JWNissen -

I live just a bit south of you so if you ever wanted to try the Benelli M2 that could probably be arranged. There are so many good guns out there but it's all dependent on fit and feel.

Bluesky2012 · Post by **Bluesky2012** » Fri Jul 18, 2014 6:10 am

The reason for an O/U is because on the first shot you can use a wider choke and the barrel won't rise as much giving a better second shot. The second shot should be through a tighter choke to let you "reach out and touch". O/U are made for upland and are beneficial.

gonehuntin' · Post by **gonehuntin'** » Fri Jul 18, 2014 8:09 am

I primarily shoot a 12 over and under, a Browning Superposed, Super Light. I had Briley put chokes in the barrel. I've shot that gun for 50 years for all upland game. I generally shoot improved cyl in the bottom and mod in the top. Cyl-cyl for grouse. Not waterfowl though. I shoot an A-5 for that.

I do have a back up and it's a Benelli Ultra light 12. I've used it on waterfowl and upland and I believe it's probably the most versatile gun on the market today. Weighs about 6# and doesn't kick. Heck of a gun. If I could only use one gun for everything, it would be the BUL.

MNTonester · Post by **MNTonester** » Mon Jul 21, 2014 10:38 am

My go-to gun is a Benelli Montefeltro. A carry all day gun that shoots in any weather. I also have a Benelli SBE II that I won at a PF banquet. Excellent gun. You couldn't go wrong with a Benelli.

rich223 · Post by **rich223** » Sun Aug 03, 2014 7:40 pm

You’re asking a very personal question only you can answer. Since you already have a pump shotgun I would look into a Benelli Ultra-light in 20ga. Or a Beretta o/u if you feel like trying your hand at a double.

roo dog · Post by **roo dog** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 11:59 pm

If you go to Ranch and Home they might still have the Red Label for $1100 in a 12ga. Otherwise you could get a used Citori all day for around $1k at Hole in the Wall however they usually have fixed chokes which sucks. Citoris are truly a great gun, they rarely have issues and you can put 10's of thousands of rounds through them with no issues. Talk to people who shoot trap regularly, they shoot more rounds in a weekend then we hunters do all year. However, your gonna be pissed when your walking through the Russian olives and you scratch it. I would also highly consider taking up that one guy on letting you shoot his M2 because that would be a great all round auto especially if your considering hunting chukars in the steep hills of the Snake. One guy also mentioned its not so much a matter of what kind of gun it is but rather how it fits you personally thats probably the best advice. It could be a $10k gun and you might not be able to hit anything if it doesn't fit right. Good luck and hopefully the phez sights are a little better this year than last. Also, are you involved in the Three Rivers Bird Dog Club? If not you should be seeming that you have a gsp and it provides good training opportunities and somewhat of an extended hunting season.

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