looking for new guns

[jcbjr]

OK, time to help out the prodigal bird hunter! I just acquired 3 (yes, 3) Eng. Setter pups of good hunting stock and look forward to hunting quail and grouse. the grouse hunting will be in very tough, steep terrain (N. GA mountains), and I think the old 1100 12 ga. might be a little heavy and perhaps a bit long, although I love it and shoot it well. Also, my 12 year old will be starting to shot a shotgun soon; he's not too big, so he'll need s pretty light gun, with a foreshortened stock. I'm thinking 20 ga. for both. My preference for both of us would be a double, either S/S or O/U, preferably w/ interchangeable choke tubes.
Any experience w/ Stoeger Condor youth o/u? looks good, at 5.5#, 22" bbls., and interchangeable choke tubes, but I'm unfamiliar with the brand. FYI, we're not in the upper end market, esp. for his gun.

Thanks..................JB

[mcbosco]

Try TR Imports in Fort Worth. This guy imports Huglu's at very attractive prices and there is a youth model. Huglu makes a pretty good gun and at TR's prices its a great deal. Huglu makes all the CZ shotguns.

[Mountaineer]

12 Beretta BUL w/ 24" barrel.

Doubles are nice in that type terrain tho...CZs are all the rage now but a solid 20 gauge Beretta O/U is hard to beat.
Choke tubes are of near zero importance in grouse hunting....most guns today will have them anyway.

If you have 3 setter pups in the far southern apps. then best of luck in finding sufficient grouse to keep them worked.
My guess is that you will soon be hitting the Superslab northbound.
Fingers crossed for you...and the pups.

[tommyboy72]

I really like my Yildiz O/U's. I have a 12 and a 20 and from everything I hear they are just as good as a CZ with better wood and about 2-300 dollars cheaper. Bought each one of mine for $399 a piece. They also come with 5 interchangeable chokes and a choke wrench. You can get them at Academy Sports and Outdoors of which you have 3 in Georgia. I don't have any experience shooting a CZ but I have handled a couple and some of my buddies shoot them. I still prefer my Yildiz' over their CZ's though.

[mcbosco]

I really like my Yildiz O/U's. I have a 12 and a 20 and from everything I hear they are just as good as a CZ with better wood and about 2-300 dollars cheaper. Bought each one of mine for $399 a piece. They also come with 5 interchangeable chokes and a choke wrench. You can get them at Academy Sports and Outdoors of which you have 3 in Georgia. I don't have any experience shooting a CZ but I have handled a couple and some of my buddies shoot them. I still prefer my Yildiz' over their CZ's though.

The actual Huglu's are 30 - 40% less than the CZ counterparts and there are dozens of choices. If there was Academy near me I would certainly pick up a Yildiz. I have tried at least three times to have one shipped from Academy to my local guy but they said NO!!!

[tommyboy72]

Ya, Academy is a bit touchy on that subject. I actually live in the Oklahoma panhandle and have an Oklahoma drivers license but because I am a bordering state to Texas I can run down to Amarillo and buy a long gun at Academy. They will only sell within state and to the states immediately adjacent to them. I feel sorry for you guys who don't get to experience these great Turkish made shotguns.

[shanebevel@gmail.com]

I'll second the vote for the Yildiz. I love mine. I plan on picking up a small bore sxs this year, but the O/U 12 will always make the trip as well.

[txgsp]

I have a Yildiz O/U 20 ga. and its awesome. Can't beat the price and the look..

Maybe check your local pawn shops. Sometimes they will get some nice shotguns in for pretty good prices.

[tommyboy72]

MC I just got around to looking at the Huglu website and their prices are still less than the CZ but much more than the Yildiz. Seems like the Yildiz is still a better deal than the Huglu or CZ. Bottom price on the Huglu plain jane model for their O/U is $679 and sxs is $699 where as the CZ is $749 for the plain jane O/U and $789 for the sxs. The Yildiz is $399.99 for the O/U from Academy and the sxs is $486.99 and even for the Special Yildiz O/U with the enhanced engraving is still a modest $579.99. There is just no way to beat a gun like the Yildiz in this price category. The only thing I have seen even close was a Remington Spartan O/U from Bud's Guns but I don't think the Spartan is quite the quality in fit, finish or wood that the Yildiz is.

[jimbo&rooster]

for a light o/u you may look into the mossberg silver reserve. not the pretiest gun on the planet but a decent buy especially for a youngster. not quite enough drop on the comb for me, but im thinking of one in 20 or 28ga for my wife. I know that they had some trouble with the firing pins early on but to my knowledge they have that fixed. I shoot a Baikal o/u in 20ga, again not a pretty gun but it shoots good and fits me well either one should be able to be picked up for less than $450 used I know that our local gander mtn sees several of each used from time to time. also both use interchangeable choke tubes
Jim

I owned a stoeger condor several years ago and while i never had anytrouble with it functioning it just wasnt my box of cookies

[jcbjr]

Thanks, guys. There's an Academy Sports in Athens, GA, about an hour and change from here. I think I'll go over there with Junior and try on some of their Yildiz guns, plus some others they might have. Mountaineer, I do intend to put the pups on some quail, as they are plentiful down here. Also planning on raising some birds for training; I've had pigeons recommended over quail- any opinions? Grouse are hard to come by, both due to numbers and terrain, but a trout fisherman client of mine has put me on some good spots in the Cohutta Wilderness in N Georgia, so we'll see. I'll take your advice, though, and not count on grouse to keep them busy.

Here's hoping your dogs find lots of birds, and you miss just often enough to keep it interesting!

Jim B.

[tommyboy72]

I'd definitely go with pigeons over gamebirds for training. I bought some Chukars and had one out in the yard the other day tethered to a stake for about 30 mins. in about 90 degree heat working the dogs on it, not hard but a little and when I put the bird up it seemed fine. I went out later to check on the birds and it was dead. Must have gotten a bit too hot in that little training period. I keep hearing pigeons are hardier and now I believe that.