Gun Dog Forum

I shoot a browning A-5 in 12 ga with screw in ckokes, many think this gun is heavy and bulky, but it fits me like a glove,and i could not make any improvments on the way it funtions, (flawless), so my point is if a gun feels great when you bring it up to the shooting possition, that is the gun for you.

I'd have to say a Browning B-80 12 ga , given to me by my father before he passed. It also fits me well.

After that I love my cheap ole Winchester 1300 pump gun. It has taken many many waterfowl and been used as a walking stick, boat oar and all around multi use implement, and keeps on ticking.

outdoorman wrote:I shoot a browning A-5 in 12 ga with screw in ckokes, many think this gun is heavy and bulky, but it fits me like a glove,and i could not make any improvments on the way it funtions, (flawless), so my point is if a gun feels great when you bring it up to the shooting possition, that is the gun for you.

I agree with you I have a Franchi O/U Falconet 12ga from 1969 with Skeet chokes, I bought a beretta 687 silver pigeon II last year but everyt ime I go out I used the Franchi, it is way more bulkier and heavier but I shoot it way better than the beretta!

I have an A5 20 and an A5 12 both are great guns, but my fav on quail is a Huglu 28 sxs. It is lightning fast on fast flushing bob's. My fav for pheasants is a o/u Faustie gold by traditions. Both are 26 inch barrel. My A5s are both 28 inch. I like the quicknes of the shorter barrel. Besides i am saving the Brownings for the grandkids. When i get some, that is.

Franchi AL 48 in 28 gauge. I still love it at the end of a long day in the woods .

Benelli M1 90 20 gauge, for just about everything at the age of 66, which is me. Got all the other but that is my favorite. I don't think I have ever missed a quail with it.

Pepper

Old AL-48 12 ga is my all go to gun.

springfield 12ga SxS, ugly as sin, cracked stock, rusty, kicks like a mule, doesnt fit me at all, cant hit anything with it, feels like a cheap plastic toy gun but my late grandfather gave it to me just before he passed(it was like he knew) and it's still my favorite gun ever puts a smile on my face everytime i look at it

A 60s or 70s manufactured sxs 16 guage double trigger.
I don't know who made it it just says "llama" and its out of Eibair, Spain. its easy to carry fits me well and still has the range of a 12. That's my upland gun. For waterfowl i have a benelli super black eagle i really don't like it but its the best i have found for 3 1/2 shells on passing geese.
My 12 year old son has a cut down franchi 20 ga he absolutely loves. I tried it its like carrying a toothpick. I just can't hit with it. I wish i could, it would be nice on those long walks.

gotpointers wrote:A 60s or 70s manufactured sxs 16 guage double trigger.
I don't know who made it it just says "llama" and its out of Eibair, Spain. its easy to carry fits me well and still has the range of a 12. That's my upland gun. For waterfowl i have a benelli super black eagle i really don't like it but its the best i have found for 3 1/2 shells on passing geese.
My 12 year old son has a cut down franchi 20 ga he absolutely loves. I tried it its like carrying a toothpick. I just can't hit with it. I wish i could, it would be nice on those long walks.

"Llama Firearms officially known as Llama-Gabilondo y Cia SA was a Spanish arms company founded in 1904 under the name Gabilondo and Urresti. Its headquarters were in Eibar in the Basque Country, but they also had workshops during different times in Elgoibar and Vitoria. Llama manufactured moderate-priced revolvers and self-loading pistols in a bewildering variety of models. These were popular mainly in the European and Latin American export market, as well as domestically in Spain."

Thank you for the response Mcbosco. That is what i had also originally thought also but i couldint find them as manufacturing a sxs. Please let me know if you could confirm this.
THanks

My SKB 28 gauge with 26" barrels and seminole chokes is my favorite shotgun, though my Remington 11-87 is a close second I have beat the snot out of it and it keeps coming back for more. Favorite rifle is my 6.8 SPC AR, then my favortie pistol is the ruger .22. I am saving my pennies for Ruger's new 1911

A pre-war Sauer 16ga SxS...bought for $600 in a little gun shop in upstate NY....seems to kill birds beter than other guns that I put to my shoulder.

Another vote for the Franchi AL48. Mine is a 20 gauge with 26 inch barrel.

Remington 1100 that I bought in 1975, it's my all around gun. I have 3 barrels, the orginal 28" mod. for ducks/doves, a 26" imp/cyl for quail, and a short 21" imp/cyl for shooting at running deer in front of the dogs. Got a couple of other shotguns but this one is like an old glove.

My favorite is a SKB 28 for quail , grouse and woodcock. SKB 20 for pheasant.

The best shotgun I ever shot grouse with was a Browning Double Auto with a skeet barrel. Next would be an 870 Special field, don't tell anyone! For me both had to short of barrels to follow games when swinging. For years now though I have used either a 12ga, 16ga and now a 28ga AyA. Haven't shot any pheasant with the 28 yet but no doubt it will work. My 12ga SxS and my 16ga SxS have been real workhorses for me over the years. All have had either 28" of 30" barrels and not only point e]well but also swing well.

DonF wrote:The best shotgun I ever shot grouse with was a Browning Double Auto with a skeet barrel. Next would be an 870 Special field, don't tell anyone! For me both had to short of barrels to follow games when swinging. For years now though I have used either a 12ga, 16ga and now a 28ga AyA. Haven't shot any pheasant with the 28 yet but no doubt it will work. My 12ga SxS and my 16ga SxS have been real workhorses for me over the years. All have had either 28" of 30" barrels and not only point e]well but also swing well.

The AYA's are very nice, I have been eyeballing them for a few years now and I would love to buy one. It just hard to find the right one without holding and shoting it in person.

Heres a picture of my old Arietta 955 that i regretfully sold about 5 years back. I am always kicking myself in the butt for getting rid of this one. It went to M.A. and I dont have any records or e-mails of the person I sold it to. so I would have a hard time tracking it down to see if I could buy it back now that i have came to my senses.

I like my 28ga O/U, Very fast when your in the middle of them!!

Winchester M12

Could we break this question down into 3 categories:

- Under $1000
- $1000 - $3000
- Over $3000

This way, we can separate our "dream" guns from our "everyday shooters".

For me? A 20ga. Franchi SxS with straight grip, splintered forearm, ejectors, double triggers and 26" barrels
weighing in at just under 6 lbs. would be the ticket..........

Here's one- only with a single trigger:



Rob

I don't use it much anymore, except for deer, but if I had to pick just one; Remington Special Field, 20 with the 21' barrel. I have killed many deer, ruffs, sharpies, chickens, huns, quail, ducks, geese, phez, woodcock, crows, rabbits, squirrels, prairie dogs, a porky & several other varmints. I have carried it from Manitouwadge, Ontario, to Lake Okeechobee, Fl & from NJ to Mt Rushmore.

Another vote for the Franchi Veloce. Mine is 20ga. 26" barrels. I like it more than my Beretta Silver Pigeon 20ga 26".

outdoorman wrote:I shoot a browning A-5 in 12 ga with screw in ckokes, many think this gun is heavy and bulky, but it fits me like a glove,and i could not make any improvments on the way it funtions, (flawless), so my point is if a gun feels great when you bring it up to the shooting possition, that is the gun for you.

I know what you mean about flawless operation. I have a Belgian A-5 in 20 ga. It is a 3"mag with a 26" IC (fixed choke) barrel but it has never seen a 3" shell. I remember that when it failed to cycle once during a hunt, after about ten years of use, I pulled out a not so small pile of well oiled sticks, leaves and assorted crud from behind the bolt. When I washed the area out with an aerosol can of cutting fluid, even more silt and residue came out. Never had another failure to cycle.

The thing I always liked about the A-5 was the sight picture afforded by the shape of the receiver. The high , squared off reciever gave instant feedback on whether or not the gun was properly mounted. If all you saw was blued steel... time to dismount and try again.

My current upland gun is a Citori and it fits me well. Funny thing is that I had to buy a lower grade model because it came with a forearm that was grooved similar to that of the A-5. My hand simply did not feel right with any of the other types of forearms because there was no groove for my thumb.

As far as what is or would be my favorite, there were two that come to mind. First was a Ruger Red Label in a sporting clays model. It handled and swung like a dream, but I could not envision using it in the field with those long, slender tubes. Second was a Merkel SXS which mounted and swung like it was part of me...but it was a little pricey AND every time I went back to the store, the price had gone up $200-500. Just couldn't justify the expense at the time so I went with the Citori.

RayG

Pheasant - '73 Winchester 101
Quail - SKB 20
Dove - Benelli M1 Super 90
Waterfowl - Browning Maxus

Overall, Beretta and Rizzini O/U's, any price point they are all great. I have weakness for vintage Ithaca 37's as well. Benelli Montefeltro favorite semi away from water, Benelli SBE near the water.

Favorite cheap gun is a Baikal.

MATT4126 wrote:Winchester M12

+1 ...in 16ga. of course

My everyday shooter & favorite gun is my Benelli Legacy Y2K limited edition 1 of 250. Love it, love it, love it! I just purchased the new "Legacy 28" and have put 50 rounds through it at the skeet range and that is it.... Can't wait to bust some pheasants and quail with it this fall.

i got a 30 year old AYA yeoman. got it second hand for €100 and its the best money i ever spent. look after it like a baby. it has a few scratches and bumps, but thats just charachter!¬

My go-to shotgun for the past 5 or 6 years is a CZ Bobwhite 28ga SxS.

CHJIII wrote:

MATT4126 wrote:Winchester M12

+1 ...in 16ga. of course

I have my grandfathers M12 16ga.

Winchester 1400 works for me.

Ezzy

What? Haven't any of you guys ever shot a Browning Superposed?

Steve007 wrote:What? Haven't any of you guys ever shot a Browning Superposed?

Check out gonehuntin's post.

For the money, my CZ Ringneck sxs in 20 ga. does it for me.

Charlie

CZ woodcock Deluxe

Been eyeing the CZ Woodcock Custom Deluxe

Benelli M-1

CZ Redhead delux for upland

Beretta Xtreme for waterfowl.

Add me to the Model 12 sixteen list. I picked up a 1948 version two years ago, and it is the lightest, nicest-swinging shotgun in my safe. Problem is that it's in great shape, so I rarely use it for fear of scratching it up. I typically carry a Ruger Red Label twelve, which is neither lightweight nor particularly aesthetically pleasing, but it shoots straight and has never failed me in any way. If I had to choose one gun to keep, it would be my dad's old J.C. Higgins bolt-action sixteen. Lots of memories with that one, as it was the gun I used when I started out, and knowing that my dad purchased it as a fourteen-year old some sixty-five years ago gives it some sentimental value that none of my others can match.

ckirsch wrote:Add me to the Model 12 sixteen list. I picked up a 1948 version two years ago, and it is the lightest, nicest-swinging shotgun in my safe. Problem is that it's in great shape, so I rarely use it for fear of scratching it up. I typically carry a Ruger Red Label twelve, which is neither lightweight nor particularly aesthetically pleasing, but it shoots straight and has never failed me in any way. If I had to choose one gun to keep, it would be my dad's old J.C. Higgins bolt-action sixteen. Lots of memories with that one, as it was the gun I used when I started out, and knowing that my dad purchased it as a fourteen-year old some sixty-five years ago gives it some sentimental value that none of my others can match.

I looked at a Red Label because I thought it was aesthetically pleasing and bought it because it fit me, I agree with you that its not a lightweight. I still think its a better looking gun than most of the O/Us, but to each his own.

I have a CZ o/u 20 gauge that I have been very happy with. Charlie and our friend Ron each got CZ SxS's and were very happy with them in 20 gauge and 12 gauge is what led me to my purchase. Ron has since added a CZ o/u in a 20 gauge as well. The price did factor in when I purchased this gun as well as the reviews that it recieved. My next gun will be a CZ SxS and that purhase will be made solely on my happiness with my present CZ. Goodluck, SCKWEST

I gotta say its my Winchester 1300 20 ga my first gun. I bought with my lawn mowing money when I was 14. Shot my first rooster with it and still looks new.

Ithica model 37 ultra featherlight pump. Fast, light and has a reach. Pheasant and quail......

ckirsch wrote:Add me to the Model 12 sixteen list. I picked up a 1948 version two years ago, and it is the lightest, nicest-swinging shotgun in my safe. Problem is that it's in great shape, so I rarely use it for fear of scratching it up. I typically carry a Ruger Red Label twelve, which is neither lightweight nor particularly aesthetically pleasing, but it shoots straight and has never failed me in any way. If I had to choose one gun to keep, it would be my dad's old J.C. Higgins bolt-action sixteen. Lots of memories with that one, as it was the gun I used when I started out, and knowing that my dad purchased it as a fourteen-year old some sixty-five years ago gives it some sentimental value that none of my others can match.

we think alike

My M12 16 ga was my grandfathers but is in good shape its a 1947 I believe. But its choked kinda tight and cant bring myself to open it up or modify it with chokes.

My main weapon of choice is a Ruger Red Label All weather Stainless 12 ga. this one is light weight due to the synthetic stock and forearm its only 6lb 6 oz its a meat gun that can take ABUSE!!.

nikegundog wrote:I looked at a Red Label because I thought it was aesthetically pleasing and bought it because it fit me, I agree with you that its not a lightweight. I still think its a better looking gun than most of the O/Us, but to each his own.

I like my Red Label, but the wood on mine looks like it was cut from a pine 2x4. On the plus side, it's been very reliable, and with the lousy wood I don't worry much about scratching it while I hunt.....

another vote for the ruger red label; dependable and shoots perfect for me.

ckirsch wrote:

nikegundog wrote:I looked at a Red Label because I thought it was aesthetically pleasing and bought it because it fit me, I agree with you that its not a lightweight. I still think its a better looking gun than most of the O/Us, but to each his own.

I like my Red Label, but the wood on mine looks like it was cut from a pine 2x4. On the plus side, it's been very reliable, and with the lousy wood I don't worry much about scratching it while I hunt.....

Breretta Arms has a fix to that, on some one O/Us they use a lousy piece of wood as you discibe and have it dipped in a vat and it comes out looking like it has a $1000 stock on it, its the same process as dipped a camo gun.

Franchi 48 AL... It just feels right.

Outdoorsman,
My most favorite shotgun is a pre 1913, 00, DT, two BBl set L.C. Smith 16 Gauge double gun, one set of BBls for Grouse, Woodcock and Quail the 2nd set for Pheansant
Ducks and Geese. The gun was custom ordered by one of my family members long ago, with #1 Gun Engraving and english straight stock, with two different Fore Stocks for the different BBls. The preproduction Beavertail fore stock is one of the few that were originally produced.
I added the white spacer on the butt stock just to rile the Elsie collectors, there is a black one also.
In reality Pre 13, L.C. Smith double guns are my favorite shotguns, to me nothing comes close.

RGD/Dave

Ryman that sparrow hawk sure does have some short wings! They are not legal quarry around here.
please educate me, all i see are gambels, mearns (montezuma), and scaled quail.

I am fond of my go-to gun... an old Fox 16 gauge.