Best Shotgun?

[Sandman]

I'm in the market for a shotgun. As with my previous hunting post, I know very little about shotguns. My question to you guys may be fairly loaded. If money didn't matter, what shotgun would you get and why? I do know people like different guns for duck, versus pheasants, versus clay shooting. I would mainly use it for shooting clays and hopefully bird hunting. So basically whats a good all purpose shotgun?

[Will Carry]

Remington model 870 pump or model 1100 auto. You can't go wrong. Browning Belgium's are outstanding if you can find one. If you are shooting clays then get one of them high dollar Italian over and unders.

[Guest Jcochran88]

Money was no option then a Parker side by side, but since it is Browning Citori.

[Desert Rat]

I am currently in the process of setting up a Mossy 835 that will have 3 barrels. An 18.5 slug with red dot for home defense because you can always go down in ammo with a ultra mag but you might not want to go up. A 26 inch slug for hunting with a scope and 1 26 inch smooth bore for birding with various chokes.

Years ago I could do as well shooting trap as my father-in-law and mother-in-law with their fancy over and under Skeet guns and I had a sporting goods store special 12 gauge pump that I used for trap, quail, and ducks. I was not active in the hunting area and just occasionally went with my brother-in-law.

For trap or skeet you would be better off with an over /under because you only load one of two shells at a time. For birding a semi or a pump would be better and if you ever wanted to advance to turkey then an ultra mag with 3.5 chamber would be the answer. This one might fit your needs:

A391 Xtrema2 Kick-Off® Synthetic*

[tntnixon]

If money were no object, a Browning Superposed from their custom shop still the best O/U ever made (might be able to get a used one from the original runs, but for a new one the custom shop is the only option). After that, a Browning Citori or a Beretta 686 (hard to beat either of them). Of course, these are my choices for the job that you described. There are many fine shotguns for other purposes.

[leroy]

...Money was no option then a Parker side by side, but since it is Browning Citori. ....

Great advice. I heartily agree. Both the Parker and the ciroti (...we have a couple...12 and 28...) will most likely outlast us all. I've seen the old Browning O/U models (...the "fathers" of the cioris...) that had all the bluing wore off from handling and shooting still going like they were new after tens of thousands of rounds. The O/U or sideby is a great thing. I like both the pumps and semiautos; but the sidebys and O/U's are the kings of shotguns.

Collect 'em all!!

Kind regards,

Leroy

[gregintenn]

If money didn't matter, what shotgun would you get and why?

Parker, Purdy, Holland and Holland, 21 Winchester, Lefever, LC Smith, Ithaca doubles. The fact is, however, that money is a factor for most of us. I am a firm believer that a shotgun should have two barrels, no matter how you stack em.

[gregintenn]

I assure you.....money IS an object!

[Guest Tusculum]

Fox Sterlingworth. All you gotta do is lock one up. Hence the old saying..........She locks like a Fox.

[Sandman]

Let me rephrase. Money does matter when it comes to a shotgun but I want opinions that aren't restricted by money.

[mikegideon]

My do everything shotgun is a 3 1/2" Browning Silver. It was somewhere around $1k. Greg's right, you can spend stupid money on shotguns. I have a rich buddy that has a fortune in his guns.

[mikegideon]

Let me rephrase. Money does matter when it comes to a shotgun but I want opinions that aren't restricted by money.

In that case...

Browning Silver Hunter Semiauto Shotgun

[gregintenn]

Browning Citori.

[redstategunnut]

Get a Remington 870 12 gauge with the barrel length most appropriate to your intended use. Additional barrels are cheap. Accessories are plentiful. Gunsmiths, in the unlikely event one is needed, will have no trouble or reservations working on your gun. You can throw it in a johnboat or drag it through a cornfield without worrying about it. If you are going, at least for the time being, to have only one shotgun, get a versatile one that can be taken anywhere to do anything.

[Guest Keinengel]

Get a Remington 870 12 gauge with the barrel length most appropriate to your intended use. Additional barrels are cheap. Accessories are plentiful. Gunsmiths, in the unlikely event one is needed, will have no trouble or reservations working on your gun. You can throw it in a johnboat or drag it through a cornfield without worrying about it. If you are going, at least for the time being, to have only one shotgun, get a versatile one that can be taken anywhere to do anything.

+1 The mossberg 500/590 is a great choice with plenty of customization available also. I've owned 3 in the past and just recently aquired a 4th. They are excellent shotguns and for the price you cant go wrong frankly.

[Desert Rat]

Here is a link to Mossberg barrels:

O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc. - Firearms, Shotguns, Rifles, Accessories, and Precision Machining

If you get any 500, 590, or 835 then you can order the extra barrels to fit what you want to do and changing barrels is easy as loosening a screw and retightening it after the barrel is swapped out.

The same goes for the Remington line. If recoil is an issue then you can get a Knoxx tactical stock that reduces most felt recoil.

The Remingtons and Mossbergs have the most aftermarket accessories.

[Warbird]

Beretta Auto loader with 3-" bbls. It would work for clays and waterfowl and upland hunting. IF you hunt woodland birds you would probably want to pick up a shorter barrel as well. They have adjustable stocks are easily fitted by a good fitter and work for a long long time.

If you desire an over/under you would be hard pressed to find better than a Browning Citori or Beretta 686 series gun. Find a way to try out both as you will likely have a favorite because they both have a very different natural fit and most peole find they are more comfortable with one over the other. I am a Beretta guy. They point naturally well for me. If an O/U does not naturally point well for you forget it, it would cost a fortune to make it do so. There are too many options to not buy one that at least comes close to a good fit.

Stick with good names and they will last a long time. There are plenty of used ones out there so don't worry about not being able to find a good one. Do not buy a gun that naturally has handicaps like an old superposed with fixed chokes. If you are going to buy a gun for sporting and multiple purposes of hunting you will want adjustable chokes. The Beretta 686 Sporting as well as Browning 425, 525 Citoris are also overbored so they have less recoil, which makes several hundred round days bearable.

I would buy a used gun if you buy an O/U and stick to good brands again. Many lesser made O/U's may work well for hunting and sparse clays, but they die quickly on the vine from moderate sporting use. If I was going to buy something for multiple purpose I again say I would buy a sporting model of a Beretta auto loader or perhaps a Browning sporting auto-loader. Don't bother with pump guns or anything else made primarily for self defense or short barreled field model guns. Even the inertia run Benelli's while OK for hunting, will beat you to death on a sporting clays course. You will soon be sorry and looking for another gun.

[leroy]

...Let me rephrase. Money does matter when it comes to a shotgun but I want opinions that aren't restricted by money. ....

Browning Citori (...about any style or model---old or new...) best value for dollars spent in a double shotgun.

Kind regards,

Leroy

[mikegideon]

I like shooting OU's, but I don't own one. I bought a gas operated auto for a number of reasons. The tradeoff is a longer gun for a given barrel length. If you feel like reading some stuff...

SHOTGUN PAGE

[Guest FroggyOne2]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned the Winchester Super X3!

[Guest clownsdd]

Stoeger makes a reasonably priced o/u.

[mikegideon]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned the Winchester Super X3!

Somebody just did . Notice any similarities? Note: The browning pic is a 3 1/2"