semi auto versus over and under

[NWRedside]

I'm having a hard time deciding what to do. I jumped the gun last year and bought a browning gold stalker as I was so excited to have the capability to shoot the 3 1/2's out of an auto. I say I jumped the gun because I spend probably 75% of my bird hunting chasing upland birds, and the other waterfowl. I could have just used my old pump for ducks and been just fine. The auto is way too heavy to lug up down canyons chasing chukar, so I'm trying to decide what I should get.
I've actually never shot an over and under, although I know a ton of people obviously use them. What do you guys think, should I get a lighter semi auto for upland, or should I get an over and under. I kind of like the idea of having more than two shells in the gun, but then again there is the extra weight.
I was looking at browning's other semi's available and noticed that they have an "upland special gold." The first thing I noticed though was that it is only available in a 24" barrel. Seems too short to me.

Any pros and cons you guys could give would help. I want to buy a gun that I will be pleased with and have for a long time. (I wish I would have waited on buying the duck gun). thanks for the help [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[Predator Dawg]

NW,

I feel your pain. I'm 50/50 for migratory vrs time spent on upland. I've been lugging my 1187 Special Purpose Mag with a 30" barrel around for to many years now in search of Quail, Pheas, and Chucks. Man that thing gets heavy by the end of the day. I will most likely be picking up an over/under in the near future (been telling myself that every year). I like having the weight further out with the double barrels for a faster and smoother swing. Also, with the speed of Chuckar, getting all three shots off usually isn't that easy. Quail are different story, but with auto ejectors, you can reload and pop a couple more.

Not sure I would sweat the 24" barrel length to much since the advent of choke tubes. I will probably look for 26" barrels since they are more common and I've shot them a bunch though. You might want to see if there is a way to fire a 'like' gun at the range before you plunk the cash down.

Steve

[Dogfish]

Shotguns are a lot like golfclubs, and fishing rods. You can do everything with just one, but your game will suffer in some way.

I only shoot pumps for hunting. The reliability factor and simplicity of a field stripping can be the difference that makes a fall in the mud a minor inconvenience, or a trip ending mistake.

I have a little Mossberg 500 for upland game, and an 835 Ultimag for waterfowl. I also have rifles slug barrels for both.

I know that the Mossbergs are not the prettiest gun on the market, but for the price you pay, the model 500 is a nice light gun with many optional barrels available.

All of my shotguns get a home applied camo paintjob, so I go for the least expensive synthetic stocked models. If you want a pretty gun for the trap range, get a Citori, but don't take it hunting, because the first time you scratch it, you'll cry.

If you have trouble convincing the wife as to the need for a new shotgun, just ask her why she has so many shoes. That usually stops the discussion.

Best of luck,

Andy

[Denali]

Check out the Ruger Red Label O/U in 26" barrels. They are sweet and not as spendy as the Brownings. They are quality made and look pretty good, comes with all the choke tubes. In fact I like them better then the Brownings. Ofcourse you'll still pay more for the O/U's vs auto's or pumps but in my opinion worth the price.

[bigshark]

Redside: Trading guns is costly. A do-it-all
shotgun is almost a mith in my judgement...Yet, the amount of dollars we can allocate to such items at various stages in our lives usually limits what we do. If I had to choose just one shotgun it might well be an O/U...the idea of the third shot on waterfowl is not that important...nor is a magazine full of shells for chuckers that important. I would suggest 28 inch barrels however as a better selection for an attempt to make it a do-it-all. The reason is they do swing better and sure as the world you get back from upland hunting your off to shoot geese with a friend the following week.
New ammo will help you make it a better do-it-all tool as well. The 3.5 inch shell is really unnecessary...in my opinion. If you can hunt with a buddy that has an O/U that he will let shoot it some would be better than just buying it on hope....For what its worth, if you can stand the hit in the wallet,a 12ga O/U with 28 inch barrels and a full set of choke tubes,that shoots both 2.75 and 3 inch shells is a hell of good choice for a one shotgun guy.

[MoJet Driver]

I've been packing an SP-10 with a 30" barrel out into the fields for honkers for the last 5 seasons or so. You wanna talk heavy? This gun is heavy. When I switch to my SP 1187 it feels as light as a Benelli (not quite but it's the contrast). On my 1187, I have a 26 inch barrel with the gamut of chokes. Done well with it for a variety of ranges. Don't think I'd do a 24 inch barrel for the shear reason of getting the muzzle blast away from my head. After 25 or so rounds, they short barrel has your head ringing like a church bell gone mad.

My $.02

BTW, the Benelli is a nice gun if you can afford one. One model can chamber the 3 1/2 down to 2 3/4. Not sure which one it is but my buddy owns one and it is as light as a feather with a 28" barrel.

[Firedog]

Redside, if you can then get the O/U for upland. They are great for that. My hunting partner hunts ducks and Geese with his also, I tell him he is nuts to have that high dollar Berreta in the duck blind. I shoot an 1187 for both, the next shootgun I buy will be an O/U though because like you said packing thos semi autos around get heavy. Can never have to many guns or fishing rods [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[NWRedside]

Thanks for the good replies back, gave me some new things to think about. Just as a clarifier though, this gun doesn't need to be an all around gun. I have a few pumps that I'm content to use for waterfowl. I'm mainly concerned with a good upland gun. After what I've read here, I'm leaning towards getting an O/U. I don't want to spend more than 7-800 on it. A ruger red label has been mentioned, any other suggestions out there. I don't need a gun with all the cosmetic thrills on it, just one that is reliable and proven.

[Predator Dawg]

NW -

There are some pawn shops I go to every once in a while and they will get some great guns in. I had a chance for a Citori a while back that fit your price range, just didn't pick it up at the time. The deals are out there though.

Best of luck,

Steve

[Hookset]

As most of the people here pointed out, there is no one perfect gun. I like the analogy to fishing rods and golf clubs.

I have 3 primary shotguns. A Winchester 1200 pump, Remington 1187 semi and Weatherby Orion O/U 12 gauge. Each gun is used for a specific purpose. The gun I prefer to shoot the most is the O/U. It just fits better, swings smoother and and points true. In other words, it fits me. The key to a good shotgun is it has to fit the person. The 1187 and 1200 both need to be modified to fit me. I've never shot really well with either gun because they just don't fit right.

If you want a true upland gun, a over and under is hard to beat. There well balanced and swing and point extremly well. The only item I miss is a sling for those extended walks. I think there are some slip on nylon straps, I should check them out.

If your looking for an I/O, price should not be your limiting factor. Instead, base your decission on fit. When I went looking, I wanted an inexpensive O/U. Just couldn't find one that fit. I looked at Browning, Beretta, Ruger, Weatherby, Remington and a few others that escape me at present. And I really wanted a Beretta or Browning if I could afford it since I read so much about both. Except, the only gun that fit me off the shelf was the Weatherby. Funny thing was I never really wanted a Weatherby and was actually bummed on not finding anything that I thought was better that fit. I was wrong and really do like this gun. This also was a hard decission since the price was rather steep. I've never been dissapointed with my choice, the gun is gorgeous and shoots well. Even after a long layoff without shooting, the gun swings effortlessly on target. Find a gun that fits and you'll enjoy wing shooting a bunch more.

When your just looking around checking guns, pick a spot with both eyes open and swing the gun up and point at the spot. Try several spots. Guns that fit magically appear on target. Don't exaggerate the push or pull to get it on target. If you do, the stock doesn't fit. This little test will get you in the ballpark, for the rest you'll need to shoot. I was lucky enough to find a good stock shotgun that balanced well for me. My friend couldn't shoot it worth a lick as I couldn't shoot his Beretta very well. Like I already mentioned, if your going to base your decission on price alone, don't even bother looking for O/U (a little extreme, just trying to make a point). Besides, a good O/U that fits will be a friend for life, actually a rather inexpensive investment.

good luck,

Gregg

[Scaup]

MoJet Driver, the Benelli you're thinking of is the SBE. I also have a friend who has one and they are a great gun if you can afford them. We hunt very hard and very often in some pretty miserable conditions and he has never had a problem, even in mud and temperatures down to -20. It field strips very easily and is very easy to maintain. It is very light and since it is recoil operated, rather than gas, it does pack quite a wallop when using 3 1/2 inch shells. This is probably it's only drawback if you are going to put a lot of rounds down range in one day. When using it to hunt snow geese under the conservation order in Missouri his shoulder was usually pretty sore by the end of the day.

He uses it primarily for waterfowl, but when he first bought it he broke it in on some dove and quail hunts with impressive results. He even shoots skeet and trap with it sometimes. This gun is probably the closest I've seen to an all around gun.

[ 08-27-2001: Message edited by: Scaup ]

[NWRedside]

Thanks everyone for all the info. I went and looked at quite a few guns tonight and I think I'm going to get a Beretta. Drawback is I am going to have to sell my semi auto to get it. Too many guns, I can use my pump for waterfowl. I'm going to post it in the classifieds so if anyone is intersted, let me know. thanks for the help.
Nathan

[zike]

For a light weight upland gun, the Benelli Ultra light series are hard to beat and the're as expensive as some O/U. The 12ga is under 6 lbs and the 20 is less then that. I've got a 20ga and a 28ga, its about 5# even and over $300 a pound. I've never found a double I could shoot as well as a semi and I hate to give up the third shot. I just sold a 3.5" Citori, its been a safe queen for the last 6 years. I've got an SBE I'm selling too. My old bones can't take the pounding.

[Bobberman]

wow, thread from 2001

[Billy Boy]

Originally Posted by Bobberman

wow, thread from 2001

Nice catch!! It would be interesting to find out what happened (what gun did he get) and how well it worked.