You've now got me curious, what is your personal experience with the later Select 101s? What trouble are you seeing with durability and QC with this later FN production?? You are talking about an upland field gun aren't you, or are you speaking in terms of a dedicated clays gun like maybe a heavier 625??? There are numerous accounts of many thousands of of shells fired through these later 101s without a hitch, and what few issues are reported seem to be with the earlier versions of the FN builds, not the later.
I did notice that Browning has made an attempt to lighten up the heavier 625 12ga for field use with the newer 725. On paper it seems to be attractive for field use with its less bulk while keeping it steel with the 625 lock design, but I believe it's still a bit more bulky than the latest Select. Most feedback I've seen has the newest 101 12ga carrying and handling like the 625 20 ga. My current favorite field 12ga is an older Silver Hawk side by side which is light and fits me like a glove. When the weight of an O/U gets upwards to 8-pounds with high mounted barrels, I tend to shy away for hunting. On the other hand, a 12ga closer to 7-pounds with lower mounted barrels piques my interest. Not talking dedicated clays, just talking dedicated hunting.
I think everyone is open to some suggested options if you'd care to share.
Thanks
