I went on one of the pre-introduction field trials of the Ethos. Several of us shot in South Africa, which rivals Argentina for the abundance of wingshooting, the variety is even better. We mostly shot wild doves and pigeons that were raiding crop fields, but also shot some other stuff, notably guinea fowl, which are a lot like even bigger pheasants. (Yes, guinea fowl were originally wild African birds. There are three species over there.)
Anyway, it was hot and dusty, and we shot a LOT. I put around 800 rounds through one of the guns one day, and it never missed a lick. The ONLY malfunction anybody had all week (and there were a dozen people shooting) was when a 1/4" pebble somehow got inside the action of one of the guns. It was quickly found and removed.
I also didn't suffer any more from recoil than I have when shooting 20-gauges on Argentina doves, which ain't bad for a 6-1/2 pound 12 gauge. The only "damage" was a slightly red spot a little bigger than a quarter, where my cotton shirt rubbed my shoulder while mounting the gun so many times.
I was impressed, and ended up with my own Ethos. There are a LOT of uses for a 6-1/2 pound 12-gauge semiauto here in Montana, as well as in other parts of North America. I prefer side-by-sides to repeaters, but am not a double snob!
