Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns favorite all around shotgun?

I know you guys are probably like me and have a waterfowl gun and a upland gun and so forth but do you have a gun you keep picking up and using for a little of everything?

I use a SBE for waterfowl, a 391 for clays crows and pigeons, a 835 for turkeys. For the last few years I have picked up my M1 everytime I go hunting no matter what I'm going after. I'm thinking I may have a set of choke tubes made for it since I only have one.

I love the weight and ballance of the gun and it fits like a glove. I must say its my favorite. It doesn't hurt that I have a 24" and a 28" barrel for it. If I could only have one I would pick my M1.

billy, have a bunch of shotguns.. Mostly pumps..I would say my favorite is an old 870 12 ga. 3" I bought in the late 70's.. I don't use it exclusively, but on most trips it is packed, and when the chips are down, it is the one I pick up.. Have killed everything from bobwhite quail to turkey, geese and coyotes with it..

A couple I love to shoot. A George Daw hammer gun and a Winchester 101 pigeon featherweight...

Schrapnel, As always, awesome stuff.. Never heard of George Daw.. But that doesn't mean much.. Beautiful shotgun.. I have heard of the WW101.. Great photos..

I always leave one of your posts green with envy lol. That old double laying over the gobbler has beautiful wood. P.S. Thanks for the chat on the phone your fly fishing knowledge did help as I got my leaders staitened out and those popping bugs unroll better know.

Now,, not know. fat thumbs you know.

Glad it helped, when you get here we can try it on some West Slope Cutthroats...

Webley, when you feel the need for ejectors...

seal_billy,
You have an SBE and an M1?

Shrapnel, Now I know how you afford all those beautiful guns. Your truck looks like hell.

That truck was in great shape when we left it. I went to Havre last fall to hunt with Travis and he took us to a couple local hotspots. The first one didn't have any birds, but it did have a nasty old woman that came charging out in a pick up to tell us we were scaring her horses.

The next place we walked a couple miles from the truck and when we got back this is how it looked. Something you never do in Montana is build your house behind a road sign or sleep in your truck...

That's one of the best photographs I've ever seen.

Thanks for posting it

This past year I used an M2 for everything. It helps having both a 21" and 26" barrel.

I'm more than a little fond of Model 12's in a 16.







Check out that high end Deer blind.

It's really easy to run an M2 for everything. Or an Ithaca 37 pump.

yep

I'm not a waterfowler so never really got on board the Roman Candle boat like with an SBE. I do have two M1S90's though...

I never use them roman candles except when I am pass shooting geese. 3" #3s for ducks 95% of the time. 2 3/4" #4s in early wood duck and teal season. Its easier to clean than any other semi auto cause the top of the receiver is built onto the barrel, that way you can get into the action and trigger group easier in the field only taking the barrel of. It has saved the day on more than one occasion to get a big clump of mud out and to dry it out after it was submerged. IMHO the SBE can't be beat for simplicity and ease of maintenance. Packability is good too cause its light. I take it on trips where ducks and pheasants are on the menu.

Two M1 super 90s,,, I think every wingshooter should have a matching pair of shotguns and you have 2 of my favorite.

Hard to beat an 11-87 and a Lab.

+1

Same thing here. My Rem 870 12 ga. Wingmaster is from mid 1980's and that shotgun is as reliable as a pocket knife.

First is a benelli SBE II, next is a beretta 390.

But I would also agree with this, like'em both. But then I like 'em all!!

Winchester Model 12 12 ga. 28" modified.

TN, The gun I lusted after most when I was about 12 or 13 was a model 12 16 ga. modified with a 28 in. barrel.. Begged for one at Xmas.. No luck.. Santa must have been mad at me..

A few years later, I had my eye on a nice used model 12 12 ga. mod. 28" barrel.. To this day, I wonder if I had bought that shotgun, if I would have traded around so much.. My dad insisted I spend my $ on a new gun, but I know now of lesser quality. Fine gun you have there.. Have never owned either of the model 12's I pined after as a young kid..

Great looking pics everyone. Like my M1 S90 for fowling as well as my 870 and RedLabel. When needed a BPS Stalker in 10 Magnum. For the uplands one of my Sweet 16's or an old 37R Ithaca gets the nod most of the time. Magnum Man

I'm down to two.

16ga F.A.I.R. and a Merkel 20ga but I like the Merkel so much I hardly ever use the Rizzini any more. Should probably sell it but I shoot it so well I can't bring myself to part with it.

Field, beautiful shotguns.. You would always regret selling the 16...

I like shotguns. I'm not much of a s/s guy, but that's only because I don't shoot them well. I collect A-5's, and prefer an old Light Twenty to the rest. I have an 11-48, 16ga, that I can't miss with.

All that said, favorite "all around" goes to one of my several 870 Wingmasters. They all have 30" full choke barrels and synthetic stocks. I have an 18" cylinder barrel if needed.

Auto Fives are just plain cool!

Thanks WCH, and yea, I'd probably regret selling it but I really don't have anyone to pass it down to and worry the county coroner'll end up with it. HA

Grouse season starts here next week so I'm headed to the woods for a few days on Wed (after the labor day crowd goes home). You can bet your bippy I'll have the Merkel and a pocket full of 7.5's in tow.

Grouse guns are a different story. Nothing much to look at here, but this gun has killed more Blue Grouse than many have seen in a lifetime...

Beretta 390 followed by an Ithaca 37. Well, an Auto 5 should be at the top too.

A good bird gun that has a place of honor in the back seat of your truck has many scuffs and ding. It got that way from many outhing in the field of which it earned by being pointable, reliable, strait shooting, well fitting and well patterning. Guns like that don't come around every day.

I paid 800 bucks for my SBE used and I shoot it so well and it patterns so well I wouldn't take 1600 for it. It fits like a glove but she is showing wear. A black semi auto with mud on it is as pretty as a Godly woman in a sundress.

For birds, 870 Wingmaster Magnum that I bought new in '83. That one is on its 3rd set of stocks and has been reblued once.

Anything made of clay, Citori Lightning.

Are you shooting them on the wing with that gun?

I have a variety of Shotguns . Pretty much at leaf one of everything Browning makes or has made . I have Autos ,Pumps , S x S's ' OU's in every gauge 10 through 410 but my favorite all around Shotgun is probably my Remington 1100 Special Field 12 Guage with either the 21 inch barrel with Rem - Chokes or the extra 26 inch barrel modified choke installed . A close second would be my Browning Light Twelve 26 inch barrel with modified choke . I can and have used them for everything . Quick , light and soft shooting for me . I do enjoy having specific guns for different game and conditions and I love Shotguns .

I like Ithaca 37/87's. I have 12's and 20's.

A 3" 20 gauge 87 gets used the most.

My favorite though is a 20 gauge Ultra Featherweight. I try not to use it where it will get dinged up though. It is too pretty at the moment. Incredible grouse gun.

Benelli, M2 Field's in 12 & 20, Montfeltro's in 12 & 20

Benelli M1 S90.....H&K imported version (older). 24" barrel. It's like pointing my finger

That's what the second barrel is for if you miss them on the ground with the first...

I am kind of a SxS guy and use three that I like very much, a Beretta 470 Silver Hawk 12 and a similar 471 Silver Hawk 20. I have an AYA 28 SxS that I like too and seems to kill every bit as effectively as any 20 I've ever had. The 12 is a single trigger model and all are ejector models. I prefer DTs.

Recently (last five years), I obtained a Beretta A400 SA 12. Lightweight, fast and burns pip squeaks to Roman candles like eating ice cream. Last spring I used it turkey hunting and experimented with some 3.5" inchers. In the this gun, a fraction under seven pounds, those were an experience. With a solid 2 3/4" load it seems to be a good fit for late season ring-necks for me.

If cornered and had splinters put under my fingernails and made to pick one, it'd probably be the 470 SH 12. It might just barely fit me the best and I've rarely missed a doable shot with it though a single trigger SxS doesn't make much sense to me.

The last few years it has been a 1941 Husqvarna 51 Hammer 12ga sxs for ducks and a very light (5 lb 15 oz) 12ga Bernadelli sxs for upland.

Husky


Bernardelli



I have a coupe of shotguns that I shoot vey well and if there is money on the line they come out, a Winchester 101 12ga and a Browning Superpose Lightning 20ga but they are so boring.

I saved up my yard mowing money and bought an Ithaca 37 when I was 14. I own several other shotguns ,but it is still my go to gun over 40 years later.

Though 90 % of the time I use my browning model 12 w20 ga I have a old 870 12 with a 26" tubed barrel that is the all around gun that has been used on about everything over the years from sm game and doves to geese .

Not being a "shotgun guy" I used my 1977 12 Ga.Remington 870 Wingmaster 28" modified for years for everything.
I tried a Benelli Montrefeltro 12 Ga. back in 1995 that everyone said was the "latest and greatest"; it just didn't work for me and I traded into a Beretta A390 "Silver Mallard" that has been my go to shotgun since.
It gets packed on every trip just in case.

I bought a Ruger 20 Ga. Red Label in 1998 when I lived in Marquette as I was chasing "Pats" and the occasional Woodcock; it was much easier to carry than the A390 and really fits me well.

Then there is a 28Ga. CZ Woodcock w/ 28" bbls. that I fell in love with about seven years ago and to this day I'm amazed how well it kills.

This Friday I have a gently used 20Ga.Browning Citori "Featherweight" w/ 26" tubes coming home just in time to go chase "Pats" next week in Marquette and Iron counties.

So much for not being a "shotgun guy".

SC

The undisputed King in my arsenal is my Westley Richards hammer double!
The barrels had been cut years ago to 26" so it's CYL/CYL but I shoot peasants with it, decoyed geese, ducks, chukkers , I just love shooting it.
I use either 57 grains oif FFG and 7/8oz of plated shot or 95-100 grains of FFG and 1 1/4 oz of Nice Shot or Bismuth and MagTec cases
Just got a friend to take it stateside with him and restore it this year, so it's as good as brand new!
Cat