Thanks MCH. And for sharing your experience!
Shifting gears a little, if you were strictly shopping the [good] "used" shotgun market, what O/U would you look for to buy in a 20 gauge? In a 12 gauge?
I aprreciate the comment about great looking wood! (Used to love just staring at a couple old Fajen catalogs I once had (esp the walnut with red or blue swirls through it.)
However, if I had the $jack, I'd just go for a Beretta Ultralight 2 3/4" twelver for a hard working do everything upland gun (I gave up on ducks when non-toxic shot came in, altho I'd like to bag some geese and sandhill cranes .... but have a 3" M870 for that!).
In a 2 3/4" shell, can't imagine I'd need much over 1oz, 1-1/8th, 1-1/4th ounce loads! Maaaaybe a rare 1-3/8th or 1-1/2ouncer, but those would be handloads and only a [few] per year.
I do however like the the idea of 3/4oz 20ga loads at quail, as well as in the 28ga.
But in a 20 and 28 gauge, not sure what I'd pick beyond [entry level] CZ choices.
I did own a Ruger Red Label 20 for a year when I was in college, enjoyed it, but haven't wanted to replace it!
At one time thought a Red Label in 16ga would be the rage, but later didn't get too jazzed about those [very limited production] 16ga Browning Lightenings that came along in the 1990's. I do enjoy reloading shotshells A LOT, but long ago accepted the 16teener will be more rare than the .358W or .41M!
