Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Upland shotgun

I'm looking for a reasonably priced shotgun for upland (mostly grouse) and not looking to spend alot of money. Been looking at the Maverick 88 and 870 Express.

Walmart has 20 gauge express models for $288. Buy an IC choke and you are in business. I've had issues with the cheap mossberg safeties.

I wouldn't do the Maverick myself.

Are you looking for a 12 or 20 gauge?

870 would be my hands down first choice.

Alberta can be big fields and sharptails... I would be looking at tighter chokes than IC.

Another one that I have checked out is the Winchester SXP. Pretty good reviews.

I would look for a used Wingmaster 870 before I would buy a new Express. I would also look for a used 1100 or other semi auto. Get one with screw in chokes & you'll be set for everything from geese to grouse. Get a 12 gauge. Anything a 20 can do a 12 can do better. Bob

Unless it is actually a 20 built on a 20 gauge frame... then it will carry a lot easier than the 12...

Remington has reintroduced their entry level black synthetic 1100 for $499

12 or 20 gauge

Over twenty years ago, I bought an 870 Wingmaster, plain barrel. I swapped the barrel in on an extra light vent ribbed and choke tube barrel and installed a Decelerator pad. I did a little creative work and put some cast off into the stock,,exactly matching my pet Superposed 20 ga. Since the demand for plain barrels was good due to people wanting to cut to 18 or 20 inches for home protection, I came out not much over the cost of an Express model. This 870 is my favorite of four 12s in my safe, because it fits me. While I was at it, I installed the anti jam carrier assembly.

Best,

Jack

oops, duplicate

So, just an update. Ended up going with the 870 Express in 20ga. Nice and light with the laminate stock.

Great choice!

DMc : )

"Light" and "Laminate" are mutually exclusive terms, just saying...

Truer words never spoken...

I would not over look a M-12 in 16 bore. They are ice cold and a nice one can be had cheap.

Shhhh....

Woops..................... Check that. The M-12 market is super hot!

Noooooo.....It is cold. Reason being they are undesirable and balance horribly. (Except if one happens to like between the hands balance, like the English and what do they know about shotguns.)



Except if I'm trying to sell one.

I hunted a lot of grouse in my younger days. I started out with a russian single shot 12 ga, then a mossberg 500, then a 870 wingmaster. All worked well.

Today I use a sxs and it's mostly because it fits me better. I can't make a 500 or 870 fit me as well as this sxs. I'd need a custom stock and when I consider the cost of that I figure I might as well put that into a faster shooting gun. Nothing is as fast as a double!

My only gripe now about my sxs is that I wish it was lighter weight and 20 ga!

Lighten it up with composite stocks.






DMc : )

Just picked up a 1959 Winchester 12 16 gauge in 99% condition this morning at LGS. Beautiful wood and possibly never fired after factory. The pre 64 M12's are possibly the best deal in the whole gun world right now. Glad nobody likes them anymore.....

It is very easy to change the fit on a pump gun with a stock bolt.

Buy one of the shotgun laser boresighters, less than 20 bucks on the Internet.

Install it and mount your gun repeatedly with your eyes closed. Then mount and open your eyes. If the bead and laser dot are one you are good to go.

Likely they are not...

Loosen the stock bolt and insert a small piece of credit card stock between the stock and receiver. If the bead is left of the laser dot the shim should go in the left side. If the bead is too low the shim should go on top. You can stack two shims but I try to avoid going higher than that on the first go around.

Take the gun out and shoot it a bit with clayigeons or a patterning board or butcher paper/cardboard to verify what you did with the light.

When satisfied, carefully disassemble making note of shim location(s). Wax the receiver and stock bolt, plug holes in the receiver with clay and make a small donut around the stock bolt hole and install the shims with epoxy.

Cure, then remove the clay before shooting.

Weatherby sa-08 in 20 ga.

My favorite upland shotguns are the later Winchester Model 12s in 16 gauge. The frames are the same as the 20 gauge guns.they handle great, weigh around 6.5 pounds and have the range of a 12 gauge. The guns with modified chokes usually are closer to light mod in reality. The post war transition, flat forend and large fore end guns have better stock dimensions than the pre-war "nickel steel" guns. The market is soft for them right now. If you don't shoot steel, they are as good ad it gets for the price in my opinion.

Just saw you found one. Sorry for the unneeded comment.

I introduced the cast off on my 870 by using successive narrower strips of painter's mashing tape inserted between the stock and the action building to the thick side on the edge. It only took a few strips to get to where I needed to be. Once there, I trimmed the exposed excess with a razor blade. Sounds delicate, but it has lasted about thirty years. Did the same with a Benelli Montefeltro before they came out with changeable inserts to do the same thing. My Superposed 20, the Benelli 20, and the 870 12 now all have a very similar drop and cast. I can go from one to the other without missing a beat.

Best wishes,

Jack

Used shotguns in decent shape are easy to find, should be similar in Canada. Just back from a MI uplands hunt. The younger Son likes vintage guns. We brought two older pump 16 Gage's, a Model 12 & 37. They worked most excellent with the 4 grouse we bagged.

If you don't mind lining up ammo ahead of time, don't overlook the 16 ga, plenty of used ones around.