Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Choices used for around 1000.00

Looking at buying a good used O/U 12 gauge. Lots of choices but looking at Remington Peerless, Ruger Red Label, Weatherby Orion and of course Browning Citori. Main use would be hunting upland and waterfowl with some sporting clays thrown in. Budget is around 1000.00. School me on the different options. I shoot left handed due to being left eye dominant but am actually right handed, if that matters.

I guess I could add in a Winchester 101 as well.

Remington Peerless is a good looking gun, but the reviews are a bit sketchy. I looked at one a while back too, but the reviews scared me off. I’m told that the Red Labels deliver a bit more felt recoil. I’d look for a Winchester 101 or an old Beretta. I’m more of a semi-auto guy, so hopefully some fixed breech guys will chime in.

Waterfowl----Steel shot & O/U don't really go together to well. You better make sure it can handle steel shot------that will rule out a lot of the older guns.

citori crossover...........
look for some new old stock guns in somebodys inventory, where they are willing to bargain with you.....if you have to, pay 500 more and have a brand new gun.

Not really true. Steel shot can be shot out of all the major companies Over and Under from the last 20 plus years. Of course I would stick to I/C and LMOD chokes, and stay away from any tighter chokes. Also you can shoot Bismuth and Tungsten shot.

I would stay clear of Rugers. I would say find a good Citori or a Beretta.

Yes... and add SKB/Weatherby.

More like 40+ years.

Basically, if it has factory choke tubes steel (and any other non-toxic shot) will not be a problem. Choke tubes became common in the mid- to late 1980s which was

I was trying not to hurt any feelings. This is the snowflake fire. So had I said 40 plus someone would have found it offensive.

Probably Battue!

More like 40+ years.

Basically, if it has factory choke tubes steel (and any other non-toxic shot) will not be a problem. Choke tubes became common in "everyday" guns in the mid- to late 1980s which was during the phasing out of lead shot for waterfowl. There may be individual tubes that may not be steel rated but the gun barrels would be able to handle steel shot.

Going back a decade or so further, I wouldn't expect a problem with steel in fixed choke guns from the companies already mentioned (and to be clear, it would be the Japanese made SKB/Weatherby and not the newer Turkish guns)provided they were not tighter than Modified, shot size was no larger than BBB, and velocity was kept in a sane range and not some super duper high velocity garbage.

If you could hear that deep throated growl, you would be more careful with your words....

Look deep into those eyes....He is just waiting to pounce....You think Toby was viscous? You can't imagine....

I'll be sure to wear my bacon suit!

Wise move. 👍

About the only way I could possibly get Merlot to bit me.

He gives kisses to my kids! I think they would trade me for Merlot!

So you're saying that raw hide bone next to him isn't.... It's a femur of his last victim? I can see that, oh, I can see that.

Close....Big 10point. Made the mistake of shiiiting in his yard. After he was told once not to.....

Back to the subject,
I shot with a south paw up in AK, and he said SKBs were the best for left handed shooters with out being modified. They have a more neutral cast. I think he has now switched to a Blaser F3, but you said you want to stay around the $1000 mark. You can definitely get a used SKB 585 or a lower grade Weatherby Orion. You may be able to find a motivated seller or a not so pretty SKB 785 or a grade 3 or higher Orion in your range. Also keep an eye out for Weatherby Athenas.

Most off the shelf guns are made with neutral cast. Although it is not odd to find a little cast off or cast on with any of them If one looks.

There is a Miroku 12 gauge O/U in the classifieds. Seller is mikestaten. I don't know how to post the thread here. Miroku is made in Japan----they make the shotguns for Browning. I know my BT99 is made by them. IMO, it's exactly what you are looking for-----almost. It's an older gun-----fixed chokes-----no steel shot. Please buy it----I'm trying real hard to resist the temptation.


Not a snowflake but I've seen Ruger Red Labels O/U with barrel bugles & several S/S with them. You're correct they're old guns---like me. It was drilled into my head long ago about steel shot and double barrels.

English Setter?

I got a Lewellin from Bruce----Luv2Safari. Great dogs. I hopefully have another coming from him. Bob

Hunting English Cocker. Others ask me everything from ES to Brittany Spaniel.

BEAUTIFUL DOG!

YES!

They are excellent guns.

We're thinking about the 7th, Bob.

FWIW, I would get a fixed choke gun in IC/Mod 3" with 26" barrels. 12 gauge O/U guns are a bit sluggish to handle, and the more "upland" configuration will be the fish & fowl gun.

The newer ammo in either lead or non-toxic reaches out a lot better than the old stuff, and longer barrels give you no range or velocity advantage.

Just my preferences. Get what fits and feels right.

The benefit of longer barrels is a longer sight plane which makes the target appear to be closer which aids in hitting targets. Hence why you don't see guys shooting Sporting Clays, Trap, and Skeet with short barrels. It for a lot of people also smooths out your swing.

I used a Red Label and a Peerless for a long time and shot thousands of shells in Sporting Clays. The Red Label fit me better than the Peerless but I had to send the Peerless back two times to Remington because the trigger would not function for the second shot about 25% of the time. I have never noticed any difference in recoil between the Red Label, the Peerless, Browning Liege B-26, 1951 Browning Superposed or 1966 Winchester 101. I would recommend trying everything you can and go with what you like the best. All of the shotguns are pretty durable and I have never shot a shotgun loose. Don't forget the Japanese guns because they are of very high quality (SKB, B.C. Miroku, etc.).

I've been a smooth swinger since puberty.

I do agree with you about longer barrels in that regard. My opinion of longer barrels has changed as I age, and I'll admit that. My best shooting was in my 40s with a great pre-war Sauer 12ga SXS with 29 1/2" barrels. I couldn't miss. It was this gun. As I got older and busted up a bit the gun failed me. In actuality I failed it. It became sluggish in my hands, hence my predilection for shorter barrels.

This was death on a piece of wood!

The length of the barrels isn't the problem but of course the easiest to blame. The weight and balance is the problem.

Love the photos Bruce-----got to love those lewellins !

I shoot left handed.

And I will "throw in" for SKB. I am no expert by any means. In fact the two I have were just recently acquired. one for 750 and one for 1200. the 1200 dollar version is a 885 Target, and came with a case and 7 quality extended tubes. Easily $300 worth of extras.

May take some phone calls and LGS visits, but when you see the higher end versions, you will either love them or hate them - looks wise.
These are going to be Ithaca' or Guns Unlimited imports.The GU's I am guessing will have choke tubes versus fixed. I think there is another importer also.. But not the new Turkish ones.

I saw the Miroku in the classifieds and if it had interchangeable chokes I would have been real interested. There is a Citori cx in the classifieds but not sure how well that would work for my needs. Really looking in the used market.

Compare the weatherby/skb to the Citori please in durability etc. Also are peerless hard to get parts for?