I have a 20ga Bobwhite, not a favorite but I keep it around for shooting high volume steel. Triggers are heavy and the shotgun is heavy for it's size BUT that isn't to bad as high volume steel doesn't include a lot of walking.
As far as barrel length it is really a personal thing, my Bernardelli has 25" barrels and my Husqvarna 29 1/2" the rest of my sxs's kind of fit in between. Both my longer barreled Huskies have swamped barrels keeping the weight down.
Thanks for the feedback. Aren't those 20ga. Bob Whites only 6 lbs? That seems pretty lightweight to me. But then again if your Bernardelli is under 6lbs as a 12 ga., I can see why you would think the 20 ga. Bob White should be less weight.
That looks pretty sharp. I like how there are a lot of options with these, bore sizes, barrel lengths, triggers, etc. I do wish the weights were posted though.
I have been using Ugartechea SxS's for many years. They are well made, fairly light and reasonably priced. Built much like a British game gun.
Ugartechea are one of the best of the Spanish SxS.
Thank you! I've added this to my list to review.
My Browning 12 has 30 inch barrels and goes about 7.5 lb. I’ve lugged it many miles for pheasants and ducks. It’s killed more birds than Colonel Sanders but is really too heavy for a true upland gun.
Lighter guns from Browning, Ithaca/SKB and Ugartechea (as Ed pointed out), are often found well below $2000 and can be good choices. As long as you don’t overpay, and give them reasonable care, they will hold their value forever.
True vintage guns, as battue suggests, are a bit of a risk until you know exactly what to look for. In almost all of these, small gauge guns have skyrocketed in price. Some nice 12’s can occasionally be found at reasonable prices. My most carried gun is a 1930’s Ithaca NID 12. These are solid guns and can sometimes be found at bargain prices.
BTW, I only buy guns that fit me, or can easily be made to do so. I also am quick to have chokes opened if it fits my purposes. I am a shooter, not a collector. I’d sooner hit with a Mossberg than miss with a Parker.
Good call on getting one that fits properly. I don't have any intentions on being a collector, just a shooter/hunter. I think I'd rather have one good double barrel shotgun that I know and shoot well, and has downed many birds in the field, than a small arsenal of shotguns that have only taken a handful of birds each.
Only problem with many of the older ones, and the old Brit shotguns are especially suspect, is soft steel. Will only show itself if the gun has been shot more than a little. However, one of the reasons the Brit guns of the past were sent back to be tightened up on a regular basis. Which also was true of the old London "Best" that were used extensively on the driven fields. And a good reason for having any older double checked out by someone who knows what they are looking at. That and if a part lets loose, you are most likely looking at having a good smith duplicate it. Which may or may not hurt more than a little.
Two triggers on older SxS are more reliable, but with todays modern shells....IC or Mod both work about the same out to were most of us consistently fail. So trigger selection becomes mostly a non-issue.
After reading some of your points as well as others I'm beginning to rethink getting a really old, vintage shotgun. I know myself enough that if I buy something that has problems or isn't reliable and paid at the top of my budget, I'm just going to be frustrated and will likely be turned off by it.
Back in college I bought an old CJ-5 Jeep with my money I'd been saving since my first job in high school. It died on me within a month or two and I had to spend a lot of time and money getting it to run good. Even though I had invested a good bit into it, I was happy to sell it off as I was always worried about the next thing that would break on it. I told myself once I got a job out of college and started making money, I'd buy a new Jeep and did. I have no regrets about selling the CJ.
There’s a Simson 20 in great condition on uplandjournal right now, at the high end of your budget. Late 60s vintage.
Thanks. I've never been to that site before, but just wandered over there looking for the Simson, and couldn't find it. Do you have a link?
I Another thought for the OP. Whatever gun you choose, attend a few vintage type shoots where lots of double gun guys will be gathered. At a typical skeet/trap club not many side by sides are seen. In this way, you'll encounter guys who are glad to let you handle, and sometimes shoot, a variety of guns. You'll make some new friends in the process as well. Best wishes.
Great idea. I need to see if my local clays course has these types of shoots.
Nothing wrong with good old Stevens or Savage sxs's. Winchester model 24's were also great all around guns. Not as pretty as some more expensive ones, but are you trying to impress that other guys, or get some birds?
If you consider savings on a great older basic shotgun, you then have more money to enjoy maybe another hunt, supplies, or a second gun (never a bad thing). Never meant to offend with my advice. Have a great hunt.
Thanks! I actually thought about this last night as I was perusing my local classifieds and saw a Steven 311A in 12ga. for $400, might even be able to negotiate and get it for less. From the pictures, it appeared to be in good shape, but the seller didn't list a ton of details, If I ended up going this route, I wouldn't be out of pocket a ton if something didn't work well on it. If I wanted to upgrade down the road, I probably could keep it or sell it for about what I paid for it.
Loper, I am NOT an authority on SxS's, but I love them and have shot a lot of low budget upland (desert quail and chukar)...so, truth be told, I handled some fine English guns, courtesy of their owners, was advised by the owners that I could get English fit and handling by going with Basque (Eibar) guns. The knowledgeable guys also taught me some key points on gun fit, so, with my limited budget and limited knowledge, I haunted gun shows for a few years and found what fit most importantly and far second, what I could afford. Ended up with a Ugartachea and an AYA, both in 12 bore. I didn't shop for a name, I shopped for fit to my body dimensions. And never regretted either purchase. I got into 2 near new guns, sidelocks, double triggers, for less than 2400 total, 1970's dollars. Keep in mind, Basque guns have different grades, primarily cosmetics, and the upper grades can go well into 5 digits. I went with 'economy' grades, same guns, perfectly regulated, just plain wood and minimal embellishment.
What are some of the key points on fit? I'm new to this, and to me its always seemed that a shotgun either fit me, or didn't fit me based on the first time or two I shoulder it. Something either felt awkward with it in one way or another, or it just felt natural. I'm sure there is more to it than that, but I don't know what those would be.
Where did you get the Ugartachea and an AYA for $2,400?
I did see this last night when doing some research. Very unfortunate....
Very nice! Great little film....really shows off the craftsmanship.
