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Nice featherweight. I have one in modified choke. Probably one of my favorite shotguns and i shoot it fairly well.

I used to have a 12 Colt pump shotgun with and aluminum receiver . I can’t tell you how much it weighed but it was light.

I just googled it and only 2000 were made. No info on the weight though.

I like light guns in general, but too light is just that. A too light gun has no "feel", and it doesn't create muscle memory readily, IMO. A little weight, a little swing resistance, therefore some feel, is necessary for me to get into the groove with a shotgun.

This French Robust No.4 16ga is just right for me. It is 6 lbs 4 ounces loaded, points fast, and swings perfectly. Many shooters don't realize there is a small difference in feel of a loaded gun vs. the gun unloaded if the gun is very light and diminutive.

As I get a lot older I notice that my guns have all gained weight, right along with me.




One of my favorite upland guns is this 12ga Franchi with a 25" barrel I got off GB years ago. It's light to carry and has enough mass to provide feel.

Wise counsel here on very light shotguns. In my own hunting guns, I found through trial and error over decades that my minimum gun weight is very close to six pounds. When a gun gets much below that, of any gauge, my shooting really drops off. These were hard lessons, in both doubles and autos.

A light gun that feels so light and fast in the gun shop is very likely a demanding mistress in the shooting. And she is quite seductress as well.

These days, my favorite upland gun is an over/under 28 gauge with 30” barrels stocked to my dimensions. It comes at six pounds on the button. Among autos, I am likewise fond of a Benelli Super Lite 12 gauge, that with its 26” barrel also weighs six pounds.

My lightest shotguns are a pair of Iver Johnson single shots in 16 ga and 410 bore. The 16 is a little under 6 pounds while the 410 is around 5 1/2 pounds. They are far too light for me to shoot well but I keep them as they have been in the family for about a century.

I prefer guns in the 7 lbs range as they are the lightest I can consistently hit with. I can't do lighter as I have not found the balance I like in lighter guns, especially single barrel guns. The object is to kill the birds one shoots at and I have found this to be most likely to happen with a heavier gun.

Two good guns in the right bore.

I have a Beretta A400 28 ga that is 5.5 lbs. and a buddy that has the 20 ga that is 5.6 lbs

Most upland game is taken inside 30 yards, and for the most part are move, mount, shoot opportunities. With an extended swing not being the norm. Light shotguns are of little handicap with some practice.

Biggest problem is American shell manufactures cater to shooters who think 1300 FPS is close to the minimum required to kill Birds...Which makes recoil and muzzle jump become an issue with follow up shots and lightweight shotguns.

I prize lightweight rifles/shotguns above all else, my style of hunting usually involves covering distance in rough steep country. My two most used shotguns are a Benelli Ultralight 12ga 24" and a Montefeltro 20ga 24" barrel, both are a joy to carry and shoot...During Spring Turkey season I cover miles toting a 7lb M2 12ga 21" barrel that I wish it was lighter weight......Good hunting...Hb

Out here we get a lot of swinging shots on birds out 35-50 yards, heading downhill or around mountains. A lighter sweet swinging gun with a little range is just the ticket. If I were hunting ruffed grouse, woodcock, snipe, etc in thick stuff I'd be using something very light, a bit short, and with a wide open choke.

Owen and I both shoot a lot with Wby SA-08 20 gauge Upland models with 26" barrels. The guns are fairly light, fast handling, and have 3" chambers for when we need to reach out, like for chuckar and sagehen, sometimes pheasant. Both of us shoot light 16 gauge doubles, too, mine the Manufrance Robust and Owen a well-used Gbr. Adamy. All these guns are a good compromise of weight, swing, and range.

Late season we use relatively light 12 gauge guns, either doubles or autoloaders. Wild chuckar can take a lot of killing.

Out here we get a lot of swinging shots on birds out 35-50 yards, heading downhill or around mountains. A lighter sweet swinging gun with a little range is just the ticket. If I were hunting ruffed grouse, woodcock, snipe, etc in thick stuff I'd be using something very light, a bit short, and with a wide open choke.

Owen and I both shoot a lot with Wby SA-08 20 gauge Upland models with 26" barrels. The guns are fairly light, fast handling, and have 3" chambers for when we need to reach out, like for chuckar and sagehen, sometimes pheasant. Both of us shoot light 16 gauge doubles, too, mine the Manufrance Robust that looks like I club the birds, and Owen a well-used Gbr. Adamy. All these guns are a good compromise of weight, swing, and range.

Late season we use relatively light 12 gauge guns, either doubles or autoloaders. Wild chuckar can take a lot of killing.

Only difference here is I almost exclusively hold off on anything much over 35 yards…and I like Light Mod/Mod for everything.

We get few shots that close in this wide open country, even with good dog work. The two notable exceptions are blue grouse and valley quail, and later in the season the quail become real wild.

I’m fond of LM/IM in a double, modified in a single barrel. All of my bird hunting is open areas of the West - chukars, valley quail, Huns and pheasants. My fixed choke 28 gauge is choked .010”/.018”, has worked out about perfect.

I think a lot of the velocity problem is on us. Most of the guys I hunt with will argue shot size, discuss the size of the shot payload, but when you ask about what velocity they are shooting they look at you with a blank face. To me the velocity should be looked at first before shot size or the payload when choosing your shells

My hunting loads are between 1100fps and 1200fps, some even lower. Other than very wild swings in velocity I don't find it a big deal.

1oz lead 6's 1150fps MT wild birds


The reason most don't know their shot speed is it isn't something that is that you have a choice in when you go to the store. You can choose different shot sizes, shell length and shot material but velocity isn't an option without some serious studying of different manufactures specs.

While browsing the various brands on the shelves (which are getting to be more plentiful this year), I've only seen one offering under 1250 fps.

FPS is printed on the box. As far as serious studying...google the company website and each offering shows the FPS.

Addition:
Prairie Storm 12 gauge 2 3/4 is popular....1500FPS. That should rock one in a light shotgun, and a heavy one also. 16 gauge are 1425 FPS. You will know it in a light 16. 28 gauge is 1300FPS which is reasonable.

Just looked and their lower priced game loads are in the high 1100 to low 1200FPS range. And within reasonable range will work just as well.

RST made some excellent normal velocity loads, but for a long time they haven't had any available due to the current BS.

My lightest ‘was’ a Browning Auto 5 “Super Light” 20ga, from 1972. 5#4oz. I foolishly let another Auto 5 collector talk me out of it. My Franch 48 AL 20ga may have been as close. I handled a British SxS in 9mm (2” brass cased ammo) that was custom built for some ‘lady’ in England. It was under 4#.