Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Your ideal pheasant gun ???

Describe your idea of the perfect shotgun and load for hunting pheasant with springer spaniels.

Thanks, RS

Belgium made Browning 16 gauge humpback, round knob and vent rib. Stuffed full of high brass number sixes.

That's what they use in heaven.

Benelli Ultra Light, 26", 12-gauge, 2-3/4" No. 5's.

JOG is close, but its actually a Beretta 391 I've had since 2003.

I got a 391 too and that's been my bird gun for five years now. I just picked up a 390 in 20 gauge and that might become my go to upland gun.

Hunting with springers, Hmmm. Likely my Parker Brothers 12 gauge with IC and LM chokes.

Doc

Old reliable would be my AYA side by side 20 gauge. Cheap low brass shells.

The 391 is a nice shotgun and a better all-arounder, but it's too heavy for an ideal pheasant gun.

Yup...but a plain barrel wouldn't hurt me neither.

A good set of legs never hurts for Wild Roosters and a hot Springer.

Whole bunch of shotguns that will work, but I would like one that balances well and can handle at least an ounce of shot. Over a hot Springer? Model 59 Winchester would be great, but a well balanced SxS would be fun. I'm thinking a 16 or 12 Ga Parker on a 16 Ga frame.

16ga Rizzini with a healthy dose of six's.

I use a Belgium 20 A-5 and Ithaca 37 16. Both work well with high brass No. 6.

11-87, 26 inch, Briley Lt Mod choke, #4 of your choice.......

Rem Mod 11 in 20ga w/#6 highbase ... was Grandpa's, then dad's, now mine. That thing shoulders perfectly.

Beretta O/U 20 ga or Benelli M2 20 ga

Either my Winchester Model 12 in 16 gage or my Remington Model 31 also in 16 gage. Love the pump guns and love 16 gage. Hits Like 12 and carries Like a 20!

I like my uncle's old 1930 vintage Ithaca NID SxS double 16. Has two triggers so you can choose what you want to shoot at what range. Ejectors and 30" barrels choked IC and very full. I load it with 7 1/2s in the open barrel and 6s in the tight one early in the season, then 6s and 5s later on. Works.

When I go out to the high plains (KS, SD) where the birds are wilder and the cover is shorter, I take my Ruger Gold Label SxS 12 with an IC tube in the right barrel and a full in the left. Usually load it with 5s in the open barrel and 4s in the tight one. So far regular 2 3/4" high base shells have worked fine, even for late season. And the GL kicks like crazy with 3" magnums....

Ithaca 37 UltraFeatherlight 20 gauge modified

best #6 load you can get a hold of

i used to follow my springers with a 16 gauge l.c.smith shotgun that left the factory in 1932 with 2 sets of barrels. they are both 26 inches long and over the years they have been choked improved mod and improved cylinder and the second set skeet 1 and improved cylinder.i loaded up 1 1/8 ounces of italian nickled 7"s and shot birds as the conditions dictated.

My grandfather's Winchester Model 12, 12gauge, full choke, solid rib and low brass #6s. I think it was made in '32.

He gave it to me in the early '60s and I really think it may be the only shotgun I've ever used for pheasant.

Are you taking a poll of sentimental favorites or shopping for the ideal pheasant gun?

I have used a bunch of various shotguns on pheasants- pumps, autoloaders, O/U's and SxS's- in all the different gauges- over the years. The gun du jour in any particular phase of my life was, at the time, the ideal gun. Nowadays, I rely on an LC Smith in one form or another for all of my gunning needs, and wish that I had discovered the virtues of a Smith gun in 12 or 16 gauge for pheasants much earlier in my life!

Having used autos, s x s's, o/u's, my favorite is still the good old American pump..of these my favorite is an 870 I have had for almost 40 years..the barrel has been changed to take chokes, mod is my favorite..my favorite load is 3 1/4 - 1 1/4 - 5's..right now it is WW because that is what I have stocked up on..a second favorite would be either my 37 Ithaca or 31 Rem. both with solid ribs BUT I will have to open the full chokes in both to modified..

Ithaca 37 in 16 gauge mfg. in 1948.

I found out it is not a heavy Browning BPS 12 gauge would prefer a LW 20 gauge and LH. Throw out your ideas? I like the Benelli Montefeltro if it was made in LH and 20 gauge.

Nothing is as heavy as a BPS. I love 'em but hate to carry 'em...

The Ithaca has bottom ejection and a left hand safety.

The safety and cast can be switched to lefty. The ejection port is still wrong, but that's never bothered me.

I shoot a Browning Citori 16 ga. and a Fox Sterlingworth 16 ga. The Citori with choke tubes is tough to beat. More open for the start of the season and tighter for late season. You can't beat Fiocchi Golden Pheasant #5's and #6's.

Wise man.
I and Steve Bodio (author of Good Guns) agree with you whole hartedly.

Got to agree with several other posts. A good, well fitting SXS, 12 ga or 16 ga probably choked I/C and Improved Modified.
Two triggers, extractors, # 6 shot (and a few # 5s to buck the wind).

I see a lot of good choices posted here! My favorite for pheasant is a 12 ga. Winchester 23 XTR SxS. It's choked Mod/Full, and loaded with #6 it works just great. If I'm in a 16 ga mood, I grab the Ithaca 37 with a Poly choke.

I've carried a bunch over the years.

I shot my first rooster with a full choked 12 ga Model 12. Since then I have carried/tried a 20 ga Browning B-2000, Sweet 16 Auto-5, 16 ga Winchester 24 SxS, 20 ga Winchester 21 SxS, 20 ga Beretta 626 Onyx SxS, Model 12 16 ga, Browning 12 ga Double Auto "Twelvette", Browning 12 ga Double Auto "Twentyweight", and finally a Benelli 20 ga Montefeltro.

To each his own, but here are a few of my observations... 1. There is no perfect gun for all hunting applications, even when limited to just pheasant hunting over dogs 2. Stick with one or two and over time they will become a "natural" extension of your body and you will become a more effective/efficient shot 3. If you are going to shoot a pump or a double triggered gun, stick with "like" guns if you want to consistently kill your birds and not cuss alot 4. Bigger is not always better 5. Seemingly "light" guns get a lot heavier as you get older and "real light" 20's become "just right" and 6. "Gas operated" guns are nice until they get real dirty, fail to eject reliably, and you have to clean them at an inconvenient time (which to me is all of the time!)

With that said, the Model 21 is awful classy, the Browning Double Autos make nice light, reliable 12 gauge field guns, the Browning B2000 20 should have been more popular than it was (much nicer gun in my opinion than the Beretta gas guns) , BUT the Benelli Montefeltro 20 (and I am sure the new ultra light 12's are nice too!) is by far my favorite upland game bird gun, especially when hunting behind dogs!!!

The Benelli "Monte" 20 is light as a feather, ultra reliable and mechanically operated, points effortlessly , carries like a dream all day long, and kills with deadly efficiency when the "Bird Gods" smile down on you and the birds start coming up in 2's, 3's, and 4's (at least in good old Kansas!!!)

Good luck in your quest!!!

OK-hunting in KANSAS? Go with the pump or an autoloader, and fill the damn thing. Never saw so many pheasants in my life.

Lundtroller, We have similar tastes in shotguns. I used a Twelvette for almost 40-years, but eventually had to phase it out due to steel shot requirements in many areas I hunt. I plan on having Mike Orlen install a steel-compatible tube in the Twelvette, but until then I'll suffer the Benelli UL.

The Montefeltro is a great option as well. The 20-gauge version is sweet, but I can't shake the utility of the 12-gauge for pheasants in all conditions (even if it's just in my head). When I decided on the UL the Montefeltro was a close second place.

I picked up an M2 for my son this year. He's more techno than me and likes the composite/ComforTech style. I have a son-in-law that's new to hunting over the last couple years that's been using my BPS - a nice safe gun for a newbie. Maybe I'll go for the Benelli trifecta and pick up a Montefeltro for him.

Simson 76E 28" M/F 16ga loaded with Fiocchi Golden Pheasant 1 1/8oz #5 nickel plated shot...




The engraver thought so, too.

N I C E !!!

A good friend shoots his with a 16ga Ideal Grade he scored for a good price a while back. I keep trying to steal his Smith, but he is pretty proud of it, understandably. These are the Classic American pheasant gun, IMO.

JOG,

I understand your sentiments re: versatility of the 12 ga.

I bought a nice used left handed Montefeltro 12 ga for my son because they didn't offer the 20 in a left handed version and while it is still a very nice, relatively light gun, there is really no comparison in mind. I just really like ultra light guns that swing and point nicely! I am obviously older, heavier, have slower reflexes and poorer eyes now than my 17 year old son, but I still get on the birds faster and kill more than he does... still the alpha male in the house for a few more years I guess!!!

If I didn't still have the Browning Double Autos, I would probably own one of the Benelli UL 12's like yours. I've held a few and they feel real nice! I just don't hunt waterfowl much any more so the steel shot thing doesn't really affect me with the old Brownings.

One other advantage in my eyes is the Montefeltro's field rib which I prefer to the tapered or trap style ribs on the M1's, M2's, SBE's, and I believe your UL. I know others prefer just the opposite! Good thing we have choices!!!

I can't see where non-toxic shot is any problem hunting pheasant. The limits are what...2-4 birds/day? How much shooting is involved? There is plenty of good non-toxic ammo for older guns around, albeit expensive. The cost means the hunter would probably forgo the marginal shots that often cripple birds.

Well, let's go to the blackboard:

A. I can buy non-toxic shotshells.

Or...

B. I can buy another shotgun.

LMAO...

I can see the reasoning.

Hey! I "need" another shotgun.

Thanks. I've owned her for forty years now.
Unfortunatly, being the cowboy I was and not knowing any better, I shot some steel through it when the crap first came out. Put a few pretty nasty pimples in the barrels. I still hunt with it now and again, but worrying about it all day kinda wears on me.
I bought my Rizzini 16 shortly after that stunt. Haven't regretted it for a minute, but I still love that old Elsie.

I have an older Robust #4 16 that has bores rough as where the county road crew left off after quitting time on a Friday.

Thing is, it shoots great and patterns everything well. Go shoot Elsie.

Oh,,, it stil shoots good but the metal's pretty thin at a few of those pimples.
It'll probably never let go, but still, I have visions of pulling a trigger and ending up looking like Elmer Fud after another failed attemp at shooting that Waskelly Wabbit or Willy Coyotee after firing his new Acme shotgun.

I used a fine 16-gauge double yesterday hunting in an all-day rain. I had to set it in the mud a number of times for the usual dead bird and dog handling tasks, but I just wiped the metal on my pant legs and carried on.

Actually I could never do that - the abused gun was a Benelli.

I get a bit weary of some of the uppity people that hunt Pheasant. I must admit, though my favorite gun is a Webley 12 gauge SXS with 2 1/2 inch chambers...

You must not have hunted there for the opener yesterday or last year.

Never seen it so bad as it was yesterday, 30mph winds, gusts to 50, dust bowl conditions. Most of the CRP had either been baled or grazed due to the drought, very very few birds. I'd have been better off carrying a Red Ryder BB gun, its a lot lighter to carry and just as effective when you never have to shoulder it.

I like the Citori 16ga. o/u with choke tubes and a Winchester model 23 sxs 12 ga. Those two have taken a lot of birds over the years. I have had a few others and as long as the gun is under six and half pounds its okay for the uplands.

A 12 ga. Winchester Model 12 works well for me.

Well,,,, if shooting the same old double I bought used over forty years ago amounts to being "uppity" then I guess I'm guilty. ;>)

I don't own any "classic" shotguns, but my go to guns for roosters are a Beretta Black Onyx 12 ga. 28" O/U, and a pair of Winchester 23 Pigeon Grade Winchoke 12 ga. 26" S/S's. Each of these guns is plus or minus 25 years old. Not nearly old enough to be any good! A load of 2-3/4" 5's works well enough.

In an effort to improve my image, I have acquired several 20 gauge shotguns, which I have yet to try out on roosters, just the skeet range, since I am forced to work for a living, and am extremely busy. But, am looking forward to shooting my Beretta 687 Onyx 20 and a Beretta 471 Silverhawk 20.

You haven't shot that Beretta on Roosters yet!? What a shame. I'll shoot it for you if you need me to

BTW - get a Benelli

You can adjust the drop in the stock if you tend to shot over or under the birds - easy fix.

Also they have a high rib so if you have eye dominance issues they are less troublesome

You're properly uppity.

Woolens and English doubles are required accouterments at a pheasant shoot.

I would vote for a Ithaca Model 37 Featherlight, 20 gauge shooting #6 shot.

Benelli M1 or M2/Montifeltro(spelling?) 26" barrel with a load of #5's

Cheesy: Only had the pleasure of hunting in Kansas once 7 years ago with a good friend. Memorable. Pity the season is so poor this year. All the best.

I kinda like this one...



16 gauge Piotti BSEE Lusso, home brew cartridge with hard #6s.

I hate you!

High Cotton there. Very very nice.

DANG! Its awfully difficult to type with a hard tongue in the way!

I have always wanted a Piotti King Ultra, but that little SXS would do just fine...very fine.

Very elegant.

Until my boat comes in, I'll continue with my old workhorse.

Husqvarna Mod 20, 27" barrels choked full and fuller.

Beautiful Classic double!

I wanted one of these, and there were a lot coming in a couple of years ago. I missed out when they were relatively inexpensive.

What loads do you use in her?

Couldn't say off the top of my head
Found it.
I'm using the Fiiochi hull and 616 primer, BP's obturator, 2 3/8" cork, 7/8oz nickel plated 7 1/2's on top of 24gr Longshot closed with an overshot card and roll crimp. According to the BP load recipe I'm getting 1345fps at 7100psi.

I've got another with the BP Z16 wad and 10z of shot, but in these older chokes it shoots much tighter than I like at 30-35 yards.

Get a good German Whirehair and all you need is an old Stevens single shot .410.

My upland gun is a browning BPS 20ga If there were huntable numbers of pheasant around here I would shoot 1 1/8oz Of #5 at 1300fps. Same load I use when the chukar are not holding.

This x 1000. Mexico too.

That breed is next on my list.They are just fantastic

[quote=rod44]Get a good German Whirehair and all you need is an old Stevens single shot .410. [/quot


A real good one and you leave the gun home, they will also snag an occasional
fish out of the irrigation ditch.

Browning Superposed, 12 ga Full/Mod Remington Express #6's, 28" barrels

I lost my ideal pheasant gun.

Ended up having to leave it with a woman I couldn't stand.

Probably the most non-glamorous "ideal gun" I would ever list. But 20 years ago I was murdering GOBS of roosters over a pretty little liver & white Brittany named Belle. She was unreal !!

I toted a Winchester 1400 XTR 12 ga. with a 22" VR barrel and the IC tube screwed in. Shot Super X 7 1/2's. Seemed like I just COULD NOT miss with that stubby little gun.

Over a Springer I'd just switch to a mod or full tube and run hard 5's or 6's.