I shoot a few Dove and Quail but am mainly a rifle guy so am soliciting experience formed opinions on what the best Do It All shotgun would be. Do It All being mostly dove and quail with occasional waterfowl.

I would want nice walnut or a synthetic walnut. My son has a Beretta A390 with a synthetic walnut finished stock that is absolutely gorgeous. You have to look really hard to tell it’s not walnut, but, alas, as near as I can tell, they don’t offer that option for their stocks anymore.

What do you shotgun aficionados recommend?

Thanks,

John

Benelli or Beretta...

One doesn't exist....yet all the options do in specific examples...

Dove and Quail...Model 12's, 870's, and other pumps, all the SA's, O/U's and SxS in specific models....I like pumps, O/U's and SxS's....and can find a best do it all from each example...
Today pumps are the shotgun equivalent of the stick shift.....Most can't figure how to run one, except in slow motion and don't try....although they may be the most reliable and take less care than any of the others...

Same with Waterfowl.....although I would most likely pick a different variation of each....

Well put and I agree.

Battue, I expect you are on the road now.

No, leaving early Monday morning...We are supposed to be there Tues afternoon...Long haul tomorrow, then short trip in on Tues....My vote was leave tomorrow, but the other guy had cut down trees to get out of the front yard...

Hard to find a bad scattergun these days unless you really go bottom barrel stuff. Remington 11-87, Beretta autos, Benelli are all really good and will cover most of not all game/games.
If you can go to your local trap and skeet club and shoot some stuff and see what fits, shotguns are all about fit.

I recommend you go auto, Battue put it real well, pumps are like a stick shift.

The do all shotgun, 16ga/16ga/7x57R with QR Claw mounts.



The little 1.5x woods scope not enough snap on another.



Or pop the scope off and go bird hunting as the bases are set into the rib.

I have done it all, grouse, pheasants, rabbits, turkeys, waterfowl, crows, predators, deer for over 4 decades with a pump gun. Have had o/u's and sxs's but still prefer a pump for hunting.

What's your budget?

A model 37 Ithaca for me. After owning and still owning O/U's and auto's gas and inertia nothing puts the game in the bag as consistently as my 37's .

20 ga Ithaca 37's ?

LOL!!! I love you guys!! You you recommend a Mosin-Nagant to a guy asking for a rifle recommendation too

Shooter grade model 12, 12 ga.

Quail and dove? Benelli M2 20 ga. It'll even kill pheasants and grouse if you get into them. Heck, with the right ammo, even waterfowl isn't out of the question. If you're on a budget, the Rem 870 is about as "do it all" as they come. But if I were you, I'd just borrow your sons 390 and go hunting.

Leaning toward one of these.

https://fabarmusa.com/l4s-initial-hunter/

Anyone have any experience with them?

John

Yep!

You answered you own question my mentioning your son’s Beretta 390. That said, I’ll second two shotguns mentioned above, the Winchester Model 12 and Ithaca Model 37. I may get flamed, but I like the Remington semi-autos as well.

I'd say pick your favorite 12 gauge pump or autoloader, being sure to pick a good model with a reputation for reliability. Get it with a 26" barrel with screw in chokes. For waterfowl it shouldn't be too light, for upland not too heavy, so a compromise weight is necessary For heavy loads I'd make sure it had a quality recoil pad. I know a lot of folks with only one shotgun, and it is usually a 12 gauge autoloader nowadays.

Benelli M2 20 guage has killed ducks, geeses, pheasants, and grouse. The forend appears to be defective and sticky, but overall been a great shotgun. Now need to call Benelli to get replacement forend.

Gosh, I'd hate to have to pick one, but if I did, I'd pick a benelli M2 or SBE.

The best? One that fits, is reliable and it won’t hurt if it’s a good looker. My “bests”?

Ithaca 37 20 ga
Winchester 50 12 ga
Beretta 686 12 ga
WC Scott 20 SxS
W&C Scott & Son Damascus 12 ga SxS
JP Sauer & Sohn 16 ga O/U
Stevens 311 16 ga for when I’m gonna wallow in the mud with pigs.

Used to have a H&R Topper .410 but I grew up and gave it to a nephew

OK folks, I really appreciate all the responses but have to go a different direction. This is a Christmas gift and a little more intel tells me he wants an over/under. Recommendations in the < $1400 range?

Thanks,

John

Used Beretta, Browning, SKB...

I have Ithacas and 870's. It is tough to choose between them. With a 26-28" VR barrel, a smoothbore 20-21" rifle sight barrel with screw chokes and a rifled cantilever barrel you can be set for most anything.

Browning or Beretta. Whatever ones fit best.

You'll never go wrong with either one of the 3 B's....Especially with all the choke tubes available today.....Browning, Beretta or Benelli....Shoulder all 3 and see which one you like best.

Been carrying my Benelli Montefeltro for 33 years; never failed to cycle anything.

Do it all shotguns abound, just pick one you like and feed it accordingly and everything will work out. With shotguns it's all about the image portrayed I tell you. With that in mind, I have tried to give a thumbnail of the action types commonly used.

SXS doubles, here are your romantics. They would prefer tweed, pipe smoke and the company of good friends on a hunt more than the actual killing. They like fine wine, British motorcars and the camaraderie around the fireplace. They don't hit much but are a lot of fun to be around.

O/U doubles, here is your alpha dog. Competitive lot they are. These guys shoot a lot of clays, They don't miss much. Shoot with these guys and you will go home with an inferiority complex. They need a bit of guidance in the brambles and you won't ever catch them near the water. Resist the urge to choke the sheit out of them while afield.

Inertia SA, here is the amphibious waterfowl assault force. Synthetic and waterproof coatings required because these guys will be in the water as much as out and the gun is guaranteed to be submerged on several occasions. Waterfowl shotguns are rarely passed down to the following generations because they don't last that long. 5 hard years of use with magnums and being wet and you will be ready for a new gun.

Gas SA, these are for the older, wiser alpha dogs that used to shoot O/U's but got tired of the pounding they took from a full day of 1 1/8 oz loads. Dirty guns they are, and a scrubbing is required to keep them running sometimes but they are comfortable. Back in the day before the Inertia craze, guys that showed up with gas guns were viewed with suspicion as city folk.

Pumps, this is the everyday get it done gun of the common man. Always works, inexpensive and durable. Once again, back in the day before everybody got all uppity this gun was used by everyone in the midwest except for city folks. Guys that use these are of a practical mind and good guys to hunt with.

Remember: shotguns are like golf clubs, you don't just go out with your five iron. The fun is having a bunch in you bag for each application/scenario.

DD if you are reading this you got some splainin' to do! Your exploits with the M37 20 gauge on pigs is legendary but you never told anybody about the 311 16 gauge. Just what are you cooking up in the laboratory now? Inquiring minds want to know.

These area good guns, I have one. Read Randy Wakeman's reviews on them.

Nice Christmas gift! However, prices for a good O/U will make it hard to get a new one in that budget.

If push came to shove and I had to get rid of the other eleven, the one I would keep would be a 12ga 870. I prefer other guns for everything but waterfowl, but I've done it all with an 870 also.

You can get 12ga ammo to do ANYTHING (anyone need a flamethrower?) Change the stock and barrel and teach your kid to shoot with superlight target loads. Need to kill a turkey? a goose? shoot trap? squirrels? some a-hole that kicked in your back door? It'll do it all. I've seen guys have to borrow a goose guide's pump when their autos froze up. It's sometimes nice to have an extra shot when the only ducks of the day pile into the decoys or another rooster flushed just as you whiffed the first one - twice! It's the one I took on a caribou hunt to shoot ducks and ptarmigan when I thought it might fall out of the scabbard strapped to the wing of a SuperCub.

It would be boring but If I had to whittle it down to only one....

What AZ said.........X2

If I wanted a wood stock, all around shotgun, I would go with one of the new Browning A-5 semi-autos. For synthetic, a Benelli M2

It's hard to go wrong with a 870 Wingmaster.

Rem 870
Ithaca 37
Winchester model 12
Lots of great guns out there.

I was going to recommend Franchi Affinity 3 as a general gun that works well and doesn't carry the benelli price tag, but seeing OU is what your after...

I would say browning or beretta, but you won't get them under $1400 often.

Check out a Franchi OU.

I

3 numbers "870" Nuff said!

True, buts it not an OU shotgun like the OP said he now wants.....Hb

Pick your flavor of Benelli or Beretta. Or a Model 12.

CZ Drake is a great bang for the buck

A remington 870 with a 26” barrel and screw in chokes in 12 gauge. It will do everything, if you will.

Just saw he wants an OU. On your own, there. Not my world.

Hard to beat the Super X family................ 2, 3 or 4 ...............chambered in 3 1/2".

You can run anything in them from 7/8 oz. up to 3 1/2" candlesticks flawlessly. Just great, all-around, light recoiling, reliable guns.

This right there.

And I've never felt under-powered with 2 3/4 inchers either,

Can’t tell what to get, but I can tell you what I’m buying, a CZ Redhead Premier 20. Seems to be the best deal in a new gun in that range. If used is okay, you may run into something else nicer if you cruise around looking.

I wanted something mostly for turkeys, but also for some doves and whatnot. Ended up with one of the oogly cerakoted models for crawling around in the bushes. Has a mechanical trigger and selective ejectors, plus magnets in the extractors so the shells don’t fall out. They also make them with silver receivers and black chromed barrels. For about $1800, they have some with very nice walnut and better engraving, but that puts you into some pretty nice used gun territory.

Turkish guns can be rough or excellent, depending on the company that puts their name on them and how close they watch the maker

Find a good clean lightly used Citori Lightning in 12 ga with 28" barrels and the invector plus choke system. A compromise like most everything else suggested. As another mentioned shotguns are about fit so you might be way ahead to let the person getting it pick it based on fit they like. For all around use don't know how one could go wrong with a light Contour 870 with rem chokes in a 26" barrel 12ga. Or a M1 super 90 benelli 12 ga with 26" barrel.. mb