To liven it up a bit in here, what shotgun do you use for what? I started out with a 20 guage 870, went to a 12 guage 870, then when I got out of school bought a Beretta 391. While the 870's served me well, I definitely won't be going back to them since using the 391-use it for doves, pheasants, turkey, the few quail we have around, clays, and sometime in the future ducks and geese I hope.

When I am wanting to be different, I'll switch over to a 1948 vintage Ithaca 37 20 guage, that gun is choked tighter than Rosie O'Donnell's grip on a dessert spoon, but it shoots where I point it, and is a dream to carry.

SKB M85TSS Unsingle combo for most trap duties.. SKB M685 3-barrel set for skeet.. LMAO.. I LOVE it...

Ithaca model 37 12ga.

For sporting clays and occasionally doves I use a 12 gauge Beretta 303 30" with Comp-N-Choke tubes. I also have another 303 12 gauge with a trap stock on it and just swap barrels, but I havent registered any trap in years. My hunting gun and sub gauge sporting gun is a 28" 20 gauge 303 also with Comp-N-Chokes that I bought last year from a friend. I carried it up and down mountains in Nevada last year chasing the most frustrating bird on the planet...chukkar. It has also been my dove gun the last 2 seasons and I pretty much love it.

rem 870 -- turkey barrel and rifled for slugs
BPS-- waterfowl (usually swans)
Citori o/u (70s vintage)-- upland
CZ Amarillo --managed recoil slugs for Double Rifle practice

I'm with WyoJoe - Ithaca 12 for recreational clay birds and pheasants (haven't been forever). I also still use it some with the DeerSlayer barrel for deer. Rest of the time I use a rifled 1300 with scope.

Clays and upland game - Model 12 Winchester or Browning Citori White Lightning
Doves - Benelli M2 20 gauge synthetic
Waterfowling - Benelli SBE I
If I had to give them all back and only keep one it would be the Model 12 hands down.

Smith&Wesson model 3000 12 gauge full choke. Use it for skeet,trap,quail dove an just about everything else.

Used to run around with a 870 youth 20gauge. It was a lil short but it made a dandy truck gun as well as a heavy brush quail gun. But the girlfriend kept that when she dumped me.

Right now I'm using a 12GA Beligian Guild (Francotte) 1920 SXS. I picked it up at ashop I won't name that had it labeled as a Chinese gun - yeah really!!200 bucks. I laughed my butt off on the way to the car waiting for the guy to come rushing out at any moment saying he made a huge mistake. The guns is about a 3000 dollar gun! Unbelievable. You know I don't feel all that guilty in that I waited 48 years for that to happen. Then to top it all off, i shoot it better than any shotgun I've ever owned. Gotta love that. Went ten for ten on doves last weekend which was a first in my lifetime. And get this: with 7/8oz #6 handloads. They patterned beautifully out of the gun and everything dropped stone dead. Can't wait for Oct 6 when chuakr and quail opens. Then Oct 21 when rooster season is here. But right now I'm looking forward to an elk tag I drew for sept 15-25.

28ga. Miroku O/U- skeet/doves/early-season grouse.
16ga. German Guild gun, L.C.Smith 12ga.- general upland hunting.
12ga. L.C.Smith Long Range Ideal Grade, 32" heavy reinforced barrels, 3" chambers, 1924 DOM (mild Bismuth handloads)- ducks/geese.
Stoeger 2000 beater- ducks/geese, if the weather is truly nasty. Even then the L.C. LR often gets the nod.

Quail, Pheasant - Model 21 (old, old type, double triggers and lifters - no auto ejectors).
Dove (so far) my new (last month) M535 Mossberg, 12 ga. pump - later on when the seasons come in I will use it for duck, geese, swan, and spring turkey (special turkey barrel).
Winchester 1300 12 ga pump - owned since 84 - main gun until I bought the Mossberg.
Win Super X Model 1 - get out occassionally for old time sake - first shotgun I ever bought new (in 1976). Just don't care much for semi-auto's anymore.

Beretta Extrema for everything but clays, for those I use my SKB 885 Trap Combo. I might pull the 870 Supermag out of the safe to use for turkeys but then I'd have to find my full choke.

For Waterfowl I use the Browning A5 magnum my Dad left me. Getting harder to find non-toxic shot that is safe fr the barrel though?

For general clays and the occassional pheasant hunt my current favorite is an old stevens 311 in 16 ga.

And I still make it a point to occassionaly take out the old Stevens 410/22lr O/U that was my dad's favorite carry gun. This old girl rarely missed an evening during the fall back when we lived where "going hunting" meant a walk behind the house to some good small game cover. Gosh I mess those days !

Supermag, that M885 is a nice firearm. Always wanted one of those just for craps and giggles.. Kinda rare nowadays too. Maybe someday.. LOL.

BTW, ever heard of a M880 Crown Grade? Only 60 were imported and I was lucky enough to snag a new one about 25+ years ago.

Never heard of the Crown Grade, but knowing the quality and beauty of the high grade SKBs, I bet it's a looker.

I actually got the 885 back in 1998 as a previous model close out at Guns Unlimited in Omaha. I hate to make you kick yourself but I believe I got it for less than 1/2 of the original price.

If I am not mistaken all the big three are loading new non-toxic shot that is softer than steel or Hevi-Shot in waterfowl type loadings. Check Winchester, Remington, and Federal and see if they don't have some new "soft as lead" non-toxic shotshells for waterfowl hunting.

Having been through several phases of shotgunning we generally use Citori Trap models and a BT-99 for most trap work and use Beretta 686E's for upland game and sporting clays. If we're into heavy goose banging it could be The E's or a Remington 870 Express and a Mossberg 500. The old standard 1100's and 870 Wingmasters are pretty much retired to safe duty. And that really is a shame.

I have an early 1960's 870 WingMaster in 20 gauge with two barrels; a 28 inch full choke and a 26 inch IC choke. I've killed doves, quail, turkey, small game, and deer with it.

Most of my quail and dove shooting for the past 20 years has been with a Rugger Red Label; 26 inch barrels Mod. and IC choked. I won several club Skeet League trophies with that gun and an 1100 I no longer own.


I have used an 870 Express 3 inch 12 gauge for turkey since 1995.

I like 870's much better than any semi auto.

870 fer birds and clays

I hope to pry the old man's Browning pigeon grade 20 gauge SxS out of his hands some day. That will probably require a good kick to his shin and a getaway car.

On another note, I got to play with a Mossy O/U this weekend. It wasn't too shabby fer a eastern block import, but it needs a little shooting or polishing to loosen it up. The action is a little tight.

Started with a 16 gauge Ithaca 37, mod choke, in mid-60's, killed everything with it including my first deer. Lost in a duck hunting mishap in '68. Replaced it with a full-choke version that shot too gawdawful tight, turned that into a slug gun. Got a 12 gauge Ithica slug gun from back when they made them well, used it for everything for a few years. In the mid-80's got a Ruger Red Label 12 gauge, 26 in with tubes, used it for everything (but slugs)for a few years, still shoot it better than most of my other smoothbores, but have gotten more specialized over the years. I have a Browning BT-99 for trap, two gauge Merkel 1620 set and Philidelphia Fox 16 gauge for birds, Beretta auto 3 1/2 inch 12 for late season waterfowl, 12 gauge 24 inch turkey barrel for my T/C Encore for turkey. Got a few other smoothbores in amongst the rifles and a few have come and gone, but these are the ones I use. Have come to the conclusion I would shoot better it I just stuck with the Ruger as an all around gun. I guess I just like guns.

Last year I picked up an older, non-import marked Rossi SxS 12 ga. Hammer gun in new condition. 28in tubes with full and mod chokes. Wood is plain but it has a silver, roll engraved receiver. Shoots 3 inchers too. Let me tell ya, once I got the hammer thing and double triggers figured out, I hunt upland with nothing else.
Just the coolness factor of hunting with a hammer gun is enough for me.

I use a Benelli M2 for ducks,geese and pheasant.This is my third season with it and I've been very pleased with it.

Husqvarna SxS's in 12, 16 or 20 ga. depending on what I am hunting. All but one have straight stocks and all have double triggers with either 27.5" or 29.5" barrels.

Geese - Benelli Nova 12 gauge because it is my only 3 inch gun
Ducks - Winchester Model 12 Field gun reamed out to I/M - 12 gauge
Prarie upland - Huns and pheasants - Winchester Model 12 featherweight 12 gauge
Ruffed Grouse - either a Mowry black powder 12 gauge single shot or a Jackie Brown flintlock 20 gauge fowler
Loaner gun - Remington Model 58 12 gauge
Snow shoe rabbits and just walking around - Mossberg 190 - 16 gauge.

I like shotguns.

DN

Anymore, the vast majority of my shooting is done with two shotguns. I use a well worn Remington 870 for waterfowl. It's proven absolutely dependable in all weather and points well for me. I've been tempted to use other guns, but that's the one that always goes with me. For upland game (mostly pheasants), I use a Browning Citori Feather 12 ga with 26" barrels. It is a near perfect game gun for me. In fact, I'd consider using it as my only shotgun except that I don't relish the idea of dragging it through the marshes!

I use a 1952 built Stevens 311 SxS 12 gauge, with the barrels cut to 27" (from the factory 30") and the stock reworked English style straight wrist and splinter forend. The old Stevens was found in a pawnshop for $250 a few years ago, metal in good shape, case colors still bright on the receiver, but wood all mildewed and nasty looking. I picked it up, wiped off the crud, and saw some decent looking walnut, so I bought it. In the late 1980's/early 1990's, I had some other shotguns, like an SKB 505 20 gauge, SKB 600 12 gauge, 20 gauge Parker Hale (Ugartechea)705 SxS, Mossberg 500, LC Smith 16 gauge Field Grade SxS, and a Dixie Gun Works Pedersoli 13 gauge SxS muzzleloader. Lost them all to financial woes. I didn't even own a shotgun for about three years until I found the Stevens. My Dad has a Remington 1100 16 gauge, so I borrowed it for some dove shooting, nice gun, butstill have some 16 gauge shells out in the shed, since he never shoots it anymore. I miss the DGW muzzleloading double, that old gun was a lot of fun to shoot.