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Sporting Shotgun Input Please
I'm decently familiar with the requirements of a defensive shotgun as well as those of a competitive 3gun shotgun. I'm all set there. This is a thread about sporting shotguns. I had the pleasure of a "Clays and Feathers" outing with some of the men in my family this past Saturday and while I've shot sporting clays several times before, this was my first bird hunt. I doubt I can afford to become addicted to shooting quail behind dogs, but I would like to expand my bird hunting opportunities.
Currently I have 2 what I'll call "legitimate" shotguns (meaning, not single-barrel 12 guages). They are a 21" Benelli M2 12ga field model, vent rib, threaded for chokes (and I have the full factory set). This is my 3gn/defensive (more theory/practice; a shotgun sits behind pistol and AR for my "go-to" stuff) gun. I would probably work well for turkey too. This is the gun I used for clays and feathers on Saturday and it worked fine for clays, Quail, Chukar, and Pheasant. The only shots I missed were longer ones pushing 50 yds and that's probably my fault for showing up with a Cylinder choke in the gun and forgetting to bring the rest of my chokes.
The other one I have is a .410 sxs. Great gun for squirrels and I'd imagine for rabbit too. I've heard of folks shooting Quail with a .410 SXS. Not sure how it'd do on Pheasants.
I have 2 young sons as well (currently 5 and 3).
All of this to say, I don't know super much about hunting shotguns, what "conventional wisdom" is, and not so many people bird hunt that I know to be able to ask. I'd like a gun that's reasonably "acceptable" for the occasional recreational clays game, as well as wing hunting with maybe some squirrel and rabbit thrown in. Basically a do-all shotgun that would work for my sons as well as a loaner if I should take a friend to shoot clays.
My thought was a 20ga automatic, 26" or 28" barrel, preferably threaded for chokes. Thinking along the lines of a Benelli Montefeltro, Remington 1100 (gas would keep recoil down) or maybe even a Browning A5. My BIL brought his dad's Belgian Browning Light 20 on the hunt and that was a fantastic gun to shoot.
I've also given some thought to a Browning Double Auto "Twentyweight." These guns have always intrigued me and there are a few on GB kinda cheap right now. Yeah, it's a 12ga though. Still...
Yet another thought is to pick up a 26 or 28" barrel for my M2. I got some grief from the guide about how quick I was swinging my "short barrel" even though it didn't cost me any birds. Maybe it's just a paradigm thing.
I will say that when participating in classic activities like shotgunning I prefer to be a traditionalist. In this case, I just don't know what that is. Finally, I'm not really a fan of O/U's. I realize that's pretty much the go-to for clays games, but I've shot some higher end Beretta's, Ruger Red Labels, a Browning Citori and a Winchester 101. They just don't do anything for me.
There's a part of me that really wants to just bite the bullet and pick up a 28ga Benelli Ethos.
Thanks for reading the rambling and any advice you can offer!
Pic from Sat:
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