Best Do It All Shotgun?

[Montana'eer]

Just an FYI-

I have a Savage 220 o/u which was made by Valmet. I lucked out and found the unicorn 12/20 two barrel set- both matched to the receiver. I previously just had a 220 O/U only with the 20 ga barrel. They are fantastic o/u shotguns and can be found used at reasonable prices. I use the 20 for upland and the 12for waterfowl (or really windy field days). I've hunted with these shotguns for over 10 years- they are awesome, albeit a little heavy.

I also have a Citori feather lighting set- 28/20 barrel set. They discontinued these but boy that 28 is sweet. Less than 6lbs and you can carry it all day long. I've put in many, many 10-15mile days with that.

 

[seattleman1969]

For me the remington LT-20 was the best fitting fastest swinging shotgun I ever used. I have a 20 guage Browning Superposed with the straight grip and 26 inch barrels I used for grouse and bunnies. I still use my skeet model 1100 for birds some. But I like the Browning better. But the LT-20 could easily be my everything shotgun if I could only have one.
Shep

Same for me, love my early 70's LT 20. I also love my Stoeger m3020, its lighter, slimmer, swings just as nicely and handles 3" shells for waterfowl easily (my only complaint about my lt 20, 2 3/4 inch chamber).

If you are not hunting cranes or geese you don't need a 12 Ga. in my opinion. A 20 will do it all with less noise and recoil and cheaper shells generally.

 

[Pro2A]

Well I used to have 20 shotguns and 3 rifles. Then I bought a Benelli SBE, 25 years ago. Now I have 3 shotguns and 30 rifles. It does everything from goose to quail and dove. And keeps doing it, any difference in recoil between gas guns and inertia is subjective to the shooter.

Sorry to hear you fell on hard times.....

 

[skipglo]

Just an FYI-

I have a Savage 220 o/u which was made by Valmet. I lucked out and found the unicorn 12/20 two barrel set- both matched to the receiver. I previously just had a 220 O/U only with the 20 ga barrel. They are fantastic o/u shotguns and can be found used at reasonable prices. I use the 20 for upland and the 12for waterfowl (or really windy field days). I've hunted with these shotguns for over 10 years- they are awesome, albeit a little heavy.

I also have a Citori feather lighting set- 28/20 barrel set. They discontinued these but boy that 28 is sweet. Less than 6lbs and you can carry it all day long. I've put in many, many 10-15mile days with that.

10-15 mile days? Did you at least stop the truck and get out for a break!

 

[lyle2231]

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

Winchester model 12 hands down! There's still a few good used ones out there.

 

[seattleman1969]

10-15 mile days? Did you at least stop the truck and get out for a break!

Thats easy to do out here in Montana, especially on the big parcels out East, when looking for chukar/pheasant/sharptails/sage grouse.

 

[Montana'eer]

10-15 mile days? Did you at least stop the truck and get out for a break!

Pheasants in the a.m., then sharptails and huns! We do a lot of walking. 15 is about the max limit if it's a bad day.

 

[Montana'eer]

Thats easy to do out here in Montana, especially on the big parcels out East, when looking for chukar/pheasant/sharptails/sage grouse.

Heck it's not hard to do in Helena either. I've got a few spots where I hike and find ruffies at lower elevation and then get some boot time going up for duskies/blues.

 

[jpfrog]

Thats easy to do out here in Montana, especially on the big parcels out East, when looking for chukar/pheasant/sharptails/sage grouse.

Man, I gotta get my rear end up there. And soon.

 

[Pro2A]

"Best Do It All Shotgun?" Trick question!!! That's an impossible hypothetical Unicorn. "Ain't no such thingy." That's why one works hard/smart for decades so as not to have to make those Unicorn decisions. Have well over 350 smooth bores......severe lack of adult supervision in my life....... subscribe to paradigm "if one knows how many guns one has, one doesn't have nearly enough"... Home defense/room clearing with mags/drums/ "Crazy, Senile, Fire-two-blasts in the air" Joeys are very different from upland walking quail/grouse/chukar/pheasant heavy brush/open picked crop hunting from duck/goose blind/soaking wet/sleeting hunting from snarly clawed up close 'n' personal from Saturday afternoon club BBQ trap/skeet/sporting clays/crazy quail outings from unique/novel play pretties. Absolutely covet (sorry, God, you know I'm a willing work in progress....) break guns O/Us, SxSs, drillings, even singles. Nice assortments of SKBs, Brownings, Perazzis, "Englisnobys", and numerous I still can't pronounce. Enjoy fine wood/synthetic stocked Rem/Win/Mossy/Ithaca/Benes/et el shuckers, autos, some with EoTechs for turkey......feathered and not. If you think you have a "Best do it all shotgun," then, I have a "best do it all" NIB Unicorn attractively priced for your consideration.....PayPal, USPS MO, Certified......personal must clear before shipping...... "Best Do It All Shotgun?" Shaking head, rolling eyes, laughing convulsively.......

 

[Montana'eer]

I dunno- for years I got by with a Mossy 500 12 ga. Low brass small shot for small birds, bigger for goose. Short barrel for home duty, slug gun for deer and of course the field barrel.

I think I paid $250 for the whole she-bang. Sold it to my broke butt friend who started hunting birds- he's had it for over 5 years and does the same thing. We affectionately call it the 'Mossy meat machine'.

 

[lyle2231]

I dunno- for years I got by with a Mossy 500 12 ga. Low brass small shot for small birds, bigger for goose. Short barrel for home duty, slug gun for deer and of course the field barrel.

I think I paid $250 for the whole she-bang. Sold it to my broke butt friend who started hunting birds- he's had it for over 5 years and does the same thing. We affectionately call it the 'Mossy meat machine'.

Great pics!

 

[Radman]

Just an FYI-

I have a Savage 220 o/u which was made by Valmet. I lucked out and found the unicorn 12/20 two barrel set- both matched to the receiver. I previously just had a 220 O/U only with the 20 ga barrel. They are fantastic o/u shotguns and can be found used at reasonable prices. I use the 20 for upland and the 12for waterfowl (or really windy field days). I've hunted with these shotguns for over 10 years- they are awesome, albeit a little heavy.

I also have a Citori feather lighting set- 28/20 barrel set. They discontinued these but boy that 28 is sweet. Less than 6lbs and you can carry it all day long. I've put in many, many 10-15mile days with that.

A 28 is "sweet"!

 

[D2wing]

Remingtons seem to fit most people well and are good guns, 1100's are great. That said my best gun ever is a Berretta 686 Onyx 12 guage. I also like a Benelli SBE. The main thing is that it fits you and you shoot it well. I wish I had not sold a 20LT 1100 years ago.