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Old 01-12-2015, 11:29 AM
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LostintheOzone LostintheOzone is offline
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Obviously we have some shotgun veterans here. The OP said he wanted a do-it-all O/U.
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Sporting guns are too heavy to carry in the field and field guns are too light for the heavy use they will see in the clay games.
This is probably the most important information you will read anywhere about shotguns. Anyone who hunts and shoots clays seriously knows this and a novice will sooner or later discover this on their own after buying several guns that don't measure up for either task.

The best thing you can do right now is decide which sport you want to try first. Those of us who know both refer to these guns as target guns (for clays) and field guns (for hunting). Some people prefer one or the other for both sports but they are the exception and generally do it in spite of the handicap. If you truly want a do-it-all gun there are better choices than the O/U. I say this because the O/U is expensive and has morphed into mostly a target gun. One reason is the weight. They generally start at about 8 lbs. which is a light target gun and really too heavy for a field gun. My field guns are all about 6.5 lbs. Target guns are heavy to absorb recoil and take the added wear of thousands of rounds of ammo. I believe that Browning made an O/U that they tried to sell to both markets (GTS) but it didn't sell very well. Beretta tries this from time to time also but they never sell real well either. I think the Whitewing and Blackwing was their last attempt. I have a 20 ga Blackwing which is a nice light upland gun at 6 lbs but I prefer a sxs for the field.

If you really have to have a double go with an O/U for targets and a sxs for a field gun. If you want a do-it-all gun get an autoloader. You can have wood stocks, plastic or both, and buy used inexpensive barrels to suit your sport. Some even have adjustable stocks that use shims so you can get a descent fit without buying a custom stock. This too is very important. Autos are very common as target and field guns.

Don't get me started about British game guns and American classic sxs's. I could write a book.
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Last edited by LostintheOzone; 01-12-2015 at 05:54 PM.
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