Anyone hunt with a O/U shotgun?

I have a Beretta Whitewing in 12 gauge and a Beretta Golden Snipe in 20 gauge I use on upland birds. Neither are in production anymore but can still be found used at times.
I found Berettas fit me well and I can hit better with them than other makes. I did shoot a Winchester 101 well once and have been looking for one since at a reasonable price. They're getting hard to find now here.
 
I'va had a shot quite a few different O/U shotguns. Currently I favor Italian O/Us due to lighter weight and more slender stocks. They feel a lot more nimble and less clubby than Citoris, Winchesters, Rugers etc. Look at some of the less known brands or older models of the name brand guns. I have found some really good deals for myself and others by avoiding the newer latest and greatest guns. Recently I got my best friend a Beretta BL4 20 ga in 95% condition with a flat of shells for $650. Guy that had it told my friend no one was interested in it as its an older gun and not a well known model.
 
gregintenn said:
I've sure ran a lot of ammo through a Browning Citori 20 guage Superlight.
Click to expand...

The best hunting shotgun I ever owned. Mine was one of the first batch that had 3-inch chambers, the dull finish on the stock, and fixed chokes. In a moment of total stupidity, I sold it to buy a newer model that had screw-in chokes. It also felt different, had 2-3/4" chambers, and had the shiny urethane finished wood. It turned out to be nothing like the old gun. :mad:

I have kicked myself at least a hundred times for selling the old Browning, but since I don't hunt any longer, it doesn't matter, I guess. It was one of my bigger blunders in my gun buying-selling career. If I ever do start bird hunting again, I am sure the kicking will start up again. :o
 
I bought an Italian OU 20 marked FIAS back in the early 1980s. It has been my favorite grouse gun since then. It weighs about six and a half pounds with a couple of six shot in the chambers, carries easily and kills
grouse and varying hares well. On top of that all the woodcock I've killed have been taken with that gun. (I no longer shoot woodcock as I can't find a recipe for them that I like).

Also have a 16 gauge Marlin 90 that I have hunted with a little.
Just heavier enough than the 20 that it makes a difference.
Nice gun but seems to kick a lot more than my Winchester Model 12 in
16 gauge. Field loads only with the Model 90.
 
I have a friend who uses them to stuff mushrooms. He brought a tray of them out to us one day while we were shooting skeet. I gagged one down (no fan of haute cuisine here) but several of the guys thought they were excellent. For my purposes, the result in no way justified what must have been a good deal of work, but I was in the minority view. Of course those in the majority did not hunt the woodcock or prepare the dish, either. :D
 
J.M said:
I'va had a shot quite a few different O/U shotguns. Currently I favor Italian O/Us due to lighter weight and more slender stocks. They feel a lot more nimble and less clubby than Citoris, Winchesters, Rugers etc. Look at some of the less known brands or older models of the name brand guns. I have found some really good deals for myself and others by avoiding the newer latest and greatest guns. Recently I got my best friend a Beretta BL4 20 ga in 95% condition with a flat of shells for $650. Guy that had it told my friend no one was interested in it as its an older gun and not a well known model.
Click to expand...

The Beretta BL series is the sleeper on the market. There's really no gun that compares with them for the same money. That's a great deal on a 20, which are usually more than the 12.

The biggest difference between them and the new Berettas is that they do not have replaceable trunnion pins. But if you keep those lightly greased on the BL series guns they should last several lifetimes of normal use.

And woodcock have to be cooked rare, like a duck.
 
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