Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: AZRedhawk44 on June 15, 2023, 01:22:47 PM
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I'm hoping to get drawn for turkey this year, but even if not, I'd like to go out for dove this fall and winter again. Something I do with my brother and dad some years.
My current bird gun is an ancient Winchester M12. I'd like to get an over/under, and I think 12ga is a bit overkill for little doves.
Looking online this morning at Bass Pro just for an idea of what's available and it seems that nothing under $1000 gives me blued barrels. CZ cerakotes the barrels green, Mossberg seems to be painted black, not sure on the Savage/Stevens. Who is TriStar? Stoeger appears to be blued, but they have a funky trigger that the first pull sets the hammer mechanically for the second pull, rather than using recoil from the shell to do that. Seems recoil method is more prominent.
Browning's Citori Hunter Grade 1 is nice. It's $2k though. A bit more than I want to spend.
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12 gauge is not over kill for doves. I shoot doves with 1oz of 8 shot. Nothing is shredded.
I have been looking at a 20 gauge sxs just for something different. I'm probably going to get the CZ Bobwhite with an English stock.
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I grew up hunting dove with a 12 gauge. It works just fine. The last foray into dove hunting was Eurasian Collared Dove at a friends wheat farm in WA. I set up a blind near the silos and left it there. Then I moved in with a scoped 22 bolt using shorts at about 35 yds and sniped the crap out of those things. Lots of fun. Collared dove are an invasive species, check your regs, there may not be a limit/season/etc on them where you live. If shot during mourning dove season they do not count to your daily limit if so. It was like that in WA, I ate dove all year.
TriStar is Turkish, I have heard nothing but good about them.
If you wanted to move away the OU then Mossberg makes a nice, blued, affordable pump in 20. Anytime you start looking at OU the price goes up pretty quick. Also don't dismiss a Remington 1100 in 20. When I was shooting skeet every day I had Remington 1100s in 12,20,28 and .410. Il loved shooting those guns, especially in the smaller bores. You can go all day long.
But like you said, a blued OU is a thing of big bucks it seems.
bob
ETA: Charles Daly may have just the thing you are looking for. https://www.charlesdaly.com/product.php?id=593
ETA (again) You can whack Eurasian dove all year long and as many as you want. You just need to know where you are because certain areas do have regs for them, probably to protect the native population from getting shot from misidentification, https://azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/19120248/2023-24-Dove-and-Pigeon-Regs.pdf
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I have used a 12 gauge for dove with no issues.
I have seen Rem 1100 shotguns show up occasionally on a local fishing forum. Sometimes a 20 gauge shows up. I bought one off a guy a couple years ago and now have a late 1960's vintage 1100 that is pretty nice.
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Instead of getting overly fixated on brand or gauge, pay more attention to gun fit. A cheap gun that fits you will put you on target faster & more reliably than an expensive gun that doesn't. And as already pointed out, you CAN get "light" 12 ga loads.
I have a Citori skeet gun and a trap gun, both have seen a lot of use and are still tight, and of course they happen to fit me very well. I'm surprised (but shouldn't be) that they're going for ~$2k now.
About 35 or 40 years ago a bunch of Sarasketa O/Us came in from Europe and a friend of mine got one. (I think there were a couple of companies making these under similar names - he had one of the really cheap ones.) He DID say he expended some effort making the gun right - he deburred the internal parts carefully, and then had the machine shop at work dip the parts in a case pot to harden them, as they were on the soft side. AFAIK it worked OK for him.
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If you're used to a Model 12, then you'll probably prefer a O/U with a high profile reciever and/or barrlels that sit above your hand.
I'm a SxS guy, and shoot best with a low profile OU, one where the barrels are wrapped by the forend and sit closer to my palm. For me at the time it was the Browning 425, the Ruger Red Label, and a Beretta series beyond my price range.
I recall most o/u guns put the sighting plane too high for my shooting style. I never went through with the purchase, but knew what i needed- because of what i would shoot best.
The only way I could find out was try some out during skeet league and spend a lot of time at the shops pulling up on exit signs and trying to trace the wall/ceiling lines.
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And another thing..
Like charby and bobber said, 12 isnt too much for dove. Fast 7/8 or 1oz loads sound right. Shooting 20 gauge equivalents through a 6lb gun will turn quickly unpleasant.
But the gun. A 20 is attractive because its smaller, more agile, lighter than a 12 - in theory.
In my experience this is true when you get into higher end guns built on a proper 20 gauge action. Some makers will put little tubes on a 12ga frame and call it good. I'm not naming names but some 1980s Japanese 3" 20s were just logs.
And speaking of 3" 20 ga. If you think you'll need a magnum load (turkey you say?) you don't want a light gun. Patterning turkey loads in my +8 lb 835 is torture. Don't do it to yourself. Just get a 12.
In the "reasonable" price range there are so many more 12ga o/u to choose from made by the ususal suspects.
But yeah, a well balanced, sub 6lb 20 is a delight. Just don't expect it to do the work of a 12.
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I always wanted a Ruger red label but then I am not much of a shotgunner. Buy all of them you might want and sell whatever doesn’t grow on you.
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Another guy here who says to go with the 12. I've always done my upland hunting with a 12 gauge. I used to use a Red Label and liked it. I have no idea what they're going for now. Back in the boomer days, they were the best bang for the buck.
I currently use a DeHaan SxS 12 gauge for upland. It handles like a dream. I do an annual pigeon shoot in Oregon, where they fly in big numbers and fast and furious. No issues with the gun's weight for fast shooting. As others have said, a GOOD 20 gauge double can be a dream, but it does limit you.
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I don't hunt anymore, but in years past I had no problems taking dove with 12 gauge and 7 1/2 shot.
These days all of my shotgunning is on clay birds. I'm particularly fond of my Stevens 311 SxS 20 gauge. It's an older one from the 1950s, but man is it fun.
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I've never shot a Tristar, only assembled & sold them. The first Tristar O/U I put together cut the *expletive deleted*it out of my finger. The edges of the lever under the forearm that releases the forearm to assemble/disassemble was/is sharp! At least on the 7 or so I've had in my hands. The stock & forearm are lightweight plastic. Keeps the weight down, but it sure feels cheap.
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Going from an old Win Model 12 to a modern shotgun with interchangeable choke tubes is going to be a delight for you.
Only reason I want a 20 gauge SXS is just mainly to have a lightweight field gun and have a classic feel. Pheasant populations aren't the greatest in Iowa these days, so I might as well enjoy my days afield with my new pup.
My main field firearm is a Benelli SBE, harvested a lot of fowl with that.
Regarding turkeys, I'd rather have a 12, they can be tough birds to humanly kill. That being said, I still use a 2 3/4" heavy field load in #6, because I like to decoy and kill them at 10-15 yards. Yes my shotgun is a 3.5" 12, but I reserve the 3.5" shells for shooting Canada geese.
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I don't hunt anymore, but in years past I had no problems taking dove with 12 gauge and 7 1/2 shot.
These days all of my shotgunning is on clay birds. I'm particularly fond of my Stevens 311 SxS 20 gauge. It's an older one from the 1950s, but man is it fun.
The first gun I bought myself after turning 18 was a Savage Fox B-SE SxS. Still have it - took more than a few birds with it.
An SxS shotgun is traditional for peasant hunting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0iAcQVIokg
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"The first gun I bought myself after turning 18 was a Savage Fox B-SE SxS. Still have it - took more than a few birds with it."
NICE! Always wanted a Fox.
Friend of mine in high school used to use his Dad's Fox Sterlingworth from the early 1930s. I think his grandfather originally bought it. 12 gauge. Beautiful gun. We were shooting one day when he reloaded it and shut the action. The right barrel fired. He reloaded it, closed the action, and it fired again. Something had broken internally and when the action shut the hammer fell. IIRC took a couple of months to get it fixed.
I'm pretty sure it was that gun that gave me my love for SxS doubles.
Given the choice between a SxS, an O/U, or a pump, I'll pick the SxS first and the pump second.
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So you guys telling me to stick with 12 in my shopping, here's my full plan.
The only 2 hunting shotguns I have in the safe right now are a single shot .410 and that beat up M12. I have really enjoyed being out stomping the desert for dove with family, and Alexis has come with my brother and dad and me a couple times and enjoyed it too, but she hasn't brought anything down with the .410.
My thinking with a 20 O/U is on several lines.
1. I kinda dig how O/U shotguns can be taken apart in the middle easily. My Jeep is kinda narrow and putting a full length bird gun in the back assembled is hard.
2. If I go alone, I can take the 20 or the M12, whichever I like better. I'm kinda annoyed by the M12 because it has some magazine tube tension issues, but it works and I take birds with it.
3. If I go with Alexis, she could use this proposed new 20ga instead of the .410 and get better results. She doesn't like the kick of 12ga, but .410 isn't getting the job done. She can hit clays, but you can see them take a couple pellets and wobble but not break. That .410 doesn't pattern well at all.
4. Owen is probably about 3-4 years away from being able to join us both, starting off with the .410 with some hand-thrown clays and maybe his first couple dove outings, but the same problems will probably apply to him as apply to Alexis.
I'm definitely going to need a 20ga at some point here soon. Length of pull for my 6'3" frame is going to be drastically different for them... it's possible that any 20ga O/U I buy is suited to my size and not well suited to them.
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This bug isn't going away, and I think it's going to end up manifesting in a 12ga steel receivered O/U somehow, on Charby's and others' recommendations to stick with 12.
I've got 3 contenders.
1. CZ Drake Southpaw. Seems they reverse the barrel release on the southpaw variant, which is nice. This is the only lefty-friendly model of the 3 I'm looking at, but I don't see the release being a major issue (though right-biased stocks could be an issue on others). But they do a black chrome instead of bluing, which is bothersome. Pistol-grip stock. I believe it's a white dot front sight. Extractor with no ejection, which I could see as nice given I will mostly be hunting in the desert, and dove and quail seem to enjoy cholla clusters. Seems I can get this for around $800. No point stepping up higher on CZ's product line if I really want bluing; all their O/U shotguns are chrome finished.
2. Franchi Instinct L. This is going to be around $1400-$1500. Case hardened steel receiver, blued barrels. Fiber optic front sight. Prince of Wales stock. Despite being "right handed" that seems to only apply to the barrel release orientation, not to any part of stock grip design or cheek pad. This checks all the boxes I think I want, I'm just unsure what a Prince of Wales stock grip feels like compared to a pistol grip.
3. Browning Citori Hunter Grade 1. Knocking at $2000. Blued receiver and barrels. Silver bead front sight, I think I'd rather have fiber optic. Pistol grip stock. Nominally right handed, but again it looks very neutral in orientation much like the Franchi. Japanese made rather than Turkish for the CZ, and Italian(?) for the Franchi. This is probably the safest bet for me to go with, and least likely to regret getting. I'd most likely want a different front sight on it though.
Anyone have insight on a Prince of Wales stock cut?
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No stock advice, but as a lefty, I've never had an issue with any break lever on a SxS or OU gun. They have all been really easy to work.
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I run a P.O.W. grip on my double trigger SxS. It's a compromise. As someone who shoots Churchill I should prefer a straight grip, but I'm used to POW.
My 30" 391 autoloader has a competition style pistol grip, right handed, with a flared cap. That -in theory- locks the hand and wrist in the same position every time offering consistency on the line. But I'm not in it for the money and shoot all clay games from low gun. Even 27 yard trap, or cutthroat, and the pistolgrip isn't a problem.
I personaly like the P.O.W. on a grouse gun, especially in the thicket, because i need handling options chasing the dog though aspen. I will take the 391 for winter pheasant (open country) and its not uncomfortable.
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Start combing pawn shops and gun shops, you might find something lightly used that is what you want.
I hardly ever purchase a new firearm, unless it's something I "must" have.
I would prefer a blued CZ and I may just start looking for a used one.
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I'm left-handed, but I'm right eye dominant, so shooting from the right shoulder it is.
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I think I'll go to Bass Pro today, since they have a high end gun room for high-fallutin' snob sporting arms. I should be able to at least get a feel for a prince of wales grip vs straight vs pistol grip on an O/U, and get that question answered.
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Good fortune to you in your search.
I got a 20g Ithaca model 37 for Christmas right before I turned 14. I hunted everything with it including a couple truckloads of wild Nebraska ringnecks.
When I got out of college I thought I needed a 12g and why not a double? Found an almost new browning BSS with 26” barrels. It was a death ray on pheasants and quail. Must fit me pretty good.
My dad liked it but wanted a 20g for himself. They were long discontinued and I told him he would never find one. Darned if he didn’t find a NIB BSS with fixed IC/MOD choked. I now have it and it is sweet, makes the 12 feel heavy and slow.
When my wife wanted to try hunting with me and the dog, I found a very rare browning micro lightning citori with shorter LOP and 23” barrels and screw in choke tubes. It probably hasn’t had a box of shells through it in 30 years. I can’t hit with it because it doesn’t fit me and wife gave up on it many years ago. It’s not for sale but I sure like having it around maybe for one of the grandaughters.
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I hunted all sorts of small game with my dad's Ranger double barrel 20 ga for many years, including my 1st deer using a Brenneke slug.
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"I got a 20g Ithaca model 37 for Christmas right before I turned 14."
The Ithaca 37... another one of my weaknesses.
I have my Dad's Featherlight 12 gauge with the corncob forearm. LOVE that gun, even if it beats the everloving *expletive deleted*it out of me.
I've been considering getting one in 20 gauge for some time, but it has to have the corncob forearm. It's such a classic look.
The Ithaca Gun Company also brought out a version of the 37 in 28 gauge. That one has also been plucking my banjo strings, so to speak...
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Mine is the featherweight delux newer than the corncob forestock. Gee it would be over 51 years ago. Dad got one just like it that we picked up on our way to Nebraska that fall. My sister now has it.
I had a 20g with plain barrel and cob forestock but sold it years ago. Wish I had kept it too.
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"I got a 20g Ithaca model 37 for Christmas right before I turned 14."
The Ithaca 37... another one of my weaknesses.
I have my Dad's Featherlight 12 gauge with the corncob forearm. LOVE that gun, even if it beats the everloving *expletive deleted*it out of me.
I've been considering getting one in 20 gauge for some time, but it has to have the corncob forearm. It's such a classic look.
The Ithaca Gun Company also brought out a version of the 37 in 28 gauge. That one has also been plucking my banjo strings, so to speak...
I got a featherweight with rifle sights for $100, a police trade in but bought in a divorce divestment package. I promptly tested a lot of every brand of slug I had. Beat the ever loving crap out of me is an understatement. Think I was over fifty rounds that night. It is the only social shotgun I have left.
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I got a featherweight with rifle sights for $100, a police trade in but bought in a divorce divestment package. I promptly tested a lot of every brand of slug I had. Beat the ever loving crap out of me is an understatement. Think I was over fifty rounds that night. It is the only social shotgun I have left.
I have a Stevens 350, which is a clone of the Ithaca 37 but it has dual action bars versus the original Ithaca only having one. I liked that it didn't poop its shells out across my nose as a southpaw, but then I learned about the problems of it ejecting out the feed port and how short-stroking it can cause that. I also can't breech load it.
It's my "office" shotgun, demoted from "bedroom" shotgun in favor of a Mossberg 590 bought after taking a couple of defensive shotgun classes.
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Bunch of rotten SOBs. =D =D
Now I'm shopping for double barrel 20 gauge.
=D =D
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Sigh.
Passed on a Ruger Red Label when I was working at the gun store 2011-2012. I thought $600 was just too much. Hindsight is 20/20, I guess... :'(
Brad
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"I got a 20g Ithaca model 37 for Christmas right before I turned 14."
The Ithaca 37... another one of my weaknesses.
I have my Dad's Featherlight 12 gauge with the corncob forearm. LOVE that gun, even if it beats the everloving *expletive deleted*it out of me.
I've been considering getting one in 20 gauge for some time, but it has to have the corncob forearm. It's such a classic look.
The Ithaca Gun Company also brought out a version of the 37 in 28 gauge. That one has also been plucking my banjo strings, so to speak...
I saved my money when I was around 16 and bought a brand new Ithaca Featherlite mod 37 in 12 ga. with the corncob forearm pump. Cost me $65.00 NIB. I have a great story about the first time I used it and missed a huge Rooster pheasant with it. Had to do with forgetting the safety was behind the trigger guard instead of the thumb safety on the Ranger double barrel. Several of my hunt buddies got quite a laugh at that. Sadly I traded it for an Ithaca 20 ga XL900 semi auto in 20 ga with a shot and slug barrels that I still have, though. I do have my FIL's 16 ga Featherlite of the same vintage. I still have my dad's Ranger double in 20 ga, too.
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Bunch of rotten SOBs. =D =D
Now I'm shopping for double barrel 20 gauge.
=D =D
HEY !!
I have an old Stevens SxS 12 gauge (Mod. 311) with double triggers on the gun rack next to the bed. I have fired both of those barrels at the same time but from the hip, not my shoulder as it is easier to get both fingers in there when lower.
Imagine the kick with a pair of 3" shells in it !!
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I'd love to get a 12 gauge SXS. But, my shoulders tell me it's a really bad idea. I sold my Henry .45-70 lever gun because I was honestly afraid to shoot a standard load through it. Sure I could work up a light load for it but I can do that with my (Pedersoli)Sharps 1874 and be much cooler doing it. :D. That, and my nephew really, really liked it.
I'm looking for a 20 gauge coach gun. If I can find one with real hammers it would be a bonus.
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Mine is the featherweight delux newer than the corncob forestock. Gee it would be over 51 years ago. Dad got one just like it that we picked up on our way to Nebraska that fall. My sister now has it.
I had a 20g with plain barrel and cob forestock but sold it years ago. Wish I had kept it too.
Featherlight
Ithaca never used the term Featherweight. Featherweight MAY have been trademarked by Winchester, but I'm not 100% about that.
My Dad bought his sometime around 1950 or so, not long before they changed the forearm style.
The other of his guns that I absolutely treasure is his Remington 521-T rifle. He bought that around 1948-49 with money that he saved from his working on his grandparent's farm.
Danged thing was, and still is, a tack driver. I used to do a lot of damage to the squirrel population in Central Pennsylvania with it.
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I got a featherweight with rifle sights for $100, a police trade in but bought in a divorce divestment package. I promptly tested a lot of every brand of slug I had. Beat the ever loving crap out of me is an understatement. Think I was over fifty rounds that night. It is the only social shotgun I have left.
The worst recoil experience I ever had was with Dad's 37. Some friends and I went to the local sportsmen's club to shoot some clay birds. Somehow a paper-cased slug had worked its way into a box of my Winchester AA reloads. No clue how I managed to do that. Not paying attention.
So, I put it in the gun, popped it up to my shoulder, and pulled the trigger. It was hot out, I was wearing a T shirt, didn't have a recoil pad, and neglected to get a decent shoulder and cheek weld.
It went about as well as you can expect.
The stock drove back into my shoulder like a pissed off rhino and my right thumb came up and caught me in the cheek and nose. Gave me a bloody nose.
I didn't shoot that day. I just ran the trap.
And gained a LOT of appreciation for basic shooting fundamentals.
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Bunch of rotten SOBs. =D =D
Now I'm shopping for double barrel 20 gauge.
=D =D
As well you should be. As well you should be.
My Stevens 311 is one of those guns that I would be very loath to ever part with.
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My other double barrel is an Ithaca Gun Company double barrel 12 gauge.
It was my Great Grandfather's farm gun.
It's a double trigger double hammer gun. It does have fluid steel barrels, but unfortunately it is, as a farm gun, beat to hell. Firing pins are broken, the forearm lug has pulled loose and needs to be resoldered... IF it can be resoldered...
I've toyed with the idea of sending it off to the Diamond Gunsmithing for restoration, but it looks like I've screwed up and they're no longer accepting new work as of March 1.
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And if you like turkey hunting just come east and find a national forest. I am enjoying watching them this spring, nearly run over two family units in the last week. Birds everywhere.
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As well you should be. As well you should be.
My Stevens 311 is one of those guns that I would be very loath to ever part with.
Ditto !! Especially now that I had a gunsmith bore it out and put in screw-in chokes. That basically turned my 311 into a 511. With those tubes, I can choose two quarries or two ranges for one. =D
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Ditto !! Especially now that I had a gunsmith bore it out and put in screw-in chokes. That basically turned my 311 into a 511. With those tubes, I can choose two quarries or two ranges for one. =D
I thought about having that done with mine, but since it's just a range gun, I don't think I'm going to bother.
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My old 12 SxS was handed to me as tight modified and full. At 6lb9oz, briley (1998) did not want to consider screw ins and they came back 0.00 CYL and Mod, an excellent combo inside 40 yards.
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You guys raise an interesting point I hadn't considered before.
Is it common on SxS or O/U shotguns to have one barrel be wider choke for first shot and the other barrel tighter for longer shots? The thought being that flushed birds move away from the shooter and a miss on the first barrel results in 5-10 yards farther for the 2nd shot but additional time to refine aim?
In O/U, does it really matter which barrel is assigned the longer range tighter choke if so?
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You guys raise an interesting point I hadn't considered before.
Is it common on SxS or O/U shotguns to have one barrel be wider choke for first shot and the other barrel tighter for longer shots? The thought being that flushed birds move away from the shooter and a miss on the first barrel results in 5-10 yards farther for the 2nd shot but additional time to refine aim?
In O/U, does it really matter which barrel is assigned the longer range tighter choke if so?
Yes, for fixed chokes, choke tubes, do whatever you want/fits how you want to use it.
Some were choked the same.
I have an old Belgium hammer double 2.5" 12 gauge, and it's choked full and full. I'm guessing it was for pass shooting waterfowl.
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As Charby says, yes.
Most .410 doubles I've seen have been choked full/full.
My Stevens 20 is, IIRC, choked modified and improved cylinder.
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You guys raise an interesting point I hadn't considered before.
Is it common on SxS or O/U shotguns to have one barrel be wider choke for first shot and the other barrel tighter for longer shots? The thought being that flushed birds move away from the shooter and a miss on the first barrel results in 5-10 yards farther for the 2nd shot but additional time to refine aim?
In O/U, does it really matter which barrel is assigned the longer range tighter choke if so?
FYI - before being re-bored, that Stevens 311 was choked FULL on the righthand barrel (front trigger) and MOD on the lefthand barrel (rear trigger).
From what I've been told by more knowledgeable people, righthanded shooters (the majority) would use the front/right trigger first, then "fall back" to the rear/left trigger.
Now, with screw-ins, I usually use the front/right barrel with the more open choke for close-in game. If I made a bad shot and they were getting away, the rear/left barrel would have a tighter choke for more distance in the hopes of "redeeming myself". [ar15] :rofl:
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Depending on what you buy, you'll have a barrel selector switch as well. My Red Label has no tubes and is choked impr/mod. My DeHaan has tubes, but I still keep it imp/mod usually for upland stuff.
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So it seems that shot shell adapters are a thing. I've heard of them before, but they escaped my memory and were just reintroduced to me as I was researching O/U topics.
Let's say I have a 12ga O/U and barrels set for modified choke. What happens to its pattern when I load it with 20ga shells and adapters? Will it be the same dispersion as 12ga modified but lower density? Or will it go wider than 20ga cylinder choke? Are there choke adapters for shooting 20ga in a 12ga gun or is that playing with the devil from an obstruction perspective?
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I think you could tighten up a size on the 12 ga. choke tube and be OK. That's one of those things you'd have to take to the range and pattern it to see what it will do for you.
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The adapters I have seen are barrel length sleeves for a smaller gauge.
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I neglected to mention before that Chiappa / Charles Daly make a Triple barrel shotgun. They do make versions in 20 gage and in hunting lengths last I looked.
https://www.charlesdaly.com/category.php?id=20
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I neglected to mention before that Chiappa / Charles Daly make a Triple barrel shotgun. They do make versions in 20 gage and in hunting lengths last I looked.
https://www.charlesdaly.com/category.php?id=20
Good grief, that sounds heavy.
I did a circuit through several pawn shops over the weekend and didn't come across anything worth picking up. But I did call a gun shop on the edge of town, one that trends more towards milsurps and hunting than modern tactical stuff, and they've got a few used ones on the wall.
I really miss backpage.
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I forgot about Stoeger shotguns too.
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The Chiappa is something like 8 pounds. Not terrible.
MSRP is $2k, so yeah, not really interested at all.
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The Chiappa is something like 8 pounds. Not terrible.
MSRP is $2k, so yeah, not really interested at all.
Two thousand will get you a lightly used 686. Yeah this is a 28, but a 686 will last a couple hundred thousand rounds and the factory will still be there to replace the springs and pins.
https://griffinhowe.com/beretta--686-sp1-28g-berv09793s
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Yeah, I wasn't commenting on the company or the configuration, only the price. I don't know squat about Chiappa firearms other than they had a repop of the Winchester 1876 that I was interested in some years ago.
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I would look at the franchi instinct. Seems to be a pretty good value and is a subsidiary of beretta.
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Yeah, I wasn't commenting on the company or the configuration, only the price. I don't know squat about Chiappa firearms other than they had a repop of the Winchester 1876 that I was interested in some years ago.
I want one of the Chiappa self defense type triple barrel guns. The price is what has stopped me. They aren't especially available either. One of those guns that would be cool to have, but I would NOT want to pay the money for it. A Beretta 1301 Tactical is the same price or cheaper.
I have handled them before. The 18" barrel model didn't seem especially front heavy. Not sure how a longer barreled version would be.
edit to add missing word
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Itch scratched.
I had a choice between a Beretta S56E, a CZ Woodcock, a CZ Redhead Premier, a Winchester 101 and a Stoeger Condor all in 12ga. There was also a 20ga Browning Citori, but it had a sad life and its previous owner had chopped its barrels.
I ended up coming home with the Woodcock. The Redhead Premier was chromed black rather than blued, and the gold(ish) inlay was a bit too Russian Pimp for my taste. The Beretta S56E had inertia triggers and I think I convinced myself in the end that I wanted mechanical triggers, which the Woodcock had. The Woodcock was blued barrels, case hardened receiver, in excellent shape with impeccably bright bores. White dot front sight.
Got the OEM plastic case, sleeves for the barrels and stock, all 5 original chokes and choke wrench for $600 + government vig. I think it'll do what I want quite well.
I think the trip to this shop created another itch though. Now I think I also want a combination long gun, after seeing an M6 and a Savage .222/20ga there... except my ideal setup would be .22WMR and 20ga, but no weird trigger like the M6. Evidently Blaser makes custom combination guns, and Chiappa makes their Double Badger. .223/20ga would be nice. Not offered by Chiappa, but it would be cool.
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Nice! Congrats!
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Awesome! Enjoy!
Now start looking at the German Drillings if you are wanting a shotgun/rifle combination.
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Enjoy your "new" gun !