Field over/under advice

JWCalgary · #1 03-02-2013, 04:40 PM

Hey folks! Need some advice on purchasing a good over under 12guage. Will be primarily used for upland and some waterfowl. Have looked at citori and beretta but need advice on what I should be looking for...if that makes sense. Thanks all!

densa44 · #2 03-02-2013, 09:27 PM

Why not buy a cheap 870 12 ga. for water fowl and a nice light 20 ga or smaller for upland?

You will find the 12 ga, is too much gun if you are hunting over a dog.

hal53 · #3 03-02-2013, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWCalgary

Hey folks! Need some advice on purchasing a good over under 12guage. Will be primarily used for upland and some waterfowl. Have looked at citori and beretta but need advice on what I should be looking for...if that makes sense. Thanks all!

whichever one fits you the best, I have trouble with Berettas but, the they are nice guns...

Pegasus · #4 03-03-2013, 07:57 AM

I just purchased a 12 gauge yildiz over & under for my son's 18th birthday and I have to say it shoots really nice.

ward · #5 03-03-2013, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by densa44

Why not buy a cheap 870 12 ga. for water fowl and a nice light 20 ga or smaller for upland?

You will find the 12 ga, is too much gun if you are hunting over a dog.

Why is that ? A light fast handling 12 does it all just fine. Later on if he decides to go all in he can try small gauge.

densa44 · #6 03-03-2013, 09:42 AM

Yes a 12 does it all, and always has, but it is still too much gun for upland over a dog. I started with a 12 o/u with open chokes and after one or two birds that looked like fertilizer I went to a 20 ga. yildiz o/u with open chokes and it worked great and easy to carry. It was still a bit much, so I now sport a yildiz single .410 that works just fine for the dog and I. It only weighs 3.3 lbs. and at my age that counts.

If you stick with the 12 you will end up with a pocket full of different ammo, so be careful what you shoot with lead.

gopher · #7 03-03-2013, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by densa44

Yes a 12 does it all, and always has, but it is still too much gun for upland over a dog. I started with a 12 o/u with open chokes and after one or two birds that looked like fertilizer I went to a 20 ga. yildiz o/u with open chokes and it worked great and easy to carry. It was still a bit much, so I now sport a yildiz single .410 that works just fine for the dog and I. It only weighs 3.3 lbs. and at my age that counts.

If you stick with the 12 you will end up with a pocket full of different ammo, so be careful what you shoot with lead.

Do you find shooting LW shotguns in sub gauges that recoil so little you can shoot them off your face helps with the hits?

catnthehat · #8 03-03-2013, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWCalgary

Hey folks! Need some advice on purchasing a good over under 12guage. Will be primarily used for upland and some waterfowl. Have looked at citori and beretta but need advice on what I should be looking for...if that makes sense. Thanks all!

I like a lighter weight gun, and and usually only shoot 7/8's ox of lead when hunting upland, unless i am shooting my BP hammer doubles, then I shoot a 1oz load.
If I were looking at a semi, the Benelli guns are nice and light.Don't forget, you will be carrying that gun far more than shooting it, and this is a big consideration that many miss.

It has to fit you as well to the point thatt when you put it up, it's not too long or too short that you cannot get a good sight picture .
This stuff can be adjusted later, but it you put the gun up and you have to get over one way or the other to sight down the barrel properly, you might very well have problems.

The very best way Ii know of picking a gun is to get ot a club and try as many as you can, most shooters have no problem loning you their gun and showing you some tips.

Cat

JWCalgary · #9 03-03-2013, 10:03 AM

Thanks for the advice to all! More research to be done.

ward · #10 03-03-2013, 10:06 AM

"It was still a bit much, so I now sport a yildiz single .410 that works just fine for the dog and I. It only weighs 3.3 lbs. and at my age that counts."

This sentence tells me your skill and experience is a little different than shooter in the original post. Did you ever try 24 gm loads in the 12 ?

oldgutpile · #11 03-03-2013, 10:09 AM

Always have been a big supporter of "gun-fit". Looks and price dont mean sh#t if you cant hit where you're aiming.
Like some that have posted earlier, I would say browning or berretta, for an 0/u. Either one make good quality guns for a decent price, but they seem to fit substantially different, and are made to accomodate people with different body frames. DO NOT BE SWAYED INTO BUYING A GUN THAT DOESNT FIT RIGHT.
As far as some of the comments regarding gauge, I too am a big sub-gauge fan, but for a starter gun, and especially if this is a trial where resale may be a factor, I would stick with the more versatile 20 or 12 gauge options. Cheaper, more easily available ammunition.

ward · #12 03-03-2013, 10:09 AM

"The very best way Ii know of picking a gun is to get ot a club and try as many as you can, most shooters have no problem loning you their gun and showing you some tips."

Very good advice that will save you money and grief if you are serious about getting into shotgun shooting.

oldgutpile · #13 03-03-2013, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ward

"The very best way Ii know of picking a gun is to get ot a club and try as many as you can, most shooters have no problem loning you their gun and showing you some tips."

Very good advice that will save you money and grief if you are serious about getting into shotgun shooting.

x2! Good tip to help make the decision.

saskbooknut · #14 03-03-2013, 11:44 AM

In response to a previous post -

It ain't the 12 ga. that is too much gun if you massacre a bird, it is too much choke and shot too close.

A 1 oz 20 ga or a 1 1/16 oz 12 ga shell are as alike as twins when it comes to performance. As Cat said, you can even shoot 7/8 oz of shot in a 12 gauge if you wish.
The joy of a double gun - one barrel IC or even skeet and one barrel Modified. You can avoid that "over-choke" blues.

I like a 20 ga for the lightness of my double in the field, but that being said, with careful shopping there are some mighty light 12 bore doubles for upland hunting too.

densa44 · #15 03-03-2013, 06:17 PM

The .410 has much more punch than the literature contends. It will bury #6 shot into pine at 20M so you can't see the pellets.

I do reload shot shells and I tried lightening the loads but I always worried that I'd be drawing down on a goose with reduced loads. Now that you have to use steel I guess that is much less likely.

I guess I have more experience than the AO member who posed the question but I may not be a better shot, I can get about 21/23 from the 16 yrd. line in trap.

With a good dog the shots are very close, last season on a very snowy day (the picture) a rooster went by in the air that other hunters had shot at. They thought that they had missed and maybe so, but I always try to hunt out the bird. The Pudelpointer stopped dead in her tracks and wouldn't move, so I knew that she could see the bird, but I couldn't. When I got up to where she was standing I could see the tail of a rooster sticking out of the snow. I figured the bird had died in flight and was buried under the snow, I broke the gun and grabbed the tail of a very much alive rooster! I don't have to make very long shots.

If you want a very good dog we have one male left and he is ready to go now. Shoot me a pm if interested or check gundogbreeders.com

a little redneck · #16 03-04-2013, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by densa44

The .410 has much more punch than the literature contends. It will bury #6 shot into pine at 20M so you can't see the pellets.

I do reload shot shells and I tried lightening the loads but I always worried that I'd be drawing down on a goose with reduced loads. Now that you have to use steel I guess that is much less likely.

I guess I have more experience than the AO member who posed the question but I may not be a better shot, I can get about 21/23 from the 16 yrd. line in trap.

With a good dog the shots are very close, last season on a very snowy day (the picture) a rooster went by in the air that other hunters had shot at. They thought that they had missed and maybe so, but I always try to hunt out the bird. The Pudelpointer stopped dead in her tracks and wouldn't move, so I knew that she could see the bird, but I couldn't. When I got up to where she was standing I could see the tail of a rooster sticking out of the snow. I figured the bird had died in flight and was buried under the snow, I broke the gun and grabbed the tail of a very much alive rooster! I don't have to make very long shots.

If you want a very good dog we have one male left and he is ready to go now. Shoot me a pm if interested or check gundogbreeders.com

Is it a Griffon?