Everyone needs two guns at minimum. One for walking and toting, example uplands where you walk a lot and shoot little. At the end of the hunt, you feel good and are not tired.
The Franchi 48 is the ultimate for me.

You need another gun for heavy duty shooting or shooting heavy loads. That gun should be heavy to absorb recoil. Try shooting a couple of rounds of clays with a 48 and it will punish you. Try the clays with a Remington 11-87, or a similar gun, and it will be just what you need.

The heavy gun will tire you out on a quail or phesant hunt.

My Churchill 20 gaugeO/U is my backup gun for the Franchi 48.

My SKB 900 is the backup for one of my heavier guns. It is only 40 years old and shoots as well as it did when i bought it.

The Franchi 48 is only 50 years old. I'll get it broken in before I pass on to my reward. Thus far it has never hiccuped but one time. The extractor had worn to a nub from the thousands of loads it extracted. It cost $12 to replace the part. I haven't ever replaced a part in the SKB 900. It was for many years my "go to" 12 gauge.

I hope that Beretta keeps the quality standards that Luigi Franchi did. I have heard a few complaints since the 1998 buy-out of Franchi by Beretta. Luigi kept a tight QC program. When I buy a used 48, I take a look-see at the barrel stamp to be sure it is a Luigi Franchi made 48.

Happy hunting!

My go to gun has got to my Xtrema 2. More often than not, when I go to the safe ... That is the one that comes out. I'm mainly a waterfowl hunter at heart and most of what I do is geared toward becoming a better one. To that end, I wind up using that gun a good bit of the time when I shoot sporting clays. I don't view sporting clays as anything more than practice for hunting and a way to spend some time with my son on a Sunday afternoon. I'll use another gun to shoot waterfowl on occasion ... just for fun but for me the Xtrema 2 is IT.

If I'm more than a couple of hours from home I'll bring a back up gun. The back up is my Remington 870 Supermag or the Franchi 912.

I do like EV's approach ... one for lots of walking and little shooting and one for more shooting and little walking. But when I hit the uplands I can't really say that I really have one true go to gun. Everything in my safe (except for the 20ga 390 that I just picked up this past weekend) has filled that role at one time or another. As I've acquired more and more shotguns over the years, I've started understanding this carry a light gun thing and leaving the heavier duck and goose guns at home when small game is the order of the day. If I feel like a 20 gauge - My CZ Bobwhite makes the trip. If I feel like a 12 its the Franchi Alcione.

well seeing as i only have 2 shotguns ones the 870 12g and the others a single shot 12g my dad gave me years ago i mainly take the 870. that old single shot kills on one end and cripples on the other....take your pick as to which end is which,lol. every once in a while i'll get the single shot out and do a lil target shooting with it, doesn't take long to put that old girl back in the rack. the other year left my 870 in my friends truck one night after having a few too many adult beverages, the next morning he was late getting out for the first deer hunt and i had to run back to the house and get the single shot,sure was dreading taking her out but did any way. my nephew gave me he[[ bout carrying it till i suggested he take it and i tote his .410 after about 5 steps he was reaching for the .410,lol.

For wild pheasants I use a 12 ga. Browning Citori o/u. For rabbits a Laurona 20 ga. sxs. Just aquired an Ithaca model 37 featherweight 20 ga. pump. Can't wait to try this baby out on bunnies and preserve pheasants!

I've been an Ithaca lover since 1975. I currently have an 87 satin finish with the 24" change choke barrel. It is my go to "Heavy" gun. Mainly turkey,or brush country rabbits. I just picked up a beautiful little 24" 870 in 20ga that I think is going to take over the bulk of the bunny hunting.

Quail: Meat gun-Miroku 20 ga O&U
Fun gun - Ruger 28 ga O&U
Doves: Ruger 28 ga O&U
Squirrels - Rem. 513T .22
Sporting Clays - Beretta 300 Super Trap 12 ga

Update: I just bought a new Weatherby SA-08 semi-auto and tried it at the range for the first time today. If I like it as much as I think I will, the Mossberg 500 will be my back-up and the SA-08 will be my "go to" gun. The reason is the Weatherby's lighter weight and easier follow-up shots, which as I get older are both more important.

Just came on this tread by me from 2009 and i'm still shooting with my Beretta 302 that was made in 1982 and it is still flawless.