I'd have to say the shotgun I used for upland and waterfowl hunting: a Franchi Alcione. I bought it purely for it's weight and fit at a local gun store. I had no knowledge of them before buying. The build quality passed the eye test. It's held up to about 20 years of hunting. I shoot it very well. it exceeded my expectations.
Whats a Shotgun you own that was better than you expected?
What was a shotgun that you've owned that was better than expectations?
Mine has been a Charles Daly 20ga auto(the older 600 version).. Ive owned it for 19 years and its had more than a few thousand rounds through it. My wife bought it for me to bust brush and bad weather with.. Very plain black synthetic, cherekoted(or something like it) barrel,and its been rock solid all these years.. Its been crazy reliable with all loads in all kinds of weather..
Have you had a shotgun that exceeded expectations or reputation?
Mine has been a Charles Daly 20ga auto(the older 600 version).. Ive owned it for 19 years and its had more than a few thousand rounds through it. My wife bought it for me to bust brush and bad weather with.. Very plain black synthetic, cherekoted(or something like it) barrel,and its been rock solid all these years.. Its been crazy reliable with all loads in all kinds of weather..
Have you had a shotgun that exceeded expectations or reputation?
181 - 200 of 207 Posts
FAIR Carerra 20 ga.What was a shotgun that you've owned that was better than expectations?
Mine has been a Charles Daly 20ga auto(the older 600 version).. Ive owned it for 19 years and its had more than a few thousand rounds through it. My wife bought it for me to bust brush and bad weather with.. Very plain black synthetic, cherekoted(or something like it) barrel,and its been rock solid all these years.. Its been crazy reliable with all loads in all kinds of weather..
Have you had a shotgun that exceeded expectations or reputation?
I have seen several of those S&W branded autos shoot for decades and run perfect while digesting10's of 1000's of rounds.My circa 1977 purchased "S&W Model 1000 Automatic" (made by Howa in Japan) has vastly exceeded my expectations. 12 Gauge, 2-3/4 chamber.
I've never owned one and don't plan too, but they were way ahead of their time with reliability and craftsmanship.
Better than expected, a Remington Model 887, 12 gauge
pump action shotgun, Black Synthetic, 28” bbl.
Basically the Glock of the shotgun world.
Remington’s finish on the M887 is their proprietary polymer
finish “ArmorLokt“ over metal. The M887 looks big and bulky,
very utilitarian. Weighs 7.5 pounds. Also is easy to use and
safe in handling, which I liked.
Prior to the Pheasant hunt, I field stripped it to clean it.
Even took the Trigger Group out. All was easy to do.
After re- assembly, all worked smoothly as before.
For the Pheasant hunt I became the caretaker of the
M887. Even though I didn’t have to worry about
scratching it, I treated it as if it was the last one on
Earth.
The reason I ended up borrowing the M887 was that
steel shot had to be used, and my vintage shotguns
we’re a no go.
pump action shotgun, Black Synthetic, 28” bbl.
Basically the Glock of the shotgun world.
Remington’s finish on the M887 is their proprietary polymer
finish “ArmorLokt“ over metal. The M887 looks big and bulky,
very utilitarian. Weighs 7.5 pounds. Also is easy to use and
safe in handling, which I liked.
Prior to the Pheasant hunt, I field stripped it to clean it.
Even took the Trigger Group out. All was easy to do.
After re- assembly, all worked smoothly as before.
For the Pheasant hunt I became the caretaker of the
M887. Even though I didn’t have to worry about
scratching it, I treated it as if it was the last one on
Earth.
The reason I ended up borrowing the M887 was that
steel shot had to be used, and my vintage shotguns
we’re a no go.
CZ Redhead Deluxe 20 gauge I use for bird hunting. Really lightweight and easy to maneuver in thick cover.Ive had a few shotguns that made me look better than I am...And several that were highly disappointed in me!
Remington 1187. Mine has been 100% reliable and didn't experience any of the numerous problems reported by other owners. I got lucky on this one, I guess.
Bought the kid a benelli montefeltro compact in 20 gauge. I was the one who broke it in and I liked how it shot. I did a little research and found out about Weatherby making a near identical model. Sure enough, if you break them down side by side they are very close to one another. I bought an Element Upland, for half the cost of the Benelli and it’s my favorite shotgun now. Prolly have a few 1000 rounds through it on the clays and I just love it. Very impressed.
H&R Excell semi auto 12 ga. Bought it and my GSP 13 years ago. The gun has over 2000 rounds through it, the GSP has about 4700 rounds through her. Paid 325.00 for the gun and 650. for the dog. Both have impressed my very, very much, but the shotgun is cheaper to feed and clean up after.
just my 2 cents.
just my 2 cents.
Gentlemen,
I have to admit the CZ Bob White 28 gauge G2, really surprised me, real decent engineering, articulated perfectly for bird gunning, decent DT trigger pull, no doubling, 5 screw in chokes, decent wood and the gun is well balanced. For an entry level gun it really surprised me as a Grouse & Woodcock gun. I have 2 nice entry level Turkish double guns now, that have surprised me with their quality and handling.
all the best,
Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man
CZ Bob White 28 gauge G2, for the money a lot more than an entry level gun.
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I have to admit the CZ Bob White 28 gauge G2, really surprised me, real decent engineering, articulated perfectly for bird gunning, decent DT trigger pull, no doubling, 5 screw in chokes, decent wood and the gun is well balanced. For an entry level gun it really surprised me as a Grouse & Woodcock gun. I have 2 nice entry level Turkish double guns now, that have surprised me with their quality and handling.
all the best,
Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man
CZ Bob White 28 gauge G2, for the money a lot more than an entry level gun.
12 gauge Beretta 686 Onyx, I don't use it as much as I should, but every time I pick it up, I am never disappointed....had it since 1989.
My first gun - an Ithaca 37 I've owned for about 50 years. Originally bought as a rabbit/pheasant hunting gun. At the time, I was advised the choice between the Ithaca and an 870 came down to primary use - go with Ithaca for a gun to be mostly carried, pick the 870 if I planned on using it for targets. I didn't do much target shooting until recently, and it served ok to get me started in a trap league at the club. While recoil with factory loads is punishing, I found 7/8 ounce effective enough from the 16 yard line to get my first straight and much more enjoyable to shoot. I shoot it occasionally at skeet and sporting for fun (I also consider it my rain gun). The only mechanical issue was a broken slide stop pin, which I was able to replace myself.
CZ 628 I have shot the fire out of the little gun.
Belgium Browning A5 I bought recently. I was amazed at the way this old gun fits and shoots. There's practically no recoil at all. Wish I had tried one 50 years ago.
don't recall if i responded to this or not but i have a Franchi Instinct L in 410 that is nicer than it should be for $1300
Ole humpback used to beat me up pretty good in the dove fields. The sight plane was good and I could slay doves with it but it wasn't soft shooting. Probably did not fit me. Enjoy yours!Belgium Browning A5 I bought recently. I was amazed at the way this old gun fits and shoots. There's practically no recoil at all. Wish I had tried one 50 years ago.
I bought a used but new Dickinson Greenwing O/U 30" last year for my adult son. I'd never heard of it but had owned one of their SxS and the guy settled with me for less than $500. We shot a round of clays a couple of weeks later and we both agreed it was equal to the Beretta SP1 that he likes to shoot. But is mine lol
So this worked out, and it just seems like so much value for an occasional shooter.
Impressed with Turkish firearms in general now. I have added several to my collection in last couple of years, manufacturers I'd never heard of like Girsan and Tisas and familiar ones like Akus and Huglu.
So this worked out, and it just seems like so much value for an occasional shooter.
Impressed with Turkish firearms in general now. I have added several to my collection in last couple of years, manufacturers I'd never heard of like Girsan and Tisas and familiar ones like Akus and Huglu.
Wonder if the friction rings were set correctly. Shot trap with it last week. Two other ran it for a round as well. All three of us came to the same conclusion. Hardly any recoil at all.Ole humpback used to beat me up pretty good in the dove fields. The sight plane was good and I could slay doves with it but it wasn't soft shooting. Probably did not fit me. Enjoy yours!
I bought a Escort Magnum used, then I found out why it was so cheap. It wouldn't feed shells. The bolt stuck on the shell head.
I made 4 fixes.
Eats and spits out all types of ammo.[ mainly 3" steel for waterfowl]
I made 4 fixes.
- Radius bottom of extractor. [fixed the feeding]
- Lengthen plunger for Extractor Spring. [stiffen spring for better extraction]
- Hammer Spring, add “pop rivet” to center and increase spring tension.[light primer strikes]
- Add spacer behind recoil buffer to make thicker [.035”] Thought it needed more buffer.
Eats and spits out all types of ammo.[ mainly 3" steel for waterfowl]
Yildiz .410 single shot. Originally got it for the boys for less than $90 at academy. Cut the stock for them but I end up using it to shoot all sorts of stuff. I keep it on the Ranger now. Also has a safety not like the old H&R .410 I started with. Weighs about 3.5 lbs.
181 - 200 of 207 Posts
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