cdb1
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I’m willing to bet most people do better with at least 24” on woodcock and grouse and agree about rabbit and squirrels.
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Pump or short side by side?
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gregp74
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I'm not totally writing off the 500. It's been 20+ years since I sold that one. I can't really recall what I didn't like about it. It may have been how the foreend wiggled around. I actually picked up another 80's era used one at my LGS a few years ago that was kinda beat up. I ended putting on an extended magazine tube and 18 or 20" barrel along with a few other goodies. If I hadn't sold it to a friend I probably would have checked into getting a youth stock and foreend for it. I'm really open to doing that with another 500 or an 870 if the situation presents itself.
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gregp74
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20" shotguns, while easy to maneuver do seem awfully short to me. Likewise I don't really care for swinging around something 28" or bigger. Seems like for a gun that'd be halfway decent for anything even if it's not perfect for anything something in the 24" range would be good. I just don't see a whole lot in that length though.
Jim Watson
Member
I've got a double from CAS days. It is a hammerless with the ejector springs removed by SASS rule. Hammer guns are period, but they can't keep up with a hammerless.
I've got a pump, pretty much a family heirloom, might be a blunderbus for the inauguration riots.
But my Trap and 3 Gun shotguns are automatics. 1100s but you can do better. A friend's pheasant blasting Benelli is a treat.
I've got a pump, pretty much a family heirloom, might be a blunderbus for the inauguration riots.
But my Trap and 3 Gun shotguns are automatics. 1100s but you can do better. A friend's pheasant blasting Benelli is a treat.
entropy
Member
Everything I mentioned above doing to an 870 can be done to a 500 also; This should fit all the specs for you: https://www.mossberg.com/product/flex-500-youth-54330/
The Mossberg 500 Lego page: https://www.mossberg.com/category/series/500/500-flex/
cdb1
Member
26” is as a rule the shortest you see on a field shotgun though the Benelli M2 can be had with a 24” barrel in a field shotgun.
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gregp74
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I've been looking at pump guns now but I have to admit those things do look like fun. I found a guy an hour from here selling a Rossi Overland. Those seem to be popular with the cowboy guys but they've been out of production for a while and I'm guessing parts aren't easy to come by. The Stoegers should at least have spare parts available.
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gregp74
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Interesting I did not know that. Despite owning a few of them over the years I'm really not a shotgun guy and I'll be the first to admit I don't know a whole lot about them.
John Joseph
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For hunting, a SxS with double triggers is the way to go.
Nothing is faster at getting off a follow up shot.
Nothing.
For HD look for a SxS with hammers.
You can't keep a hammerless SxS loaded without it being cocked, relying solely on the safety, which is never a good idea.
Or get a pump action.
I like old Wing Masters but Ithaca 37s and Mossberg 500s will get the job done---they've been doing it for the military and police for decades.
If you have the $$$$, Winchester Model 12 and 1897s are the gold standard, but parts for the 97 are made of unobtainium
Nothing is faster at getting off a follow up shot.
Nothing.
For HD look for a SxS with hammers.
You can't keep a hammerless SxS loaded without it being cocked, relying solely on the safety, which is never a good idea.
Or get a pump action.
I like old Wing Masters but Ithaca 37s and Mossberg 500s will get the job done---they've been doing it for the military and police for decades.
If you have the $$$$, Winchester Model 12 and 1897s are the gold standard, but parts for the 97 are made of unobtainium
Ernie Bass
member
Personally have gotten to the point that I do not want a shotgun with a barrel over 24". Wish I could cut all of them down and have one in the shop now to do just that. If the ammo shortage was not going on right now, I would get the Stoeger and I definitely want the Henry single shot although I am not sure they make a shorter barrel. I do have a Mossberg 500 with18" which is nice along with other longer barrels to include a rifled slug barrel and a multitude of different stocks that will fit it. ..
And I personally would prefer a single trigger.
And I personally would prefer a single trigger.
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danez71
Member
Just a personal preference...
I grew up shooting my Dad's side by side 28 gauge shotgun that he used when he was growing up. I did well with it.
I moved on to a 20 gauge pump and then an over/under when I began shooting competitive skeet.
While I prefer shooting the over/unders these days, I use a pump gun around the farm for critter control. I prefer the trim feel of the pump or over/unders versus a side by side.
As other have said, todays pump shot guns can be configured in many ways and easily converted from one configuration to another configuration.
I grew up shooting my Dad's side by side 28 gauge shotgun that he used when he was growing up. I did well with it.
I moved on to a 20 gauge pump and then an over/under when I began shooting competitive skeet.
While I prefer shooting the over/unders these days, I use a pump gun around the farm for critter control. I prefer the trim feel of the pump or over/unders versus a side by side.
As other have said, todays pump shot guns can be configured in many ways and easily converted from one configuration to another configuration.
George P
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That is for the utilitarian Spanish guns of today from AyA and similar..........Now, if you can find a used Ugartechea, you might get down around $2K for a plain model.
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gregp74
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Those model 12s are nice but I think they felt too big for me. I could really go either way with hammers on a SxS. I keep thinking oh, I could keep one with hammers loaded and wait to cock them but it's not that hard to open and load a hammerless one. Either way I'd go with the double triggers.
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gregp74
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Wow! I'd never looked at any of those before! Mrs. P is going to have conniption fits if she sees me checking those things out
cdb1
Member
My bucket list shotgun(s), matching Grulla or AyA SxS’s in 16, 20 and 28 gauge on appropriately sized receivers. Don’t know why but I’ve never had much desire for a Purdey.
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gregp74
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Man, I have a few rifles that were in the $2500 range but I know like nothing about high end stuff.
Jim Watson
Member
Italians call a short hammer gun the Lupara.
Riomouse911
Member
I have an old Lefever Nitro Special 16 Ga that had really bad rust/pitting at the end of the barrels. I had it cut down to 20” and also used it as a coach gun in my SASS days. It throws a mean pattern with Federal #1 buckshot at ten yards through the dual cylinder bores, if I’m reduced to using it for defense I’m fairly well armed.
As for a short-ish pump, here the Lefever sits next to my BPS youth 20 ga with a 21” vent rib/removable choke barrel. The 20 ga could do double duty as a defense gun and a fast-handling/east carrying upland bird shotgun.
Stay safe.
As for a short-ish pump, here the Lefever sits next to my BPS youth 20 ga with a 21” vent rib/removable choke barrel. The 20 ga could do double duty as a defense gun and a fast-handling/east carrying upland bird shotgun.
Stay safe.
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gregp74
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I had never really looked at these side by side. Your pics made me go back and check on some specs again. That 26" Uplander sxs is only an inch and a half longer than a 20" Remington 870.
Riomouse911
Member
The BPS has a looong receiver, making the BPS shotgun of any gauge seem somewhat larger than other makes of pump shotgun. I have a 16 ga and a 28 ga BPS, all of these receivers appear to me to be larger than my Model 12 16 ga or even my 870 12 ga. (It may just be a trick of the eye because there is no ejection port on the right side...as a result the smaller gauge BPS receiver may not be larger than the others, but they sure appear to be.)
I kind of lined the receiver-end of the barrels up on the two shotguns above so you can see these barrels are only 1" (Maybe 1.25") different in length, but the BPS 20 gauge receiver is about 4-5" longer than the svelte little receiver of the SxS.
Stay safe.
I kind of lined the receiver-end of the barrels up on the two shotguns above so you can see these barrels are only 1" (Maybe 1.25") different in length, but the BPS 20 gauge receiver is about 4-5" longer than the svelte little receiver of the SxS.
Stay safe.
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gregp74
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The BPS has a looong receiver, making the BPS shotgun of any gauge seem somewhat larger than other makes of pump shotgun. I have a 16 ga and a 28 ga BPS, all of these receivers appear to me to be larger than my Model 12 16 ga or even my 870 12 ga. (It may just be a trick of the eye because there is no ejection port on the right side...as a result the smaller gauge BPS receiver may not be larger than the others, but they sure appear to be.)
I kind of lined the receiver-end of the barrels up on the two shotguns above so you can see these barrels are only 1" (Maybe 1.25") different in length, but the BPS 20 gauge receiver is about 4-5" longer than the svelte little receiver of the SxS.
Stay safe.
It's funny because like I said in an earlier post I'm not a shotgun guy and really don't know much about them. I guess I never considered how big the receivers were and how much room they take up in pump guns (and autoloaders, for that matter.)
Riomouse911
Member
You gotta have some room for the gun to move more than two shots through the action (or three if you have a drilling ).
Every action type has a plus and minus column. SxS and O/U can be much more compact (Or give you longer barrels in the same space) due to their designs...they're just limited in ammo capacity (And in the case of the SxS especially; they kick me harder than semi's do for sure!)
Stay safe.
).Every action type has a plus and minus column. SxS and O/U can be much more compact (Or give you longer barrels in the same space) due to their designs...they're just limited in ammo capacity (And in the case of the SxS especially; they kick me harder than semi's do for sure!)
Stay safe.
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gregp74
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You gotta have some room for the gun to move more than two shots through the action (or three if you have a drilling
Every action type has a plus and minus column. SxS and O/U can be much more compact (Or give you longer barrels in the same space) due to their designs...they're just limited in ammo capacity (And in the case of the SxS especially; they kick me harder than semi's do for sure!)
Stay safe.
Yep.
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