Outdoor Life's greatest shotguns ever

[drsfmd]

"Greatest" or "Best" lists always come with a personal bias. What do you need the shotgun for? Hunting? Home Defense? Door Breaching? CQB? Clays? Personally, a lot of these "great" shotguns have absolutely no place in my safe. In fact, the two that I have aren't even on the list, and I don't regret the two that I have.

Whether or not they have a place in your safe or not depends on your needs and means, but isn't a quantifiable like "best" should be.

I'll use the example of the Boss and the Krieghoff K-80.

The Boss set the stage for almost all other O/U's that came afterwards. It was an incredibly unique design, brilliant in engineering, and has become the standard design that most manufacturers now follow.

The Krieghoff K-80 is another in a long line of brilliant designs by the late Crawford Loomis of Remington. It's the winningest competition shotgun in history, it can go literally millions of rounds, and if something does break or wear out, it's infinately rebuildable. You literally cannot wear one out.

There are some other guns on that list are mediocre at best, and knockoffs of other brands. There are some on that list that are there to appease collectors, even though they really aren't that great a gun.

Still others are there to appease the budget conscious, lest the writer be accused of elitism.

 

[Dave McCracken]

"Best"?

Totally subjective, and mssion specific.

 

[oneounceload]

Not always - best for the originals were due to their contribution to the evolution of the shotgun - whether it was Boss for the first O/U or single trigger, Purdey or H&H and the sidelock, or the 97 and the pump gun, or any of the others that have contributed to the improvement over the years. Fabbri is noted for his improvising use of CNC and CAD/CAM equipment before any one else and now he uses titanium. Cheap? not hardly, one of the most expensive guns ever made - but his contributions should be noted

 

[Rembrandt]

Guess my Montgomery Wards pump didn't make the list........(sigh)

 

[MCgunner]

Guess my Montgomery Wards pump didn't make the list........(sigh)

Cheer up. I bet it's a 500 Mossberg which is just a lighter, better handling 835 which made the "best buy" list. So, you see, in a way....

Of course it could be a Stevens pump. They made a lot of those store brand guns, too. I had a 500 Mossberg single action bar with C Lect choke (adjustable) braned "Revelation M310", a Western Auto brand. I sold it when I got my camo 500. I had installed a 500 barrel on it with the Mossberg screw in choke and vent rib so I could use it for waterfowl. I traded for it when they passed the steel shot rules. That barrel was 3" chambered and the original gun was for 2 3/4" only, but it fed and ejected 3" from that barrel....go figure.

 

[vaherder]

Remington Versamess sorry Versamax

Why is Versamax on the list? Browning Maxus is superior as is Benelli Vinci and Supersport. Versamax had big times quality control issues just as it hit the market. Remington's GC is awful these days.

 

[MCgunner]

Why is Versamax on the list? Browning Maxus is superior as is Benelli Vinci and Supersport. Versamax had big times quality control issues just as it hit the market. Remington's GC is awful these days.

Pandering to advertisers.

 

[wlewisiii]

Boy, howdy. I realize that, comparatively, I only pretend to know anything about shotguns, but the OP list is pretty bad. As one person mentioned, it is all off the rack guns so I suppose that excuses some of it - why even mention Parker if you're going to list the VH as best? No H&H or Purdy? Krieghoff?

The contents of the other list is certainly better (I like that they simply say Parker or LC Smith) and less pandering, though even on it their are good arguments to be made about relative positions on the list. For my tastes, I'd have the Ithaca Model 37 much higher.

But what do I know? I shoot a $150 Ithaca 37 & dream of a new 2x12/9.3x74 Krieghoff Optima drilling.

 

[Captcurt]

What do they know? They are bought and paid for.

It is hard for me to take anything that Outdoor Life endorses seriously. Several years ago they claimed that a $4000 Sauer rifle was a best buy. Even though it was doing good to shoot 4" groups at 100 yards. I'm sorry people, but if that is as good as it will do, I'll stick with my $400 Savage Ultralite that shoots sub-MOA.

The old shotguns of yesteryear were a completely different animal than todays guns. Good finish and fit was accomplished by pride and knowhow. The blueing was deep dark blue polished to a high luster. Now the everyday field guns get stamped parts, matte finish and most wear plastic for a stock. If you want a decently finished work of art it will cost you a bundle. I'll take my Beretta BL-3 20ga. over any of the new guns on OL's list.

 

[throdgrain]

Sorry, the Kreighoff K-80 should be replacing the BPS

The author doesn't seem to have a grasp of foreign guns and since every modern SxS and O/U owes their creation to either a Boss or Purdey, to not include them is ludicrous.

The 21 is heavy and handles like a pig on a shovel, great for the trap model, lousy for the field version

To me that list should be entitled "the greatest shotguns that we are familiar with over here in the USA"

 

[PJR]

To me that list should be entitled "the greatest shotguns that we are familiar with over here in the USA"

Shhhh....no need to tell them about all the good stuff they don't know about.

 

[clang]

The lists ought to be:

The top 10 shotguns that the Outdoor Life Writers and staff own

The top 10 shotguns advertised in Outdoor Life

and

If the writers at Outdoor Life had to buy a new shotgun today with their own money, it would be one of the following 5 guns

 

[oneounceload]

. Now the everyday field guns get stamped parts, matte finish and most wear plastic for a stock. If you want a decently finished work of art it will cost you a bundle. I'll take my Beretta BL-3 20ga. over any of the new guns on OL's list.

Funny. NONE of the field or target guns I own, shoot, or long for have any of those attributes - even the grade I Uggie is walnut and steel

 

[MCgunner]

Wood and blued steel is not a hindrance for most applications of a shotgun. I do kinda prefer plastic and camo finish for salt marsh and bay duck hunting, but that's a specialty application. So many shotguns now days are black plastic and matte finished. The matte finish is cool, not shiny to scare birds. But, the only reason I can see for plastic stocks on such guns is cost. I know Walnut is getting expensive, but an extra hundred bucks oughta cover it. CNC machine cut checkering looks pretty danged good now days, not hand gun fine checkering, but a heck of a lot better than the pressed stuff we used to get.

Most of the wood on the wood/steel guns like the 870 and the 500 is "hardwood" as in stained birch or some such. My old Wingmaster was walnut, but that's not the norm on affordable shotguns now days, it seems. When I bought my Winchester 1400, it was the "ranger". This meant it has a hardwood stock, not the walnut, and the stock fit ain't that great, a little overlap on one side that has always kinda irritated me, but don't affect the fine gun/shooter fit and function of the gun.

Anyway, my guns are all low end guns. I've never owned a fine double and likely never will. I might get a fine..ISH O/U in a few years, nothing that'd make it on a list like this I'm sure unless I come across a nice affordable Browning or something. My guns are hunting guns, nothing more, but nothing less. They do get used HARD, but they will never attain the round counts these Olympic trap and skeet shooters rack up, so I really don't worry about 'em wearing out on ME. My grandson, should I have one, can worry about it. LOL

Old man, no longer around, used to run an electrical contracting business in town. He and his boys were really into trap. His youngest finished high in the olympic trials one year, missing out barely. I was in the shop one day and he asked me if I wanted to buy a shotgun. "What kind", I asked. It was a Krieghoff 4 barreled set single shot trap gun. This was 12 years ago and he was asking $4500 for it, nice case, too. I told him I already had an H&R and my wallet was more of a Mossberg kinda deal. ROFL I can see myself with a Krieghoff trap gun in the duck marsh. I'm not sure if he found a buyer in that little podunk town, can think of one guy, a Doctor, that might be interested.

 

[Old Unc']

you are joking...

 

[oneounceload]

Who is? and about what? ...

 

[Bushpilot]

On the top of the second page the list specifies "American-made." I'm guessing they meant to include those made in American and those sold by/made for American companies. Otherwise, the Brownings, great though they are, really shouldn't be there. Or, maybe the Remington model 11 should be there and the Auto-5 shouldn't. However, if you include everybody then of course the Purdey, H&H and Boss should be there along with many others. All in all, the whole concept wasn't really thought out or presented very well.

I also agree with the others who pointed out that the Winchester model 12 should be on the list. I'm not sure why they specified Parker VH grade, which is the lowest standard grade. The same attention to detail went into every Parker but I believe the quality of the barrel steel varied between grades... However, despite being very well used by it's previous owner on everything from ducks to deer, my 113 year old Parker VH still works and shoots just fine...

 

[andrewdl007]

Glad to see the Winchester 21 on the list. The greatest shotgun I 've ever owned.

 

[HKGuns]

The Field and Stream list is much better. How O/L left the Beretta 390/1 series off that list is beyond belief. How the Remington shows up at #2 is also a bit surprising.

 

[303tom]

I like the Field and Stream list better.................