Best 20 ga O/U for $1500 or less?

S

six 4 sure

New member
I'm getting ready to move back where I can do some bird hunting. I'm wanting a quality O/U 20 ga, and I'm hoping that $1500 will get one.

Presently, I am partial to the Beretta 686, but I am open to suggestions. Who else should I look at? I know Browning and Ruger offer guns in this price range, anyone else?

I am looking for something to hunt quail and pheasant. I want something that is light and well balanced, I'm not concerned about recoil. As long as it kicks less than my .300 Win I'll be ok. Also, in a pinch, I would like to use it to shoot trap or sporting clays. I'm hoping to purchase a sporting clays/trap gun futher in the future, so I'll ask that question some other time.

SO, who do you recomend? What barrel lengths 26", 28"? I plan on shooting this a lot, I've already got one of my reloaders ready to start cranking out the shells.

Six
 
You've mentioned the big 3 in your price range and while I'm not a fan of Ruger shotguns generally, pick the one that feels best in your hands and fits you. Make sure you try the Ruger safety system to see if you like it.

I like Beretta 12 gauges but when it came time to buy a 20, I went with the Browning Citori Feather XS. It's a target version of the Citori Superlight. Meanwhile, a good friend has a 20 gauge Beretta 686 Onyx o/u that he uses exclusively for upland game and swears by it. During a hunt I once ended up with a borrowed 20 gauge SKB that suited me well and you might want to take a look at them. Weatherby over/unders are made by SKB incidentally.

For barrel length, longer is better and I would go with 28" or even 30" because the added length smooths out the swing but I've never found the long tubes a hindrance even in the thick underbrush.

Paul
 
I'm not a ruger fan but I like both the Beretta (don't own but have shot both 12 and 20) and the 20g Citori I currently own.
My personal preference in barrel length is 26" for the 20g doubles, 28" is tolerable, and anything more is too much.
Good shooting.
 
Hi, I just picked up a Beretta 687 Silver Pigeon II for $1,400. It's a 20ga 28" brls. So those deals are out there. It was listed as a 12 ga in the ad. My question to you guys- I already have a 12ga pump. Am I going to notice that this o/u isn't a 12ga on quail & doves? Should I use the 3" shells or go with the 2 3/4? Thanks for the info
 
The SKBs are oft overlooked, and they're a lot of gun for the money.Pop's last shotgun was an SKB 20 gauge field model, and it was a honey....

The B guns are nice also, but there's no clear leader.

Intune, an oz of 8s out of a 20 gauge is as effective/deadly as an oz out of a 12, all else equal.

The 12 shows a clear advantage over the 20 when range is more than 30 yards, larger shot are required, and /or specialty loads for waterfowl and turkey where lots of big pellets are needed.

HTH....
 
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