I want a nice quail gun.

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kawasakifreak77

New member
My dad & I recently went up to our family farm for the first time since I was a boy for opening weekend of quail season & boy there was a lot of 'em!

We have a collection of handed down shotguns but they're all pretty low on the totem pole of quality.

We had an absolute blast with what few birds we downed & I been thinking about getting a nicer shotgun dedicated to what will be a yearly trip.

I'm looking for people's oppinions on what to look at as I don't know jack about nice shotguns.

9 chances out of 10 I'll be shooting quail. Only other purpose would be practicing on clays or a bunny rabbit between camp & the field.

I've read a bit & what I've gathered is people prefer a SxS or OxU in 20 gauge. Seems like sound advice from what little I know. I got my fair share of quail & bunnies when I was a boy with a single barrel 20, I'd like an extra barrel for a quick follow up shot if need be.

I want something easy to carry as we do a lot of walking.

We also do not have dogs if that matters.

I don't want a wall hanger. This gun will get used, hopefully a lot. I know some shotguns cost well more than a grand. Could I get into a working man's quail double for $600 ish?

& I want ejectors. Don't reload shotgun shells so no need to pluck them out of the chambers.

So what do you have & why do you like it?
 
You are not going to get into a nice, even decent, SxS quail gun for that money in my opinion. Yes, you can shoot a Stoeger, but the single trigger ejector models are known to have problems. A nice little 20 gauge SxS is THE gun for quail hunting in my opinion.
Look around on GunBroker, GunsAmerica, and Guns International. Some suggestions:
Dickinson 20 gauge at Cabelas now - $1,500
SKB 200E or 280E 20 gauge used
Vincenzo Bernardelli SxS 20 gauge, used
Winchester 23 20 ga SxS - a little heavier but will run forever
Browning BSS Sporter 20 ga SxS, used - a little heavier but will run forever
AYA 20 ga SxS, used
Since it is going to see light use, a current CZ may work out OK as well. They do feel and shoot pretty good; don't know how they will hold up as I don't own one.
Good luck.
 
Yeah

The suggestions are very good ones.
Let me add one....I have an O/U that is a joy to shoot. 20 gauge, Weatherby Orion field grade by SKB. I bought it used for a bit more than your budget but look around and you may find a deal. It is a good stack barrel gun.
Pete
 
Many of the better O/U's and SXS are also sort of safe queens. Have you thought about a nice pump? A Wingmaster or BPS? Those are cheap-ish, high quality, and work horses.
 
Light, Short barrel and Serviceable .... LT-20

weekend of quail season & boy there was a lot of 'em!
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Wow; I'm just jealous that you have Quail to hunt as we lost them many years ago, in Iowa. On top of that, most of our Pheasants have moved to S.D. .. :(

When I read you post, I automatically thought about a SXS and the good ones are pricey. You want something light, short barreled and effective. Now, Remington LT-20 or LW-20, upland Special. A regular LT-20 will provide great performance. .. . ;)

Good Luck and;
Be Safe !!!
 
shotgun

I've always been a 12 gauge person. I've also always wanted an O/U. A relative has a Winchester O/U which I enjoyed shooting and a friend of mine gave me a Ruger "RedLabel" to sell for him. If I had the money I'd buy it myself.
So from my experience I'd look at getting an Winchester or Ruger O/U. You just want to make sure it is new enough that it will take screw in chokes.
 
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I use an under 5lb, 20ga (or a 28ga) Franchi AL-48 autoloader, widely available excellent/used for around $400-$500.

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My partridge gun is a Browning Citori Upland Special in 20ga. 24" tubes on a straight stock with schnabel forearm. That little gun is lightning fast and very lightweight, a real joy to carry all day.

To me lightweight, fast handling an relatively short are the keys to a Bob gun. Quail aren't hard to kill or hit.
 
Wow this has shown me a lot. I guess if I really want a nice quail gun I better start saving!

For the record I do have a pump. An old 12 ga wingmaster. It's got a police barrel on it though & sits in the corner full of buckshot. I could easily swap the barrel out & slay quail to my heart's content.

However, this is about having something a bit more classy. Not that there's anything wrong with my wingmaster, I'm a Remington fanboy.

Thanks for all the suggestions. This gives me a lot to look at!
 
One more thing to think about. If you get a good used SxS, and take decent care of it, you will probably never lose a dime should you decide to sell it. I actually made money on a lot of mine, although that was not what I set out to do. My 20 gauge BSS Sporter is now worth over three times what I paid for it new, just as an example. The Ithaca/SKBs, SKBs, Winchester 23s, Parker Reproductions, Berettas, AYAs, and V. Bernardellis are all in the same boat now.
 
I guess if I really want a nice quail gun I better start saving!
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Like most of us, I'm sure, I had to spend some time saving up enough jingle to get what I really wanted in the way of a light-weight, upland gun (mostly for grouse and woodcock). I ended up opting for a "low-end" Merkel twenty sxs double, choked imp/mod with an "English-style" straight grip and double triggers. The gun weighs under six pounds and is a delight to carry, handle and shoot. Well worth the wait and extra coin imo.
 
My 2 bits worth--------

Pump gun. Ithaca 20 ga. Featherlight.

Auto loader. Franchi or Browning Silver.

Over and under. Browning

Side by Side. This one is pretty wide open, but anything you get is likely to be used or newly made European. Nothing made in the USA anymore.
I have looked at the CZ imports (made in Turkey) and they look pretty good, but I have no actual knowledge of their overall quality. Belgian or French guns are often very good and the better Italian guns are very good. Spanish....you get what you pay for. Low priced guns are so-so, more money more quality.
 
"Low end" Merkel!? I think that's an oxymoron. :)
If you want a nice SxS, nothing else is going to scratch that itch. Good luck.
 
Not sure what you can get for $600 except for an auto-loader or pump. Many nice small gauge autos and pumps out there I would choose before a cheap O/U or SBS.

However, if you up your price range you would be very happy with the Browning line. I shoot quail with a 20g Browning Citori ultra light (English stock). It is light as a feather and you can carry it all day long. I have also had my eye on a Browning Citori in 28g that looked like it would be lots of fun.

I have hunted quail in AZ for 30 years and you do not need a cannon. In my opinion the "hunt" is most of the fun. A 20g or 28g makes it challenging and exciting. I think 12gugages are just over kill and take the sport out of it. Same for shooting doves. Down side is that new these will run you about $1800 but who knows what deals can be made on used ones? Happy hunting.
 
"Low end" Merkel!? I think that's an oxymoron.
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I should have been more definitive: "low-end" in the context of other Merkels. Last time I checked, you could still buy a new Merkel sxs for a little over three grand; not "cheap", admittedly, but certainly affordable for many, even if it requires spending some time saving money before spending money. At least that was true in my case.
 
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Man I just can't bring myself to purchasing a shotgun that will see barb wire fences & thickets that costs north of $1000, let alone one that could run two or three times that!

I'm sure they're very fine guns, no doubt but one thing I have to remind myself of is I'm typically hard on things, though I am getting better with age.

For now I've come into a 16 gauge Ward's pump gun that... Needs some help. I'll start another thread though specifically for it.

Thanks all for your time & suggestions. Taught me a lot about a subject I've got little experience in.
 
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