Shotgun Recommendations for Qual Hunting

C

cbhester

New member
I have recently became highly interested in getting into qual hunting and have some buddies who ill be going with to learn. Ive been wanting a good over and under shotgun for a while now and was wanting some recommendations on a good over and under to buy and use to qual hunt, or any other type of shotgun that you feel would work better. What guage do most qual hunters use and what is the most common and best suited shotgun for the sport? Also, im looking to stay under $600 if possible. All advice and recommendation is welcome!
 
Quail fanatics I know run strong on 20 gauges. Any gauge will work, but there's a quickness to good 20s that serves well when chasing Mr Bob.

"Good" and "Under $600" do not occur often in the same sentence when talking about O/Us. Still, there's some older Winchester 101s, SKBs and Mirokus,etc, out there.

Look for barrels in the 26-28" range and open chokes.

Shoot a bit of skeet first.

HTH....
 
Dang, what did poor old James Qual ever do to deserve being hunted?

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You had me interested until you said a good O/U and under 600 bucks

Do you want a GOOD O/U, or do you want to stay under 600 bucks? You can't have both

Want a great quail gun? Look for an O/U or SxS in 28 gauge and weighing about 6 pounds or less with barrels at least 28 inches long - you MIGHT then stumble onto something where the balance is not a sewer pipe
 
We debate this issue ...of good guns all the time on this forum / but like others advised - you can't look at the gun and know if the barrels will hit to the point of aim ( on some cheap guns they don't / or one is off 12" from the other which is even worse) / on some of the cheaper guns - you have to wonder about the steel / you have to wonder about parts ...especially on guns made in China, Turkey, etc ...where the metallurgy skills are not there...

Browning and Beretta have long set the standards for "good" on O/U's ...and their entry level guns - new - are around $ 1,000. Their higher end guns / that are better - and have some desireable features are $ 3,000 or so.

Some good guns - that are affordable ...Browning BPS ( pump gun ) in a variety of configurations at around $500 ...check out the BPS Hunter model.

http://www.browning.com/products/ca...d=012&type_id=211&content=bps-hunter-firearms

There are a number of semi-autos out there - from Beretta and Browning - look at the Browning Silver Hunter...as an example ...on sale around here for about $ 850...

http://www.browning.com/products/ca...11&type_id=350&content=silver-hunter-firearms

and there are used guns out there of course / but buy something in a 12ga or 20ga ...with a barrel of 28" - that has screw in changeable chokes ...from Browning, Winchester, Beretta ...Benelli ...and you'll be fine.

They'll all be guns that you can shoot for a lifetime ...with no issues / or if they have issues they'll be fixed under warranty.
 
I see more twenties than anything else. Twelves would be second, with 28's and 410's in a tie for third.
 
I was just checking the CDNN closeout site - there are a few guns that start to get close to your budget, with the Lanber coming in right at 600 and the Weatherby and Browning running more
 
Hey guys, I made this post and then kind of forgot about it. Thanks alot for every post and opinion and I have learned that the statements about good and under $600 do not go together are true. I am still looking, however I am trying to get my budget up closer to $1000 where I think I can find something that will be suitable for me. Thanks again for all of the help!

Also, I was looking at the Savage Arms website where I see the Stevens 512 Gold Wing over and under, anyone have any opinions on this gun? They run around $650 I believe.
 
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There is no "good" O/U or SXS around $600... I prefer a 20 gauge for quail...

Stevens 512 Gold Wing over and under, anyone have any opinions on this gun? They run around $650 I believe.
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It is best to save you money and buy an entry level Browning or Beretta than to waste it on a Turkish gun... The Gold Wings do not handle all that well.. Another problem with the cheap o/u's is the barrel regulation which is often way off..
 
I prefer 20's for quail...

I use my 20ga/28" Weatherby/SKB Orion Classic III for both small birds and clays. Outstanding sub-gauge O/U. Bought locally NOS for $900 bucks!!

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