My all-purpose, serious duty shotgun is an old Remington Model 11. Its always been treated with TLC and is still in very good condition. The original forearm and stock are still good. I've fired everything up to and including slugs in it, but I intend to try to use only light to moderate shotshell loads from now on, because I really don't want to split that forearm. I do keep a few factory 00 Buck shells unchambered in its magazine for emergency HD purposes in case my 45 ever needs help. It's my favorite gun.
But right now my most FUN gun is a beat up old Forehand Arms 12 Ga.single barrel break action gun, patented in 1896 and probably manufactured no later than 1910. I read somewhere that although Forehand made inexpensive guns that were often used as "barn" shotguns, they had some very advanced features for their time. The ejector mechanism in mine is particularly fine. It'll throw a heavy brass shotshell out of there like a rocket. And there's an unusual lock on the receiver, that helps keep this one tight as a tick. The chamber length is a relatively modern 2 3/4 inches, and the steel in the barrel is good. You can see milling marks inside the barrel; i.e. it's not a Damascus steel barrel.
I recently bought ten 2 5/8 inch RMC brass shotshells to handload and shoot black powder in this old gun. I've loaded, shot, and reloaded them twice now. Using 7 1/2 shot, my handloads have patterned well enough and they hit hard enough to put a minimum of 10 pellets through both sides of an empty Coke can at 25 yards every time I've tried it. Good for upland birds, I'd think.
I've also handloaded and fired a few papershells in it loaded with Triple 7 powder, but I just bought some Red Dot powder and will use it to load and fire vintage smokeless loads in the papershells from now on. I have an old antique James Dixon and Sons roll crimper and its a hoot to roll crimp the paper shells. I can shoot vintage smokeless loads in roll-crimped paper shells in either one of my old guns.