# What's Your Favorite Bird Gun?



## redlevel (Oct 9, 2007)

I'm talking quail here.   Back in the day, if a Georgia boy said he was going "bird hunting", it meant one thing; Bobwhite Quail.   Ducks were ducks, doves were doves, and quail were "birds".  

With that in mind, what is your all-time favorite bird gun?  

Mine is an old 20 gauge double my Daddy gave me when I was about eleven or twelve years old.  I had used the gun before, but hadn't really paid that much attention to it.  I had a couple of friends who had Stevens 311 doubles, both 16 gauge.  When Daddy told me that the old double was "officially" mine, I took a little more interest in it.  I got it out for cleaning and to see exactly what brand it was.   I was hoping it was a Stevens like my friends' guns.  I was a little disappointed when I read the brand on the barrels:  Parker Bros., Meriden, Mass.

It has barrels that measure 25 and one-half inches.  I don't know what the chokes are, but I think they are N and VDL.  That's None and Very Dang Little.  It fits me perfectly.  

It was the only shotgun I used until I bought a Browning Sweet Sixteen in the early '70's.  It had a 26" barrel choked IC and was a quail-killing machine.  I almost retired the Parker and used the Browning almost exclusively during the last four or five years of decent quail hunting in our area.  

The quail disappeared, we ran out of dogs, and I traded the Sweet Sixteen for something I don't even remember.  Probably some kind of big-bore S&W.

Now, I mostly use a Browning BSS Sporter.  It is twenty gauge, 26" barrels, left side Mod and right side IC.  It has an English style straight stock, selective trigger, and handles almost (but not quite) as well as the old Parker.

Last year I went over to the dark side and bought a semi-automatic.  (Some how, the Sweet Sixteen seemed almost as traditional as a double.)  A member here had mentioned on another board that he wanted to sell his wife's 11-87 Upland Special.  He wanted to get her a Beretta, I think.  He was asking what I thought was a fair price, so we met and the gun was soon mine.  I used it on pen-raised birds, usually loading only two shells.  I got it mainly to keep from banging up the BSS while hunting and working dogs from a utility vehicle.  I've grown right fond of it.

If I ever get to hunt any more, I have a case of low pressure 2 1/2 inch shells I can use in the old Parker.  Out of all the shotguns I have owned, it is still my favorite.  

There is nothing more traditional, nothing that exemplifies  the outdoor heritage of the South more than a couple of pointing dogs locked down on a covey and a hunter with an L. C. Smith or Parker Double Gun walking in for the flush.

What's your favorite bird gun?


----------



## Doc_Holliday23 (Oct 10, 2007)

When I graduated from GT I asked my parents for a sxs.  I got a Charles Daly Field II, 20 ga.  It is a gorgeous gun, made by Hermosa Zabala in Spain.  It has 28" barrels, ejectors, barrel selector, 5 screw in chokes, Case colored receiver, walnut stock, beavertail forend, 3" chambers.  I love it.  It points beautifully, is nice and light, recoils lightly, and patterns well.  It's definitely not what some of its more expensive counterparts are, but its a great traditional double for its price point.

I've also had the pleasure of hunting with a friends' Merkel, Parker Repro., and Winchester 101, while he shoots his Model 21.  (<-------- What a gun.)

My Dad just bought a 12 ga. AYA, 1983, never been fired.  Sidelock, double triggers, nickel receiver, straight english stock, amazing engraving, hand-cut checkering, etc.  Awesome gun.

Redlevel- I'll have to see that BSS.  We looked all over for one when we were trying to find me a gun for graduation, but by that time they were through the roof and hard to find.


----------



## spring (Oct 10, 2007)

There are so many beautiful guns I'd love to claim as my favorite, though it seems most are in gun cabinets that don't belong to me.  I've considered getting a SxS but to date have simply enjoyed O/U's. In my case I use a 28 guage if I'm hunting released birds, just to make shooting the slower birds more challenging. When hunting wild birds, however, I need all the help I can get and use a 20 ga.  Those hunters that only hunt at preserves almost don't know what quail hunting is when compared to the real thing--and I surely wish I could do it more often!


----------



## quail12 (Oct 10, 2007)

As I get older (well better) I've gone from my Berreta 20 ga. O/U to a very light Franchi 28 ga.semi auto.  And after shooting it for two quail seasons in Texas I've got to say I love it.


----------



## dixie (Oct 10, 2007)

I've always favored a remington 1100 16 gauge for a bird gun


----------



## Doc_Holliday23 (Oct 10, 2007)

dixie said:


> I've always favored a remington 1100 16 gauge for a bird gun


I've been trying to find one for awhile now...


----------



## spring (Oct 10, 2007)

Doc_Holliday23 said:


> I've been trying to find one for awhile now...



Here's one:  http://www.gunsamerica.com/97692408...Shotguns/Remington_1100_Classic_16_26_quo.htm


----------



## Doc_Holliday23 (Oct 10, 2007)

$900 is way too much.  I don't need one, just want one, which means I can wait until I find a good deal.


----------



## spring (Oct 10, 2007)

Doc_Holliday23 said:


> $900 is way too much.  I don't need one, just want one, which means I can wait until I find a good deal.




I guess it just depends on _how much_ you "want one"!


----------



## birddog1 (Oct 10, 2007)

I shoot a 20 ga o/u but I have always wanted a sxs but I dont know which one I would buy.


----------



## Nitro (Oct 10, 2007)

I have a "few" shotguns. 

My sentimental favorite is a 20 guage Model 21 that my Granddad owned and I inherited. It has traveled a bit and killed  a bunch of birds. (it's been retired).

My current favorite is my little Winchester 20 gauge Model 23 Grande Canadian. Handles like it was made for me and points like a laser beam. This gun will be the one I hunt into my old age. Hopefully to pass down to one of my nephews or a Grandchild. 

It is one of those guns  that you just stare at and can't comprehend the craftsman that had enough talent to produce such a piece of art........


----------



## Doc_Holliday23 (Oct 10, 2007)

agarr- wow.  that 23 is beautiful.  any pics of the 21?

to me, the Winchester 21 is just as good as it gets, America's greatest firearms acheivement.  Tough and rugged, simplistically beautiful.  What a gun.


----------



## EnglishRedNeck (Oct 10, 2007)

Hmmm..
Let me think


----------



## dutchman (Oct 10, 2007)

After seeing these fine doubles, I'm almost ashamed to post this, but I am partial to my old Remington 1100 for quail.


----------



## dixie (Oct 10, 2007)

dutchman said:


> After seeing these fine doubles, I'm almost ashamed to post this, but I am partial to my old Remington 1100 for quail.



Hey dutch, noticed they posted AFTER mine about the Remington 1100? They know which is the best bird gun even if its not the fanciest!!!


----------



## dawg2 (Oct 10, 2007)

I have an FFL, so I stumble onto some good deals.  I stumbled onto a Charles Daly SXS, engraved nickel receiver, hi-gloss walnut stock, 5 chokes, beautiful shotgun.  Got it for a STEAL.  Use it on Quail hunts.  It is my first SXS, and it is definitely a little different to aim than an O/U or straight barrel,and takes some getting used to in order to hit quail.  

Here is the site:  http://www.charlesdaly.com/html/products/firearms/shotguns/SbS/ssuperiorempire.asp

Every quail hunt I go on, people always run up and want to hold it and look it over.   Very nice...


----------



## Doc_Holliday23 (Oct 10, 2007)

Thanks for the site dawg, couldnt find it earlier.  Here is my Charles Daly Field II.

http://www.charlesdaly.com/html/products/firearms/shotguns/SbS/sfield.asp


----------



## dawg2 (Oct 10, 2007)

Doc_Holliday23 said:


> Thanks for the site dawg, couldnt find it earlier.  Here is my Charles Daly Field II.
> 
> http://www.charlesdaly.com/html/products/firearms/shotguns/SbS/sfield.asp



For some reason Daly only lists current production, but if you do a search by the model, it comes up.  

I got mine in the 26" barrels.  Does really well in tall brush or wooded areas, gets tangled up less.


----------



## dutchman (Oct 10, 2007)

dixie said:


> Hey dutch, noticed they posted AFTER mine about the Remington 1100? They know which is the best bird gun even if its not the fanciest!!!



We got that one extra shot, too, don't we dixie?


----------



## dixie (Oct 10, 2007)

dutchman said:


> We got that one extra shot, too, don't we dixie?



Shhhhh!! they'll accuse us of cheating!!!! right now they think we just load QUICK!!


----------



## Nitro (Oct 10, 2007)

Gorgeous Purdey!!!!!!!!!!! Those are awesome shotguns.


----------



## Birdawg (Oct 10, 2007)

My favorite bird gun is my Ruger Red Label in 28 gauge.  That thing is light and fast swinging. Shells, however, do get a little expensive when hunting on a dove field.  My "new" 1915 AH Fox sxs, 16 gauge, 28" barrels, xfull and improved modified, is growing on me real quick.  I have a hard time with doves close in, but we'll see how she does on pheasant come November.  Agarr, can you post some of your model 21 pics.  My recent introduction to Old American made guns has brought a new appreciation for those fine old gems.


----------



## EnglishRedNeck (Oct 10, 2007)

Alright guys..

I can't take this anymore. I'm an imposter!!
That's not 'My' Purdey but is my favorite bird gun, it just isn't 'My' favorite bird gun


I love those english sxs's.

I am actually in the market for one. Have talked to my dad about getting a used cogswell & Harrison.

The Beretta silver hawk, though not english is also very nice.


I have a beretta silver pigeon 12 ga. currently which is about 1/30th the price of that Purdey.

I'd like a sxs 20ga.


----------



## Doc_Holliday23 (Oct 10, 2007)

EnglishRedNeck said:


> Alright guys..
> 
> I can't take this anymore. I'm an imposter!!
> That's not 'My' Purdey but is my favorite bird gun, it just isn't 'My' favorite bird gun



I KNEW IT!!!

and I was just about to post a picture of my Holland & Holland...


----------



## EnglishRedNeck (Oct 10, 2007)

Couldn't find a nice pic of a H&H without the Prince of Wales grip


----------



## CallieB (Oct 11, 2007)

*favorite*

My favorite is one I don't even shoot:  a 1964 Beretta O/U 20 ga my son shoots.  Double trigger, fixed mod/imp chokes, and a thing of absolute beauty.  Best of all, that gun was a gift, passed down to my son from his great-grandfather a year ago, just before he died at age 94.  It has fired rounds all over North America for 43 years and wil last forever, and will if my son hands it down to his grandson it will have ben in the family for 5 generations.

I shoot a Beretta 20 ga O/U I bought a few years ago.  Its lightweight, quick, and a joy to shoot, but it doesn't have the family history.  At least not for a few more decades.


----------



## Hammack (Oct 11, 2007)

I have several, but the only one I ever hunt with whether it's quail or doves is my  12ga Winchester model 12.  Dad bought it at the marine base for $50.  started out as a riot gun, and I ordered a 26" barrel from Hastings precut for choke tubes.  I don't think I've shot another shotgun in over 6-7 years


----------



## Branchminnow (Oct 12, 2007)

dixie said:


> I've always favored a remington 1100 16 gauge for a bird gun



me too


----------



## Doc_Holliday23 (Oct 12, 2007)

Here's Dad and I with our shotguns out on the back deck.


----------



## Superposed (Oct 12, 2007)

*Browning Superposed*

Love the O/U's.  Shoot my Ruger 20 pretty well, but like to carry, shoot, look at my Superposed(s).  12 ga skeet/skeet I shoot the best, like the 20 cause it's light, not use to the 28 yet, but getting there.  They also increase in value, but aren't nearly as spendy as a Purdey.  They're easy on the eyes too.  Can't wait to go to Kansas and shoot them.


----------



## TurkeyH90 (Oct 13, 2007)

*Favorite Bird Gun*

Ive got a 20sxs Fox passed down from my grandad also a sweet sixteen Belgium A5 from my other grandad. These are priceless. I still shoot the Fox on quail, woodcock, and hopefully grouse this year. I would love a Winchester 21 or 23 though as anyone who has spent years reading Gene Hill would. My current project is restoring  a model 12 20gauge made in 1912.


----------



## hogana (Oct 14, 2007)

I have used a Browning BSS in 12 gauge with IC and Mod since 1975.  It is  well balanced and reliable.


----------



## Vernon Holt (Oct 14, 2007)

I am grateful for having had the opportunity to hunt quail for a number of years prior to the decline of the Bobwhite.  I was given a "bird dog" in 1946 and I was on my way to becoming a dedicated bird hunter.

At that time, abandoned farms and fields abounded.  Posted signs were almost unheard of.  It was easy to put up 12 to 15 coveys of birds that had never been shot into in a days hunt.

My shotgun of necessity was my Dad's well aged Knickerbocker 16 gauge hammerless double.  The hammerless feature is important since doubles at that time were virtually all hammer guns.  It was a little loose and rattled when you carried it, but I was completely pleased with it. I should add that every shot was deliberate since shells were expensive for a schoolboy who sold rabbits to pay for the shells.  I should mention that I never sold quail as they were consumed in-house.

I purchased my first quail gun in 1948.  Remington discontinued the fabled Model 11 shotgun and introduced a revolutionary new autoloading shotgun without the familiar hump of the Browning Patent.  I acquired a 16 gauge Sportsman 48 with 26 inch improved cylinder barrel.

This was my gun of choice for bird hunting for the next three or four years.

I had a hunting companion, now deceased, who hunted with a 20 Gauge Winchester Model 12.  I was intrigued by his mastery of the slide action.  He could spit out three rounds on a covey rise with the same ease that I did so with the autoloader.

I was never satisfied until I tried my hand at shooting a slide action.  I saved up my change and paid $65 dollars for a new Winchester Model 12 in 20 gauge.  This great little gun became part of me on bird hunts for the next 20 years.
I carried it on hunts from small bottomland fields in the mountains of N GA to extensive cutovers in Southeast GA.

I still have the little Winchester and occasionally take it out of the gun cabinet just to see if it has that same feel.  It does.  Even reminisce a bit about how things were.  The basic design of the Model 12 has been copied by every gunmaker today, but has never been equaled.

It has been ten years since I have heard a wild bird whistle.  A sad story indeed.


----------



## weagle (Oct 14, 2007)

Almost all of my shotgunning is done with one of my marlin Model 90's.  Bird's would get the 20, or the 16. 

Weagle


----------



## 257 roberts (Oct 15, 2007)

Winchester 101 20ga Imp/Mod and a Browning Citori Imp/ Mod.
there are others but these are my bird guns.


----------



## hawglips (Oct 15, 2007)

Mine's a 20 gauge Browning auto-5 (Belgium made) my Daddy gave me on my 13th birthday.  It's got a 26" IC barrel, and a 28" full choke barrel.

34 years later, its still going strong!


----------



## TaxPhd (Oct 23, 2007)

I have a SxS made in 1894 by E. Harrison & Co. (Edgar Harrison is the brother of the man that gave his name to Cogswell & Harrison). Absolutely amazing what they could do back then, and that it is still going fine now, 113 years later. When I hold it, I feel the magic.

It was made the way a gun should be made.  28" barrels.  Straight stock, splinter forearm.  Double triggers.  Ejectors.  Assisted opening.  Weighs 6.75 lbs. (rule of 96, of course).

It is finally at the point where I have to have the ejector timing fixed, but other than that, I have never had a problem with the gun.


----------



## Doc_Holliday23 (Oct 23, 2007)

TaxPhd said:


> I have a SxS made in 1894 by E. Harrison & Co. (Edgar Harrison is the brother of the man that gave his name to Cogswell & Harrison). Absolutely amazing what they could do back then, and that it is still going fine now, 113 years later. When I hold it, I feel the magic.
> 
> It was made the way a gun should be made.  28" barrels.  Straight stock, splinter forearm.  Double triggers.  Ejectors.  Assisted opening.  Weighs 6.75 lbs. (rule of 96, of course).
> 
> It is finally at the point where I have to have the ejector timing fixed, but other than that, I have never had a problem with the gun.


pictures?


----------

