20 GAUGE

[scottcrb]

IM IN THE MARKET FOR A 20 GA OVER UNDER AND MY FRIEND WANTS A 20 GA SIDE BY SIDE. ANYONE HAVE ADVICE ON MANUFACTURERS AND PRICES? ANYONE HAVE ANY FOR  SALE? BOTH ARE LOOKING FOR GUNS FOR UPLAND BIRD HUNTING AND SOME TRAP SHOOTING.  WHAT SHOULD WE BE LOOKING  FOR IN A 20 GA ?

[Dhoey07]

Depends on how much ya want to spend and how much you will shoot it. I bought a stoeger condor o/u in 20 a couple months ago for 270 bucks. I didnt want to spend 1000 bucks on a gun that will only be used for upland birds. It shoots well, doesn't weigh that much and gets the job done 

[Stilly bay]

Fit is the most important. If it doesn't fit, you are not going to hit anything.

if it doesn't fit, get it modified. its almost too easy to change the LOP on most guns, and its really cheap to have a gunsmith do it. when you get into factory O/U they all have pretty standard dimensions, so you can usually get away with changing a recoil pad or cutting some wood.

if your shopping for a an O/U or SxS in 20 gauge for under 1K any thing CZ can't be beat. IMO a stoeger is a bad investment. mechanically they don't even compare to a CZ and won't hold up to heavy shooting.

[AWS]

Like the poster above you price range is the limiting factor.  Other questions do you prefer single or double triggers, fixed or choke tubes, pistol grip or straight grip. 

CZ O/U and SxS are about the best deals on doubles in low end pricing.  I just bought a CZ Bobwhite 20ga, straight grip, double trigger and choke tubes from Buds for under $700. deliverred.

I just sold a couple of SKB 100s,  in both 20ga and 12ga for $500 each  they both had fixed chokes and single triggers.

Used guns can be a crap shoot and if you look that direction I'd stay with some of the name brands Ithaca/SKB, Browning, Berretta, or Win 101's

A good place to look for decent field O/U is local trap range bulletin boards quite a few people sell off their field guns to finance new target guns.

[brokenvet]

Used guns can be a crap shoot and if you look that direction I'd stay with some of the name brands Ithaca/SKB, Browning, Berretta, or Win 101's

 

OR maybe a new Fausti

And make sure it has invector/screw in chokes

[AWS]

I say get the gun fitted , your buying the gun to shoot not resell.  Why not shoot something that is right instead of the one that is closest to what you need.

[Stilly bay]

I say get the gun fitted , your buying the gun to shoot not resell.  Why not shoot something that is right instead of the one that is closest to what you need.

 
I never understood why some people suggest shopping around for the brand that fits you best. find the brand with the options and aesthetics you want and the mechanics you believe in and make it fit, if it doesn't already!

you can't shoot to your fullest potential without a properly fitted gun.  very few guns and shooters match up without some tweaking. sure some guns might come from the factory and fit you really well, but I bet they could fit better. this is why so many new guns are coming with shim kits, so you can make them fit you as close to perfect as you can get without getting a pro involved.

[high country]

When it comes to doubles......price needs to be addressed right out of the gate. I have a cz and a silver piegon 5.......both are shotguns, but worlds apart.

[724wd]

of the shotguns i've shot, the absolute best have been a Browning Citori 20 and a spanish made 12 gauge SxS my dad bought when he was 12.  those two guns pop up so well it almost defies description!    shot a 12 gauge Citori and that little 20 is head and shoulders above it for fit and shooting.

[brokenvet]

I say get the gun fitted , your buying the gun to shoot not resell.  Why not shoot something that is right instead of the one that is closest to what you need.

 
I never understood why some people suggest shopping around for the brand that fits you best. find the brand with the options and aesthetics you want and the mechanics you believe in and make it fit, if it doesn't already!

you can't shoot to your fullest potential without a properly fitted gun.  very few guns and shooters match up without some tweaking. sure some guns might come from the factory and fit you really well, but I bet they could fit better. this is why so many new guns are coming with shim kits, so you can make them fit you as close to perfect as you can get without getting a pro involved.

To get the gun fitted could cost as much as the gun. 

[CP]

BOTH ARE LOOKING FOR GUNS FOR UPLAND BIRD HUNTING AND SOME TRAP SHOOTING.  WHAT SHOULD WE BE LOOKING  FOR IN A 20 GA ?

A good trap gun makes a poor upland gun & vice versa.  Which are you going to use it for the most?

[scottcrb]

yeah under a grand would be best, $500 to $700 hopefully. i have a 12 ga for duck geese turkey etc and never been fitted. who does fitting? i am looking for mainly an upland gun that i will take to the range for fun on occasion.

[AWS]

I've been out of the games for awhile and do my own.  I would check with one of the sporting clays course and see who they recomend.  The reason I say sporting clays because that sport is shot with the gun off the shoulder and mounting is part of fitting.  Both Trap and American Skeet are shot from a mounted gun and are fitted differently.

My trap guns have a LOP of 13 1/8" my field guns are as short as 12 1/2".  But that's just me.

[BLR 243]

Winchester model 21, very expensive or Winchester 23 , or Browning BSS.

[Stilly bay]

yeah under a grand would be best, $500 to $700 hopefully. i have a 12 ga for duck geese turkey etc and never been fitted. who does fitting? i am looking for mainly an upland gun that i will take to the range for fun on occasion.

my suggestion wasn't to go out and get a professional fitting - although that certainly couldn't hurt anything besides the old wallet.  the point I was trying to make was don't let a little extra or less LOP scare you away from a gun you want. usually its a minor adjustment unless your a dwarf or a big gorilla. the average shooter on his own can't tell what adjustments need to be made to his/her gun much farther beyond LOP anyway...
..... and btw the old trick of testing how well a gun will fit you by putting the butt in the crick of your arm and reaching for the trigger is a bunch of malarky. :twocents

$500-700 would get you a new CZ. their base model O/U is the mallard and it has two triggers which and interchangeable chokes, which IMO makes it extremely versatile.
their base model SxS is the bobwhite, two triggers , straight grip. either are about as nice a gun as you will find for the money, and a great value.

shopping smart for a used gun could open up your options greatly. at $700 you would be close to a used beretta 686. I saw one on line the other day for a little more than $800. charles daily made some good O/U's that can be found pretty cheap. just remember if it doesn't have interchangeable chokes its most likely not steel shot safe.