Side-by-Side Shotguns

Southern Elk

Southern Elk

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I’ve been wanting a nice side-by-side shotgun for quite some time. I don’t know much about them. I know we have some guys here who are very knowledgeable on the subject. What should a budget be for a nice new one? What are some of the brands that I should be looking at? I would like to do some upland hunting with it.
 
I’d shop used. I don’t know anything about the CZ guns, CNC machined.

Check Lion Country Supply, sometimes they have a good used inventory. I think I found mine on ArmsList.
 
Your questions sound reasonable, but the door is so wide open, it is hard to answer them.

When you ask what should be your budget, that depends on what you want.

Can we start with what you are willing to spend? Put some brackets on it?

I strongly, strongly recommend not buying knew. I am not unbiased about this however.

Gauge? Willingness to reload? Need for nontox ammo? Are you willing to pay for Bismuth?

What are you going to hunt and where?

Anything special to know? Like your neck is 4" longer than normal or you are left handed, or have only 3 fingers on your strong hand? :)

I'm just joshing you a bit but tell us a lot more about what you want to do. Pheasants or ruffed grouse? Big difference there. Turkeys?

Is your current shotgun heavier than you would like and how heavy is it?

I know you said upland but what about if someone calls you up to chase giant Canadas?

Do you like to run a bit outside of the lines? Want to try something different?

What is the perfect image of a double to you? Twin triggers? Pistol grip? Germanic? Choke Tubes? 3"?

My first double was a Merkel Model 8 (new) similar to this one, but more recent vintage. Not spectacular, but it is a brutally dependable gun
http://www.champlinarms.com/Default.aspx?tabid=30&ctl=GunsDetails&mid=409&StyleID=10&GunID=1011. It is not my favorite, but I will die with this gun (check with my widow if you can wait that long).

I'm not pushing this gun but it would bear some considerable consideration as an alternative to the Merk above

This is what I meant by outside of the lines. I have a love-hate thing going on with these darn Darnes. This is a 20.

The Ithaca/SKB made in Japan is available used in both 20 and 12 gauge with two different barrel lengths (25.5ish" and 27.5" inches) and two different choke set ups IC/M or M/F, respectively. For the money, these are hard to beat. A little plain but strong, well balanced, dependable - but single triggered. I have both of the 20s. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/853275086

Paint a picture of the perfect gun and your budget, and we can do a lot more from there.
 
I have a shotgun for turkeys and waterfowl.

I want a 12 gauge. I’m right handed. Would be used mostly for grouse, maybe pheasants. I would like something lightweight because grouse live in rough country around here.

I apologize for being vague, but it’s a subject that I don’t know much about. Trying to learn more.

As far as budget, is a possible to find a nice one for $1,000, if not, what should I plan to spend?
 
You can buy really nice guns for $1k. That Merkel and the SKB are two great choices. Under that line, by very much things tend to not hold up so well, or are complete wrecks, or just ungodly poorly balanced and ugly.

If I was just going to hunt grouse and quail i would have a 20. If pheasants are at all a regular item, I want a 16 or 12. Guns 6 lbs and under are reasonably findable in 20 gauges VERY hard to find in larger gauges and they will recoil more. But 6.5# is pretty reasonable. My Merkel is 6.5# and that carries very well. In general, a double will carrier easier than a pump or auto of the same weight - at least that is my opinion and experience.

You would probably be more comfortable and familiar with a pistol grip but a straight grip will lower the weight a little and some prefer it. I use both, but prefer (barely) the pistol.

I love double triggers. They don't fail, and they are easy to use if you have decent sized hands and get used to them (easily done).

I put Briley tubes in my Merkel for all situations. They allow me steel shot if I wish and they adapt to all conditions. The Merkel is appropriate for anything anywhere. The tubes cost a bit of money but were worth it for me at the time (when I had only one double).

That Merkel has been rolling over on GB for a while. You might offer $900 and see what happens. But only if that seems like a good gun. Kick around Guns International and Gun Broker for a while and see what people are asking. And to see what you think looks interesting.

I want to ask if you have ever considered hammer guns - but that's probably not the place to start, esp. with upland birds.
 
You're not going to get a "nice" one for a grand. You might get a used Ithaca Mod 100 in that ball park. I bought one for my son years ago. They are a solid gun,,although if you are on the tall side,,the stock will likely be too short.
 
Far from an expert on this subject, but have you thought about shedding weight and going with a 20? A few years ago I decided I wanted a nice double and figured I needed a 12. A buddy made me use his Red Label 20 one day for pheasants and went 3 for 3 with the last one being a poke. I am glad I got the test drive. Happily carry a light weight 20 around for uplands now and very happy with the decision. God luck with you search.
 
JLS, that looks like a Sauer or a Merkel. Probably a Sauer, no? Great guns they are. A friend has a very similar Polish OShatz which is an amazing gun. It looks like a 16 but is a 12.
 
My local gun shop sells CZ and SKB. I held them both today and preferred the SKB. Those are the only two that I’ve had a chance to look at lately.
 
mtmiller said:
Far from an expert on this subject, but have you thought about shedding weight and going with a 20? A few years ago I decided I wanted a nice double and figured I needed a 12. A buddy made me use his Red Label 20 one day for pheasants and went 3 for 3 with the last one being a poke. I am glad I got the test drive. Happily carry a light weight 20 around for uplands now and very happy with the decision. God luck with you search.
Click to expand...

I bet a 20 gauge would be great for grouse, since it’s usually close range.
 
My dad's 12 ga. Red Label is hefty. Can't remember the exact weight, but it was more than my BPS.
 
rwc101 said:
My dad's 12 ga. Red Label is hefty. Can't remember the exact weight, but it was more than my BPS.
Click to expand...

The only Red Label I have ever handled was surprisingly heavy and I did not care for the balance. Much heavier than my Merkel or Greener or even my Cashmore. However the owner of the gun loved it and shot lights out with it. So, it's all in the eye of the (be)holder.
 
Split the difference S elk.
Here;'s the snooty 16 ga thread

Recommendations for 16 gauge shotgun

Looking for recommendations on new production (or high quality used) 16 gauge shotgun for upland hunting. Biased towards semi-auto, but O/U also is a possibility. Pump, breach and SxS are not of interest for this purchase. I want to use choke tubes, not fixed. Would like to keep the price...
www.hunttalk.com www.hunttalk.com

I'm sure Lamb will be happy to add further comment.....
 
Southern Elk said:
My local gun shop sells CZ and SKB. I held them both today and preferred the SKB. Those are the only two that I’ve had a chance to look at lately.
Click to expand...
I have a cz ringneck, 20 gauge. I love everything about it such as weight, balance, etc. except the trigger. Compared to my over/under Ruger the trigger is no where near as crisp. If I was wanting a 12 gauge sxs I personally would look for something with more of a beaver tail type of grip, it's nice to have something to hang onto with the extra recoil. However, in my opinion for smaller game such as squirrel, grouse, clays, etc. a smaller gauge is more than adequate without the extra weight and recoil.
 
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