Want to buy an affordable double. Thoughts?

TheCoachZed

TheCoachZed

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Southern NB, aka "Canada's Bible Belt"
I want to get my hands on an affordable used SXS in the $300-500 range. I want it for general hunting use. Buckshot on deer, birdshot on rabbits/whatever. I'd probably shoot a few rounds of clay birds with it, but not joining a skeet club or anything like that. In other words, I want something that will last a few years, but not expecting to put 20,000 shells through it either.

I'd really like a 20 gauge, but generally speaking, they seem to be quite a bit more pricey. So more realistically looking at a 12. And yes, before y'all tell me I need to spend blah blah blah on a decent double, I'm well aware that I'm not getting an English fine gunmaker's piece in the $300-600 range. I just want something that's tight, not overly clunky, and preferably got some nice old world crafstmanship. Good blueing, etc., is all nice, but I'm planning to hunt with it, not look at it.


I'm seeing the following brands in this range:

Baikal: great mechanical reputation, but clunky-handling. I've seen some that didn't look like crap, but most do. I've had several Baikals and they were all tough but definitely workhorses, not showhorses.
Stevens 311: 12ga is clunky, but more-or-less solid. The 20ga has a rep for good handling? Still sort of a cheap gun, but parts seem available?
FEG : The higher-end models look quite good, no idea how reliable they are.
Suhl Thalmann: Plenty of affordable ones on the market, but no idea if they're all solid.
Spanish guns: Not interested, although the 10ga I had a while back was a thing of beauty. Pity a gunsmith ruined it. Would only buy another if I had one in my hands and liked it.
Belgian guns: Mostly not interested, but maybe if the price was right and it was proofed for modern loads.
Husqvarna: Never seen one in person.
Brno: I really like the idea of a Brno sidelock, being part Czech especially. I like that sidelocks are easy to repair, although they seem like they might be hard on stocks.
Turkish: Meh. Unless it was very affordable, not interested.The ones I've handled have seen chintzy and the stocks were only a grade above cardboard.
Brazilian: Same.
Miroku: You can find Mirokus in the $600ish range sometimes, but mostly O/U, which I don't want.

Would appreciate any observations from first-hand experience. Obviously TradeEx is a go-to here, as well as a few of their friends. And the EE.

I think if I was leaning any direction, it would be a Brno or a decent Stevens 311.
 
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Well, it’s just my opinion but were I in the market for such a gun I would peruse Trade Ex until just the right Husqvarna showed up. I would target something in the higher end of your scale and look for chokes of Mod or more open. Once I bought it I would pull the stock, glass bed the action and make sure there were no hidden cracks. Then I would shoot the gun with confidence, in the manner you describe, for the rest of my life.

I would also know that the gun’s balance and handling characteristics would be as good as they need to be. Which is to say.....pretty good.

PS If you want a Czech gun, find a Lovena.
 
Never thought of glass bedding a shotgun, very good idea
Tradex are very good people to deal with, could be the place
 
Research Husky shotguns well. Lots of info on the Inter web. Husky shotguns range from excellent to rather poor over the years. Get to know the better models and years of manufacture and then head to Trade Ex. I like Baikal most of all. Well priced, solid and easily repaired by a competent gunsmith if ever required. Most parts are large robust and readily made by a good smith. Stevens 311's are good enough guns but have a very poor bolting (locking) system. They do shoot loose sooner than most with lots of shooting.

Darryl
 
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can14 said:
Never thought of glass bedding a shotgun, very good idea
Tradex are very good people to deal with, could be the place
Click to expand...

The ability of the wood in a shotgun stock to withstand recoil and not crack is dependant on a good solid fit of metal to wood in all the places originally designed for contact. Unfortunately, over time, wood shrinks and the forces of recoil get concentrated over an ever smaller surface area. The glass bedding is to rebuild those contact surfaces back to their original dimensions. That it also helps to strengthen the wood itself is a bonus.

When I’m looking for a Husky I would be happy with almost anything pre 1939 from a build quality standpoint
 
1963beretta said:
Id recommend a Churchill. You can have it in any gauge other than 16. Modern firearm with removable chokes that will allow you to shoot any type of load you want, including steel. Solid gun that will do what ever you ask of it. You can find some used not far out of your price range

https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1768358-Akkar-Churchill-SxS
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Those would all be good things, but a little out of my price range at this point (just been laid off, and can only afford a double by liquidating a few guns here). And dang, I love old world doubles. But it would definitely be nice to have modern 3" load capacity. My father-in-law got a sweet deal on an Italian O/U from his co-worker because it occasionally doubled, and while I've loved the old-school guns I've had pass through my hands, it's nice to have a modern gun that you can take to the marsh for a poke at black ducks if you want.
 
madtrapper143 said:
Research Husky shotguns well. Lots of info on the Inter web. Husky shotguns range from excellent to rather poor over the years. Get to no the better models and years of manufacture and then head to Trade Ex. I like Baikal most of all. Well priced, solid and easily repaired by a competent gunsmith if ever required. Most parts are large robust and readily made by a good smith. Stevens 311's are good enough guns but have a very poor bolting (locking) system. They do shoot loose sooner than most with lots of shooting.

Darryl
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That is interesting on the 311. I don't have a lot of experience with them but did buy two new a 16ga and a 12ga ( my buds named the executioner lol ) many years ago from lebaron maybe 1970????
I still have the 16ga and she is fine. The 12ga I put through hell as a young dude and fired a lot of rounds and no issue. In fact sold it to a friend for 150 bucks who had the chokes opened to skeet and skeet and shot it for years like 100 rounds a week min on the skeet field and again no looseness
Was it all of them or certain years. Mine are / were old tanks IMO
Cheers
 
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They have a split barrel extension that acts as a top locking system. Most will have top snap levers well to the left with any hard use. The looseness then follows promptly. The ones I had seemed that the older the better for quality. My early ones (1950's vintage) were way better than the mid 1970's models I had. They are decent enough work horses but won't hold a candle to the euro offerings from Baikal, Brno, FEG etc. Again this is my experience and opinion if a guy likes his Stevens 311 series shotgun then good for him I hope he gets to enjoy it for along time.

Darryl
 
madtrapper143 said:
They have a split barrel extension that acts as a top locking system. Most will have top snap levers well to the left with any hard use. The looseness then follows promptly. The ones I had seemed that the older the better for quality. My early ones (1950's vintage) were way better than the mid 1970's models I had. They are decent enough work horses but won't hold a candle to the euro offerings from Baikal, Brno, FEG etc. Again this is my experience and opinion if a guy likes his Stevens 311 series shotgun then good for him I hope he gets to enjoy it for along time.

Darryl
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Thanks for the feedback. My 16ga doesn't have a lot of rounds through it but that old 12ga sure does. Maybe I had a good one there
I don't like any SXS LOL except my model 21's :)
Take care
 
My Savage Fox B (a gussied up 311) has the singular honour of being the gun that has broken more times than any other gun I've ever owned. Thanks to the simple design, I was able to fix it myself every time, but still...

I wouldn't recommend them.
 
Tradeex has a lot of low priced shotguns.
They are mostly bottom of the barrel guns - when owners are forced to divest guns, they shed the least worthy.
The last two I ordered went straight back, at my expense.
The description used to be more reliable.
I do have an AyA 16 gauge from Tradeex that I like a lot.
Here's hoping that you are luckier than I.
 
Quality but affordable is what allows me to play in the SxS world. I definitely love my Japanese guns (SKB and Miroku). By the way, both my SKBs are glass bedded on account of their scalloped frames, for the reasons Canvasback mentioned. I have a couple of continental guns (J.P. Sauer, Pedro Gorosabel) and I could have otherwise seen myself having a BRNO or more German guns, but their propensity for cheek-pieces and cast-off rule many of them out for a lefty like me.
 
TheCoachZed said:
Those would all be good things, but a little out of my price range at this point (just been laid off, and can only afford a double by liquidating a few guns here). And dang, I love old world doubles. But it would definitely be nice to have modern 3" load capacity. My father-in-law got a sweet deal on an Italian O/U from his co-worker because it occasionally doubled, and while I've loved the old-school guns I've had pass through my hands, it's nice to have a modern gun that you can take to the marsh for a poke at black ducks if you want.
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Good deals could be found if you stay patient and keep looking. Here is an example.....
https://thegundealer.net/product/churchill-520-gold-20gax3-28bbl-3/

I didn't pay nearly as much as this example for the 12g I reviewed
 
Baikal ij58. Theyre choked tight and chrome lined but can be opened. I use steel #4 shot in mine but for most waterfowling i use bismuth in my doubles. I have fired over 65000 rounds thru mine with out a problem. Only issue is at about 60000 rounds the foreend hook started to wear enough that the foreend has become loose. Im sure if i built up the hook itd be tight again. Its well regulated with slugs. It is on the heavier side but it balances very well. The weight is between the hands and it balances on the hinge pin. They arent terrible to look at either. Even with tight factory chokes They can be used for a variety of things. Mine has killed many turkeys and small game as well as deer and many ducks and a whole lot of clay targets
Husqvarnas that ive owned or shot have all been more nimble and trimmer. The only current husqvarna i own now is a 2.5" hammer gun
 
I just bought 2 shotguns from Tradex,

Products on order:
1 x
Dumoulin SxS 12GA Hammergun - $225.00
SKU: 42574
$282.50 total for taxes and shipping


Products on order:
1 x
Baikal IJ-27E-IC O/U 12GA - $295.00
SKU: 43545
$361.60 total for taxes and shipping

Total is $643.00, shipped. Suppose to be here on Monday by Canpar
 
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