new to me shotgun first impressions

L

Licensed to kill

CGN Regular
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Location
Peace Country Alberta
Bought a Hugu 12GA sxs hammer gun a little while ago. It was used but like new as it had less than 100 rounds reported through it. First impressions, it's a tad porky tipping the scales at 7lbs, 14oz empty. Not horrible and appreciated when it come to recoil. It swings nice and handle well for me. I have shot a couple hundred round through it with no issues. I have read that Huglus can have a tendency to double and I have been sure to have BOTH hammers cocked every time to see if this one will and, so for, no problems. Triggers are a BIT heavy at 7 lbs right and 6.5 lbs left. Not HORRIBLE for a shotgun but a little lighter would be nice. For the price ($800 CAD delivered to my house) IMO it is a decent value and am quite pleased with my purchase. Interestingly, even thought it has the exact same dimensions as my CZ bobwhite 20GA (of course coming from the exact same shop) which I shoot quite well, my first outing with the 12GA I couldn't hit $hit. 75 shots on clays and about a 25% hit rate. Second outing over 100 shots and about an 80% hit rate (similar to my 20GA), which, for me, is quite good (I'm not much of a shotgunner). Overall a good purchase for me.
 
They are a decent gun for for their price point.
One must realize ( many do not) that hammer guns take a bit more concentration on the target to shoot well, simply because of the hammers being bin one's periferal vision.
Some of us love hammer doubles, most cannot abide them! LOL
Given tbe choice, I will take a hammer gun every time. And have owned a couple of CZ's .
Cat
 
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My Huglu had heavier, gritty triggers, and was fairly heavy, but for the price, they offer good value. Some people shoot SxS shotguns well, some have issues with the width of the barrels. I find that as long as a SxS fits, I shoot them quite well, and have shot clean rounds of skeet with them.
 
iron cat said:
They are a decent gun for for their price point.
One must realize ( may do not) that hammer guns take a bit more concentration on the target to shoot well, simply because of the hammers being bin one's periferal vision.
Some of us love hammer doubles, most cannot abide them! LOL
Given tbe choice, I will take a hammer gun every time. And have owned a couple of CZ's .
Cat
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Hammers don't bother me, I don't even notice them at all. Have shot mostly ML doubles for years and even a couple flint SXS's and I don't really notice the hammers or the flash (but I have been shooting flintlocks for 30 years or so). I think I just had a VERY off day. First day shots never really "felt" good, the other day they "felt" really good and the ones I missed I knew I was going to miss before the shot left the tube. One of THOSE days.
 
stubblejumper said:
My Huglu had heavier, gritty triggers, and was fairly heavy, but for the price, they offer good value. Some people shoot SxS shotguns well, some have issues with the width of the barrels. I find that as long as a SxS fits, I shoot them quite well, and have shot clean rounds of skeet with them.
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I am a HUGE SXS fan. I. fact, I doubt that I have shot a box of shells out of anything other than a SXS. Always loved them and wouldn't buy anything else. I am a bit of an odd duck when it come to guns, Never owned a shotgun that was NOT a sxs and the only rifle that I have ever owned that was a bolt action was a Russian .22 that I bought at an auction for $75. Pretty crude but shoots like a house on fire. Gave it to a neighbour years ago. The only suppository guns that interest me are levers and falling blocks, although I have a sweet early Remington Mod 12 pump .22 that I quite like.
 
Licensed to kill said:
I am a HUGE SXS fan. I. fact, I doubt that I have shot a box of shells out of anything other than a SXS. Always loved them and wouldn't buy anything else. I am a bit of an odd duck when it come to guns, Never owned a shotgun that was NOT a sxs and the only rifle that I have ever owned that was a bolt action was a Russian .22 that I bought at an auction for $75. Pretty crude but shoots like a house on fire. Gave it to a neighbour years ago. The only suppository guns that interest me are levers and falling blocks, although I have a sweet early Remington Mod 12 pump .22 that I quite like.
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I enjoy my SxS shotguns for upland, but I much prefer a gas operated semi auto for waterfowl, to absorb recoil from the 3" waterfowl loads. And very few SxS shotguns other than the Model 21 and BSS would stand up to hundreds of thousands of rounds, as a clays gun.
 
stubblejumper said:
I enjoy my SxS shotguns for upland, but I much prefer a gas operated semi auto for waterfowl, to absorb recoil from the 3" waterfowl loads. And very few SxS shotguns other than the Model 21 and BSS would stand up to hundreds of thousands of rounds, as a clays gun.
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I quit hunting waterfowl when the lead ban came into being. I wouldn't shoot hundreds of thousand of rounds in 10 lifetimes so not a concern for me. I seriously doubt that anyone that does that much clay shooting would choose a SXS anyways as the VAST majority seem to go with O/U's or autoloaders. I have a friend that shoots waterfowl with a Benelli autoloader as he says it has pretty much zero recoil even with 3-1/2" mag waterfowl loads. To be fair, he shoots a LOT of bigger calibres in rifle, all three .416 versions (Rem, Ruger and Rigby), several 375 versions ( H&H, ultra mag, and couple others) and .458's so his idea of "zero" recoil may be suspect LOL. He DOES have a thin barrelled lightweight 375 ultramag that he says kicks like a mule on steroids and he shot a bear years ago with a .416 Rigby that he was in a semi crouch position when he fired that he said knocked the stuffing out of him but generally doesn't seem to mind recoil much.
 
stubblejumper said:
I enjoy my SxS shotguns for upland, but I much prefer a gas operated semi auto for waterfowl, to absorb recoil from the 3" waterfowl loads. And very few SxS shotguns other than the Model 21 and BSS would stand up to hundreds of thousands of rounds, as a clays gun.
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M21? Mmmm. Probably not. At least not much better than most other well made SxS using modern steels. They do have a known issue with rib and forend lug failure. Their supposed “strength” is just good marketing along with the US based “cult of Winchester”. I’d take the BSS.

The best two gunsmiths I know of and have spoken to, Dewey Vicknair and Claudio Opacek, both of whom have had their work profiled in Shooting Sportsman, share similar opinions based on their knowledge of gun design and the work they have been asked to do, over the years. I’ll take their view over M21 collectors who have a vested financial interest in maintaining the mystique.
 
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canvasback said:
M21? Mmmm. Probably not. At least not much better than most other well made SxS using modern steels. They do have a known issue with rib and forend lug failure. Their supposed “strength” is just good marketing along with the US based “cult of Winchester”. I’d take the BSS.
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It will be interesting to see what the cult has to say about your comments.:)
 
Everyone is entitled to there opinion no matter how incorrect it is
I’m not a fan of model 21’s for other reasons but they are indestructible and represent American craftsmanship
I have owned 3 in my lifetime I have tried to like them
 
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