$2000 Budget for All-Around Best Shotgun

The Kurgan

The Kurgan

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Looking for suggested models and configurations

As the title says, looking for a great all-around quality shotgun: skeet, trap, fowl and deer. My budget is around 2K. FYI, I've been eyeing a Citori Gran Lightening on sale at LeBarons. Thanks in advance.
 
All-around to me means all-weather and ability to swap barrels to suit the purpose. I'd want long and shorter vent rib barrels for fowl and upland birds, and maybe a ported barrel for skeet/trap when you're wearing hearing protection. Throw in a selection of chokes ic/m/f and maybe a turkey choke as well. A rifled barrel for slugs is always more accurate than rifled slugs in an unrifled barrel, and I'd get one with a scope mount as well. Throw in a short barrel for wilderness defense (maybe a pistol grip if backpacking) and that should cover just about any sporting or hunting purpose I can conceive shy of long range target shooting. I prefer semi myself, so I'd think long and hard about an 11-87 in blued/wood with synthetic add-on bits and factory barrels.

But that's just me. I don't see myself getting a lot of use out of a Citori for deer, and I threw in turkey, upland birds, and wilderness defense for my own purposes.
 
mikeyb said:
All-around to me means all-weather and ability to swap barrels to suit the purpose. I'd want long and shorter vent rib barrels for fowl and upland birds, and maybe a ported barrel for skeet/trap when you're wearing hearing protection. Throw in a selection of chokes ic/m/f and maybe a turkey choke as well. A rifled barrel for slugs is always more accurate than rifled slugs in an unrifled barrel, and I'd get one with a scope mount as well. Throw in a short barrel for wilderness defense (maybe a pistol grip if backpacking) and that should cover just about any sporting or hunting purpose I can conceive shy of long range target shooting. I prefer semi myself, so I'd think long and hard about an 11-87 in blued/wood with synthetic add-on bits and factory barrels.

But that's just me. I don't see myself getting a lot of use out of a Citori for deer, and I threw in turkey, upland birds, and wilderness defense for my own purposes.
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How does the Remington 870 Express trio rate? They're on sale at Lebaron for under 600? and there's no taxes today!
 
The Kurgan said:
How does the Remington 870 Express trio rate? They're on sale at Lebaron for under 600? and there's no taxes today!
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If you have a budget of 2k why would you even think of an 870? Get a nice Benelli or Beretta Semi Auto.
 
I think I might just get both. One I can take in the bush and not worry about, the other can be a more specialized skeet/trap gun
 
Its not a pricey gun in the sence that its not made with really pricey wood and doesn't have custom ingravings but I don't think you could go wrong with the Mossberg 535 3 barrel combo...28" vent rid field barrel, 26" turkey barrel, 24" rifled slug barrel and it can fire any size shot shell...that combined with proper choke selection and your set. It can and does cover all bases that you would ever want with a shotgun and will go bang every time. Price range is usally mid $500s for one in Realtree or Mossy Break Up..I forget which one
 
For someone who a clay shooter who also hunts I'd suggest a Beretta 391.

For a hunter who shoots clays to practice a Benelli M2.

If you absolutely need 3-1/2 capacity then the Beretta Xplor or the Benelli SBE II.
 
i was ging to say look at a citore befotre i even read your post .i like a 26 inch with chokes great gun shorter then pumps and autos smoother swing faster second shot DUTCH
 
The Kurgan, you are looking for the impossible. For instance a gun which excels in trap will shoot high and be fairly heavy. While this might also work acceptably for shooting geese from a pit, it will not be any good for deer and will be poor for skeet. Similarly a gun optimized for deer will be horrible on the trap field. The compromises required to fill your specifications mean that you end up with a shotgun that does not do anything particularly well. Even with interchangeable barrels, the stock configuration will limit usefulness in one area or another. Who wants to spend $2K for that?

Fortunately, your budget allows for the purchase of two or more guns. My advice would be to prioritize your shooting wants and buy two shotguns, each one optimized for the type of shooting most important to you. That way you will end up with only a couple of compromises and have satisfactory guns for the things you enjoy the most.

Think of it this way - do you ever ask for a sleek convertible sports car that has 1 G cornering capabilities, but must have 10 inches of ground clearance and the ability to tow 15,000 lbs.? The goals are mutually incompatible, you must buy a sports car and a truck to satisfy all these needs. It is the same thing with the shotgun - no size fits all.


Sharptail
 
Just a note on action types, double, pump, semi, from personal experience.

For years I shot a double for hunting, waterfowl and upland. However to use steel shot for waterfowl (the gun doesn't have screw in chokes and non-tox is getting expensive), I began using a pump. Big mistake. Can't count the number of times when I would just pull the trigger twice, expecting the second barrel to fire........ :redface:

I am now looking for a semi for hunting. Possibly a SBE II, but I also want to try the new Browning.

Target shooting is different, you know when (within a number of seconds) when your target will be up, and are mentally prepared for shooting and working a pump action, whether you are used to it or not.

However when hunting, you could be sitting watching for a long time, and you tend to revert to your instincts. Which in my case, working a pump was not part of my "learned" hunting reaction.
 
Sharptail said:
The Kurgan, you are looking for the impossible. For instance a gun which excels in trap will shoot high and be fairly heavy. While this might also work acceptably for shooting geese from a pit, it will not be any good for deer and will be poor for skeet. Similarly a gun optimized for deer will be horrible on the trap field. The compromises required to fill your specifications mean that you end up with a shotgun that does not do anything particularly well. Even with interchangeable barrels, the stock configuration will limit usefulness in one area or another. Who wants to spend $2K for that?

Fortunately, your budget allows for the purchase of two or more guns. My advice would be to prioritize your shooting wants and buy two shotguns, each one optimized for the type of shooting most important to you. That way you will end up with only a couple of compromises and have satisfactory guns for the things you enjoy the most.

Think of it this way - do you ever ask for a sleek convertible sports car that has 1 G cornering capabilities, but must have 10 inches of ground clearance and the ability to tow 15,000 lbs.? The goals are mutually incompatible, you must buy a sports car and a truck to satisfy all these needs. It is the same thing with the shotgun - no size fits all.


Sharptail
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I completely agree. I just picked-up the 870 Express "Trio" for my field purposes. A solid, proven and reliable shotgun with three barrels for under $600 is hard to beat. I am now going to buy a decent O/U with nice walnut furniture for my skeet/trap purposes. I will go over budget, but I suppose that's par for the course. :)
 
CanadaBoy said:
My first thought would be a used Beretta 686, you can get a very nice one for under $2000.
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The 686 would be a decent choice, but they are a bit heavy fr many to lug around the uplands after birds.
I just traded a 686, and sold and sold a 687 last year.
I like then, but do not shoot 12's anymore - not smokeless , anyway!:D
For two grand however, one should be able to get a decent O/U for trap/skeet and a nicle little 20 O/U for birds, or two 12's as I previously posted.....
Cat
 
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