Options for O/U 20ga Grouse gun?

freddyfour

freddyfour

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Brant County, Ontario
I've caught the Grouse bug! I have been using 12ga for them and for the most part that has worked just fine. But since I do not have a 20ga or an O/U and getting new gear is almost as fun as the hunt I want some opinions of what to get.

This is what I would like to see:
20-26" barrel
Screw in chokes
Possibly ejectors
Close to 7lbs or less
New or used do not care
Would even consider a combo O/U
Budget around $600

I do not know much about O/U's, just owned pumps thus far so a little education is needed.

Thanks
 
Dont have any experience with any of these, but to fit that bill, Stoeger Condor, Mossberg Silver Reserve, Bailkal IZH-27 and Stevens 512 come to mind.
 
Considered by many as one of the best upland Small game shotguns ever made is the Franchi AL-48 in 20ga. Its a auto not a o/u that comes in at less then 6lbs. It fits right in your budget and you can expect excellent quality.
 
cote_b said:
Dont have any experience with any of these, but to fit that bill, Stoeger Condor, Mossberg Silver Reserve, Bailkal IZH-27 and Stevens 512 come to mind.
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Of these, the Baikal IJ 27 would be the one to pick . Again, when coming to an over/under or SxS, you don't have to spend much more to get a lightly used higher quality gun. As an example, would you rather have a Stoeger Condor or Silver Reserve new or get a nice condition Mirouku, Brno , Franchi or Browning for between $500.00 and $1000.00. It can be done. I have a mint condition Browning Citori 20 gauge that was less than $1000.00 on the EE. The others I mentioned you can pick up for less. If your main use will be for grouse, you don't need screw in chokes. I know a number of people (myself included) who pretty much never take the extra chokes out of their boxes.
 
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gunsaholic said:
Of these, the Baikal IJ 27 would be the one to pick . Again, when coming to an over/under or SxS, you don't have to spend much more to get a lightly used higher quality gun. As an example, would you rather have a Stoeger Condor or Silver Reserve new or get a nice condition Mirouku, Brno , Franchi or Browning for between $500.00 and $1000.00. It can be done. I have a mint condition Browning Citori 20 gauge that was less than $1000.00 on of the EE.
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Agreed. A much higher quality but used O/U could be had at a relatively similar price to a new, lower quality O/U, if you are patient and put your time into looking.
 
gunsaholic said:
Of these, the Baikal IJ 27 would be the one to pick . Again, when coming to an over/under or SxS, you don't have to spend much more to get a lightly used higher quality gun. As an example, would you rather have a Stoeger Condor or Silver Reserve new or get a nice condition Mirouku, Brno , Franchi or Browning for between $500.00 and $1000.00. It can be done. I have a mint condition Browning Citori 20 gauge that was less than $1000.00 on the EE. The others I mentioned you can pick up for less. If your main use will be for grouse, you don't need screw in chokes. I know a number of people (myself included) who pretty much never take the extra chokes out of their boxes.
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I'm all for used, just look at my trader rating to see most of my guns are used off the EE;);)

I know my budget is not huge but I would like to get the best quality for the money I have which sometimes is a hard thing to accomplish and like I said O/U is a whole new world for me so I'm not sure what to look for.
 
Before I knew about CGN and used guns, I bought a new Cynergy Classic 26" 20ga a few months ago and love it to death. It handles like an extension of my body. Perfect for what you are looking to do. I started out looking at sub-$1K guns and the Stoeger was amongst them. Honestly the probably isn't anything wrong with a Stoeger, but the fit and finish just left me cold... and admittedly I'm a sucker for a pretty gun. If I had to choose my favorite sub $1k gun that I saw while shopping it would be the Yildiz 20ga O/U. This gun shouldered very well for me and had a nice look to it with silver receiver and a bit of engraving. I think the one I looked at was at SAIL for around $749. Its not in their online catalogue. Now that I know about CGN, I would definitely keep on the lookout for a used Citori or Cynergy 20ga O/U, the Citori with fixed chokes is most likely to fall under $1K and they go fast. I have a friend on active lookout for this exact gun, 20ga Citori Field, so if you see one on CGN, better act fast LOL!.
 
Ejectors are not a must have, although on some brands most come with them. They are faster in the field for reloading, but nowadays how important is that. If you want to save your hulls for reloading, or you are on a trap range, they can be a bit of a pain that way. At least on the trap range you have the time to cup your hand over the breech area and catch the shell. So it becomes a personal choice. Same with double triggers. Some like them, some don't. With double triggers, you still have one barrel left should something in the selector fail. Reale is usually higher on a gun with selective triggers and ejectors.
 
I would hold out for a nice used Browning Citori. I picked up two here on the EE within the last 4 months.. both upland models, 12 gauge, straight stocked, one is literally mint/like new, the other very good plus condition..Got the mint one for $750 shipped, Super Steal!!!!! and the other for $550 shipped...not too frickin bad of a deal either... If I was you, I'd wait.. There is a winchester 101 in 20 gauge, if I'm not mistaken on the EE right now...although over your budget by just over half (asking price of $1400 I believe...) that would be an excellent light bird gun.. paying the extra cash for quality is certainly worth it in the long run..unless you get a little lucky from time to time, as I've experienced on the EE lately..:D
 
I would save and wait for at least a citori preferably with a straight stock,26 barrels single trigger.
You will be happy you waited a while longer and get one that you will be happy forever with.
Just my 2 cents
 
rr grouse gun

First of all, if you are going to hunt grouse by other means than "road hunting", it is important to have a gun that feels good to you and fits you. A grouse gun needs to be fast to the shoulder and point where you look. If you are doing walk up (stalk) type hunting in woods or over dogs, grouse offer fleeting opportunity's to get a shot off so gun fit and practise is very important. One way to improve your chances is to shoot trap and skeet from the low gun position and not shouldering the gun until you see the target. Barrel length is much of an individual choice -- personally, I do not shoot 24" guns well and prefer 28" and in my 51 years of grousing, have never thought myself hampered by the longer barrels in thick covers. Stay away from recommended gun brands -- they may fit the individual recommending them but may not be for you -- go to the local gun shops and feel as many shotguns as you can and only then, make your educated decision. Individual fit is much more important in hunt shotgunning than in hunting rifle shooting.
OMHO.
 
Grouser said:
First of all, if you are going to hunt grouse by other means than "road hunting", it is important to have a gun that feels good to you and fits you. A grouse gun needs to be fast to the shoulder and point where you look. If you are doing walk up (stalk) type hunting in woods or over dogs, grouse offer fleeting opportunity's to get a shot off so gun fit and practise is very important. One way to improve your chances is to shoot trap and skeet from the low gun position and not shouldering the gun until you see the target. Barrel length is much of an individual choice -- personally, I do not shoot 24" guns well and prefer 28" and in my 51 years of grousing, have never thought myself hampered by the longer barrels in thick covers. Stay away from recommended gun brands -- they may fit the individual recommending them but may not be for you -- go to the local gun shops and feel as many shotguns as you can and only then, make your educated decision. Individual fit is much more important in hunt shotgunning than in hunting rifle shooting.
OMHO.
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Excellent advice, great post.
 
I agree with grouser...get one that fits YOU. Coming from an avid grouse hunter, that's an awesome comment. So true, cheap or not, shoot what feels right for you. When I hunted without dogs, grouse can and will flush when you least expect it, and you need to shoot quickly.

Graeme
 
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shooting grouse has to happen fast and unless you hunt over a pointing dog will likely always catch you with the gun dangling. My advice is handle as many as possible and find the one that "fits" you. As much as I admire the Beretta over unders I know they just don't fit me well so tend to prefer Winchester and Brownings. One size does not fit all. And don't get too hung up on "needing" a 20g. A nice light 12 gauge that fits well can be loaded with 1oz or 7/8oz loads and be perfectly suitable.
 
Anther excellent upland shotgun choice too keep an eye out for are the Ithaca SKB's. Wich where made in Japan and of excellent quality. They made both o/u and sxs. They are light weight and fast handling perfect for grouse. A model 100 20ga witch is a sxs version popped up on the EE not to long ago with a asking price of 750$
 
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