Woodlot Perspective

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Hello,

I have never hunted rabbit or grouse, but I want to this season. I am looking for my first and last shotgun. With this in mind, I have read many threads in this forum and various reviews on the internet. I have also handled (not fired) the Mossberg 500, the Remington 870 Express and the Benelli Nova because they are all in my price range. I think I also understand the fit and finish / reliability debate for the three.

What I would like to understand is why a good shooting friend of mine discounts any pump-action shotgun for hunting small game in Ontario woodlots. He is a proponent of the break action, and believes that pumps shine solely in water foul situations.

Would you trust the pump action to cycle and eject on a 500, 870 Express, or Nova on a wet and cold day while you were slugging through some field between small county forests in souther Ontario? Are break action shotguns more reliable in this respect?

Is it possible that a missed 1st shot from a pump gives small game more time than than a missed first shot from double barreled shotgun would?

Is it possible that pump action shotguns are noticeably more awkward to use (cycle rounds) in the bush?

If so, could you please point me towards an accurate, reliable SxS or O/U shotgun that is costs (new) $500 plus tax? I can't seem to find anything less than $1000...

Thanks in advance.
 
I cannot speak for different makes of shotguns as I know NOTHING about them. I have one shotgun, an old Winchester model 1200 pump, and it serves any purpose I have for it. What I can tell you, is that speed of follow up shots is directly proportional to the amount of practice and confidence the user has.

I can out-shoot most of my hunitng shooting partners that have semi-autos with my pump, but that is only due to the sheer amount of time spent practicing...
 
Waterfowling is the most abusive treatment you can put a shotgun through. They fall in mud and swim in water. The get stepped on in boats. The are used when it's too damned cold to be using them. They live in the rain, sleet and snow. The best fowling weather keeps the toughest rabbit hunters at home. :p The thing is they keep on shucking.

Your friend is probably a purist who prefers the classic double gun. Nothing wrong with that, but nothing wrong with a pump either. A shotgun has a fair amount of recoil. Your muzzle will jump and by the time your back on target a good gunner could have that second round chambered. Good luck with your search and have fun.
 
The first shotgun that I used to hunt rabbits and grouse in Ontario was an Ithaca 37 pump 20g and it killed a lot of game.My Uncles used 12g pumps anddid not seem to have any trouble either.

Pick what you like and the best you can afford
 
I have a Model 12 and and 870 Wingmaster, both of which I have used for over 30 years of hunting every kind of legal bird available in Canada, but mostly ducks and geese in Manitoba. Both are pumps and both are fantastic guns.

I have a number of break action guns. I have used them to hunt all kinds of birds as well. Depending on the gun, they are great as well. However, they are different from pumps, and give a different experience hunting. They are, by their nature, both simpler and more complicated than a pump. They are theoretically safer in the field because, when open, as they should be most of the time, they are impossible to be fired under any circumstance.

If I could recommend a course of action....keep to your budget and buy a better quality pump gun by buying used. Forget a new break action for less than $500 because they don't exist. If they did, they wouldn't be worth the metal they are made of because break actions are just more expensive to make than pumps. More human involvement in making them work properly.

Watch the exchange and find a good condition Wingmaster. Simpler than the Model 12 and a fantastic gun. Buy a 12 gauge. You may buy more guns in the future but you will never regret that purchase.
 
One more thing....I'm with those above about the cycling of rounds. With practice and experience you will find you barely even know you have done it. Eyes on the target and the gun is just ready!
 
There is as much nostalgia surrounding pump actions as there is for double guns for hunting the uplands - at least on this continent anyway. I would want a slightly different configuration for my an upland pump, though: shorter barrel, less choke, and lighter weight. I have a Supernova and I wouldn't want to lug it around with me all day.
 
Your friend is possibley a bit of a traditionalist, pump guns are certainly capable of taking any possible abuse you can dish out. That being said theres something about a cold fall morning, frost on the ground, a southern exposure, a good dog and a double gun that makes grouse hunting something more then just a walk in the woods to get some meat.
If I were in your shoes at the moment I'd look to the used gun racks, for your price range I've seen 870 Wingmasters, which would be my choice as a first and last shotgun.
 
Keep watching Epps used guns. as Canvas. stated. You could likely pick up a used Model 12 Winchester for less than 300 bucks.

If you intend on only shooting small game in woodlots hold off for a 16 gauge as they are built on a 20 gauge frame, nice, light and handle like a dream. They are not however steel shot compatable but with modifications it is said one can safely shoot smaller steel shot sizes through them.

But if your pal is sold on a break action then so be it. Decent quality equipment is going to cost though.
 
Your friend's just trying to point you to the 'old sporting' side of things, and hunting. A good double is worth a lot more than your price range, starting around $2,500, but there's nothing like them. They are typically lighter, more responsive, much quicker on your two shots (you shouldn't need more, in the woods), and extremely safe as you carry them "broken" open over your arm. That way, your gun's action's always open by default unless shooting. They also are shorter in overall length, due to their being no action length as on a pump or auto. So with 28" barrels, you have a much sweeter handing gun than a 28" pump or auto.

Here's my one shotgun, does it all. Ruger Gold Label side by side, a 6lb, 3" chambered 12 gauge. My wife and I are going clay shooting with her tomorrow. You can get a decent CZ side by side for under $1000, and I even once owned a Parker Bros. Trojan (great gun, from pre-WWII) that I bought and sold around the $700 mark. Doubles just take it up a notch. Pump action works great, but it's a bit like drinking instant coffee.

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When I first started hunting 25 years ago, I used my 12 ga. Rem 870 for everything because that is all I had. I carried it for many years over fields, through forests and in duck blinds and it served me fine on all kinds of small game. But nowadays my 870 is my waterfowl and clays gun (and deer with the slug barrel). This is where it shines.

Once you spend a day busting through grouse and cottontail thickets with a lighter (likely sub-gauge) gun, you won't want to go back to your big pump or auto; the old gun will feel like a big log in your hands.

Your "woodlot" gun need not be a double, although they often are; I'd imagine that something like a 20 gauge 870 would nicely fit the bill.
 
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