One of the best shooters I’ve ever met uses one shotgun for everything. He does all his waterfowl and upland hunting with an elderly semi-auto, and he’s also won several All-State Sporting Class spots with it.
Not only does he only own one gun, but he neglects it to the point of being criminal. One year, he left it by his barn and didn’t find it until the snow melted in the spring. It’s obvious that you can do more than just get by with one shotgun if you choose the right one.
I recently asked four gun writers what their choices would be if they were narrow to one gun. Most of the gun writers own (many) more than one shotgun, so each of their answers required some solemn thought and consideration of what they needed the shotgun for. Here’s what they said:
JOHN GORDON
Freelancer, Outdoor Life
John Gordon of Hernando, Mississippi, is a senior communications specialist for Ducks Unlimited and a constant contributor. Outdoor life on topics related to shotguns and waterfowl hunting.
A former snow goose guide, Gordon has shot a lot of rifles and seen even more in the hands of clients. He has a good idea of what works and what doesn’t in the filthy, muddy conditions of snow goose hunting.
He said, “I’ve thought about it a lot. My first reaction was to go with the Remington 870 Wingmaster, but if I can only have one gun, I’d like it to be Winchester Model 21 side by side. It would be a 12 gauge rifle with a 28 inch barrel fitted with Briley chokes, pistol grip, no vent rib. A tougher gun has never been made. John Olin took care of that when he built it from the finest steel available.
“No other gun can match the combination of accuracy and aesthetics of a side-by-side,” Gordon said. He also cites the reliability factor. “You only have two shots, but you’re pretty sure those two will go off. A good double-barrel gun is locked tight and works flawlessly in all weather conditions. Do I have 21? No, but I’ve shot them and I’m saving up for one.”
RON SPOMER
Freelancer, Ron Spomer Outdoors
A prolific writer, photographer, naturalist and television presenter, Ron Spomer has hunted all over the world and written dozens of articles News from the world of outdoor.
While many may associate Spomer’s name with rifles and game, at heart he is still a South Dakota farm kid who grew up hunting pheasants at home and shooting mallards. He still returns home every year for a few weeks of pheasant hunting with his English setter, Covey. Getting a gun writer to choose just one gun is no straightforward feat. Spomer narrowed his choices down to one of two guns, a 20-gauge and a 28-gauge.
“Of course, I don’t have one shotgun for all my hunting/shooting,” he said. “I don’t even have a favorite. But if I had to choose just one gun, I’d lean toward a light “A side-by-side 20 gauge Kimber Valier side barrel.”
Spomer’s gun was made for Kimber in Turkey by Akus, one of the country’s top manufacturers of high-quality firearms. It has 28-inch barrels, a fixed improved cylinder and modified chokes, and dual triggers that allow Spomer to instantly switch between chokes. He said the oil-finished AAA Turkish walnut stock helps him enjoy hunting in the highlands.
While his first choice is a side-by-side matchup, Spomer hedges his bets by going with the second:
“My second favorite is an old Ruger Red Label 28-gauge O/U that has taken every North American upland species, from every species of Arizona quail to wild pheasant in South Dakota and big sage grouse in Idaho. It’s primarily an upland weapon, but it’s taken teal, mallards, and a goose or two along the way to earn its waterfowling merit badge.”
Gregg Elliott
Sports shooter
Sports shooter Editor-in-Chief Gregg Elliott has been interested in double-barrel guns since he was a teenager hunting grouse and woodcock in northern New Hampshire. He now hunts throughout the Northeast, writes about shotguns, and keeps his finger on the pulse of the double-barrel market. Dogs and Doubles Website.
When asked to choose one gun, he said: “The dreamer would like my only gun to be something British, top quality and made before World War II. It could be a Holland & Holland or James Purdey 16-gauge side-by-side, or a Boss & Co. 16-gauge over/under.” But he quickly adds: “The practical me wants something that’s easy to get ammo for, easy to repair and easy to live with. For that purpose I would choose Beretta 686 Onyx 20 caliber or Zoli Expedition. These guns are as trouble-free as double-barreled shotguns get. I would like a 28-, 29-, or 30-inch barrel, and the gun will weigh about 6 1/2 pounds. Both guns have all the modern “improvements,” including modern mechanisms and chokes. Both guns are easy to repair here in the U.S. if something goes wrong.”
Unlike the classic Dreamer doubles Gregg mentions, the Zoli is currently in production. The Onyx has been discontinued, but there are plenty of them around. “If an airline lost one of them, I’d take the insurance money and buy another one,” Elliott said. “It wouldn’t bother me at all.”
RACHEL HOVELAND
Shotgun Pheasants Forever columnist
Pheasants Forever columnist Rachel Hoveland grew up in Minnesota hunting ducks and pheasants with her father before getting hooked on skeet shooting in college. A job in the gun department of a sporting goods store taught her all about shotguns. Today, she hunts whenever she can, but admits that now that she’s a mom, she only gets to skeet once a week.
Her choice of universal weapon is hers Beretta 391 Urika II. “I got a great deal on the gun and I’ve found it to be incredibly versatile and reliable. I’ve taken it on trips to Alaska to hunt ducks and grouse and it’s operated in -15 degrees. I believe in using just a little oil and keeping the oil off the gas piston.”
Hoveland’s gun is a 3-inch 12-gauge, and while she said a 20-gauge rifle might be better for upland bird hunting, if she could only have one rifle, it would have to be a 12-gauge. “I want a 12-gauge for hunting tough birds like diving ducks, and shooting traps in competition with anything other than a 12-gauge would be foolish,” she said.
PHIL BOURJAILY
Shotgun Field & Stream Columnist, Ducks Unlimited
While I love upland bird hunting and would love to have an O/U shotgun as my only shotgun, I also enjoy waterfowl hunting and find a third shot imperative for duck and goose hunting.
If I had to get rid of all my guns and keep just one, it would be this one. Browning B-80 I currently operate it for goose. The B-80 was made for Browning by Beretta in the 1980s and is really a Beretta 303. There are many target shooters who still consider the 303 to be the best semi-automatic pistol ever made.
Mine is a 12 gauge with chokes and a 28 inch barrel. I have been able to hunt geese, ducks, turkeys and target shoot with this B-80.
At 7 ¼ pounds, it might be a bit ponderous for an all-day hike in the mountains, but that’s a compromise I have to accept and am willing to make.
