I am looking for a good solid side x side 12ga. I want a good solid user that will handle steel shot and has 3" chambers. money is defiantly an issue as in I don't have much. I have seen some on gunbroker but I 'm not sure what to look for. Any help in pointing me in the right direction would be appreciated.

Beretta 471 Silver Hawke

did I mention affordable ? under $1000 new or used. I have looked at the CZ and thought that they looked and handled fairly nice for the money.

wetdog2084

It's the requirement that the double handle steel shot and have 3" chambers that may prove the difficulty in finding what you want. There are any number of good to very fine quality doubles with 2 3/4" chambers -not suitable for steel shot out there , as you, of course, well know. If "Shotgun News" is still in publication, try looking there. (You can also insert an ad in their classifieds looking for exactly what you want, yeah, 3" chambers,etc.) Good Luck.

I have a CZ Bobwhite in 20GA and it makes for a very decent working gun.

I am looking for a working double that will take 3" and steel for ducks and geese and hunting on preserves where non toxic is required. I 'm sure that I could get buy with a 2 3/4 but I would like the versatility of the 3" I can find quite a few used guns but I'm not sure how to tell witch ones that can shoot steel safely. If I just hunted upland a nice 16 or 20 would fit the bill. I will more than likely end up buying one of the CZ's and look for a nice older 20 or 16 for upland birds.

Another vote for Beretta's Silverhawk. Another benifit is you can try 2 different stock configurations to see which fits you best. Pistol grip and straight. The straight fit me perfect. I love mine. This is a much better made gun than any CZ I have had the pleasure to shoot. I would get a second job and save up or better yet look for one used, which is what I did.

you see this one?

http://forums.accuratereloadin...2711043/m/5561049811

wetdog 2084:

I am now about to pick a fight with a Westerner (never a good idea as my Texas family related mother would have said) Why in heck do you need 3" chambers in a shotgun for being "versatile"? Are you really that good at spotting ranges for ducks and geese that you need the,what? extra 10-15 yards boost of a 3" chamber load? (I said, I was picking a fight) Now, being more serious - I regard 3" shotgun loads as in the same class as "Magnums" in rifle loads. Bigger ain't necessarily always better in the field when it comes to what we shoot and what we shoot at (and you are good enough and experienced enough to know what I mean without drawing diagrams for you. Fact.) OK - now take your best shot at me.

I agree with SG my beretta I held off untill I could afford what I wanted. It is an old but true saying "if you buy cheap you will buy twice"

Lengthen the chambers of a 2 3/4". Possibility?

quote:

Originally posted by Gerrypeters375:
wetdog 2084:

I am now about to pick a fight with a Westerner (never a good idea as my Texas family related mother would have said) Why in heck do you need 3" chambers in a shotgun for being "versatile"? Are you really that good at spotting ranges for ducks and geese that you need the,what? extra 10-15 yards boost of a 3" chamber load? (I said, I was picking a fight) Now, being more serious - I regard 3" shotgun loads as in the same class as "Magnums" in rifle loads. Bigger ain't necessarily always better in the field when it comes to what we shoot and what we shoot at (and you are good enough and experienced enough to know what I mean without drawing diagrams for you. Fact.) OK - now take your best shot at me.

the reason that I want a SxS with a 3" chamber is versatility. with a 3" chamber I have many options from light loads for dove and quail to heavy loads for geese and swans. I shoot steel shot and I prefer heavy loads for geese. I know that 2 3/4 loads work just fine in most cases but in my experience the added shot in the 3" loads kill better. The slightly longer range of 3" loads makes little difference the only time that I take shots at over 40 yards is when I pass shoot geese and the one swan that I can take every year but then my 10 with full chokes works well for that. If I was willing to pay the price for heavy shot or tungsten a 2 3/4 would work but I won"t pay the price so I will shoot steel. The cz appeals to me because if it got banged up I wouldn't be as upset as I would be if I had a beautiful gun. duck hunting can be quite hard on a gun with mud ,wet dogs , ect...
just my own opinion.

wetdog2084:

Thanks for your reply. I suspect that your reply has to do with what is your experience -and outside of mine because I never used steel shot and my shooting at Canadas was as a teenager along the Hudson River (NY) with lead shot. It was interesting to read that you found the 3" chamber better. I confess that I do wonder if you like the 3" shell better because it holds more steel shot -and whether lead shot from a 2 3/4 chamber wouldn't have done the job as well. (Don't answer because we both know the question is outside of what you have to hunt geese with today so it's almost meaningless. I confess that I do wonder,anyway)

I do like the 3" when shooting steel because it does hold more shot. Steel being lighter than lead doesn't hit as hard or penetrate as well as lead. The more shot on target the better. when I first started waterfowl hunting you could still use lead and 2 3/4 loads of 4's were very lethal out to some quite long distances. A couple of years later lead was out and steel was what you had to work with. I know that 2 3/4 loads will work with steel but it has been my experience that you will get more solid kills and less cripples with 3" steel loads. This is my opinion and I know there are some who may argue with me on this but I have proven this to myself over and over again. If I didn't waterfowl hunt I would never need or want a 3" . I don't like the 3 1/2 in a twelve they kick hard in the guns that they are chambered and don't seem to pattern well. That's why I have a 10ga.
Just my opinion for what it's worth.

About a year ago I bought a Charles Daly model 306 12 gauge sxs, 28" barrels, sight unseen. I had read that they were good guns for the price and I had a chance to buy one at a very reasonable price. They are made in Turkey, and I think they sell new for about $600. I really like mine. It shoots very well and looks good, too. I've got a couple hundred shells through it with no problems so far. And if I have a problem I'll just fix it myself, so I didn't worry too much about that. Also, I wanted 2 extra skeet choke tubes and called their 800 parts number, which was a warehouse in Pennsylvania. They had the tubes in stock at $15 each post paid, and sent them to me in three days. Great service.

the turks seem to do good work. I haven't seen the Chareles Daly offering yet but I've heard that they were well made. Unfortunately I can't afford to be a gun snob yet.

SKB

What do you guys know about the Fausti's offered by Weatherby?

Whittakers has 20 guage and 12 guage 26" barrel franchi highlanders on sale for 899.

http://www.whittakerguns.com/

Its right there on the main page. I have one in 20 ga and it's very, very nice. This is an incredible deal.

RBL...."Dammit man"!

I have the the CZ ringneck in 16 ga and it is a very good shooter, several guys here have the CZ ringneck in 12 ga and one shoots his as his waterfowling gun for the past 3 years with no issues.

Dont know if Zabala are imported to the US but these are pretty nice and are steel proof and have 3" chambers plus they are cheap but still damn nice looking and tough!

Zabala

Im getting mine hopefully next week and will try it out on Ptarmigans