All 'Rounder

Sunday illustrated a current frustration - I need to land on an all-around shotgun that's suitable for clays and general-purpose hunting. It will probably take a few $$$ but then I can quit monkeying around with "almost works" solutions.

I mentioned my Stoeger Uplander yesterday. Great field gun for birds. But that's about it. Dual triggers mean a larger trigger guard that beats up your shooting hand pretty good after a few rounds. No way you're going to shoot a hundred rounds with this thing. And fit and finish is, well, lacking... but I love it for upland birds.

Then there's my Remington 11-48. I'm fairly close to just giving up on it. I had the length of pull adjusted to fit me better, as I felt like my mount was way off. No good. I still shoot it like crap. I couldn't hit squat in the fields on Sunday and on my last sporting clays outing barely broke .500. I think on big factor is the lack of a barrel rib. I just don't acquire targets well with it. Fortunately, it didn't cost much and it's in good shape for re-sale.

I love my Winchester 1200 pump, but it's a tank. Seriously heavy. And pump action is not exactly ideal for a fast-moving round of sporting clays. But I think for now, I may switch over to this one for my all-rounder.

Meanwhile, what to get...

I think an autoloader is out for me. It doesn't force me to slow down and make the shot like a double or a pump. I keep pulling the trigger, shells keep flying. Plus, there's the maintenance and cleaning aspect. I don't want a gun that needs an involved tear-down 2-3 times a season to function correctly. Too bad - the Beretta 391 feels great in-hand.

It seems like my best choice is an over-under. I love the Beretta Silver Pigeon. What I don't like is it's $1,900 sticker price. I could certainly be happy with a Browning Citori, but the low end starts at $1,200 and goes up FAST. I think I'm going to pursue two options. I love my CZ .22 rifle. I think I need to shoot a CZ double. And, I've always loved the classic Browning Superposed. The Belgian made guns show up pretty regularly in the used racks. I'd love to score one.

Meanwhile, maybe the 1200 becomes a new upper-body workout!

-Sean-