Two posts already suggest SKB. Among numerous models, it may be easiest to find a used Ithaca/SKB Model 100, which weighs I believe 5 3/4 lbs. in 20 ga. with the 25" barrels. SxS, extractors, single selective trigger, chromed bores, pistol-gripped. Well-balanced, pleasant to carry afield all day. In Montana, I suspect you'll want tighter chokes than on a specifically quail-choked gun. Maybe IC & M. I used one of these for years, mostly early season on pheasants and occasional quail in E. Nebraska, then ruffed grouse and state-released pheasant in upstate NY. As many on this board have repeatedly confirmed, these are excellent value, largely trouble-free guns. While 2 3/4" shells will probably be best for your companion, these will take 3" magnums, though that will naturally boost the recoil. I cut the butt on mine slightly to accommodate a Pachmayr "Old English" Decelerator for lightly-clad days, swapping for a custom buttplate of thinnish aluminum sheet when winter demanded thicker clothes. I believe you may be able to pick up a Model 100 for $5-800, but haven't followed the used market recently. As the original wood tends to be rather light colored and varnished, you may want to refinish toward something darker and oiled. There are fancier versions of the basic 100 as well, among these the 280 and 480, both straight-stocked. They fetch correspondingly higher prices on the used market. A few days ago "Researcher" posted a 1979 catalog illustration of this entire line:
http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=238439#Post238439 You'll want to make sure the action is tightly bolted to the stock, or cracks may appear at the scalloped edges. Access to the nut is through the hole beneath the buttplate. Don't recall what size socket at the moment. Others have acraglassed to ensure the best fit for the action against the wood. If the stock already has a hairline or two at the scalloping, you can repair these yourself with thinned epoxy, as described in numerous posts on the site. I did, and the crack never advanced.
