I can be a streaky shooter. The longest run I've ever made on birds was 27. Preserve pheasants, but GOOD preserve birds. Parker Repro 28ga, about 5 3/4#. A couple of those birds did require a 2nd barrel, but there were also 2 true doubles.
Ted lives in grouse and woodcock country. You don't want anything much heavier than 6# for those critters, and preferably less if you spend much time pushing popple--where you're doing a lot of one-hand carrying while you part the brush with the other.
Those light guns are not the best choice for sporting clays or trap. Skeet . . . I shot some straights with that Repro 28ga, with a sub-6# Sauer 20, and with my current Ithaca Classic Doubles 20, at a little over 5 3/4#. I'm not going to beat any serious competitive skeet shooters other than on rare (and, for me, happy!) occasions, but I actually like shooting those light guns at skeet, with 3/4 oz loads. Makes me very familiar with mounting that light gun, when it comes bird season in the fall. And if we're talking grouse and woodcock, I need all the help I can get!
