Rem,
I have a 16 gauge Basic Iside with 30" barrels. I ordered it from John Boyd before he retired. It's definitely more meaty in the wrist than an English gun, and certainly more so than my AyA #2 in the pictures.That said, I think the meaty wrist will be your friend when it comes to steel and the spicy factory bismuth loads.
Other than that and being on the plain side, I find there's much to like. My barrel regulation is right on, and I shoot the gun as well or better than any I've owned. I started shooting it at game 1/3 of the way through my South Dakota trip last year and never missed a bird with it through the rest of the season. This year I connected on the first 3 ruffed grouse and a woodcock. Hard not to like a gun that likes me so much! I do shoot it at sporting clays, so I'm pretty comfortable with it.
The triggers came from the factory a nice 3.4 & 3.9 pounds according to my digital Lyman gauge. It came from the factory weighing 6 lbs. 3 oz. and now it's just over 6 lbs. 4 oz. with a pad. The guys with the 28" barrels tell me they weigh right at 6 lbs.
I wasn't wild about the checkering, so did some sand-fit tweaking for drop and cast, and then I turned Mark Larson loose on it and he changed the checkering and I gave him the green light to enhance the grain.
I thought it would end up being a back-up gun for my AyA which is also a 16 gauge with 30" barrels, but I shoot the Iside better therefore it's earned the starting job.
In the group of guys I shoot with in the summer there's 6 Isides counting mine, four 16's a 12, and a 28 gauge. Everyone likes them and shoots them well. No problems so far in any of these 6.
