Anyone remember the old Starkist Tuna "Chicken of the Sea" TV commercials? Remember Charlie the Tuna who thought Starkist was looking for tunas with "good taste," and missed the fact they really wanted tunas that "taste good?"
Well, I started out interested in doubles that would show off my "good taste." Slender, wispy, short-barreled, flyweight guns with straightgrips like a double should have. As the years passed, I came to realize more and more the value of guns that "taste good."
Only one of my doubles is a dedicated hunting gun and that happens to be for grouse and woodcock. It gets carried a lot and I have to negotiate some thick cover, so it has short (26") barrels, light weight (<6 lbs) and a half pistolgrip (comfortable and practical). I bought it 20 years ago and will never replace it, but if I were shopping today it would have 28" barrels.
All the others get shot thousands of times a year at clay targets, and I like to hit a lot of them. So none sport barrels < 30" or weigh < 6.5 lbs lbs. My 30" 16 weighs 7 lbs on purpose, and I don't think it would be a hindrance on a pheasant hunt.
