doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Heavy 12s and light 12s, all you'll ever need.

I was at a local gunshow this last weekend and a buddy of mine picked top a Sako something-or-other in .375 H&H. Shoulders it a few times and said how much he liked it...but.....he already HAS 6 rifles in .375 and was pondering whether or not he "needed" another. He didn't buy it...yet but the gun will likely be at the next show and he may pick it up then.I think his apprehension is that of all the .375 calibre that he owns, he likes the H&H the least. He certainly does NOT subscribe to the getting by with the least number of guns possible narrative LOL.

I should add that I am a true lover of the 28 gauge and love to shoot it, but I don't believe it or the 20 can measure up to the 16. I own 6 very well made 28's, and I do use them almost exclusively for doves. The reason is pragmatic. Most of our dove hunting involves quite a bit of walking and I can carry at least 50% more cartridges in a shooting vest with no added effort.

To quote Arnie Tex-"There ain't no right way and there ain't no wrong way". This applies in guns as well as cooking. The last two I bought were 24ga and 32ga, but the shot barrels were tied to rifle barrels.
Mike

I understand what you are saying, Lloyd. 12 ga. guns are surely the most practical of all. The mitigating factor that makes a big difference is the physical size of the 12 ga. gun. A 20 ga. gun is much more "slim and trim" in the hands, and less bulky, as is the ammunition, which can make them a good bit more aesthetically pleasing to the eye, imo. That is an undeniable "feature" to small bore shotguns. I dismissed the 16 ga. a long time ago, though I grew up shooting an Ithaca 37 16. It just doesn't achieve anything worth speaking about other than setting one apart from the crowd anymore. For those who use a 16, I'm glad you enjoy them. My good buddy Stan has an absolute peach of a 16 he really enjoys, an L. C. Smith Field Grade with ejectors, single trigger, and lovely 32" barrels that I think is one of his best buys ever. The 28 ga. is, to me an answer to a question nobody asked, but as I've said numerous times here before, it serves to relieve boredom with your battery, which is fine, but don't ask me to buy into it being significantly advantageous over a light 20. Not judging, just saying...
JR

I reload my own 12 gauge and 20 gauge. Those are the two of my choice. I could use 12 gauge for rabbits. The 20 gauge for small game and 12 gauge for larger game like pheasant and clay target shooting. I don't think I'd be interested in buying a 10 gauge for anything. I have a model 12, 16 gauge but I never use it. I would have to buy ammo and I cannot see that. 12 gauge I reload is a medium to heavy all around load. That suits me pretty well.

I am far from competent with a 410, but as far as I’m concerned the energy for individual pellets in say #8 skeet loads is the same. The 12 will fill out a pattern better, but using a 410 can be as simple as not shooting beyond some reference point out in the field. Close in doves skimming over low tree tops or tight bobwhites behind a pointer are big fun factor. I think there are more abuses of reasonable hunting range with three inch twelves, than the subguages?

I do not want to be logical about guns. I want enjoyment, enlightenment, a feeling of connection with craftsman and long dead owners. Need. Use. Efficient. Those things do not enter into the equation. If they did I’d be shooting a SBE3, camo, covered in the latest digital camo. I use archaic guns deliberately. I use tools which require me to excel to get the job done well. And I enjoy things made 75, 100 to 150 years ago which still do their job.

Lloyd...ah no, ah no...

but ah jes tryin to git ah rise by rattlin my stick along the cage o de ole bar, dat lurks here...from time to time...

mea coupa...

hit has been said that a 12 bore gon an ah 30 caliber rifle is all one needs to cleanly kill most any animal worth eatin...

You sum it up far better than I could ever manage.

I'd much rather shoot skeet with an underlever hammered SxS and drop 5 or 6 birds than go straight with O/U or semi-auto. Besides it's fun to give the other shooters a hard time when their semi-auto jams or the inertia trigger on their O/U doesn't reset.