With hunting season upon us and the holidays looming, here’s some ideas for the hunter in your family, or in your future if you have a youngster who wants a dependable first shotgun to learn on and to keep.
By Ray Reilly for Press Pros
You don’t hear or read about it much, anymore – the classic outdoor columns from the days of Outdoor Life and Field and Stream, by Jack O’Connor and Warren Page, both long-gone and with them most of the common sense relative to guns and loads that are most efficient and adaptable to upland hunting.
Not that there aren’t good people to read in the 21st century, because there are. But readers don’t anticipate them, or what they have to say, like they did in the days of O’Connor and Page. Those men were the veritable gods of gun and shooting journalism, and so many anxiously waited to read with the hunting season…what Jack and Warren had to say.
But there are still a few people out there who want to know more about what gun (or bow) to buy for a son, or grandson…even a granddaughter…who has a hankering for the outdoors and a love for dogs, guns, and hunting. And because of the modern culture and its attitudes on guns and hunting, you literally have to have a search warrant now to find that same advice on where to look and what to buy. So I’d like to help a bit, share some personal experience, and maybe push you in a positive direction that helps – like my Uncle Dick was famous to say – buy it well, and buy it once!
When I was out West in September, hunting Sharptail grouse, I had the occasion to carry one of the new CZ shotguns, a double barrel model (the Sharptail), that over the course of a week I grew to like a lot. It was a brand new gun, in 20 gauge, it handled well, and with five chokes to select from I found it a wonderful light tool with which to harvest birds. And while I’ve been aware of CZ guns for a couple of decades, I’ve always been a Remington and Browning man where shotguns and hunting were concerned. This CZ, that retails for about $1,200, and is handsome to boot, checked all the boxes and clearly made a strong impression for manufacture and performance. They make a number of other styles, and they’re not hard to find. In fact, in the Press Pros market, dealers are as close as the Olde English Outfitters in Tipp City. Call them if you want to try one on, or for more information before the final weeks of the shopping season if you’re thinking like a bird hunter.
Of course, there are so many great used guns available, as well, but I’m also enough like Uncle Dick to tell you that ‘buyer beware’ – it’s easy to buy someone else’s headaches on a gun that’s mechanically unsound, that doesn’t fit properly, and that’s simply over-priced. Once again, I can’t stress enough the value of having a local dealer that can help guide you in the purchase of a previously-owned shotgun or rifle.
Like many first-time hunters, I personally got started on a used Remington Model 870 pump gun – a 16 gauge – when I was 14 years old. It’s served me well for more than thirty years, operates flawlessly, and Remington has made millions of them so parts and repair are never a problem. And, 870s come in nearly every size and gauge that you can think of, so there’s literally a good fit for every hunting and shooting need, from upland game to simple clay targets.
I own several Browning shotguns, notably a modern version of the famous Belgian-made Superposed (the Citori) in 12 gauge, and a pair of the older automatics called the A-5 model. I bought the Citori (the A-5s I inherited) and for waterfowl and pheasants in tough, windy conditions the Citori can’t be beaten.
But I emphasize again, to my tastes the original Citori’s had advantages over the newer copies built since 2010. Their newer Citoris have had an emphasis on lighter weight, and therefore you find more alloy components, especially the receiver. The Citori that I own was built closer to 2000, is a pound or so heavier because it’s all steel, and has better looking walnut wood. I would not trade it for anything. And despite what you hear about Japanese manufacture of the Browning guns, they’re every bit as good as the originals in fit and finish. I’ve never had an issue.
Another famous American name is the Winchester, and again, if you know someone who can direct you to one of the more iconic models of Winchester, you can still find some great guns and great values. But again, the Winchesters built in the last twenty years don’t look like the classic Winchester, they’re very heavy on alloy metals to save weight, and you can probably get more gun for the money if you have some good help.
I know there’s a lot to see with online brokers, but again…buyer beware. However, there are some very good local dealers, Olde English, for instance, and farther west I’d point you to a well-known resource like Art’s Gun Shop in Hillsboro, Missouri – and these are just two of many. Both have an impeccable reputation for selling you the right gun the first time and servicing it afterwards. For my years in the business I’ve relied on the locals.
One thing that both Jack O’Connor and his modern proteges’ spend a lot of time on is the proper load for the game you’re hunting. There are literally hundreds of articles and columns relative to shot and shell that you can read, and what reliably killed a ring-neck pheasant in the 60s still works today.
As I wrote earlier, I grew up shooting Remington .22s and shotgun shells and when I was hunting the Dakotas in September I shot a lot of the classic, and still available Remington Hi-Brass Express shell, in #7.5 and #6, and found them to be 100% reliable…as reliable as the more-publicized Federal products you see advertised on the Outdoor channels.
Federal, by the way, makes a wonderful hunting product, and a great assortment of products for wild game big and small. But from my experience a box of their Prairie Storm pheasant loads are going to cost you $10 more (at least) than a box of Remington Express in 12 gauge, and you probably don’t need to pay for that kind of wallop if you shoot within proper range. The Remington Express #5s are absolutely terrific at ranges up to even fifty yards, and beyond that killing a bird with any size load is sketchy, at best.
I would also add that for late-season pheasant in recent years I’ve used a lot of the Fiocchi (pronounced Fee-O-Chee) Golden Pheasant shells in #5, and those shells might even be a bit more reliable in late season when birds are more heavily-feathered and the shots come at longer range. The selling point for Golden Pheasant loads is they’re being nickel-plated to add hardness, so they are more expensive than the Remington loads. But you get what you pay for, and that’s always been true, every time.
Again, if this has stirred your imagination, or helps you with your holiday shopping needs, in the Press Pros market I’d call the experts at Olde English. And don’t forget…always do it well, and do it once where guns and hunting are concerned.
‘Til next time, I’ve enjoyed it.
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