BigJ71

You really can't go wrong with a used Remington 1100 or a used Browning Gold Hunter, or used Beretta, Franchi, Benellietc... I'd lean more toward buying abetter quality used gun than a newer cheaper one. That's not to say the cheaper guns won't do the trick, it's just you're more likely to get morereliable and longer service from a better gun. My father bought an 1100 back in 1965and put I don't know how many hundreds of thousands of rounds through it but he shot competitively with that gun for many many years. It still shoots great and my brother hunts with it all the time now. Just make sure they are in good shape and function as they should. As far as what gage? It really doesn't matter you can use a 12 ga just make sure you load it light so you don't ruin too much meat. I prefer a 20ga for all around upland bird hunting and I even hunt with as/s .410ga if the mood strikes me.