this is going to be based on many factors. weight of gun and distance to be carried. recoil. your personal tastes in guns. but. you can never fail with a simple gun. oh say a single shot that is pretty light. i choose an encore and will never look back. lets face it. unless you live in a state where you can kill more than one at a time you will rarely need more than one shot. it is light. it is compact yet still has a 24 inch barrel. it shoots awesome. it is a pleasure to shoot with turkey loads. plus no way will it ever jam nor will there ever be a chance of not having the bolt seated and therefore the gun wont fire.