side by side question
 

ok, it's christmas, and i need some advice:

background info:
my oldest has outgrown his 870 youth (puberty hit, and he's suddenly 6"1, 240 lbs). he shoots clays with me, but really the replacement gun will be used more for upland bird hunting than anything else.

this has been a bad year financially, so i'm looking primarily in the stoeger/spartan price range.

he a big traditionalist, and is quite taken by side by side's, and since i've always loved them , that's the direction i'm moving.

now here's the question:
we were in gander mountain the other day, and he saw and began handling a coach gun. absolutely fell in love with it. i did a little research, and found i can get several different models w/20" barrells with screw-in-chokes....so:

can a coach gun with screw-in-chokes be effectively used for upland bird hunting?

i wanna get the boy the gift that lights his eyes up, but i want the dang thing to work for its intended purpose.

thanks in advance for all your insights.

RE: side by side question
 

I've got a buddy whos big into cowboy action shooting. He's been shooting the basic coach gun for years and has never had a problem, he loves the thing. My only thought would be how the 20" barrels would do in an upland situation. If you think your son can swing the gun smoothly with barrels that short than based on my friends experience I'd go for it. Let us know how he likes it on Christmas morning.

DD

RE: side by side question
 

I am 6'2" and 300 lbs and this is my opinion-I checked them all and the side by side I got was a gun made for Remington by Spartan gun works. check them out on line. If it were me I would stay away from the coach gun.

They are made for real close range and this will make your son a quick draw MCgraw, if you know what I mean. The Remington or others in a 28" barrel will be a better choice.

When I have hunted in South Dakota (which I do yearly) I have found that a 28" barrel is what works best. I use a 28 ga. with a 28" barrel and I have less cripples than the guys with coach guns. Of course there are exceptions. Its how well you can shoot. The 30" barrel holds the pattern too long as the 26" barrel opens alot faster. Chokes make a difference, but as a rule of thumb this is what I think.

Let me Know what you think!

RE: side by side question
 

I have a Baikal SxS and it works fine for me. I'm not sure the length of the barrels but I used it to shoot sporting clays. Everybody else was using auto's and O/U's but I managed to shoot prety much the same as them. If your son likes the SxS's it should be no problem for him to use it for hunting. Like was mentioned it might be better to get one with the longer barrels. Also the Remington Spartan is made by Baikal and them just put the Remington name on it. If you can find a Baikal it might be cheaper since you don't pay for the Remington name for the same gun.

RE: side by side question
 

While 20" barrels would swing very fast for upland game,and with choke tubes would let it pattern well. I firmly believe 24" to 26" barrels is the best length for allround use. They still swing quickly,while allowing for smooth swing thru and good balance. Also-no matter what barrel length you choose,with today's powders and loads,he'll lose no range from the shorter barrels-especially at upland ranges. The fastest handling shotgun I ever had was a benelli bought cheap because of a bulged/split barrel close to muzzle. All I did was cut it off at 23",ream and thread barrel for screw in choke tubes (benelli of course since I already had them),and reattach front bead.

RE: side by side question
 

May I suggest Looking at Stoegers Uplander SxS with the 26" barrell & changeable Chokes . Or Stoegers Condor O/U in 26 " barrell. I own both an enjoy using them for Bird , Small Game , as well as Deer. Stogers are built well an have Nice wood when concidering what they cost . The stoger SxS with double triggers are a great gun . I must have shot close to 2000
rounds thru mine . Not a hick-upin 3yrs,