sproulman

i was reading that best weight for upland hunting is shotgun between 6 and 7 pds..

anything lighter is too wimpy and heavier is too heavy to carry ..

lets use the BERETTA shotguns as example.

the 20 ga beretta uricka field weights 6 pds with 28 inch barrel..
the 12 ga beretta uricka field weights 6.6 pds..

both are under 7 pds and not below 6..

is there a difference you can feel between the 12 ga and 20 ga by 6 oz? yes..

but not a big deal,so if you put the plastic stocks on 12 ga,you will be down to weight of the light 20 ga and still have power of 12 ga..

going to a 26 inch barrel will make it even lighter..

my point is ,there are and is ways to lower weight of shotgun to that 6 -7pd area and still go with the 12 ga over the 20 ga..

Californiadoctor

My 10 guage (SP-10 Magnum) weighs 11 pounds. I occasionally use it for upland game hunting, particularly when I feel the need for some exercise.

Caldoc

sproulman

oh my!!

chaselton

The Benelli SBE II is very light and points very well

uplandhunter605

IMO, weight of the gun has no affect on how good it performs in the field. it has an affect on how YOU perform in the field. if you are fatigued and your arms are hurting, your reaction speed will become slower. i dont see how it has an affect on knock down power. when look for knock down power, i consider the gauge im using and the loads im using.

coloradoprohunter

no way. my 12 guage is only 7lbs 2oz and carry it all day

slugman

I use to guns for birds....Berretta BL-4 o/u 20ga & Ithaca 37 featherlight 12ga , the Berretta takes 3" shells , so is as close to pellet count as a 12ga as your gonna get. The Ithaca is by far the lightest 12ga I've ever carried. Can carry all day no problem. The berretta gets the most time , about 70/30%.

Worc

There are plenty of light weight semi auto's with wood. I use a Franchi AL48 (12) with a 26" barrel that weighs just over 6.5 lbs. The Benelli Montefeltro, Browning Fusion, Evolve, and Gold SL's, Franchi 712, Winchester SX2 LF, SX3. These models weigh between 6.5lbs and 7lbs with wood stocks/forearms.
The Benelli Ultra Light is a wood model that weighs 6lbs in 12 gauge.

There are other factors than just weight for an upland model. Models that are thin and balance with more weight towards the stock will feel lighter than they are. The Beretta AL391 Urika (12) at 7.3 lbs would be a good example. It's thin thru the forearm and balances with more weight towards the stock for a lighter feel.

seattlesetters

I use mainly two shotguns for my hunting. My favorite, pictured here, is a 6lb 4oz 12-bore made in England. It is a great gun to carry in the rugged chukar country I prefer to hunt.

The other is a 6lb 7oz 12-bore Spanish double that is also a joy to carry.

GSPsnFORDs

I'm sorry but I just cannot for the life of me buy a bird gun with a synthetic stock. I just can't do it (merely a personal objection..sorry)! haha

When I first started seriously quail hunting at 12-13 yrs. old behind my first GSP I carried a 12ga. BPS and it did get heavy on some of the long quail hunts we had (my dog just never wore out and quail were plentiful then!). Sometimes I felt like I would tire out before the dog. When I was a sr. in HS I bought a Browning Citori Featherweight 20ga. (grade 1 w/ nearly grade 6 wood I might add!) that weighs just over 6lbs. What a huge difference that made. I could walk all day and never get tired. Yes, I was older, stronger and had more endurance but a light gun can save you on long hard hunts. With a light gun though, you do sacrifice some performance.....this is coming from my experience on the skeet field with comparisons between my 20ga. and 12ga. w/ 28" barrels. But I'll have to agree with uplandhunter on his statement about the fatigue factor in hunting with a heavy gun.