Troy n Oh

The question of what O/U is best can' t really be answered so I will ask what O/U is most prevalent in the field and why. Looking for a O/U to use on birds and rabbits mainly.Price wise lets keep the suggestions under say 1500.00 If the only answer you can give is brownings rule or any other equally useless answer please don' t respond

seattlesetters

I think that for the money you just can' t beat the Beretta Blackwing (or Whitewing). For about $1,100, you get a light, nice-handling O/U with one of the very best choke tube systems ever devised. And Berettas don' t seem to " shoot themselves loose" like Brownings, SKBs and a few of the others do. [:-]

Another sweet buy is the Winchester Supreme Select Field. You can pick one up for about $1,000 if you look around, and they are a real nice O/U for the money. They have great handling and pointing characteristics, are built in Belgium by Fabrique Nationale (FN) and they seem to be almost as durable as a Beretta. [8D]

While the Browning Citoris are nice guns, they seem to have recently priced themselves out of the market while simultaneously lowering their quality standards. Not a recipe that will earn my dollars, that' s for sure. [:@]

Go with the Beretta or Winchester. Either will make Misty (below) very happy.

drgildy

My advice would be a Weatherby. Reason for this answer is my friend had a Citori and when he got sloppy on reloading and had a dud shell he had to open the gun and pull that shell and replace it before he could shoot. When I used to do the same trick and had a dud I could pull the trigger again and the other barrel would go off at least giving me an opportunity to redeem myself. There other other O/U' s that are not cocked by recoil but that is one thing I would consider before buying. I believe that Beretta is one also to be mechanically cocked like the Weatherby.

Troy n Oh

Thanks for the replies. Seattlesetters i did go and check out a couple of berretas.Very nice workmanship on both that I did handle but neither shop I checked had a blackwing or a whitewing in stock. The blackwing looked good in pictures as I don' t like the looks of the silver nitrite or stainless recievers. I am working on a nice O/U being my belated xmas present or maybe a bday present to myself lol.Anyways have a good one

toledo joe

Hi Troy, I picked up a Beretta Silver Snipe (made in ' 52) at a gun show last summer. Sent it to Beretta for checkup. They replaced two springs (one they made themselves) and charged me $37 (including shipping). I had it bored improved cylinder and modified and it' s my main upland gun now. Light, quick pointing 12 ga. I had a Beretta 687 before but the trigger was so sensitive that I couldn' t wear gloves while hunting. Think Beretta is a good choice in any case. I' ve been through Marion a few times on the way to Columbus. You get pheasants down there?

scottr

I just bought a Franchi Veloce 20 ga. It is light (under 6 lbs) and well made. I really like the Citori Superlight Feather but was able to pick up this gun for sevral hundred less. The fit is almost exactly the same as the Citori.

So far I have been very happy with it.

mathewsconquest

I have to agree with Seattlesetters on the Whitewing or Blackwing by Beretta. I have a Beretta Silver Pigeon in 12 gauge that it is a little on the heavy side for a long day of pheasant hunting. I myself have been looking into the Wing series by Beretta in a 20 gauge. I love the weight and Beretta doesn' t cut out quality on the Wing series. I won' t bash other manufactures because most all of them make a nice product, but I have really become a Beretta, Benelli and Franchi fan in the past 5 years.

The Wing series may not be as much of a show piece as some of the higher priced O/U' s , but it will do the job very well and if kept properly, will be one to pass down to the next generation. This is what my best hunting buddy told me in regards to his Whitewing that he bought last year.

Good Luck,
-Mathewsconquest

JD IN ALBERTA

I' m a Ruger Red label fan Personally I never liked the feel of the brownings (too front heavy) and the Beretta' s didn' t fit me well. I would suggest looking at the Rel Label, the price is in your range and it is a nice fitting gun, I' ve had mine for years and has worked flawlessly. Good luck on your choice...JDinAB

Handles

I agree with all replies. All suggestions are good. Another possibility would be to find an older I/O of good quality with a reduced price. Example: You can find quite a few Belgium Browning Lightning Trap guns for about $1000-1,400. These are of very high quality as they were still made in Belgium, Germany. The trap grade is what you want as it will ususally have 28" barrels usually in a modified and a full or improved modified. These are great guns for pheasant but they do kick a bit. You will also be able to sell it in five years for the same price that you bought it for if you take care of it.

seattlesetters

Don' t forget that the new Winchester Supreme Select Field, Sporting and Elegance models are all made by FN in Belgium (the same manufacturer of the magnificent Belgian Browning Superposed O/Us). Having checked them out recently, I am not sure you can find a better O/U for the money, anywhere. The field model can be bought for under $1,000 if you look around, the handsome Sporting model can be had for $1,250 and the absolutely stunning Elegance model can be picked up for $1,600. Do yourself a favor and take a look at these very high quality shotguns.