There is something about a stately old shotgun that lures us in and tempts us to pick it up, shoulder it and dream of where it's been. Worn bluing and scarred walnut gives a hint of the days in a duck blind, grouse woods or a trap and skeet field. Posted on 11/26/2018 5:03:54 AM PST by w1n1
There is something about a stately old shotgun that lures us in and tempts us to pick it up, shoulder it and dream of where it's been. Worn bluing and scarred walnut gives a hint of the days in a duck blind, grouse woods or a trap and skeet field.
Most of those venerable shotguns started out in factories and on gun shop racks, and hunters and shooters across America chose the ones they thought were best. Eventually, the greatest guns stood out. Here are 10 shotguns that I believe must be considered among the classics.
BROWNING AUTO FIVE
Many would consider John Moses Browning a genius, a point to which the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), the Browning .50-caliber machine gun and the Colt 1911 pistol can attest. Browning also designed the Automatic Five shotgun (four in the magazine, one in the chamber) in 1898 and first took his idea to Winchester, a company he had done business with on many other projects. Things did not work out at Winchester or Remington at the time, and Browning next landed at Fabrique National. Soon after, the Automatic Five shotgun was first made in Belgium in 1902 (hence the moniker “Belgium Browning”).
Browning later secured an agreement with Remington in 1905, and the newly rebranded Remington Model 11 became the first autoloading shotgun made in America. Many will tell you that the A5 is known for kicking like the proverbial mule. To some fans of the A5, it will always be known as the “Humpback” due to its trademark squared receiver. Most who shoot the A5 say that the gun shoulders very nicely and is quick to get on target.
REMINGTON MODEL 31
Remington trotted out an elegant firearm in 1931 that many would consider a gold standard for pump shotguns. The reason for this was the intricate hand fitting of parts that contributed to the smooth action of this pump gun. The Model 31 appeared in August of that year and retailed for $48.50 (roughly $750 in today’s market).
Remington aimed at pushing Winchester out of the pump shotgun market, and the company called upon a couple of in house gun designers, C.C. Loomis and John Pederson, to do it. Both men had learned from John Moses Browning. From the start, the Model 31 pump gun was known for a slick action achieved by hand-fit parts.
This system was neither fast nor cheap. In the end, the wonderful, clock like workings of the Model 31 may have been its downfall.
BROWNING SUPERPOSED
Val Browning, son of John M. Browning, finished the work on his father’s last firearm. John Browning died while working on his revolutionary concept for a double barrel shotgun in 1926. The elder Browning decided to superimpose the barrels one on top of the other instead of the traditional side by side, and this configuration became known as “superposed.” This elegant but moderately priced shotgun hit the market in 1931 with a retail price of $107.50. That was a lot of money back then, but a working man could afford one if he scrimped a little. Val Browning perfected his father’s design, and a few years later, the Superposed was equipped with a single selective trigger. Read the rest of best shotguns.
Auto 5 fan here.
A5
MOSSBERG 500
I guess it depends on what you need out of a shotgun. I’ve been using the same Mossberg 500 for almost 30 years, its never let me down and its still in pretty much the same shape as when i bought it.
Ithaca 37
+1
Got me a 12ga and a 500c 20ga pistol grip style. Love 'em both.
takes the worry out of pumping!!!!!!! The little lady can handle with easy and just the sound it makes when dropping the bolt is enough to stop most people.
A pheasant hunting pal liked to take his single shot .410 to the field. A single shell in the shotgun. Two more in his shirt pocket.
He nearly always came home with the limit of three birds...
My son inherited a Remington model 31 from his granddad.
I have the next generation in the 870. We use for doves and both work great but the 870 is way easier to take down.
It isn’t listed here but I’ve carried my Remington 1100 to the field for more than 50 years. Before that I shot a Stevens bolt action .410. Dad would never let me carry more than 1 round in that gun. You had to be dead on with it so you learned to shoot better. When I got the 1100 I had to learn to wait or all I got on a covey rise was guts and feathers. Quail were never as plentiful as one would have liked but they were not uncommon. Now we hardly ever see them so we end up just shooting clays.
I also own a 20 gage field grade L.C. Smith double.
Very classy and comfortable to shoot.
I own three of the shotguns listed. Model 12 Winchester, A-5 Browning and a Mossberg 500. Time to hunt I reach for the 500.
See how one is always fair to everyone about everything, all the time? One suggests that you keep working with L. Case.
(PSSST. Hey buddy... c'mere where we can talk quiet, lemme give you a hint. Get this... If you post it all here, without a pimp link, more people will like you and they'll go click on your blog just because they think you're a cool guy. See?
Really one shouldn't have to explain this but hey, you've shown that you can learn.
Don't tell nobody I told you this.)
My wife looks her best cradling any shotgun from the Mossberg 590 Shockwave family.
I have a warm spot in my heart for SxS
Yeah, he’s come a little ways since posting graphic images of gunshot wounds under the category ‘humor’. So maybe he’s in 9th grade now.
I have a Mossberg 500 16 gauge (!!!) that I got in a pawn shop for 70 bucks.
11-87 remington 20 gauge...best shotgun for a old man
bump
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.