I have a bit of dilemma ladies and gentleman. All of my family's old perfectly preserved shotguns have barrels that cannot handl

[Panfry101]

I have a bit of dilemma ladies and gentleman. All of my family's old perfectly preserved shotguns have barrels that cannot handle steel! I need a shotgun that I can use for everything that flies on the west coast. So I was kicking around at the local skeet range and everyone was letting me handle their guns. I want to spend less than 800 bucks on a shotgun, and one recommendation I got was to get a Stoeger Condor Supreme and a lot of ammo for practice before hunting season this year. I like the idea of having an over under because of their obvious safety in the field when opened, and the ability to use different chokes for different ranges with both barrels while bird hunting. I have plenty of semi autos that I can put new barrels in, but I would rather get something new. Does anyone have any other recommendations in the over under category that are in my price range? All thoughts appreciated. (BTW, someone else recommended Lanber for over unders, and I do not know much about those).

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

You seem to have made up your mind but personally I think you'll be making a mistake going with an over and under for waterfowl hunting, especially if you're considering geese. All too often you'll need that third shot (and more if it was legal!) to finish off a bird. Steel is not a great killer. We all know that. There are things one can do to help increase the odds of success - shoot a modified choke, use very high velocity shells, and increase the size of shot - but reducing your firing capacity to only two shots is NOT one of them. And when I speak of success, I'm talking about leaving less wounded birds to die a miserable death somewhere else. I guarantee you'll need that third shot ... a lot! I also see absolutely no value in having a choke option for typical waterfowl hunting out of a blind. None whatsoever. Maybe it might have some limited use for jump shooting dugouts or ditches but that kind of hunting is getting very hard to find these days (most of that geography has been filled up with rich peoples' ten acre ranchettes).

Just how old are your guns? I have been shooting steel through my early 1960s Remington Model 870 full choke for decades without a problem. I still can't see a scratch in the bore. As long as you don't shoot anything larger than BB or faster than 1550 fps you should be okay with a similar gun of similar vintage.

[Amflyer]

Well, it sounds like you want to buy a new gun to me, but $800 will buy a lot of tungsten matrix or bismuth shotgun shells. Both are fine in old guns.

If you do buy new, and you have $800 dollars as a budget, and you buy a new shotgun, you are really going to be limited in your choices.

Maybe learn what to look for in a used O/U and look for a gently used browning? Honestly don't know if you can find a plain-jane variant for that price, but maybe.

[Dcast]

Check out CZ-USA Canvasback ($786) or Upland Ultralight ($739). Those are MSRP, you can easily get them for $100 less as long as you don't go to a big name box store. Listen to OH on the Stoeger I know of two people I've hunted with that regretted that purchase.

[Brock Holloway]

Beretta A300 Outlander $725 msrp

[Amflyer]

Dcast, I totally forgot about the CZ shottys. They seem pretty solid and are definitely a step up in feel and finish over the Stoegers. Good call.

[Dcast]

AM, I've had my eye on one for awhile after getting to fondle a couple at a local gun store. I've also read great reviews all around on them.

[philbourjaily]

CZs are very popular in my area so I can second that recommendation. If you want to shoot your old guns you could have a couple of them fitted with choke tubes suitable for steel shot for the $800 you are thinking of spending on a new gun.
As Ontario Honker points out, many older guns, especially single barrels, some older guns can handle steel okay.

[Greenhead]

I am with OHH on skipping the O/U for waterfowl. I got it in my head some years back that it would be cool, and I do like the way an O/U handles, so I bought a cheap one. I use it all the time for upland game and love it, but when I'm chasing ducks, I really do miss that third shot.

[jhjimbo]

Did you happen to see the photo earlier today on the front page of F&S? A young lad with two ring necks - the caption read: two pheasants, two shots from 410.
Is that possible? Where is the truth meter on this one?

[Ontario Honker Hunter]

All depends. If they were farm-raised pheasants and the kid was hunting behind a pointer, someone probably had to throw the birds in the air for him to get a shot. Or he could easily have just shot them on the ground at his feet. Those canned hunts don't pose much of a challenge!

[Neil J. Selbicky]

CZ without a doubt. I compared Stoegar with CZ when I was looking for an O/U. I bought a CZ Mallard for around $500 and have been happy with it ever since. Hit birds from my first shots. For me the CZ has the right balance and feel.