farmer7 Posted November 13, 2020 Report Share Posted November 13, 2020 I'm looking at buying a 20bore game gun, just for a bit of fun on the farm really. Two options I have narrowed down to are a Caesar Guerini Woodcock 20 bore 30" barrel which I haven't handled as I don't live anywhere near but would be prepared to take a punt on. Its a 2008 gun but only bought new a couple of months ago for someone's wife who is not interested. Its fired 20-30 shots apparently. Cased, multichoke, colour hardened, semi-pistol grip, wooden heel-plate, plain-ish wood for a CG but not bad. Weight is around 6lbs 9oz. I checked the serial no with Anglo Italian and its not steel proof. The second option is a 30" multichoke Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon Field which i was able to handle. It felt good to mount and fit was good. Again it's as new and fired less than 250 shots. Plain, boring wood. It felt very light, 6 lbs 2oz apparently. Where would you folk with more experience suggest I put my money? Beretta or CG. Would the age of the CG and the fact its not steel proof put you off from "future proofing/resale" point of view? Only £80 difference between them. I've never fired a CG let alone a 20 bore CG. Anyone any experience on that front? With either gun in fact. Any input gratefully received to help make my choice. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfish Posted November 13, 2020 Report Share Posted November 13, 2020 (edited) Been there myself and would defiantly go for the silver pigeon as you handled it and liked it, my kids loved the same gun, which is 6lb 8oz as I have just weighed it. didn't need to go to too much effort as i was out all day using it today!!!! It was for my 3 kids but is now my most used shotgun.....love it with 28g 6 shot for everything or 21g on the clays. Beretta SPs come with a nice soft pad which will definitely be needed for the kids when they miss-mount, they will notice it!! Assuming you use less than 1/2 choke steel shot will be ok regardless, it will come eventually! The extra £50 a thousand is worth it, I wouldn't be without my SP 20b 😁 Edited November 13, 2020 by Goldfish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave at kelton Posted November 13, 2020 Report Share Posted November 13, 2020 If you have handled a gun, it feels right and fits its the one to go for. That said if you just want an opinion on CG I have one with 20 and 28 bore 32” barrels and get on very well with it. It will do everything I want of it and handles well. Went back to CG for a service this summer and slight play in fore end sorted. Excellent service overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted November 13, 2020 Report Share Posted November 13, 2020 The cg 20bore with 32" tubes gets very good reviews. Why limit yourself to only the two guns? Go try more when you can, buy at haste repent at leisure. I said no more 32" guns but in a 20 they do get very good comments from all who shoot them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westley Posted November 13, 2020 Report Share Posted November 13, 2020 See the other channel 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninjaferret Posted November 13, 2020 Report Share Posted November 13, 2020 I have had Beretta's and got rid of them all for my Guerini although they were all 12's , i just love my Guerini, a lot more gun for your money. Had mine must be 7-8 years and never had any problems with it. And it certainly get's used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr grumpy Posted November 13, 2020 Report Share Posted November 13, 2020 Beretta.no problem selling it if yoy decide its not for you.plus light-as a 20 bore should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmer7 Posted November 13, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 13, 2020 1 hour ago, Goldfish said: Been there myself and would defiantly go for the silver pigeon as you handled it and liked it, my kids loved the same gun, which is 6lb 8oz as I have just weighed it. didn't need to go to too much effort as i was out all day using it today!!!! It was for my 3 kids but is now my most used shotgun.....love it with 28g 6 shot for everything or 21g on the clays. Beretta SPs come with a nice soft pad which will definitely be needed for the kids when they miss-mount, they will notice it!! Assuming you use less than 1/2 choke steel shot will be ok regardless, it will come eventually! The extra £50 a thousand is worth it, I wouldn't be without my SP 20b 😁 Is yours a field version? Does it take the same microcore pads as other Berettas. I have a couple of different sized ones from my 692 sporter. 58 minutes ago, Dave at kelton said: If you have handled a gun, it feels right and fits its the one to go for. That said if you just want an opinion on CG I have one with 20 and 28 bore 32” barrels and get on very well with it. It will do everything I want of it and handles well. Went back to CG for a service this summer and slight play in fore end sorted. Excellent service overall. Thanks for that. I think on looks/style I'm leaning towards the CG but again difficult to ignore the Beretta! 45 minutes ago, figgy said: The cg 20bore with 32" tubes gets very good reviews. Why limit yourself to only the two guns? Go try more when you can, buy at haste repent at leisure. I said no more 32" guns but in a 20 they do get very good comments from all who shoot them. I'm limiting myself by price really, not many 32" 20 bores around at the £1000-£1100 mark. I would buy a 32" if it was an option but haven't seen any. 4 minutes ago, Westley said: See the other channel 😉 Yeah just heading there! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
button Posted November 13, 2020 Report Share Posted November 13, 2020 47 minutes ago, farmer7 said: Is yours a field version? Does it take the same microcore pads as other Berettas. I have a couple of different sized ones from my 692 sporter. Thanks for that. I think on looks/style I'm leaning towards the CG but again difficult to ignore the Beretta! I'm limiting myself by price really, not many 32" 20 bores around at the £1000-£1100 mark. I would buy a 32" if it was an option but haven't seen any. Yeah just heading there! Thanks. Bettinsoli do a 32" 20 bore for under a grand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted November 13, 2020 Report Share Posted November 13, 2020 3 hours ago, farmer7 said: I'm looking at buying a 20bore game gun, just for a bit of fun on the farm really. Two options I have narrowed down to are a Caesar Guerini Woodcock 20 bore 30" barrel which I haven't handled as I don't live anywhere near but would be prepared to take a punt on. Its a 2008 gun but only bought new a couple of months ago for someone's wife who is not interested. Its fired 20-30 shots apparently. Cased, multichoke, colour hardened, semi-pistol grip, wooden heel-plate, plain-ish wood for a CG but not bad. Weight is around 6lbs 9oz. I checked the serial no with Anglo Italian and its not steel proof. The second option is a 30" multichoke Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon Field which i was able to handle. It felt good to mount and fit was good. Again it's as new and fired less than 250 shots. Plain, boring wood. It felt very light, 6 lbs 2oz apparently. Where would you folk with more experience suggest I put my money? Beretta or CG. Would the age of the CG and the fact its not steel proof put you off from "future proofing/resale" point of view? Only £80 difference between them. I've never fired a CG let alone a 20 bore CG. Anyone any experience on that front? With either gun in fact. Any input gratefully received to help make my choice. Thanks. Wouldn't a short-ish barrelled English SbS weighing in at about 5&1/2 lbs qualify as that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
button Posted November 13, 2020 Report Share Posted November 13, 2020 2 hours ago, wymberley said: Wouldn't a short-ish barrelled English SbS weighing in at about 5&1/2 lbs qualify as that? Not if you want an over and under Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 Four shooting mates have gone down the 20 bore route for shooting game for whatever reason. Three game guns and one sporter, all Brownings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr grumpy Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 I have a browning 12 but a beretta 20.theres isnt much weight difference between a browning 12 or there 20. In my opinion a 20 should be light and used with light loads,otherwise whats the point in using one? A guy i know shoots 30&32 gram through his 20.ouch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldypigeonpopper Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 Hello, if the Beretta felt right why worry about the wood stock, 🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 Most of today’s 20 bore set use guns weighing more than a traditional 12 bore and shoot 12 bore loads through them. I just don’t see the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 23 minutes ago, Mr grumpy said: I have a browning 12 but a beretta 20.theres isnt much weight difference between a browning 12 or there 20. In my opinion a 20 should be light and used with light loads,otherwise whats the point in using one? A guy i know shoots 30&32 gram through his 20.ouch! I’ve handled all my mates 20’s and shot a couple, and can’t comment really on their weight in comparison to a 12, apart from the sporter model feeling heavier and ‘chunkier’ than the game model, but they are a true scaled down version of the 12. Some 20’s are just 12 bore frames with 20 bore barrels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wymberley Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 10 hours ago, button said: Not if you want an over and under I draw your attention to the OP's first and last sentences, but in so doing acknowledge that he has looked at a couple of guns that have taken his fancy. If we take my last purchase to be a necessity on medical grounds and is simply a lighter version of a model I already owned and put that to one side, then never in a million years would I have considered my final/penultimate purchase. 20 bore? Over and under? You have to be joking. But with double triggers (sorry), 26&1/2" barrels (sorry), 5lb 9oz (sorry) and fixed choke (ever so sorry) and I love it. I didn't - as I simply spotted it on the rack - but sometimes, just sometimes thinking outside of the box has its advantages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr grumpy Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 Sounds like an ideal 20 bore configuration.other than my english 20 sbs-obviously😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnfromUK Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 49 minutes ago, London Best said: Most of today’s 20 bore set use guns weighing more than a traditional 12 bore and shoot 12 bore loads through them. I just don’t see the point. Entirely agree ........ and 20 bore cartridges are both slightly more expensive and slightly less choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 (edited) A lot of Americans shoot 20 bores at both clays and game. They seem to be gaining popularity over here, as much as I like a light fast handling game gun. I just can't see what a 20 can do a nice light 12 can't. One of the nicest 20 over and u fees I've handled was the Browning Crown. Best luck to the op finding one he likes in budget Edited November 14, 2020 by figgy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
button Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 35 minutes ago, wymberley said: I draw your attention to the OP's first and last sentences, but in so doing acknowledge that he has looked at a couple of guns that have taken his fancy. If we take my last purchase to be a necessity on medical grounds and is simply a lighter version of a model I already owned and put that to one side, then never in a million years would I have considered my final/penultimate purchase. 20 bore? Over and under? You have to be joking. But with double triggers (sorry), 26&1/2" barrels (sorry), 5lb 9oz (sorry) and fixed choke (ever so sorry) and I love it. I didn't - as I simply spotted it on the rack - but sometimes, just sometimes thinking outside of the box has its advantages. I also have two 25" 12 bore side by sides, which are an absolute joy so I can see the attraction but they are certainly what I would class as marmite guns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taileron Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 1 hour ago, Mr grumpy said: In my opinion a 20 should be light and used with light loads,otherwise whats the point in using one? I’m with you on this, I don’t see the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wylye Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 Grade 5 MK60 is always a popular choice down here. Used at just over two grand seems like a bargain. A 32ins High Pheasant 20 bore would be an interesting alternative if you could find one for reasonable money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robertt Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 Fabarm Elos D2 worth a look at . Handled one at a bargain price and dithered. Needless to say when I rang back ot was gone. I think Fabarm are owner by the CG group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
London Best Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 1 hour ago, wymberley said: 20 bore? Over and under? You have to be joking. But with double triggers (sorry), 26&1/2" barrels (sorry), 5lb 9oz (sorry) and fixed choke (ever so sorry) and I love it. I didn't - as I simply spotted it on the rack - but sometimes, just sometimes thinking outside of the box has its advantages. Just sounds like a normal, proper 20 bore to me. Might we ask what make? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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