Your most desirable shotgun would be?

[wymberley]

1 hour ago, JohnfromUK said:

I have now spent near on 50 years populating my cabinet with what I consider desirable.

I can't pick any one out as most desirable as they were all bought at different stages in my life with different objectives in mind.  Like most of us, my tastes in guns and ideas of what is 'desirable' and also my ability to carry a certain weight around all day have changed over 50 years and for example one gun bought 35+ years ago as my 'ultimate' I still have, but now find too heavy and cumbersome for most uses.

As my 'go to' gun for virtually any use, it would have to be my AyA No 1, which has more cartridges through it annually than any other - which may make it the most desirable to use.

Runner up (again based on number of cartridges fired) would be a Merkel 303E - an o/u, but with sidelock, double triggers and straight hand stock.

This, but plus a few years. I did stray from AyA and got a 687EELL configured as the Merkel described above. However, you really, really don't want/need a canon for my shooting so it had to go and I had a dabble with a Churchill or two which I found too small in the hand before spotting a Merkel 200 series which I liked but it was used and the fore-end screws had been lacking maintenance so it too went. Back to SbS but then saw the Frenchman - configured as the Merkel above and OU but weighing in as per the AyA and offering a remarkable range of cost free options. It took most of a lifetime to find but got there in the end.

[Gordon R]

Vostok trap gun. Handled one up at an auction over 30 years ago. Unusually for a Vostok, it had a silver action, quite heavily and expertly engraved. I dropped out of the bidding at around £500, which was a decent amount, plus buyers fees and regretted it to this day. Never seen another.

Edited January 1, 2023 by Gordon R

[Scully]

Have a yearning for a really nice old K32, but again it’s just one of too many guns out there. 

[Old farrier]

Probably a Woodward over and under for me has to be one of the most iconic and historically important guns in British gun making history 😊

although it’s not a very future proof choice and sadly a lot of craftsmanship will be destined for the scrap heap in the near future 🤔

[Joe180]

Winchester 6500 deluxe, one of the finest guns ever produced

[Old farrier]

1 hour ago, Gordon R said:

Vostock trap gun. Handled one up at an auction over 30 years ago. Unusually for a Vostok, it had a silver action, quite heavily and expertly engraved. I dropped out of the bidding at around £500, which was a decent amount, plus buyers fees and regretted it to this day. Never seen another.

A lot of the nice engraved ones came over with the Olympic teams showcasing their products and sold them on afterwards

I handled a vostock skeet gun very similar nice heavy engraving and polished action

the owner said he bought it after the competition 

Edited January 1, 2023 by Old farrier

[Scully]

10 minutes ago, Old farrier said:

Probably a Woodward over and under for me has to be one of the most iconic and historically important guns in British gun making history 😊

although it’s not a very future proof choice and sadly a lot of craftsmanship will be destined for the scrap heap in the near future 🤔

I can’t see why anything would need to be scrapped really, but I would think if you could afford one of those you could afford the NTS to go with it. 

13 minutes ago, Joe180 said:

Winchester 6500 deluxe, one of the finest guns ever produced

Good choice. 👍

[gmm243]

I have had the same gun since I was 14. A Charles Lancaster with 30" Damascus barrels. Shoot pretty well with it but if I could change anything it would be to have the chambers extended for 2.75 shells. It is the '"wrist breaker' action and still as tight as a drum.

Use it for all my rough shooting,flighting and the odd driven day I am invited on. Terribly opened choked which is fine for snipe and woodcock but probably not the best for very high driven birds. 

 

[enfieldspares]

3 hours ago, Old farrier said:

Probably a Woodward over and under for me has to be one of the most iconic and historically important guns in British gun making history 😊

although it’s not a very future proof choice and sadly a lot of craftsmanship will be destined for the scrap heap in the near future 🤔

I handled "the last 16 bore Woodward O/U made" at Elderkin's maybe four, nay five, years ago. It wasn't that "lively" nor "handy" and I wouldn't have wanted it as a gift. Although I write this as someone who until last year in near fifty years of shooting had neither used nor owned and O/U so maybe not being used to such it was pearls being cast before swine?

Edited January 1, 2023 by enfieldspares

[Old farrier]

2 minutes ago, enfieldspares said:

I handled "the last 16 bore Woodward O/U made" at Elderkin's maybe four, nay five, years ago. It wasn't that "lively" nor "handy" and I wouldn't have wanted it as a gift. Although I write this as someone who until last year in near fifty years of shooting had neither used nor owned and O/U so maybe not being used to such it was pearls being cast before swine?

I handled a 12 with 28 inch barrels and it was very nice though sadly cast left handed so it wasn’t meant to be for me 

I’m fortunate enough to be able to shoot both side by side and over and under shotguns and apreciate the difference between them 

[JohnfromUK]

34 minutes ago, enfieldspares said:

It wasn't that "lively" nor "handy" and I wouldn't have wanted it as a gift.

I have a friend who is almost exclusively a 'one gun man'.  He has owned it for about 15+ years. 

His one gun is a vast heavy Perazzi with very long (34") barrels and weighs a ton.  He arrived at it after a long journey in many guns over many years, largely 'money no object' and when in his younger years shot very well indeed with it - both at game and competition clays.

It is nothing to look at (fairly plain wood and a plain 'black' finish) but works with a feeling of precision.  Despite having had a huge number of cartridges through it, it doesn't feel 'tired'.  However - handling wise, to me - it is like a railway sleeper!  Admittedly, it is MUCH too long in the stock for me, and I can hardly get my (small) hands round the huge palm swell/pistol grip, but for me it is just really heavy, slow and cumbersome.  But it works a treat for him.  I doubt he would trade it for anything.

Edited January 1, 2023 by JohnfromUK

[retromlc]

For me a personal specification Perazzi with a factory visit for the stock to be fitted, probably a Hi-tech, as I have just sold my MX8 after 10yrs of ownership.

[Agriv8]

Is it a high end game gun or a clay buster? Or am

i allowed 2

Agriv8

[button]

22 hours ago, retromlc said:

For me a personal specification Perazzi with a factory visit for the stock to be fitted, probably a Hi-tech, as I have just sold my MX8 after 10yrs of ownership.

What have you replaced it with?

[retromlc]

@button nothing 

[Taileron]

Just bought mine after a 10 month wait to get some stock in my RFD. Beretta A400 extreme plus. Having struggled with neck/shoulder/arm pain following an injury whilst deployed I was thinking my shooting days were up. Tested one back in Jan 22 and the recoil system is fantastic, no more than a .410. High rib, easy to clean, nice bit of weight in it. It’s given me 5-10 more years of shooting so definitely my most desirable gun. HNY👍

[oowee]

1 hour ago, Taileron said:

Just bought mine after a 10 month wait to get some stock in my RFD. Beretta A400 extreme plus. Having struggled with neck/shoulder/arm pain following an injury whilst deployed I was thinking my shooting days were up. Tested one back in Jan 22 and the recoil system is fantastic, no more than a .410. High rib, easy to clean, nice bit of weight in it. It’s given me 5-10 more years of shooting so definitely my most desirable gun. HNY👍

These are superb guns. I am using a a300 which i swap every three years or so. In Africa I will easily shoot several hundred shells every day for ten days and insist on either an a300 or a400 for this very reason. The guns out there are 5 shots too, which is very handy on the pigeon. 

[Downforce]

On 31/12/2022 at 21:57, matone said:

Had the pleasure of using a McKay Brown O/U 20b ,simply fantastic !

I just had a guntraitor google and my eyes watered.

How do you even insure something like that £20-45K   I struggle with my hand made Browning insurance!

I actually love my 1970s Browning O/U and I'm very happy with my Beretta A301 both great to shoot but I've always struggled to love the Beretta O/Us

Like John I do have a suits everything "goto" my Benelli Nova for most things

I did manage to pick up an 1897 as I'd been looking for one for some time and a 10G Gold that I need to try out so I guess I'm covered for now

D

[Taileron]

5 hours ago, oowee said:

These are superb guns. I am using a a300 which i swap every three years or so. In Africa I will easily shoot several hundred shells every day for ten days and insist on either an a300 or a400 for this very reason. The guns out there are 5 shots too, which is very handy on the pigeon. 

I looked at the A300 but the model I was shown didn’t come with the kick off, it’s was a nice gun for £900. I was very sceptical of the claim of 70% less recoil with the kick off mega initially. My friend and I did a back to back test of our Miroku MK70’s, Franchi affinity 3 and A400 extreme plus which the RFD at oak edge had kindly allowed us to demo. We were using lyevale power blue 28g, 7, fibre. We agreed not to comment to each other until we had tested the A400 against the other 2, we also had a caveat that it needs to be 3 times better than the affinity as it’s 3 times the money. At the end of our “test” we both ordered A400’s. I have to lift my cap to beretta, they have completed proper R&D on this model, realised they have produced something very good indeed then patented it. It’s very expensive for a semi, the most I have ever paid for one, but nothing I have ever shot comes close for recoil reduction. My friend described it very well I though, he stated that all his other guns were a 1970’s ford cortina in tech but the A400 is a Tesla, such is the leap beretta have made.

[Cosmicblue]

A Perazzi DC12 - https://www.perazzi.it/en/dc12.php    A SbS Perazzi -  I've never physically seen one...would be great to have one in the cabinet though.

[button]

1 hour ago, Cosmicblue said:

A Perazzi DC12 - https://www.perazzi.it/en/dc12.php    A SbS Perazzi -  I've never physically seen one...would be great to have one in the cabinet though.

👍

[London Best]

I always wanted a best London side lock, hence my user name on here. 
I am a SxS shooter through and through and have little interest in other types. I shot Spanish guns throughout the ‘60’s until in 1969 I managed to buy an old English box lock. That was changed in 1989 for a better quality English box lock ejector, which I used until 2012. Still lusting after my ‘Holy Grail’ of a London side lock I managed to find what I had spent half a Century looking for, that is one I could afford that was not in near scrap condition!  
I bought the exact gun which would have been my first choice under any circumstances, and has already been mentioned on this thread by our friend @enfieldspares, a 1930 built Holland & Holland Royal with the 1922 patent self opening mechanism. Using it has been the revelation I always knew it would be.

[mudpatten]

I covet this! I know I`m not supposed to covet, but I do!

 

[Gunman]

19 hours ago, mudpatten said:

I covet this! I know I`m not supposed to covet, but I do!

 

So 30 plus minutes to talk about an old restocked Webley , thats Birmingham , not London made , signed and sold  as by Evans .Dont know who this guy is but he seems a bit short on gunmaking knowledge . 

[matone]

4 hours ago, Gunman said:

So 30 plus minutes to talk about an old restocked Webley , thats Birmingham , not London made , signed and sold  as by Evans .Dont know who this guy is but he seems a bit short on gunmaking knowledge . 

Shhhh! They never know what they don`t know .......empty vessels etc....