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Dave McC · October 4, 2000, 05:00 AM

Finding the ideal shotgun is like finding the ideal wife. Few do it, but everyone has an opinion on it.

Everything else being equal, shortening the bbl works best for the stuff that's more point and shoot than leading. Grouse and Woodcock gunners get fanatical as heck about light,short, muzzle light shotguns,so do quail hunters. When the range lengthens, so do the bbls of most hunters and shooters. The longer bbls aids a steady swing that doesn't start/stop easily, with enough inertia to keep the bbls swinging. If I wasn't such a generalist, the shotgun I'd use for doves would either have a longer bbl or be weighted in some ways to simulate same for the swing. For upland game like pheasants,rabbits, squirrels,the occasional quail hunt,etc, what I have is darn near perfect, for ME.

Also, since the thing about the swing is balance, not weight per se, a shotgun that's a little muzzle light can be corrected by removing weight from the rear,usually by hogging out some wood from under the pad. Remember that lighter shotguns kick more.

October 4, 2000, 05:00 AM	#9
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	Finding the ideal shotgun is like finding the ideal wife. Few do it, but everyone has an opinion on it. Everything else being equal, shortening the bbl works best for the stuff that's more point and shoot than leading. Grouse and Woodcock gunners get fanatical as heck about light,short, muzzle light shotguns,so do quail hunters. When the range lengthens, so do the bbls of most hunters and shooters. The longer bbls aids a steady swing that doesn't start/stop easily, with enough inertia to keep the bbls swinging. If I wasn't such a generalist, the shotgun I'd use for doves would either have a longer bbl or be weighted in some ways to simulate same for the swing. For upland game like pheasants,rabbits, squirrels,the occasional quail hunt,etc, what I have is darn near perfect, for ME. Also, since the thing about the swing is balance, not weight per se, a shotgun that's a little muzzle light can be corrected by removing weight from the rear,usually by hogging out some wood from under the pad. Remember that lighter shotguns kick more.