Help to choose a Shotgun.

[Mat1840]

Hi everyone, I am planning to buy a shotgun for this year small game season, I'm new to shooting and I'd like to read your thoughts about 2 shotgun. I'm planning to but a browning BPS, I just don't know if I should go with the hunter, or the upland special. I will most likely use it in the wood and bushes to shoot at rabbits, quails, and other small birds. The upland special has a 22 inches barrel, and the Hunter has a 26, or 28 inches barrel. Although I don't think I'll do much clay shooting, would the 22 inches barrel still perform good, or average for it? I like both models, just don't know which would suit me better, and if I go with the hunter, should I take the 26 or 28 inches barrel. Is a 28 inches barrel that much better for aiming? Is it that much less portable? I just want to know what you guys think, as I said, it's going to be my first shotgun, and i'm quite new to shooting. And if it can help, I'm a 6,1 guy, so is the upland special going to feel like a baby's toy in my hand?

Thanks for your time, and sorry for my english, Have a nice day,

Mathieu Pichette.

[Sappyg]

Good question.
Basic answer is to try them both (if you can) and go from there. Since the use of the gun discribes upland hunting to a tee the upland special might be the way to go. You give up nothing in performance to a longer barrel IMO and you can add a longer barrel latter if you want to take up other shotguning pursuits.
Practice and more practice always helps too. Shooting a box of shells a year just doesn't cut it. Find a range or club and try your best to wear out that new gun. If you do this, barrel length really won't matter.

[RaySendero]

Well...There ain't but 2 oz of wt difference between the hunter and the upland!!!

For your size, Get the hunter in 28" barrel. I believe you'll find its a much better overall feel and balance - i.e. you'll shoot it better!

The feel, and the longer barrel will help you learn to shoot it quicker cause it will SWING much smoother.

As for learning - Get an extra skeet choke with the shotgun and start/learn shooting skeet.

[FITASC]

22" barrels tend to be VERY whippy in their handling, might do ok for game in close quarters, but not so much on medium to longer shots or on clay targets.

The 28" will serve you well as long as you practice.

[Blindstitch]

I would get the hunter.

[BigJimP]

I prefer the Hunter model with the 28" barrel....the longer sight plane ....helps smoothe out your swing ( they're great long term guns - you'll enjoy for many generations ).

[Virginian]

A BPS with a 22" barrel will have about the same sighting plane as an O/U or SxS with 26" bbls. If you plan to be hunting tight cover a nice smooth swing might be the last thing you need.

[FITASC]

Sighting plane and swing dynamics/MOI are different things and feel different to folks

[dgludwig]

For general upland game shooting, I'd get the 26" barrel. If waterfowl is part of the hunting equation, I'd opt for the 28" barrel (not a whole lot of difference between the two lengths with respect to shooting/handling properties). I think the 22" barrel is on the short side for game that flies in most situations-unless you know you will almost always be hunting in cover that is so tight and heavy that longer barrels get too tied-up to swing smoothly and "point and shoot" becomes the only viable alternative.

[Skeets]

A good,reputable,L G S,plus a willing,skilled,veteran hunter would be so helpful here.Best Wishs,Skeets.

[darkgael]

barrel length......I used to think that my kind of hunting for grouse nad pheasant - very heavy cover for the most part - lots of huckleberry, autumn olive, barberry and such - demanded a short barrel.
Over the years, though, I have changed my mind. Weight became the more important factor - but that is another thread.
Nowadays, I hunt the hills and hollows up on North Mt. in PA with one of two guns....an old Winchester model 59 with a 28" Winlite barrel (at about 6lbs.) or, my go to for the last couple of seasons, a flintlock fowler - 16 gauge with a 42" barrel (at a tad over 6lbs.). Contrary to expectations, the long barrel has not been at all difficult to carry even in the thick stuff.
Note...about the thick stuff....if the brush is so thick that I have a problem handling a gun, then I am probably not going to get a shot off in any case.
Example...sometimes the cover is so thick that when the dog goes on point that I cannot see her even when she is five yards away......I definitely do not see the bird if it flushes.
Pete

[FITASC]

Pete makes a very good point about weight. While the BPS is well-made, it is not exactly light. For rabbits, quail and small birds, I'd look at 20 gauge options in the format that best suits your taste and wallet. Pump, O/U, SxS, or semi - in any of them, I'd be looking for a gun that weighs about 6-6.25 pounds for all day excursions in the woods.

[mete]

When looking at 20 ga guns remember that some are made on a 12 ga frame ! They don't save you weight .

[dgludwig]

Hunting for different kinds of game in different kinds of cover with a shotgun is like golf in one respect: having different clubs is useful for coping with different situations and having different shotguns is useful for the same reason.

Not counting shotguns I have for hunting deer, rabbit and squirrels; shooting at clays or for self-defense, I rely on four different shotguns for hunting game having wings:

For hunting turkey, I use a 12 gauge, 3 1/2" chambered Browning BPS with a 26" barrel, choked super tight.

For hunting pheasants and waterfowl, I generally use my 12 gauge, 3 1/2" chambered Benelli Super Black Eagle II, having a 28" barrel and screw-in chokes.

For hunting woodcock and grouse, I use either my Merkel Model 147 EL, 3" chambered, 20 gauge, sxs, having 26 3/4" barrels, choked ic and modified (and mete is right about being sure a twenty gauge-or a sixteen gauge for that matter, isn't using a twelve gauge frame with which to tote around) or a 12 gauge, 2 3/4" chambered Browning Double Auto I bought new in 1961 (I have two barrels for this gun-a 26" one having screw-in chokes and a 28" one having a modified choke).

And, yes, I would agree that a person could get by with one shotgun for most reasons but sometimes having only a putter makes driving a ball a little tougher to do.

[eastbank]

i wanted to start shooting a 20ga at the clays games, but i wanted a shotgun with a adjustable comb and choke tubes, as i have a md 12 win in 20, several rem 870,s in 20ga, a rem 1100 in 20ga and a browning bss sporter doublebarrel in 20ga that i use for hunting, but was stalled in the high teens at trap-five stand and skeet and the mid 30,s at sporting clays with them. i came upon a very good deal on a browning citori XS with a hard browning case with 9 extended choke tubes and i have only been shooting it at trap(23-25 ) and sporting clays(34-50) so far, but i do like it and hope to get better in the future. eastbank.

[pete2]

Get the Hunter, 26" or 28", both work well. 22" inch is a little short.

[redrick]

I would also go with a 20ga. for what you are using it for .

[upstate81]

20 or 16 gauge ithaca model 37 would be my choice. Can be had in all barrel lengths and choke sizes. Very light and point extremely well.