Ideal upland bird gun?

[VLD43]

If I were looking for a great upland bird gun for grouse and pheasants, and money was not a concern, a 28 Ga side by side would be my first choice. The concept of a side by side, is to have a gun with a shallow break, which allows for quick loading after you have shot whats already chambered. Problem is that most good side by sides, don't come cheap. If your pockets are not that deep, I would suggest a Remington Model 1100 or an 870 Wingmaster. Both good guns, and lots of great scores have been shot with these on the Skeet fields over the past. I have shot lots of Skeet and upland birds over the years, and while you can't argue with a 12 or 20 Ga as a good fit, there is just something about a 28 Ga that gets you hooked. They hit like a 20 Ga and recoil almost like a 410. The only liabilities with a 28 Ga are the cost of Shells, and the fact you are only shooting 3/4 oz loads. Therefore you need to have a certain level of proficiency to shoot one. A 12 ga or 20 Ga gives you more payload, and therefore is more forgiving if your shot is not on the money. I think if you were to shoot a few rounds of Skeet with a 28 ga, you would be able to better judge for yourself, if this gauge is for you. I know from my own experience, that 28 Ga is adequete for most upland applications, with few exceptions. It just comes down to practice, and skill level. Good Luck, and hope you find a good fit for your application

[Foxtail]

For grouse we use a little .410 pump. It has taken more grouse than I can count. My new favorite upland gun is a sweet little Yildiz over and under that is so light and fast swinging it barely feels like its there. I used it at the Vancouver firemans ALS shoot. It has also taken a few pheasants http://www.yildizshotgun.com/en/super.html

[sakohunter]

"Foxton Gundogs The ideal upland tool is a dog. I shoot a pile of grouse and other upland birds every year with both 12 and 20 ga as do 1000s of other wing shooters, I don't remember the last time I had one ruined. A shotgun is a wing shooters tool it works even better when shooting over a dog when the bird is flushed look at it say "what a nice bird" in your mind THEN shoot You will be surprised how little damage is done . If you want to ground shoot them use a 22 etc."

I do believe you are correct about the dogs. I love it when my two pointers lock down the birds and my little 20ga sidelock drops them in flight. It is quite an experience to watch the dogs nail birds and even better if you can turn a double.

[300win]

12ga................

[one-shot-wonder]

The ideal upland tool is a dog. I shoot a pile of grouse and other upland birds every year with both 12 and 20 ga as do 1000s of other wing shooters, Idon't remember the last time I had one ruined. A shotgun is a wing shooters tool it works even better when shooting over a dog when the bird is flushed look at it say "what a nice bird" in your mind THEN shoot You will be surprised how little damage is done . If you want to ground shoot them use a 22 etc.

Got the dog....Chessy, he flushes birds great. Have a 12 ga and will be looking to get out wiht it to wing birds. I already shoot grouse roadside with a 22. Definately looking to go for a nice hike along a fir ridge into Blue grouse country!

[one-shot-wonder]

When you say upland bird do you mean all upland game birds or just grouse and rabbits?
I would think the most complete upland gun is a 12g when you consider the range of possibilities.
Chances are you will have to shoot birds in flight in many instances.
Also you can shoot rabbits while they are running if you are hunting them in the bush rather than on the road.
If you ever work with a dog that flushes birds you will probably want a 12g.
I have a Chiappa double badger 22 over .410 and honestly I don't even use the .22
The sight is not all that good and one has to always make sure that the gun shoots straight if you use 22.
.410 seems to be great for grouse and rabbits on the roads and I don't have to worry if the sight moved or what not.
I was quite pleasantly surprised how good .410 shoots and even at 30 yards.
I took 2 grouse, 2 rabbits and I didn't bite into any pellets.

Road grouse and rabbits are left for my 22.....I am talking wing shooting grouse, chukar and pheasants.

[1/2 slam]

The ideal upland tool is a dog. I shoot a pile of grouse and other upland birds every year with both 12 and 20 ga as do 1000s of other wing shooters, Idon't remember the last time I had one ruined. A shotgun is a wing shooters tool it works even better when shooting over a dog when the bird is flushed look at it say "what a nice bird" in your mind THEN shoot You will be surprised how little damage is done . If you want to ground shoot them use a 22 etc.

X 2. I have 2 pointers and love watching dogs work. I have an over and under 16 ga that I use. I've used 12's and 20's as well. All work fine. I just prefer the 16.

[adriaticum]

Road grouse and rabbits are left for my 22.....I am talking wing shooting grouse, chukar and pheasants.

12 g would be my choice. Everyone has one and you can find ammo anywhere.
My personal ideal shotgun is a 12g semi-auto. It's most utilitarian.
Everything else I buy is just romance.

[835]

why do you need to be able to find ammo everywhere?
everyone says that about the 30-06 too..... do you guys run out of ammo all the time in random places?

to me availibility of ammo is not a reason to pick a gun... unless it is something really weird.... then you buy dies!

[adriaticum]

why do you need to be able to find ammo everywhere?
everyone says that about the 30-06 too..... do you guys run out of ammo all the time in random places?

to me availibility of ammo is not a reason to pick a gun... unless it is something really weird.... then you buy dies!

Not that I run out of ammo at random places (yet) but I don't want to spend a lot of time=money thinking about where to buy the ammo.
Going there and then paying a premium on some exotic box of shells.
It's not like .270 Wby does a hell of lot better job at killing deer than 30/06 to warrant the time and energy expenditure to find the ammo.
It's not my thing.
The most exotic thing I have is the .410
And you'd think the ammo would be cheaper than 12g.
Not a chance.