Shotgun

[bp fick]

You find the simple, single shot Pardner on sale, for $119. quite often, even at WalMart and other major big box sporting good stores. The basic design is H&R, New England Firearms, etc. Have had two of them for 25 years.

See here:

H&R 72100 SB1-021 Par 20ga 26 MD

 

[Chilly807]

I grew up shooting a model 37 in 16ga. Pops told me he paid $7.00 for it new. I also have a 20ga model 37. Good old guns for farm use.

Great guns for wing shooting. They swing good and teach you to make that 1 shot count. Although with a few shells handy, you can learn to chamber another round pretty quick.

One of mine (12 ga) is sawed off at about 25 inches, so a cylinder choke.. good for rabbits and close in birds. The other two are full length.

When it's snowing, raining, generally miserable weather, the 37 comes out and goes with me. Easy to clean.

I'd dearly love to find a Savage side by each 20 or 12 double. I like a side by side double for some reason, and again, easy to clean.

Sean

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I'd dearly love to find a Savage side by each 20 or 12 double. I like a side by side double for some reason, and again, easy to clean.

The Stevens/Savage 311 is pretty common and is a good field grade double. I paid $300 for mine. The metal is mint, but the stock was split and faded to a strange greenish tint, so I have it apart repairing and refinishing it. Stevens sold a lot of them, you should be able to find one if you look.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

This is one of the reasons I like a single, or if the price was right an old side by each double. When you pop 'er open to slide a couple shells in, a quick glance down the barrel(s) tells you immediately if the bores are clear (or not!)

Easy to clean, reliable as a hammer. This going to be a neglected gun, barn guns always are by accident or design. By neglect I mean it's going to be a grab and shoot tool, not one that gets regular cleaning and attention. That's no reflection of the owner, it's just the way it happens in 99% of cases.
Sean

An old hunter's trick to keep the bore clear is to slip a condom over the muzzle. It keeps the bore clear, and you can shoot right through it if you are in a hurry. The latex also biodegrades quickly, so all you have to do is toss it on the ground. You can accomplish the same thing with a rubber band and kitchen wrap, but the kitchen wrap will still be there 5 years later.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I grew up shooting a model 37 in 16ga. Pops told me he paid $7.00 for it new. I also have a 20ga model 37. Good old guns for farm use.

Great guns for wing shooting. They swing good and teach you to make that 1 shot count. Although with a few shells handy, you can learn to chamber another round pretty quick.

I always call it the 37a to distinguish it from the Ithaca 37. The Winchester 37a was the first shotgun I ever bought. It shot great, and I bagged a lot of limits with it, back when the limits were big. One of my hunting buddies commented that if an elephant had feathers, I could bring it down with that shotgun. The only weak spot on mine is the little plastic bushing on the forepiece right at the hinge. When it breaks, the forepiece falls off. They don't cost much, but it's an irritation, so the second time it broke I ordered two of them from Brownell's so I would have a spare. Of course, the second one has been on the shotgun for 20 years, and now I have no idea where the spare is.

 

[lockhaven]

be careful with the side by sides I have many. the firing pins if neglected can freeze in place and when you close the action the shotgun will fire.

 

[Bartcephus]

Just a hint... check out ammo prices and availability between the gauges. There are some big differences in 12, 14, 16, 20 and 410 prices and availability where I am. Cheaper here to move up to a 12 gauge rather than a 16 gauge. Not much difference on the shoulder.