My Dad bought me a Stevens 311 to go deer hunting. All I can remember is that 12 gauge was heavy but a typical American hardware store shotgun, the one gun fits all mentality, do everything and hunt everything with it.
He bought it at a bar. The guy had it in his trunk and they struck a deal. We went bird hunting and after cleaning the guns I laid my Stevens on the tailgate of a pickup truck and after getting drunk another guy went out to move the truck off the hard surface road. He didn't realize the truck was in gear and tried to start it. The truck jumped and the 2 shotguns laying on the tailgate fell off and landed right on the road. He started it put it in reverse and ran right over my Stevens and another guys Remington 1100 crushing the barrels.
The gun I bought to replace my Stevens, a 16 gauge Nitro Special, I also bought from a guy at a bar. He was tired of all the lay offs and strikes at the steel mills going on and said he was driving down to Dallas Texas for a job and needed money to get their. It was in a neat take down case and after putting it together thought it was a Stevens. I liked the gun but I really liked that take down case it was in and asked if the case comes with the gun. He said yep and we made the deal. He put the money in his pocket, saying that was enough to get him to Texas, hopped into his car and drove off. Over the last 30+ years, I've bought and sold numerous shotguns (I had to give back to my cousin the NID I got from my Uncle after he passed away) but I still have that Nitro Special and the case.
