Glad to see this number of posts because it reminded me of points I should have covered initially.
First, the main point I was making here (and, by all means, correct me if I'm wrong on this) is that SxS's made to accomodate the 3" shell by necessity have to be a good deal meatier than guns that were designed around the 2.5" or 2.75" shells--all other things being equal, of course. That greater "meatiness", also by necessity, translates into greater weight, all other things being equal. The result is typically, for production line guns, a gun that weighs in at, say, 1/2 lb more than necessary.
So, the question is WHY would anyone want to carry around a gun weighing as much as a decent 2.75" 12 ga that, payload for payload, can produce a better (more efficient) pattern than this overly robust twenty and is chambered for a shell can be had in factory loadings with greater diversity than any other shotshell on earth and shells that can be obtained anywhere where ammunition is sold. Not to mention the greater price that 3" 20 ga shells usually demand when compared with comparable 2.75" twelves. A direct and (I think) apt analogy would be the Remington 870; for what PRACTICAL reason would I ever want to carry a 16 ga Model 870 (which is built on a 12 ga frame and always weighs as much, and sometimes a bit more than, a comparable 12 ga gun) when I can tote the twelve with no more of a burden and all kinds of benefits?
And as far as aesthetics are concerned, many if not most of the regular members of this forum will certainly appreciate proportionality as applied to the construction of nice guns. When compared with a double like the Bland 20 ga I mentioned in the first post or any decent 12 or 16 ga double, most 3" 20 ga guns seem like they've been dipping a bit too often into the steroids stash. Overly thick/heavy on the frame and chamber walls. At least they do to me, anyway.
So, IMHO Jonty hit it on the mark re: a "battery". I'm hardly wealthy but my recreational priorities are such that I've managed over the years to acquire a few SxS's and O/U's that suit my needs for different types of hunting. A 6 pound, short barreled 12 ga (2.75" naturally) and light twenty for ruffed grouse and timberdoodles (both SxS); two 12 ga, 6.5-7 pound 28" guns (1 O/U and 1 SxS) for pheasants and other open country birds and several pump guns for waterfowl and rainy-day upland hunts. Also a pair of longer-barreled target (skt, sc, trap) guns that double for doves. The grouse/wc guns mentioned above are light enough and sufficiently well-balanced to allow me to go all day in the thick stuff (one-handed carrying while fending off brush) where weightier, front-weighted, longer barreled guns would have me arm weary at the end of the day.
As far as gun weight goes, I learned that leasson very early on when, as it so happened, I was in top physical shape. I went through undergraduate school on an athletic scholarship, the point being that at that time I wasn't exactly Jabba the Hut. At that time I was using my brother's Savage Fox BSE 12 ga w/28" bbls--an unwieldy clunker of the first order--and, midway through a long day's hunt, the arms/hands were always straight out and ill-prepared to react to a fast/difficult flush. Since that time I've spent a lot of hours seeking out lighter weight guns and there's no doubt in my mind that I do better with them. Frankly, and for whatever reason, I've never had much of a problem connecting with light, short-barreled guns. Now that I'm old and carrry a few extra pounds, a featherweight serves me all the better.
Finally, as far as having experience with the 3" 20 ga, my first repeating shotgun was a Mossberg 500 in this chambering and I've owned many others since, including several SKB SxS's and O/U's that never saw a 3 incher. My opinion: too much recoil and not enough pattern.
Last edited by granby; 01/31/07 08:04 PM.
