What would yours be? Gauge, chokes?
Mine would be a Purdey 20 bore with 29" barrels choked 1/4 and 3/4

This is a subject that comes up periodically and my answer remains unchanged. My 1st decent shotgun was and still is a Fox Sterlingworth 12 ga with 28" barrels and chocked modified and full which I've now owned for over 40 years. I successfully hunted everything from Pheasants,Quail,ducks and even deer with it for several years as I couldn't afford to buy additional guns. I also shot trap and skeet with it as well!
If I had to go back to owning just this one gun I would not feel deprived in any way.
Jim

My RBL Lightweight 12 w/30" vent rib bbls. w/choke tubes, pistol grip, beavertail, single trigger, 3" chambers(ouch), 7 1/2 lbs.

It is a real killer gun. Not ideal for some things, but what would it not be suitable for?
JR

Your's is a good choice. It is one I would not like to make as I have too many wants. If I did it would be my 16ga SxS SLE 27in Barrels, 6 lbs 4oz.

I have tried hard to narrow my personal battery of shotguns to three guns. A light 16 BLE (greener FH50) a medium 16, and a heavy 12 SxS SLE. Unfortunately other guns keep slipping into my safe.

I am convinced the search for the ultimate gun is like the the search for the holy grail. It is really about the search, not the finding.

Parker VH12, 30", steel barrels, cylinder and full, double triggers, splinter forend, 7 1/2 pounds (on the lighter end of the Parker VH12 weight spectrum), with swivels and strap, "shooter" condition. But that is because while I bird hunt a lot I also like to shoot clays.

If I wasn't going to shoot clays I would go with a Parker VH16, 28" barrels, cylinder and full, 5-3/4 pounds (on the lightest side of the VH16 spectrum), double triggers, splinter forend, "shooter" condition.


Best,

Mike

My choice would be a "decent" side lock 16 bore with 2 sets of barrels. one at 26" bored ic/mod and the second one at 28 or 29" bored mod/full. Splinter fore end and straight grip with double triggers checkered butt and case hardened receiver.

Vern

If I could only have one shotgun (there are a lot of liberals who are convinced that one is a good start toward zero) it wouldn't be a double.

Ithaca 12 gauge 37 pump, with a 30" barrel, a 26" barrel, 22" rifled barrel, and an 18" barrel with ghost ring sights. It would work for more things than John's RBL.

Granted, it would suffice, but, I'd feel strange letting a two-legged varmint have it in the chest with a load out of a 20 gauge Purdey.

Pragmatic is my middle name.

Best,
Ted

My Dickson boxlock in XXV configuration.

My 870 Wingmaster Magnum 12 with real checkering, 28" RemChoke barrel. Works for everything from doves to hogs.

A variation of Ted's M37 made by the Upper Sandusky folks. I'd want one plain barrel, 28", with interchangeable chokes and a Deerslayer barrel--both barrels chambered for 3". Gil

A Dickson Round Action.

I thought I'd be able to write something down on the subject but the more I think about it, the more ideas pop into my head and the answer gets further away from me.
A gun for all jobs , a tough work horse or that 'something special' you've always hankered after but couldn't really afford, along with the costly divorce that would probably follow if you let your heart rule your wallet?
If I had to keep just one it'd be my AYA 20bore sxs. Nothing special but it suits me just fine. If it's something fancy, a Gibbs and Pitt actioned 12, or a westley drop lock, or a nice Jones under lever hammergun, or the beautiful scott baker sidelock (in my opinion, the prettiest looking gun ever) on page 40 of Mr. Hadoke's 'vintage guns for the modern shot', or....
Oh, I can't do it, please don't make me choose !

My choice would be an AH Fox smallbore with three sets of 20 gauge barrels and two sets of 16 gauge barrels.CE grade with finest european walnut,straight grip and also pistol grip stock and splinter and beavertail forends that fit the various barrels. Bobby

First, excluding multi-barrel guns makes this discussion a lot more interesting. Second, if it is truly a one gun situation, it has to be able to shoot steel, I would think. That unfortunately would eliminate my choice - a 16 ga. Sterly choked LMod/IMod.



From a purely practical perspective, this has to be the answer - aesthetics be damned.

I think I'd give some consideration to the as yet seen Perazzi sxs in 20ga .

It should come in under 7 lbs and fit the bill for all my shooting. But then I wouldn't have a fo-te-an. So maybe that H&H 410.

12 ga. Boss O/U Funeral gun with 34" high rib barrels choked 15/25 outrageous English walnut pistol grip stock with slight palm swell and slender forearm. Weight 8 1/2 #'s. In an Oak and leather case with a label saying..
built by:
especially for:
Date:

Yep I think that'll get it.

If I could only have one it would have to be a sidelock side by side. Probably English and most likely a 12ga upland type. 2 3/4" chambers 28" barrels choked IC and IM.

I know the modern automatic shotguns we have are the most dependable most versatile firearm ever available to sportsmen, but if I can only have one it would have to have enough 'soul' to tide me through. A double'd do it, an autoloader wouldn't...geo

Me too-Lewis Drake in KY had a matched pair of Boss 12 SLE's- 29" barrels, IC (1/4 choke) right tube and Imp-Mod (3/4 choke) left tube- zero cast 6 & 1/2bs. DT, AE of course, straight handed grip, Silvers pad- no cast-- chambered for 2 & 1/2" loads-- and I would shoot nothing but light RST 2.5" loads in mine- George, you can have the other "twin"-- I chose the finest (with Churchill a close second) of all the British made side-by-sides, as this is a double gun website- and also a man can dream, can't he- But as a waterfowler and pass shooter and with steel shot the issue- my Dad's 1937 Model 12- 12 gauge 30" Full with solid rib barrel--I've shot the beJesus out of that "Perfect Repeater" (and others in my working arsenal) since he handed it over to me in 1980- still on the factory set take-up notch, and no broken firing pin or any part for that matter- I don't much care for autoloaders or Over-Unders-- Model 12's or Sidelock doubles--suits me right down to the ground!!

Lefever "B" 16 ejector with straight stock and steel barrels bought by my great uncle in the '20's for $20.

One with free ammo. A generational inevitability that I'll agree with Foxy on model 12s so a m12 12 ga. w/ free ammo. I like my Charlin 12 a lot and most pre-war Supers. Shouldn't that question be if you could only have one gun safe?

jack

Benelli SBE..Heresy I know..

This one:



F.lli Piotti, BSEE Lusso, 16 gauge, 29" bbls.

Although I have used others my 7½lb Lefever 12ga FE with a set of Italian 26" bbls choked .012/.025 has served as my #1 go to gun for the past 43 years. I highly suspect if all the guns I own except one had to go, it'd stay. There's not much game that can be taken with a shotgun that it isn't capable of taking. Those exceptions require a very special purpose gun, not suitable for much variety. This would include both the little'uns & the extra big'uns.
One thing is for certain for a one only gun, I have no desire for anything but a double, unless we perhaps wanted to include a nicely balanced drilling. Personally I don't think when we start having it with 5 sets of bbls we are really meeting the criteria of the question.

It would be my 1925 W.C Scott 2 & 3/4", 12 ga. sidelock ejector with 30" barrels and .035 thousands choke in each barrel.

I'd have to keep my Funk drilling in 12ga over 8x57. Steve

Yesiree- Wonder if the late Ernest Hemingway's W and C Scott 12 with 30" barrels was set up like this one--love to "smoke" pigeons with it- .035" both barrels-- nuthin' but "Dust In The Wind"!!

Only one gun?

I try not to dwell on such unpleasantries.

SRH

I agree Stan. Only one gun, what a horrible thought. But if I could only have one it would have to be Dad's 1889 Remington 10 bore. When I die I want to take it with me. If I go to heaven I'll need it for those endless cornfields full of pheasant. If I go to hell I'll stick it up the devils behind and pull both triggers.

My old quail hunting buddy passed over about 15 years ago. He was much older than I, having been a cotton buyer for a factor in Augusta in his younger days. He actually bought cotton from my great-grandmother!

His son buried him with his 20 ga. graded Parker, dressed in his bird hunting clothes. I told him it was the most unselfish thing I had ever heard of. I sure miss Mr. Tom.

SRH

I have to agree with jOe. It would have to be a 12 gauge, side clips if possible, a lot of choke, some case colors left on the receiver. Pigeon guns are the only guns that are truly all purpose. Just for carrying, it should be around seven pounds, kind of a rarity in pigeon guns. I have a Cogswell and a pair of Evans guns that fit the bill. They are game guns, not pigeon guns, but we can't have everything.

A William Powell & Son 12-b boxlock extractor with semi pistol grip, 28 inch barrels (Damascus or Whitworth) and choked IC/IC.
Weight-about 6 pounds 4 ounces. The action would be their No.1 patent - the lift-up lever.

I'd probably go with my Simson 12 ga BLE. Mod and full, good for just about anything other than steel shot.

But I'd surely miss my French 16.

Even though most of my bird hunting is done with SxSs, if limited to one shotgun I'd proberly backslide to semi auto. I take my Browning 2000 with a 28" 3" barrel with Briley Steel chokes, a 26" 2.75" with TrueLock Thinwall Chokes and the Deer barrel with the rifle sights. Pretty much covers all the bases.

If it was a one gun that does it all, a Remington 1100, with choke tubes.
Quail, Pheasant, Ruffed Grouse, Sharptails, Ducks, Turkey, Skeet, Trap, Sporting Clays, etc. Get a rifled barrel and it will meet most deer hunting needs as well. I know from experience. I've used one successfully for all of those pursuits.
Ideal for any? - possibly Pheasants and Skeet, but that'as why we all have more than one shotgun.

Remington Model 31 12 Gauge with factory Poly-Choke.

This.
JR

Only one gun? Oh, the horror. I guess it would have to be my 30" steel barreled Lefever H 16.

Postoak, I just bought some guns, among them a 98% Model 31 with a nice early standard Poly Choke. It is a plain barrel field grade 12, but in very high condition. Interested? wilmrphk@verizon.net. Bill Murphy

If the end of time is near (and I can only have one gun) I'd pick my American Arms Turkey Special 12 bore. Built like a tank and will digest 2.5, 2.75, 3.0, and 3.5. Steel, lead, tungsten, buckshot, slug, etc. etc.

However, if I'm just so broke I can only afford one gun, then I'll take my Parker DHE 20 and a flat of RST's. (smile)

Remington 870 12 ga with a selection of barrels, a little more practical than Holland and Holland Royal 16 bore.

Remington 870 with multiple barrels. A 28" ramped barrel with choke tubes, a short riot gun barrel to welcome home intruders, and a rifled barrel for hogs and deer. Not pretty, but it covers most all of my needs.
Steve

I would choose a well fitting 12 or 16 gauge SXS double with a straight stock, splinter forearm, double triggers, and one choke somewhat open/ one choke less open. Probably my RBL 16 would do the job on everything I am likely to hunt or any clays I might shoot at.

This is too depressing to even think of.........I guess it would be a Winchester 21 st. grip 30" F&F barrels 12 ga. One could always handload spreaders for close shots.

This would be my pick. 16 ga, 29 1/2" barrels, choked F/F. Mike

A 12 gauge pump with as many barrels as needed, basically Teds gun.

That's an easy one for me, my Remington 1894 EE grade 16 gauge with 30" ordnance steel barrels and knock out engraving.....





21

Easy one, a 12 bore Holland and Holland Royal self opener Paradox, hand detachable locks, good for nearly anything on the planet, best

One gun? Forget it, it's never going to happen.

For many years I traded guns and saved cash to work my way up to finally purchasing the gun of my dreams - a David Mckay Brown sxs. It handles like a dream and it is fabulous in the field but yet I still have a ton of guns in the cabinet and always buying more.

My wife stated last month that if another guncase appears in the house, that she did not recognise, she would burn it regardless of the contents.

I am now stashing cases under a cover in the workshop roof space where she would have no reason to go.......

Going through life with only one gun is such a foreign concept I would not even consider it. As a pre-teen living in a household that was only slightly more affluent than a church mouse I had a number of firearms to meet various needs. After all would you ever consider hiring a carpenter to build you a house that only had one tool?

Two words of advice: gun safe.

Easy choice for me. LCSmith 12 gauge, 28" barrels, M&F. I happen to have one, and find myself using it almost to the exclusion of all the others I own, for everything from skeet to bird hunting. Load jockeying makes living with relatively tight chokes do-able for a lot of applications. I wouldn't be bereft if all I had were that one gun.

If I could only have one shotgun, it would probably be a single shot because that would probably mean that we were midway through Obama's second term, repeaters would be banned, and in a couple more years we would likely see those single shots outlawed as well.

If I had just one gun, it would probably be a Beretta or Rizzini O/U in 12ga. Versatile enough for every game species and reliable as all get out.

Mike what type of 16 BLE is that?

What is its story?

She is lovely

Easy pick for me. Browning Superposed 20 gauge, 28 inch barrel, flat knob, long tang, ic/mod.

If you have to carry it, Buzz's choice isn't a bad one. However, a side by side would have a bit more character.

Except that I agree with your earlier post. If it really, truly, honestly can't be but one gun, it'd have to be a 12 for me. I'd have to have the capability to use everything from 3/4 oz. loads to 1 3/8 oz., and 3/4 oz. in a 12 makes a lot more sense than 1 3/8 oz. in a 20.

SRH

I peeked into the safe and it doesn't appear that I'm adaptable to the single-gun concept. but the question was...

I've always lusted after a McKay-Brown sxs, 28" or 30" bbls (I'm not picky at this point and this gun's free, right?) with 10 and 20 points

yes Mike, thats a super looking gun,the engraving looks beautiful
That curve at the back of the action was some english makers style, Leonard,was it? I 've read he made guns for Jefferey.Just I wild guess....or Boswell.
It sure looks sweet whatever it is
cheers
franc

Franc/Old Colonel-thanks for the kind comments on the 16 ga. The gun is a Husqvarna 310 Lyx I purchased earlier this year. Per my research one of 10 made, this one in 1924. It has a diamond shaped wrist, straight grip, and the checkering appears to be 32 LPI.

Well, I would love a Stephen Grant 12g best side lock ejector sxs with top lever and fluted fences at 6 1/2 lb with improved cyl. & 1/2 chokes, but I am a greedy bloke and should be happy with the two sxs game guns that I have, both 12 bore double trigger fixed chokes; My favorite is my Beretta Giubileo II, straight stock, 28" barrels, .010" & .027" chokes, at 6lb 8oz. The other is a Midland Gun Co. best box lock, Prince of Wales grip, 27" barrels, .010" & .035" chokes, at 6lb 13oz.

I also own Dad's Parker Bros. 28" 12g with great sentimental value, but it handles like a log.

I come from a background where having one gun was the norm. Having a cabinet full of guns, for the guys of my grandfather's generation, was as unthinkable as having a harem. So... if а gun is to do it all, it has to be a 12. If it has to last a lifetime, it has to be well-built. If you must use shot of different hardness, e.i. lead and steel, it has to have replacable chokes (or barrels). If a gun is to be practical afield, it has to be able to fire at least twice without reloading. And if you might be reduced to shooting very inferior ammo, e.g. reload shells for more times than they can handle, it better be a non-ejector double. Between that, and provided the stock fit, just about anything will do.

I'm almost at that place, now. I could get along very nicely with my Skimin and Wood 12 gauge box BLNE, side-by-side. I have written about this gun's trials and tribulations, before. This gun might be a bit heavy for "an all-around gun", at a touch over eight pounds, but it balances very nicely with its 30-inch barrels. As a result, the gun does not "feel heavy" once it is put up. I suppose that the gun could be a bit of a load in "hard hunting" in rough terrain but I seldom do that kind of thing, anymore. Clay target shooting with, possibly, some light pheasant hunting is more my speed, these days, and the gun performs magnificently in such applications. Recoil is not punishing except with loads that I am disinclined to shoot regularly in an 85-year-old gun. Since the gun is fitted with Briley screw-in chokes, pattern versatility is not an issue.

Seems I read somewhere that Elmer Keith answered:
“For either man or woman who wants a very fine upland gun that is light enough to carry all day and will regularly kill large birds like pheasant to 50 or 55 years, we believe they look no further than 2 3/4” chambered 16 bore gun.”

My lightweight 12 ga. drilling--also has an 8x57 barrel. Swings like a magic wand.

"IF" I had to have only one gun, just give me a 6 3/4-7 lb 12 gauge with 28" barrels choked .010R & .020L. It would preferably be a side lock or Lefever & would have "Two" (Count'em) triggers. Ejectors would be immaterial, could live with 'em or without em.
I could also live with a 16 with same specs except for 1/4 lb lighter weight range. For one gun I would not want it much over 7 lb, nor under 6½ lbs.
It would use from 1 oz to 1¼ oz @ around 1200 fps. That will cover around 90% of shotgun hunting & I just wouldn't go or the other 10%.

Did Elmer Keith actually hunt pheasants on a regular basis? I doubt it.

50 to 55 years- believe the old Elmer K. meant yards-- He must have eyesight similar to Chuck Yeager-- I don't shoot ducks at a guesstimated 50 yards-- the closer they come, the better.

I have my one gun(shotgun)--have had it for years- I call it "My Old Ernesto" because it is similar to the first shotgun Hemingway bought in 1928--probably Pauline bought it for him. Trap Grade Model 12- 12 gauge 30" full, solid rib, factory red pad. Mine was made in 1937--

Of course, I don't hunt: doves (banned in MI) grouse, quail and woodcock now-a-days. Ducks, geese, pigeons and crows are my "forte"-- But if the SHIF here-a-bouts- I can fill it with OO buck for a defensive scenario-- I have 7 Model 12's- earliest mfg. date 1921- latest- 1949. In Winchester's best years, IMO.

RWTF

Funny how things work out. When I did this post back in 2012 I had no idea I would ever be able to fulfill this dream.
But since then with some hard work and trading around I now have the little Purdey 20 bore, with the 29" barrels and two other sets of barrels to boot.
Funny how things happen.

We would all probably love to see a thread with a bunch of pictures of this gun. Spare no effort, post a bunch of them. I would love to see it, and it would make a great topic that everyone would enjoy.

Mike,
It sounds as if things have come around full circle for you. It's great that you have found it, and I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of it.
I may have found mine, however it's so much fun to keep looking!
Karl

One shotgun? Unacceptable!...Geo

Of guns I don’t own it would be a Steven Grant sidelock hammerless or hammer gun in 12 bore. If restricted to guns I do own it would be my Winchester model 12, 28 Ga. Skeet gun if I could return to 1966 with my case of 7 1/2 shells and my case of 6 or 5’s I got each Christmas. Lead shot legal, 1200 acres of woods, creek bottom and fresh water swamp which turns into salt water marsh. And in 1966 we had tons of quail, Dove, timber doodles, wood ducks, teal, late season ducks and a fair number of geese. Hell, keep the guns, just let me walk through the woods and marsh to see birds in that number again.

At this time it is with The Stock Doctor getting a fresh up.
I will not have it back till the Southern Side by Side event.
My good friend came across this find a few months ago. It is a 1921 Purdey 20 bore with single trigger, third bite and clip face.
It has a set of 29" and 28" barrels by Purdey and a set of 25" barrels made to fit by Westly Richards.
He was looking to sell as he was moving in to a new home.
He took my 12 bore Purdey on trade and some cash.

KY John, i would just settle to go back to 1966

Wow--maybe I have "missed a bet" here. I have a 1939 era M12 28 gauge, 28" mod. solid rib barrel-- Never thought about using it for waterfowl. Do they make a non-toxic loads for the "sub-bore" gauges? You were lucky in 1966 to live in a game rich area with such a variety. I know where I was in 1966- and it wasn't Stateside either. The only "shotguns" were the 12 gauge Riot models (20" cyl. bore) and the M79 "Thumper" single shot- neither a good choice for ducks or quail-- RWTF

RWTF, you can always roll your own nontox.

Interesting thread and I'm glad it got resurrected. I somehow missed it first go around.

To begin with, I'm with George and a few others....unacceptable premise. LOL

However, if I had to pick just one (that I know about) I would probably go for a Lindner Charles Daly Model 275 Diamond Quality in 12 gauge that was a slightly sub (but just barely) 7 pound gun. I'd look for 29 or 30" barrels. And I'd have a leather covered pad on it. Way too much to figure out choke set up right now. LOL.


If I was picking one from my safe and dumping the rest, it would be my MF Ideal 6R EE. 12 gauge. 29" barrels. 6 pounds 9 oz. High quality barrels. Beautiful to look at, easy to carry. The round action a model of simplicity. As close to an all round hunting gun as I can imagine.

I agree. Stumbled on it and thought it was worth a 2nd go around and might also turn up some dreams that were realized. Thanks, Mike, for starting it and glad yours was one. I’ll be watching for those Purdey pictures.

And Elmer meant and said, “yards”. I take the blame for “years”.

Don’t believe I could go down to one.

Always thought four was an ideal battery. One superlight (sub 5 1/4), one 6lb 16, one back up 6lb 16, and one heavyweight 7 to 8 lb gun (16 or 12)

I am unable to live by those limits with about 15 or so doubles again having once gotten down to four a few years ago.

To answer the original question if I could only have one?

A 16ga Purdey, with two sets of barrels (27 & 29), deep relief Celtic engraved, fitted to me. (Just a dream as I could not afford it)

No "biggie" I have Elmer's book on shotguns incoming, got lucky with Jim C.'s list and jumped right in. Forgot he was a big fan of 16 gauges with long barrels and tight chokes- but 55 yard pheasants-- maybe overhead driven birds, where the vitals are in view of the gunner- but wild flushing birds (rough shooting) I doubt the clean kills at that extreme yardage.. RWTF

Me thinks Elmer a bit of windbag with respect to bird hunting. But is sure sounds good.

Just the one gun? Then for me that is easy my 1960s Baikal non ejector under and over, the one I put a little effort in to its looks, and all my upmarket offerings though nice to look at guns would not stay the course. My reasoning is quite simple the gun is built like the proverbial brick outhouse with no complications, and as usual for Russian guns of the time barrel material is second to none. And finally, if the cartridge where to run out it would make a fine club for self defence, seriously these guns are so heavily built other than being run over by a truck it should see the next Millennium out if just given a couple of drops of oil every fifty years.



No finesse just built to put up with whatever it is given to do.

I have a bespoke Verney Carron true left hand Azur SXS 20GA. It has 3" chambers, is steel shot safe and has screw chokes. It weighs 5.5 pounds. I also have an extra set of .303 British barrels. I don't need much else.

Perish the thought of just one. But, I’m still sure the model 37 with the variety pack of barrels would serve me just as well as it would have when we started this post.

Best,
Ted

Just to kick dirt on the whole concept, I bought another gun today. One gun? Blasphemous!

Bühag - Büchsenmacher-Handwerksgenossenschaft

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

One shotgun? I am not even going to think about such an outlandish scenario, until I am forced to.

SRH

Damascus,
Jaycee's Chilean friend Pato would agree with you about Baikal, but would find your choice of one with two barrels extravagant. He would disagree with your description of it being built of bricks; his apparently is made of Kryptonite and electrician's tape. And for the record, this is probably his only shotgun. As for one shotgun, I will gladly take the discards of our group's efforts to reduce their pile of guns to one. Gil

32” Perazzi Mirage if I can only have one.

For bragging, my Purdey bar in iron heavy proof hammer pigeon gun. For versatility and simplicity, my SC Parker single trap with Cutts Compensator and a variety of tubes.

Strange choices, Mr. M-- IMO. I can see the Purdey choice, believe the late Michael McIntosh also had a hammer Purdey 12 bore-- but a fine Parker SBT with a "steam whistle" affixed. Not a factory option, as with the Winchester M12's "back in the day".

I am trying to figure out the rational, as to so modify any SBT with a Cutts for skeet, a vis a vis the M12- not quite so, as how could one shoot doubles? What is the OAL barrel length to the end of the Cutts body (different Cutts tubes have different lengths I believe)--how did it "mate" to the rib??

I have turned down quite a few fairly nice M12's in varying gauges and grades because they were equipped with Cutts "pickles". But, to each his own- one man's filet mignon is another man's liverwurst.. Foxy..

Me too. After watching a few U-Tube shooting videos starring George Digweed, I want one- like his- well used, well cared for.RWTF

Fox, Since we were restricted to one gun, I had to pick my old beater Perazzi Mirage. Since I’m a clay target shooter, it’s just about perfect for that at 8 lb 4 oz. In terms of hunting, it might be ok for ducks and maybe even pheasants, but for most forms of upland hunting, not too good.....pretty darned heavy for hunting (I’m not Paul Bunyan). If I were next to broke and the gun God said I will let you have one more shotgun, I’d get me an old Remington 870 twenty gauge pump gun, and go to work on the quail and grouse. I think the 870’s are very utilitarian and overall very good guns....and cheap in regard to cost.

Yessiree- but a 870 ain't a Model 12- IMO. I would use the MX-8 for driven birds, also barnyard pigeons- would not want to carry an 8 plus lb. gun afield all day- RWTF

My practical choice would be a Browning Cynergy field in 12 gauge - 7 lbs 9 oz. Heavy enough for clays, not awful to carry in the field. Would just replace my current Cynergy CX and call it a day:

https://www.browning.com/products/firearms/shotguns/cynergy/current-production/cynergy-field.html

Would miss the character and weight of my 12 gauge SLE though for the handful of days I spend in the field...

Dan,
I think that your thoughts reflect mine in that the weight, balance as well as that all important character of a nice SxS completes the equation.
Karl

Like Steve, I would choose a double shotgun combined with a rifled tube - a Drilling. For a pure shotgun, my go-to double is a hammer gun by Famars.

Cheers,
Jani

Most of us probably make this decision every morning before the hunt: What shotgun am I going to take? I like to take each one at one time or another. I favour some more than others, because I shoot well with them. For this exercise, it comes down to practicality. Light to carry all day afield, easy handling and versatile in the blind, it's the SKB Model 500 o/u IC/M three-inch.

My one-gun choice would be a light, 7 lb or somewhat over, Perazzi MX8 12 ga game gun with 28 3/8 barrels and choke tubes. For several years, I happily shot only a Perazzi similar to this, primarily on low-key, non-competitive clays, but also for all my then limited upland hunting.

I would not envision water fowl, deer, or self-defense use if I were restricted to a single shotgun.

Fox 3 bbl set,32" 30" 28"

If we live in the US, and are on a website dedicated to fine guns, and the use of same, and pondering which would be the one we would keep, if limited to just one, It is safe to assume the “envisioning” is being done by others.

People in other countries have been through very similar situations.

Best,
Ted

I should explain.

I don't plan to hunt waterfowl, but could use the Perazzi, except for long range pass shooting. With only one shotgun, I would use rifles and handguns for deer and self-defense.

If I could not own rifles or handguns, but only a single shotgun, I would choose a 12 ga pump, with a short cylinder bore barrel with rifle sights for deer and self defense, and one or more longer barrels with choke tubes for all other uses.

I am optimistic, but wary, that we won’t face that choice in this lifetime. I had an email conversation with a Swede, who was trying to figure out which gun he could get rid of to get another gun for his own use. He was limited to five, if I am not mistaken. Granted, I do the same thing, myself, but, there is no government agency telling me to do it, and inspecting if I actually have, and I prefer it that way.

The Swede would, as well, I’m sure.

Best,
Ted

On any given day, with one shell, 1 3/8 ounce lead or substitute load at about 1200 fps, at any range, 20 yards to 50 yards, pheasant, chukar, duck or goose, I would choose my SC Parker single trap Cutts gun to kill that bird. Different bird, different range, different shell, different number of shells, I may choose some other gun.

OK-- I'd stay with my M12- 30" full solid rib full choke. To each his own, as they say. I once shared a 2-place duck blind with a neighbor who had a Rem M11- 12 gauge "Sportsman" series with a factory installed Cutts- don't know what choke tube he had in that morning- circa 1992-93- but boy howdy did my ears ring from the sideblast of that "pickle with vents"--

Any chance you'd consider posting a photo of that SC Parker SBT with the Cutts-? don't see those everyday-- RWTF

I certainly hope you bought the Parker trap gun cheap if it has a Cutts affixed to the end of it.

I had a vented Cutts on my first repeater, a 20 gauge Remington model 17. I killed birds and clay pigeons fair enough with that old gun, but, as soon as I had $100, I sent the gun to Stan Baker, and he amputated the thing, shortened the barrel, adjusted the POI, backbored and polished the barrel, and installed and supplied two choke tubes, about IC and MOD.

I’d do it all over again today, except Skeets would do the work I suppose, since Stan is no longer with us.

I hated the noise that thing made.

Best,
Ted.

Buzz, the Cutts barrel was purchased for very short money and happened to be a perfect fit on one of my Parker singles. 30" overall with the full choke tube, same as the original barrel. I have used Cutts Model 12s and 1100s in NSSA competition for many years and will continue. My Cutts Model 42s are among my favorite shooting guns. Wayne Mayes was once asked if the noise of the Cutts bothered him. He replied, "It doesn't bother me, but it drives my shootoff competition crazy." Great thread.

I would like a J. Graham 12ga, 28” mod/full, preferably a BLE, with a straight stock to a checkered butt and 15” LOP.

If one of those isn’t available, some other nice Scottish gun with those specs would be fine as well.

I settled on the 16ga double many years ago so no issue there. I find myself shooting a 70 year old H&H Royal 16 more often then not in recent years so that would be a natural answer to only one gun. Hard to complain about that option.

Until the Minnesota DNR attempts to stick you with non toxic shot for everything. They did that, once. We had to remind them at the meeting that the legislature, and elected representatives changed the law, not them.
Your options, assuming a 2 1/2” in proof Holland, are going to be slim. Not impossibly slim, but, slim, none the less.

Best,
Ted

After reflection I don't even know if I would be happy with just one gauge, much less one gun. Life is too short, buy them all and shoot whatever makes you happy.

That's what I thought 20 or so years ago, KY Jon. Now I'm embarrassed by how deeply the fever entered, with every person on the forum now an accomplice, educating and encouraging me to the world of shotguns.

No regrets, of course, and each time I take them out I hold them more tenderly because of the memories. But at each look at that rack now, I ask myself "What was I thinking" and have started giving them away.

Possessions at some point are a burden.

”I’m embarrassed “, but “no regrets”......sounds a bit contradictory, eh King??

If I'm taking into account my current reloading equipment and supplies, plus ammunition availability in the average US town, I would select a 12 bore IC x 12 bore full over 30-06 drilling. There's not much in the continental US that couldn't be taken with this setup.

A lot of people in Europe have made the same choice, at the not so gentle insistence of their government.

A drilling, to me, is a compromise. Like an enduro motorcycle. You have a street legal bike you can ride in the dirt. It isn’t very well suited for either. You can shoot deer or birds with a drilling, but, it seems it is always a compromise, and it wouldn’t be my first choice for either.

Others may feel differently.

Best,
Ted

I would have chosen said dreiling but I thought we were restricted to a scattergun only. After my English pointer pointed the biggest buck(in his bed) I had seen as a teen, I began the search for a solution when a very nice buck is 20 feet away and we are @ a Mexican standoff...... Thought we had a covey & landed up w/ a rack of antlers that I couldn't do anything with @ the time.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

I agree totally, it wouldn't be my first choice if I could have several guns. I suppose the question doesn't specify that I can't have other rifles, so with that in mind, I would select a modern, chrome lined 12 bore SxS with screw in chokes. Something like a Dickinson Estate with an English stock.

I thought long about a drilling 50 years ago and gave it up as a bad idea. If I see birds while hunting big game it adds to the pleasure, and if see deer or moose while hunting birds I get the same pleasure. Nothing's lost to me.

A drilling is kind of a compromise. Neither the rifle, nor the shotgun, does what it is capable of doing quite as well as a dedicated one or the other. I suppose for a "one gun" guy it might be okay.

JMO, YMMV.

SRH

I agree with Herr Ellenberg- I also assumed we were talking about one gun only (perish the thought)and that would be a shotgun. I have already detailed my M12- 12 gauge, and although I would love to own and shoot a WW11 Luftwaffe pilot's survival drilling- oder dreiling mit meine fruend Raimey-- I would augment this thread for a CF rifle, well- in case, my 1939 era M70 scoped 30-06. Like the 12 gauge, ammo available anywhere in the Free World (or what's left of it) and with the newer factory loads (or handloads) good for deer, elk, moose, and possibly black bear and feral swine--

Africa, European and Asian Continent, and Alaskan grizzlies--I would want the same rifle, scoped, but in .375H&H Magnum.

The only "problemo" with the drillings might be scoping one- but because I have never owned or shot one, I'll defer to Raimey and others who also are members of the German Gun Collectors as well as this forum..

RWTF