I know this is kind of a Ford-Chevy opinion question, but does anybody have a favorite light upland gun? In my case I will probably never hunt quail or grouse, I’ll be hunting Pheasants, Sharptail and Hungarian Partridge.

I think the ideal gun would be a six pound 16 gauge. I was wondering if there is any consensus on the best handling 16 ga. between Fox, Parker or LC Smith?

My Fox 28" barreled 20 gauge ejector gun is about as perfect as I can imagine at this time. It's a quail and woodcock gun.

Doves are an upland species I guess, and IMO require a little different gun, to be ideal. I like longer barrels for doves. And, in the late season, tighter chokes for those high flying northern birds.

Do you consider upland birds to be all game birds that are not waterfowl?

I have 16 ga. guns in Fox, Parker and L C Smith. I don't have a favorite.

SRH

One of my favorites is a Lefever DS 16 on a small frame With 26” barrels. Sometimes I think it just tolerates me on a hunt. I think it would prefer I stay in the truck and it would go by itself and have a much heavier bag. Scarred from a hundred years of brush, rocks, and sweat and Lord only knows how many birds it has shot but I imagine it is a lot. Not much of a pedigree—lowest hardware store offering of Lefever but every much the straight, lively shooter of the best of them.

favorite? Fabbri 20 bore 28" SxS BTFE, Marvelous Fabbri trigger, Best Italian SLE. 6 lb. 4oz.

Deadliest ? Browning 20 Bore O/U 28" SST and AE, PG stock 6lb 12oz.

I remember a picture of that Fabbri. Very pretty gun.

SRH

Charles Daly Miroku Superior Grade

26 inch barrels, IC/Mod chokes, 3" chambers

20 gauge

BUT this would be a fine companion

https://www.gunsamerica.com/9123310...CK-AS-NEW-1-of-305-1-of-305-MADE-NIC.htm

Mike

Bernardelli Elos 25" 12ga 5lb 15oz

Pair of Browning Citori Upland Specials, one on 12 and one in 20. 25 inch barrels on both, English stock. I have killed more pheasant and quail with these guns than any I have ever owned.
Second choice would be my Dickinson 16 gauge SxS.

Benelli 828U, perfect fit, perfect balance, lightweight!

Mine is a Charles Daly 185 16ga made in 1912. Has 28" barrels. Weighs 5#12oz. A very lively gun that shoots true and put birds in my bag. I could sell every other upland gun I own and be happy carrying this one every day.

Something about 6 1/2 lbs or so. Weight forward.
Not a pump.
20 ga typically
7/8oz shot at 1200

I guess a Browning Superlight ticks off the most boxes for me most days in the thickets.

But not out in the open. Too fast.

My favorite gun to look at and hold when you let me. Just amazing.

12 bore H&H Royal model self-opener, first year this model was offered, 29" barrels 6lbs 9 ozs. It will be the last gun I ever sell.

I have a nice Francotte that would be a 14E , but was made for a Paris gun shop. 5lb 14 oz fairly tight chokes. Have killed pheasants with a 16 LC Smith but they tend to be heavier. The Fox 16 is a great gun, but a lot of them seem to be off face so watch that. Carried a customized SKB 20 with 25" barrels. 1 oz of 6's do well on pheasants over pointing dogs. Find what fits you the best without having to make many changes and you are good to go.

If measured by the gun I reach for more than others, it's a 1920s (est) Lovena sidelock with 28" barrels choked skeet and light mod. A 12 gauge weighing 6 1/2 pounds with a straight stock. It just feels right.

Dad's M21- 12 gauge 28" IC&Mod- SST, Ej field stock and red solid pad- fits me like an Armani suit on a Goombah-- Never have changed the barrel selection button in the trigger, always the right hand tube first-- I use AA Trap loads 7&1/2 shot, sometimes a heavier load of #6 chilled in the left side tube. Dad gave it to me in 1980, when he moved to Florida, and we still had a very huntable amount of pheasants to hunt here in mid-Central MI--weigth is 7&1/4 lbs. unlooaded, balance at the hinge pin- still solid and on face-goes to my son-in-law when I'm gone, he's a southpaw, so my M12's are not his "cup of tea"--RWTF

Current favorite is a DMB 16 bore 5lbs 15oz, skeet, IC for grouse. I await delivery of a British provincial 16 bore hammer 29”, steel, 5 lbs 14 oz. IC/Full that could be a contender as well as a Horton 16bore A&D 5lbs 14 oz. With a stock extension, the latter two should come in at 6 pounds And with a couple of RST 7/8 the shells They should carry at my preferred weight of 6 lbs. 2 oz. I find high fives a little whippy and the high sixes a bit heavy.

John, your second question first. I’ve never owned a Fox, Parker or Smith so no experience there to draw on for an answer.

And that points to my answer to your first question. With dollars always scarce and value at a premium Ithacas have been my choice over the decades and I’ve not been disappointed. For your criteria I’d say my eve-of-the-war 16ga NID w/ 26” barrels, cyl & mod, would be my choice @ 6 lbs, 3 oz.

However, as I get older and walking becomes more difficult my 16ga Flues w/ 28” barrels, cyl & mod, @ 5lbs 6 oz gets the nod more often. But with the original 2 1/2” chambers and a senior diet of low pressure handloads you’d be best to leave off with the pheasants.

Regardless, enjoy the best you can afford.

16ga Greener FP 15. Just the W.W.Greener engraved on the frame with at little scroll. Side safety works well for me on a pointed bird; less so for a surprise shot...Geo

If I could still follow the dogs and didn't have to use a walking stick to stand, mine would be the Heym O/U 16 ga. With 60 cm open choke barrels, it has taken a pickup truck load of game for me.
Mike

I hunt woodcock and quail over my Brittanys with a variety of guns from year to year which typically weigh less than 6 lbs. No great shakes of a shot, but I get enough to keep it interesting. Last year the gun-of-the-year candidate was a Skimin & Woods 2" 12 ga. at 5.5 lbs. with 28" barrels. Gil

Pointed birds, carrying all day, no question:
1906 16 ga Sauer & Sohn model 14E 29.5” barrels 6# 1 oz choked .07/.14. Extended forcing cones Relaxed semi pistol grip like a POW
Or
Custom 1912 16ga Fox ejector, 28” straight stocked 6# 2 oz
choked .07/.14 also

Late season S Dakota / Montana wild phez and sharptails:
Model 200 Garbi 30” barrels: choked full/fuller 7# 5 oz.
I’ve made some incredible shots with this gun and B&P heavy 2 3/4” no. 4 nickel plated. A little slower to the shoulder,at a pound and 1/2 heavier than the 16’s- but really reaches out with authority!
Best Regards,
JBP

Hoffman 12ga. 30inch bbl ejector.

I forgot to mention I hunt over flushing dogs, not pointers, so I don’t have that luxury of calmly walking up on a bird sitting tight. My dogs are very well trained field trial Golden Retrievers, but I have to keep on my toes to keep up with them.

I agree with whoever said, less than six pounds is a little whippy and high six’s is a little heavy to carry all day. I think my sweet spot is a 6-0 to 6-6 sixteen gauge or light 2-1/2” English twelve.

I also like longer barrels, 90% of my upland hunting is pheasants in wide open Montana. This is a far cry from quail or grouse hunting where a super light, fast handling gun is preferred.

Browning Superposed 20 ga FKLT.

I had a twenty just like that about 30 years ago. It was a wonderful handling gun and very well built. I honestly don’t remember selling it, I know I eventually ended up with a very nice, early 70s Winchester 101 that was built in the Kendosha plant in Japan.

Both guns were very similar, light twenty gauge over-unders, well put together. I ended up selling both guns as they were just a bit too whippy for me.

Interesting discussion. Mine is a Churchill 21/2"12 ga. boxlock with 26" barrels, choked .003 & .011 weighing 5 lbs./ 12 oz.
Karl

That’s a beautiful gun!!!

Any one of my 16 gauge Foxes that are less than 6 lbs. 4 oz. I like them all, that includes a few Sterlingworths, an AE, a B, and 2 XE's. But to be specific, it has to be the one upgraded XE with the straight hand grip that I bought re-stocked and that was spot on my specifications.

Oh wow! On that last gun.

My favorite has to be my W.&C. Scott Premier 16 gauge with 27” barrels choked Cyl/Mod at 5 lbs. 12ozs. I hunted for one for about 35 years before finding it. Greener said not one in five hundred English guns made was a 16 bore and I believe him. It handles like the proverbial Magic Wand. Sandlapper

This week?
This one.

Fun topic but this is a subjective as it gets I think. To many variables come into play to be able to say any specific gun is my favorite. Frankly, I love all my upland guns and each is my favorite for what I am grabbing them for. I guess I moved onto the camp of what characteristics my upland gun has, as opposed to make and model.

Yes, you are correct nca225, but what else do I have to do till the Walleyes start biting

OH! Yes, yesterday I did ream the chokes on my 16 gauge Remington 3200 !

Mike

1912 Parker "O" frame 20-gauge double, choked IC/ M. A beautiful female woodcock it brought down over a liver-spotted pointing short haired spetter is stuffed, rising, and paired with a large springing buck mink I took off the Susquehanna River. This gun went dove and rabbit hunting this past season, too. Hate to say it has displaced just about every other shotgun.

I always thought Texas had decent fall/winter/spring stocked trout fisheries...but Walleyes are good eating!

I reach for my AYA #1 28 gauge for grouse and woodcock. For pheasants another AYA, 12 gauge model 53E.

Hate to say I don’t own 16.

My first grouse I took was with my dads little 20 gauge Trust & IBar side lock.

As another member stated, all my shotguns are my favorites.

Rich

They are biting right now!

Depends on where I'm hunting and what I'm hunting for. Overall, these days it's my Ugartecha 12 opened up to SK and SK.

I’m starting to believe Montana-North Dakota pheasant hunting is pretty specialized compared to a lot of you elsewhere. Our hunting is wide open country, with lots of draws and coulees, pothole ponds and huge grain fields. Our early season opens for Huns and Sharptail September first, Pheasant opens six weeks later. Birds hold tight at first, then wise up and flush wildly later unless it snows, then they hunker down. You can use a quick open choked twenty early, but you need at least one tighter choked barrel and maybe a little more punch for those late winter pheasants.

What gun is that round action? It’s beautiful.

Chuck,
Beautiful gun!
Karl

Hollis Bentley and Playfair 12 bore. The first time I shot it in Northern Nebraska I thought I had missed as I pulled the trigger, but the pheasant came down perfectly. I have used the gun from Canada to New Mexico ever since.

Darryl, what a beauty and it is in amazing condition. No aspersions toward the slip, however I am sure you have impressed many hunting Acquaintances When that London best emerges from the camo sheath.

Rizzini BR550 30" .410 round action with upgraded stock.