With a promising pheasant opener only ten days away, some shotgun talk is in order today. Is there a best gun? I think so.

Picking the right gun is not easy. It isn’t simply a choice of brand names like Dodge, Ford, or Chevy, and there is no clear choice when it comes to pump action, autoloader, side by side, or over & under. A group of 8 to 10 hunters will typically be carrying an evenly spread assortment with all of them believing their particular choice is best.

In looking over my sixty plus years of toting a shotgun, I started out with the Mossberg bolt-action my parents gave me for Christmas. When I Headed for South Dakota State, I chose a Model 97 Winchester pump as I liked the visible hammer that told me whether the gun was cocked or not. Following the pump, I carried a Model 2000 Browning autoloader or semiautomatic for many years, and finally became attached to the Browning Citori over & under I carry to this day. All models have their own merits, and I have certainly given all models/types a fair chance, but what I consider best is what I carry today – the over & under.

Some good friends, who are certainly veteran hunters, recently invited me to join them on their farm this fall for some pheasant action. When they asked me what I shot, I told them an over & under. They seemed a wee bit amused by my choice, and it got me to wondering about what they shoot. I’ll eventually find out, but they put me on the defensive to a point where I’ll state my case with confidence, so here goes.

I see two advantages to carrying a pump or autoloader, and the first is firepower. Side by side guys or over & under guys like me only have two shots. The pump/autoloader guys have five. Over the years two shots have often been one more than I needed. I’ve taken triples with both pump and autoloader, but I don’t see anything special about it. It’s interesting to me that while duck hunting in Argentina last June with a Benelli semiautomatic, I never took more than two shots at a time even though the quackers were swarming. I don’t want more than two shots.

The second autoloader/pump advantage is price….. especially with the pump actions. With special offers and rebates, an 870 Remington pump, the best dollar for dollar shotgun on the market, can be had for $300. New autoloaders begin at $600, and a very plain over & under can be had for $400. Quality over & unders as well quality autoloaders easily run over a thousand dollars. Expect to pay $900 for a good used Browning Citori or Ruger Red Label over and under. A good used Remington Model 1100 autoloader can be had for $500.

Overall length may be construed as an advantage or disadvantage. Pumps and autoloaders are longer than over & under/side by sides because of action length. Some like the longer sighting plain. I like the shorter gun, especially when in a blind or getting in and out of a vehicle. It’s a toss-up.

Now for the over & under advantages. The greatest advantage to two barrels is having two different chokes. When a bird gets up, I choose between improved cylinder choke and modified choke depending upon the range. Granted, most often I want the open choke for that first shot and the tighter choke for the second shot. Single barrels don’t offer this luxury.

A second two-barrel advantage is the ease of loading and unloading. This comes into play when getting in and out of vehicles and climbing over fences. A third consideration is the ease of checking barrels for obstructions such as mud or ice.

Years ago I was walking into freezing sleet while crossing Kafka Lake for pheasants. A rooster got up and I dropped him with my Winchester pump, but the shot sounded different. When I got home, I discovered a slight bulge in my barrel. An ice buildup just inside my barrel caused the problem.

If you’re into shotguns, I hope you found today’s discussion interesting. See you next week.