Workhorse Shotguns

Guns Magazine, April, 2001 by Nick Sisley

Any scattergun is fine for a day at the range, but these seasoned guides and professional hunters know which smoothbores can withstand the rigors of hot-barrel hunting.

Back in the early 1970s, relatively few shotgunners left this country to go hunting international wingshooting was in its infancy, and as a consequence, not a great deal was known about which shotguns were capable of withstanding the brutal conditions of shooting hundreds, sometimes thousands of rounds a day, for three, four, even five days.

By the '80s, however, high-volume bird shooting was really becoming popular. Hot-barreled havens like Colombia's Cauca Valley, Central America's Honduras and Nicaragua, the Cordoba area of Argentina, Uruguay and others were testing the mettle of shotgun after shotgun.

As the '90s were drawing to a close, additional dove hotspots had been added to the "I-want-to-go" list, like Bolivia, Paraguay, new areas in Argentina around Parana, Tucuman, Bahia Blanca and others. Shotgunners were also traveling to South Africa, New Zealand and elsewhere in their globetrotting travels.

Through all this shooting, shotgun after shotgun was seen to break down. Relatively few guns have weathered this figurative storm well. Sometimes it's the traveling sportsmen themselves who have discovered which shotguns keep on ticking. Even more expert in this field could be the outfitters themselves, as day in and day out, these are the people who see which shotguns break down and which ones serve their owners well.

A shotgun purchase is an investment. It is important to purchase one that will serve you well, living up to your shooting demands and your expectations of reliability. With that in mind, we asked a panel of shotgunning experts for their opinions on the best and worst of available shotguns.

These experts include Gustavo Olsen, a dove outfitter in the Parana and Tucuman areas of Argentina; Hector Sarasola, an outfitter in Uruguay who specializes in both doves and perdiz, the latter over pointing dogs; and Ed Kaltreider of Livingston, Mont., a well-traveled shotgunner with a keen eye for the shotgun itself. Let's take a look at what each of these individuals has to say, both pro and con, about shotguns that are really put to severe tests.

The Experienced Hunter's View

Ed Kaltreider's perspective comes as a top and very experienced shooter, rather than as an outfitter. One of his prime considerations for a high-volume shotgun is a double trigger -- or a fast barrel selector like in the Miller single trigger or a Browning Superposed. With regard to the double trigger, it's an obvious reason why he likes a number of different SxSs; however, Kaltreider has O/Us rigged with double triggers, as well.

Kaltreider is also a believer in screw-in chokes for this high-volume work. No wonder. You never know what bird-flight conditions or typical distances are going to be until you get to the shooting site. Further, these ranges might vary from day to day, even hour to hour. Screw-in chokes allow a hunter to change as conditions change.

Kaltreider says, "I have very good luck with what I call the 'Killer Bees,' that is, Beretta and Browning O/Us. I favor breech guns like this for their reliability and the opportunity to chose between two different choke constrictions, but I have carried Beretta and Benelli semi-autos to South America. I do, however, prefer breech guns. One favorite type is the Beretta SO4, but you have to watch out for sear wear, which can cause the triggers to get light. Otherwise, these O/Us are as reliable as any.

"For me, a couple of Browning Superposed 12 gauges have really been workhorses. These guns seldom break down -- I have lost one extractor on my Diana Superposed in about 25,000 rounds -- and these breakdowns are easy to handle for most gunsmiths. The Superposed is also very easy to open and close without adding wear and tear to the hands and arms, important during high-volume shooting."

Kaltreider said that Perazzi will still build double triggers in a new gun, and that these triggers are well-known for reliability and longevity, especially because you can carry a spare trigger group. "I consider Perazzi O/Us to be a top choice and took both my old DC 1 SxS and MX 8 O/U to Cordoba, Argentina, last May.

"Right now I have a pair of Perugini & Visini O/Us being made, and I'm really looking forward to shooting them. They'll be rigged with Briley choke tubes and Vincenzo Perugini's double triggers."

Finally, Kaltreider says the Japanese Brownings (Citori models) have shown themselves to be extremely reliable in high-volume situations, especially the sporting clays models. "I shot a Citori 28 gauge recently with 28' barrels and the gun was a dandy."

Relying On The Best

Hector Sarasola flatly states, "Inexpensive shotguns don't work here, especially semi-automatics and many of the older shotguns."

To help with recoil reduction, due to the massive amounts of shooting his clients experience, Sarasola only stocks 7/8 oz. and 1 oz. 12 ga. loads. However, he also can supply 20, 28 and, sometimes, .410 shotshells. The Benelli Super Black Eagle, he claims, won't work with their 7/8 oz. 12 bore loads.