Shotguns and why you like or dislike them

[Questor]

Above all, fit is the most important thing for me in a shotgun. After that, I really like O/Us. I'd like to know what shotguns you like and dislike, and why. Keep in mind that if I don't like a favorite of yours, I'm not trashing it. I am giving an opinion based on fit.

Here are a few:

Browning BPS: Tremendous value for the money. Reliable. Excellent quality. Ambidextrous. Good looking. Weather resistant. Good fit. Kind of heavy in 12 gauge. Superb proportions in 20 gauge.

Rizzini side by sides. Really good quality. Broad price range, from under $2000 to as much as you want to spend.  They have one model that sells for about $1700 and is a real bargain at that price. Very beautiful too. Unfortunately I don't like side by sides because they are cumbersome for me to carry and have awkward ergonomics. I guess they're not for everybody.

Browning Citori. Doesn't fit me. Seems blocky and oversized. Shot one for trap and didn't like it because of bad fit.

Browning BT99. Nice gun for the money, but needs adjustable stock. I tried two and the older model fit well and I could shoot well with it. The other one was new and it made my face hurt after only one round of trap.

Beretta 686, 687 O/Us. The best field guns in the world. Fits me perfectly. The 12 gauge is proportioned so well that it carrys like a 20 gauge. The 20 gauge carries like a 28 gauge. God bless Beretta! They are superbly beautiful guns too, and so well made it brings tears of joy to my eyes. Unfortunately, the Euro is strong vis a vis the dollar now and they cost about $2000 to $2500 now.

Browning Cynergy. I found it appealing when shopping for a 12 gauge. I really tried to like it, but it just doesn't fit me. When I shoulder it, it is an amazing experience. My eyes naturally align down the right side of the barrels. I'd like to meet the person this gun is built for just to see how he's proportioned.

Winchester Select Extra Trap. Really a good value in a trap gun. Durability matters with guns like this and while this is my trap gun, I have not shot enough thousands of shells in it to tell whether it is durable. So far so good. Lots of features for the money. Fits me very well. Can get a slightly used one for about $1000.

Mossberg 500 Bantam youth gun. Sensational value for the money. Ambidextrous. Tapped for Weaver scope mount. Reasonable price. Reliable. Really accurate with 2 3/4 inch Rottweil slugs, but 3 inch Rottweil slugs are too powerful and cause gun to jam. Comes with three choke tubes. Good proportions for a young shooter or a woman of around 5 feet in height or somewhat taller. Tang safety. Overall a really good gun. You don't get refinements like chrome bores, but you do get more than your money worth.

[jbmi]

My favorite field gun is a 1909 Parker 16g. SXS on an O frame.  The fit of this gun is as if it were custom made for me. This gun is the definition of a field gun.
I also have three other field guns that I use and fit me well enough that they are a pleasure to shoot. 12ga. Browning BPS Pigeon Grade, a 12ga. Browning Citori Lightening Grade III and a Browning BPS 20ga Upland Special.
As you can see I like Browning shotguns. The BPS was made for a lefty.
For trap shooting it's been an expensive experience. Over the past 4 years I've bought about 7 different guns before I found the two I like the best. Fit and quality were the two reasons I ended up with these. Remington 90T, added a raised rib and adjustable pad to make it feel and shoot better. I thought this would be my final trap gun, it wasn't. I liked it to much to sell it so I gave it to my son to shoot. I now have the gun that I fell I'll keep the rest of my shooting days. It's a Kolar combo. 34" unsingle with a 30" O/U  with ported barrels. The stock has a RAD unit so it was very easy to get the LOP I like along with the drop and onset needed for a left handed shooter. The adjustable comb sure is nice also.
I would like to pick up another SXS some day. This time it would be a new one, maybe an AYA or Rizzini or someother  of the nice ones that have hit the market  recently. I do need a good sporting clays gun.

[SuperstitionCoues]

BPS in 12 ga:  5 round mag tube for quail (non-migratory) and bunnies.  Invector-plus choke tubes are a great idea, and shucking shells at my feet and not in my face is ideal.  Would I do it again?  Yep!

Citori 525 Field, 12 ga:  A classic, and swings smoother than the BPS.  Inter-changeable choke tubes with BPS.  Too new to tell you how it works in the field.  More fun!!!

Rem 870:  On long-term loan to my Mom for self/home defense, but smooth as glass action and RELIABLE.  Cons are the Polychoke that is a permanent fixture on the barrel and a very weird sight picture because of it.  My first shotgun (Late 50's early 60's vintage) that I bought used, so I will not part with it.  One of these days it will get a complete refurbish job, including a new barrel with Remchokes.   

Why shotguns?  Because they are just FUN and a small game hunt is more relaxing than organizing a big game hunt. 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

The only shotgun I've owned that was an absolute displeasure to shoot was a Benelli Montefeltro 12ga.----kickingest mule I've ever owned------and I own or have owned pretty much everything.

[blackpowderbill]

Ive got a Baikal MP133 and an Ithica m37 (circa 1950s). The Baikal is large and bulky and generally not a thing of beauty. It does not pattern very spectacularly either, and high at that. However it eats anything that has a 12 on the headstamp and I hit whatever I aim at. My Ithica is slick and svelte. It patterns beautifully right at point of aim. However I have a very hard time hitting with it on moving targets. When I go hunting I always grab the Baikal.

[mountainview]

I like anything that goes bang but if I really had to pick, my pumps are what I go to. Change a barrel or choke to fit the game (deer and furry or feathered critters) and as good as reliability gets. Plus I am so used to shucking the pump that I've caught myself trying "pump" everything from single shots to O/U's to semis though I got to admit that it seems to make my SX2 cycle a tad faster and shoot a wee bit better when I try to "pump" it for subsequent as compared to when I don't 

[hillbill]

i just purchased a old smith&wesson model 916, i really like the fit and feel but havent used it much yet.i really would like to have a pristine old model 97 Winchester, just like the slender feel of them and the clacking noise they made and the hammer.i just cant get into giving a buttload of money for a shotgun. the best shooting 12 ga i have i gave 50$ for, mossberg pump. ugly as hell but for some reason hits everything i aim at.dont get me wrong, i appreciate a nice shotgun and have several ive gave a good price for, but they dont shoot any better.