let's talk O/U's

[7idl]

what should a guy be looking for when purchasing a o/u sg?

mfg's to look for?
stay away from?

school me (and others)

[Hoser]

Budget?

[JohnTRourke]

Budget is the big problem

Fit is the number one thing in shotguns, if it doesn't fit you, no matter how prettty it is, you'll never shoot it well.
So, make sure it fits you.
You want to look at fit, at how well it's put together, how well the metal contacts each other. Brand new out of the box it should be stiff but not impossible, it shouldn't be loose.

Decide if you want a competetion gun or a hunting gun. Hunting gun safeties reset each time you close the action, competetion guns don't.

Look at the choke system. do you want external or internal, easily changed or you need a tool. (chokes can be changed thru Briley for most major brands and some money so this isn't a deal killer)

You can't go wrong with Browning or Beretta (used or new). But they fit significantly differently.

[shrapmetal]

i agree with fit as number one. specitaly sports has a nice selection to chose from. i went in and told them what my budget was then started tring out guns. i thought i knew what i wanted when i went in from my internet research. the beretta was what i was lokking at most with browning a close second. once i started holding guns i found that the weatherby orion super sporting clays was the one that really felt good to me. they had about 35 guns in my price range ($1500-$2500) and i tried them all. im used to knowing what i want before i go or at least have it narrowed down a bit. i was suprised to feel the differences the guns made. i am very happy with my choice and glad i took the time to try a few. i'll have it out at the shoot on the 15th and you are more than welcome to shoot it.

[Colorado Osprey]

A surprise for me when I went to purchase my 1st o/u was that the gun that fit me best, also had the same fit as my Remingtons....but at the time wasn't a Remington.

It was a Russian made gun imported by EAA labeled Baikal.
I figured at $399 if I didn't like it I would sell it for not much less than I paid for it.
I liked it so much, it became my choice for all occations from hunting to sporting clays.

Remington bought out the import version and became labeled "Spartan" by Remington
The latest ones have dropped the "by" and "Spartan" and are just Remington SPR models.

The bonus is parts are now readily avalable as well as screw in chokes.

Since I started using these guns about 10 years ago, my 1st 12ga,28" has has about 8,000 rounds through it and had broken in nicely. At 1st you almost had to break it open over a knee. My dad always liked using mine and bought a 12ga,26", my wife bought a 20ga,26" and so did my son. BTW these are all Baikal IZH-27's which I belive is the same as the Remington SPR310

The only problems we as a group have had in total, was my dad had do remove his action from the rear stock and clean it once because his gun failed to fire once....that was about 2000 rounds into it's life. I cleaned all of the rest and they never had a problem.

They are worth a look:
http://www.remington.com/products/fi...er_&_under.asp

[Wallary]

If your not in a big hurry to buy then might I suggest waiting for the Kiowa Creek's Shotgun Demo Days. (Usually in Aug.) You won't regret it, most all of the major manufactures will be there. You can shoot them all and really get a good feel for what you want. Bring your check book because the best deals are that day. Buy a new one or you can even buy one of the demo guns (refurbished) from one of their last Demo Shoots. Good luck