In November 2015 we visited the legendary OSP Shooting School in Fulshear, Texas to evaluate a pre-shipment model of the Mossberg 930 Pro-Series Sporting 12-gauge semi-auto under the guidance of clays instructors extraordinaire, Gil and Vicki Ash.
Shotguns
There are two challenges to finding a great shotgun — fit and suitability.
The shotguns section of Shotgun Life is dedicated to helping you recognize the perfect shotgun (that you’ll want to keep for the rest of your life, and then hand down to your family for generations to come.)
For some people, finding a great shotgun is simply love at first sight. For others, a great shotgun grows on them — and they find themselves down in the basement cleaning it for absolutely no other reason than just to be in its company.
But for every shotgun owner who falls in love with their pride-and-joy, there are teams of engineers and craftsmen toiling away behind the scenes to bring your gun to fruition.
As you’ll see, shotguns are generally designed for a particular sport. Some shotguns have composite stocks and fore-ends to withstand the travails of duck hunting. Then there are single-shot trap guns with high ribs that help you intercept rising targets. And skeet shooters find that their beavertail fore-end is particularly adept at bringing about a smooth, quick swing.
So let the search begin. Here is what you’ll find in our shotgun section…
- Shotguns for Clays and Wingshooting
- Shotgun Actions
- Break Actions
- Over/Under
- Side-by-Side
- Single-Barrel Shotgun
- Semiautomatics
- Pumps
- Skeet Shotguns
- Trap Shotguns
- WaterFowl Shotguns
- Upland Shotguns
The Fausti Class SL Upland 20 Gauge in the Field
Vintage orange recoil pads that conjure an era we might call the “Golden Age of Shotguns” bestow today’s bird guns with a classic, abiding romance. Let yourself drift and that autumnal ginger color invites the fragrances of pipe tobacco, dewy tweed, musky dogs and wet feathers.
Shooting the Bespoke British Ordnance Company Over/Under
Chris Batha’s British Ordnance Company originated from a happy accident that brought to market a bespoke tour de force attractively priced at $32,000.
Hits and Misses of the Remington V3 Semi-Auto
One year after it was officially announced, the new Remington V3 semi-auto shotgun is finally available at your local dealer, and for the most part it feels like a winner.
Although Remington introduced the V3 in February 2015, the shotgun didn’t start shipping until February 2016 at a suggested retail price of $995.00.
The Regal Krieghoff Essencia in 20 Gauge
A quail covey exploded from the wire grass and Jarrett Lafferty straightaway downed a double with the 20-gauge Krieghoff Essencia side by side. As Regional Director of Ducks Unlimited from Tallahassee, Florida he has hit plenty of game birds on the wing with shotguns. Still, he was impressed with Krieghoff’s $29,895 game gun and immediately dubbed it “the meat stick.”
Blaser F16 Achieves Air Supremacy with New Sporter and Game Shotgun
Blaser has parlayed its winning reputation with the F3 shotgun into a new line of affordable models that uphold the original’s quality, handling and performance at less than half the price –resulting in the exceptional Blaser technology becoming far more accessible to wing and clays shooters.
How Shotgun Engraving Inspired Beautiful Belt Buckles: A Conversation with Neil R. Hunt
The sunsets of Sedona, Arizona draw seekers in pursuit of their own personal spiritual enlightenment to the fiery glow cast on high-desert rock formations. That haunting splendor is a monument to the local mystical soup of Native American beliefs, New Age transcendence and self-proclaimed UFO refugees. As a hot spot of awakening and harmony, Sedona is a natural home to artists who draw inspiration from the beautiful gods of the harsh, majestic landscape.
The F.A.I.R Pathos is a Lovely Italian Round Body for Your Very Own
Round body bird guns exemplify the romance of the pursuit. Like hammer guns, the round body possesses a sense of purity that transports the shotgun and its owner to a time and place bucolic in nature and joyous to behold.
With a round body, the bottom hard edges of the action are softened with sensuous curves that can be cradled in your hand as an organic complement. Hunt in the Oregon high desert of Highland Hills Ranch and you’ll see those contours everywhere as you hunt for valley quail, chukar and pheasants.
The Commanding View of the New Ribless Perazzi Game Gun Exclusively from Sportarm
Shooting the new ribless Perazzi game gun is a revelation.
At the Orvis Sandanona shooting grounds in Millbrook, New York, the long quartering-away clays presentations appeared with a clarity surprising to most shotgun enthusiasts. You never realize how much the rib intrudes on the sight picture until a ribless shotgun enters your life. The target is whole and clear − like a juicy navel orange ripe on a branch ready to pluck.
Want Some Clays Shooting Magic in Your Life? Just Add a Set of New 20-Gauge Parcours Barrels to the Original 12-Gauge Krieghoff Parcours
How can you make a 12-gauge Krieghoff K-80 Parcours even better? By adding a second set of 20-gauge Parcours barrels to the highly desirable sporter.
Yes, you’ll have to pay $4,695 for that extra set of 20-gauge Parcours barrels, but if you factor in the entry Parcours price of $11,695 for the 12 gauge, suddenly you’re looking at some $16,390 for an investment grade shotgun that ranks by most as one of the best shooting clays guns on the planet.
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About Shotgun Life
Shotgun Life is the first online magazine devoted to the great people who participate in the shotgun sports.
Our goal is to provide you with the best coverage in wing and clays shooting. That includes places to shoot, ways to improve your shooting and the latest new products. Everything you need to know about the shotgun sports is a mouse-click away.
Contact
Irwin Greenstein
Publisher
Shotgun Life
PO Box 6423
Thomasville, GA 31758
Phone: 229-236-1632
