A man after my own heart, I agree with Ryan 100%. Cradling a fine side x side while in pursuit of ruff grouse adds to experience. It is a gun maker’s artisan effort, a thing of beauty to be admired and treasured. My shotgun of choice is a twenty gauge of course, straight English stock, splintered forearm with fine checking on figured walnut, coin receiver and a single trigger. In my youth I carried an AYA 28 gauge, a tiny wisp of a gun. Our birds live in the mountains, so the minuscule shells and petite shotgun made it easy to carry over the miles and elevation gains. After forty-five years of hunting grouse, I have only been able to harvest our daily limit of three birds on two occasions, although I have had numerous two bird days. Just as often I have returned from a day afield on empty, as Mr. Grouse is a wily quarry. A nobler game bird there is not. A wing shooter by choice, I gave up “big game” towards the end of my teens. Afterwards I spent a lifetime hunting waterfowl, dove, quail, woodcock and grouse. Hunting waterfowl out of a duck boat was harsh on guns, so a trusty ol’ Remington 870 fit the bill, an almost indestructible utilitarian gun. But spending a day in the uplands, it should always be a lightweight side x side kind of day. Great podcast guys.
I watch all the stuff this channel puts out. I have to say that regardless of the stuff that appears to pit the team against each other in one way or another (spaghetti shootout I'm lookin at you) and how entertaining that is, I really appreciate that these two dudes have a genuine rapport with each other.
I so enjoy listening to Mr Ryan, his knowledge and opinions on guns and hunting, kind of reminds me of my favorite uncle. FYI Ryan, I carry a Browning BSS with the straight English stock and semi beaverton in 12 or a Ruger Red Label in 20.
Shotguns are traditional firearms. Shotgun technology (especially break-action) hasn’t changed as obviously over the past 100 years as rifles and pistols have. Picking up a shotgun that looks traditional just feels right, so looks are perhaps more important for shotguns than for other types of firearms. The shotgun is truly far more utilitarian than most bolt-action rifles, but the traditional models feel more elegant.
Late to this podcast, but... Thanks for doing these. Scattergun guy here, so this one makes my heart beat just a bit faster in anticipation of a day afield with my first gun(circa1929)
I hunt partridge in Maine. Shot most of them with a TC encore 410 pistol or a 20 ga Gaucho double trigger coach gun. Since 410 is impossible to get I used a 12 gauge sawed off single shot Stevens hammerless this year. The sawed off 12 was excellent on the wing an cheap to shoot with light 7.5 shot.
Thirty plus years ago I purchased a new Browning / Miroku Citori 12 ga. Gart Bros. Sporting Goods had it sitting in the sale rack because the forend had been damaged in shipping. I liked the modified, rounded pistol grip. Overall the gun fit me well; so I bought the beast. With it, I have hunted and harvested everything from quail and dove clear up to Greater Canadian geese and Merriam turkey. I can't cannot count the number of clay pigeons I've busted. I've taken all manner of waterfowl and upland birds from Gambel and Scaled Quail in Arizona to Pheasant and Huns in North Dakota to blue grouse here in the Rockies and waterfowl all along the Colorado Front Range. I have no clue how many hundreds of rounds I've shot; yet the action still locks up tight as a tick. Its a firearm I'm proud to own. One might even say that I love the old beast.
I was just looking for the most recent video with Mr. Muckenhirn on it so I could comment that I think I've learned from him more firearm knowledge AND firearm adjacent trivia and history than from any other source. Truly remarkable depth of historical firearm knowledge as well as understanding every niche edge case and modern development. Write a book or series of little books on cartridges throughout history, with all your editorial comments and adjacent info. I'd read it all.
At the time of this comment, 7K views, but only 271 likes and 84 comments, this has been one of the most motivating podcasts I’ve listened to from you guys. Not sure why, but I bought a new vest from Orvis, added a very late upland tag and went for a walk with my grandfather’s side by side. I discovered I’m a little bit uncomfortable (read old) to be digging around in Russian thistle for dead birds. I know a breeder though, so I may need to get a new best friend. You guys ever see me with my wife, just walk away, lol.
Ryan has the same taste for shotguns like I do. He described my Merkel exactly! Straight grip custom made stock, nice piece of walnut, double trigers, fixed chockes.... only mine is 12ga and was made in 1974 but mint condition! Here in Serbia they are not so scarce, these older ones. It's not hard to find some nice 12ga or 16ga. On the other hand with 20ga it's not impossible but not so easy. Sull was part of East Germany and at the time production was organized in one big factory so you can find these older shotguns under Simson, Sauer or Merkel brand and basically it is the same gun.
Just found this video, and I have to say I agree with Ryan. I happen to own a Merkel 47E 12 gauge double triggers with splinter forearm and English stock. Lucked upon it at a local gun shop back in 1991 where it was consigned by the original owner who had put one box of shells through it. Made in March of 1975, with 2 3/4" chambers and tight Full/Full chokes. Has harvested many White wing doves and Gambles quail down on the desert, and Mountain Quail in the Sierras using spreader loads. Due to steel shot only required for all hunting here in California it is relegated to an occasional clay day. I would like to find either the two barrel set 1620, or a 147EL in 20 gauge. Dream shotgun a 20 gauge Cosmi.
I genuinely enjoyed this episode and love listening to Mark and Ryan. Hearing Ryan describe the Prince of Wales grip vs an English Straight grip and also fiddleback and walnut grain was special. I would love to see Ryan do a talk on Rifles that are a work of art; just like the Mannlicher Schoenauer (1903 or a newer 1956/MC/MCA) plus a new Rigby plus even a Schultz & Larsen Victory. Heaven!
I could listen to Ryan talk about anything. My background was in competition shooting not as much wing shooting. However, the dream upland competition even waterfowl like you said Ryan on a very, very good day Krieghoff K80 with a full set of tubes
My primary clays gun right now was built in 1883. A Joseph Lang hammer 12 gauge, built in London. Between a few sxs's they are happily doing 4000-5000 rounds per year.
My main AZ dove and quail and sometimes duck shotgun for 40 years has been and is a Remington 870 pump I got my junior year in high school. Excellent shotgun. Also have a cool, old LC Smith side by side 20 gauge inherited from an uncle. But, in dream world, I broke down and got "for my daughter" - ahem - on her 15th birthday a 20 gauge over / under made in Turkey, imported and marketed by ATI. Matte silver receiver with busting grouse engraving. It's gorgeous, excellent fit and finish. 1/2 price of a CZ, 1/4 the price of a Red Label. Don't knock 'em . . . P.S. - synthetic stocks have no place, ever, on a shotgun.
I’d agree as far as aesthetics, however for all practical purposes synthetic options are superior. It can certainly be argued if the difference is enough to make a difference, but it can not be denied that a stainless and synthetic firearm has a much lower maintenance requirement. Personally I’ve got plenty of both, I do tend to favor synthetic more for hunting simply do to not caring if it gets scratched.
@@jaydunbar7538 You are spot on sir. Cannot argue with durability of synthetic. I just prefer wood. And i will say that if taken are of, especially in a dry climate like where I live in Tucson, AZ, wood stocks and blued metal can last indefinitely without rust or pitting. My 870 literally looks brand new after 35 plus years of regular use - one reason firearms are awesome - they get better with age.
Thanks for a cool video on shotgunning. I'm primarily a clay target shooter these days and for that game my dream shotgun would be either a Perazzi MX-8 or HiTech with light 32 inch barrels non-selective trigger with fixed chokes around lt.mod/lt.mod each barrel and balanced slightly behind the center of the hinge area. The gun that gives the Perazzi a run for it's money with me are some of the P&V competition guns that are built in the same mold as the Perazzi. I already have a solid SXS that I use for clays competition in my 32 inch barrel Winchester model 21 that's choked mod/mod with a KILLER stick of wood. If I had the means there are 2 sxs guns that I would really go for. A long barreled David McKay Brown gun in 28 gauge. I'm a real sucker for the 28 and to slightly lesser extent the 16 so to fulfill my 16 gauge want I'd find a smith that would rebuild and customize a Fox in a similar vein to what Steven Dodd Hughes did for himself a bunch of years ago. I would then do my best to wear them out on the clay course and field.
I asked Ryan’s advice regarding what rifle in .22 hornet and he was spot on suggesting a 527., at least in new gun, so I’d have to assume he’s right about this. It sounds like I need to go back to CZ far an accessible side by side in 20 gauge unless someone has a better suggestion?
Love my CZ sharp tail 20 gauge 28 inch single trigger. A 20 gauge 3 inch ounce and a quarter load is the same as a 12 gauge 2 and 3/4 in Oz and a quarter load.
Exceptional good taste! Merkel S/S are a class of their own. Model 147 in 12 ga would be my love. I owned a more simple Simson mod. 35/70 from Suhl. 32' barrels, double triggers and swinging like a dream.
agreed upland game 20 gauge and smaller 😁 my go to field workhorse 1100 lt 20 had it for over 40 yrs my fancy boys, 20 citori , 28 red label golden quail , 410 hand made french side x side ... love wing shooting 👍
While I enjoy the 20ga and 28ga it’s hard to beat a 12ga on Wild Iowa Pheasant’s and especially late season birds and since my GSP passed I don’t hunt Wild pheasant’s with a sub gauge without a dog. But when I retire in a couple years I’ll get another GSP and use my sub gauges again. Yes the 1100 20ga Lt is a excellent Gun.
Do a 10 minute talk on the 264 win mag. I see Winchester is now chambering it again in the model 70. How does it compare to the other 6.5s and what about a custom barrel with a faster twist rate?
I'm coming up on 70 years old. Can't hunt much at all anymore because of failing back, knees and legs, but can still dream and I keep buying all sorts of gun anyway. I do like to sit in a hedge row on my farm and shoot doves and geese when they fly in to a grain field. 55 years ago when I was a freshman in highschool, I moved up from my starter shotgun, an Ithaca 66 Super Single 20 gauge. We lived in central Iowa at the time and since 7th grade I had shot pheasants, rabbits, squirrels and ducks with that Ithaca. A single shot shotgun makes you disciplined. My step up gun was a Stevens 311 side by side 12 gauge with 30" barrels choked full and modified. I killed a lot of pheasants with that 8 pound (or maybe heavier) boat anchor over the next couple of years before falling in love with a gun at a local store. It was a Beretta Silver Hawk feather weight 12 gauge side by side with 26" improved and modified barrels, single non-elective trigger. I didn't know that a 12 gauge shotgun could be that light. It's just 7 pounds. With the $60 I got for the Stevens and hard earned money from baling hay, chasing cows and walking beans I acquired the Silver Hawk. Over the years it has taken a lot of quail, pheasants and other game. I've had many other shotguns of all varieties and liked all of them. Except for the old Stevens I still have every side by side I ever bought. The Beretta, an early Savage Fox Model B, an L.C. Smith O grade 12 gauge cut to 26" with thin wall choke tubes skeet 1 and skeet 2, and an AyA Matador III 20 gauge 3" magnum, about 6 and a half pounds, also 26" Improved and modified. We've lived in central Kansas 48 years now. After all these years, with all the other shotguns I've hunted with, if I still had my German Shorthaired Pointers and was about to head out for a day of mixed pheasant, quail and maybe greater prairie chickens the first gun I would reach for would be the Beretta Silver Hawk.
Nice !!! Ryan! You do have good tastes sir. I love side by sides. And I mostly hunt With side locks SbS. And I would add that with those kind of shotguns, you are more instinctively shooting. You are not aiming… I always finding my self over-thinking my shots with over and unders.
Regarding 16 gauge, I've really been contemplating a Sweet Sixteen. It's one of the very few current production guns in 16 gauge, and even though I don't really have a use for one, I'm sure i can find one.
my dad cut his 1920 phil. ' FOX '' 12 gauge back to 24'' in 1930 and it worked on everything .. i have it now along with his beater st. entines french 16 gauge .16 on 20 frame
Yep I bought a discontinued New Old stock CZ redhead Target because the wood is amazing LOL damn fine gun though. Dream gun has to be the early '90s Browning citori over under sporting clays edition wouldn't mind a Ruger Red label either though
Ryan Ryan you will never shoot a triple with a SxS or OxU but I do enjoy seeing the craftsmanship that goes into them. Grouse shooting is a short range game if I had to pick a gun it would be my 28ga 1100. I never liked OxU or SxS because they swing slow to me. I will say I used a 12ga 1100 and went to a Orvis Lodge and I shot a triple on quail ask the Guide how many triples he has seen there and he said they had only been one maybe two had happened. At the end of the three days I had shot three triples. But they were pen raised birds. What did I learn the 12ga on those quail was like swatting a fly with a sledge hammer. My dream shotgun for Grouse would be a 1980’s Remington 870 TC 20ga. Skeet Gun they have Excellent Wood or a D or F Grade. Just FYI I have not seen many of you WI or MN hunters in Iowa for the past 20 years.
I'm not really into shotguns but I'd love a nice two trigger .410 sxs. That Merkel 360 sounds pretty nice. Really I've wanted a double rifle ever since seeing Sean Connery as Alan Quartermain using one.
I would love an old Fox, however I don't know enough about them to make an educated purchase, so I would settle for a nice Baretta Silver Pigeon, in 20 g.
A gentleman hunts with a good side by side English style shotgun, for driven hunts he uses a 12 gauge, for working with a dog he drops o a 20 or 28 gauge depending on the bird, and for pass shooting he has a brace of 16 gauge guns so his loader can keep him with loaded gun while the birds pass over his stand. Proper dress is required, starting with boots brown leather coming half way up the calf, Tweed pants and jacket with he proper color flower of the owners land in his button hole. Proper shooting shirt is a white cotton long sleeve. Choice of hats while matching in color , most common is a NORTE Wool Earflap Flat Cap. Shooting gloves are required and should be of thin leather with open back and of tight fit. Gun cases are canvas or fitted leather hard case with your name and and car number on the tag. A soft cotton cloth is carried in the rear pocket to wipe the gun down if rain is likely.
I have been that guy hunting woodcock. My mutt and an old Winchester 1300 with some rust on it. That dog and i had over 1000 birds to hand. Mostly woodcock. I had a limit in 15 minutes in my tennis shoes after church.
AIN'T THE GEAR. Amid my AZ elk hunting group are several pairs of high end Vortex binoculars, including the highest end 15x for long range stationary glassing. They are great, superb. But the best glasser uses . . . 40 year old Tasco 10x50s from K Mart. He swears by them, and he spotted my first bull for me with them.
Done it many times with my coach gun. I wouldn’t recommend it but it does work. Generally if they are so far that you want to pull both, you should get closer. Every time I do it is on a Hail Mary bird and I never get it.
About18 years ago my family and I were in Maine and I stopped at an English stock makers shop. There were 2 things that stood out. One that captured my heart was a Rizzini R-1 28 gauge with 30 inch barrels that was in for normal service. The other one(s) that were COOL was a Purdey 3 hammer gun set in 12 gauge in the original motor case. THAT setup was outrageous!
My If I could have one shotgun would be a custom fit Purdey [not sure I spelled it right] CZ came out several years ago with some absolutely gorgeous side by sides from 4-10 up to 12 gauge. They were the sexiest shotguns I have ever seen or handled. Like a fine woman
I would like to say right at the outset that I don't begrudge Ryan's right to feel any way he wants about rifles vs shotguns. My opinion however is almost the opposite, I have never liked shotguns, I dislike them so much that I have never been interested in hunting any type of bird because I'm relegated to shotguns in order to do it. I can appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into a fine shotgun (just like a finely made wood-stocked rifle) but I much prefer the more utilitarian cerakote and polymer (I'm not even a huge fan of blued or stainless steel because of environmental conditions where I live, southeast TN will cause even the nicest of stainless steel to rust like cheap pot metal. Perhaps my affinity for a more utilitarian type of firearm is because of where I live, one of the first things I see when I look at any gun is whether or not that gun would survive in my environment. That being said I do try to make every firearm I purchase a purchase that I'm proud of. I can understand Ryan's desire to own that compliment of guns, and I can appreciate the craftsmanship, the history, and the intangible desirability that those guns hold for Ryan. And I sincerely hope he gets the opportunity to own them.
For grouse I love my 1992 Browning citory grade 3 in a 28ga mod. Over imp. Pheasant 1983 Browning SXS 20 GA imp/ mod. Best shooting gun is my Winchester 101 20ga mod over full . I have benellie guns witch are nice guns to look at but I just don't like autos. For a dream gun would like a nice English or German side by side single trigger in a 16 ga
I have a question for you guys: who is buying so much ammo these days? This has been going on for quite some time now, and lots of hunting ammo is not as freely available as before. Are we just talking about individuals who are simply purchasing more ammo than they did in the past, or could there be very large entities involved in purchasing ammo? Are manufacturers still manufacturing at full rate production, or has there been a slowdown for some reason?
I'm primarily a shotgunner and the ammo crunch has hit all of us hard. From what a bunch of us had heard is that all the major ammo manufacturers have been running 3 shifts for the last few years. The demand was out stripping supply for a long time. Part of the reason for that was when Remington went down. The former owners were robbing Peter to pay Paul in that the ammo plant was making money and those profits were going toward keeping the gun factory up and running. The ammo plant wasn't being maintained and toward the end it was essentially on COD terms with the various suppliers of essential supplies. Think brass, plastic, lead, etc. That was a hit combined with shutdowns due to the pandemic and we're all still in a bit of a hole.
Why not buy an English side by side, when describing one.... the German ones are mere copies. Holland & Holland, Wembley & Scott, Boss, Greener, Purdey, Holloway Norton, GS Holloway..... There are soooo many brilliant English side by sides!
I have the side by side CZ sharp tail in 20 gauge and I absolutely love that gun which I use it for rabbits and I use Remington long range Express number 6 shot or number seven and a half shot awesome gun beautiful
So I'm not as big as an aficionado as our dear Ryan but there is one that I want as bad as anything. It's not a specific type but a specific individual one. Growing up my second firearm, the weapon I killed my first deer, rabbit, dove, and fox squirrel with, and a weapon that outside of school, sports and being an idiot teenage boy galavanting about I had it by my side was a Mossberg 500 12 GA that my dad "gave to me" which he pawned sometime in my mid teens much to my dismay. I would give anything for that specific shotgun.
If money was no object, A John Dickson & Son Round-Action in 16ga. for duck and Pheasant and 20ga. for Grouse, Chucker etc. Maybe a MacNaughton Skeleton by John Dickson & son in 28ga. for woodcock. Don't you just love dreaming about fine shotguns.
He has said a few times he’s no fan of the 7 mag. His go to is the 280 ai and 7-08. The prc is more powder efficient than the 7 rem. Efficiency being the reason he’s not a fan of the rem mag.
We would watch a 10 minute talk on Ryan's dream pair of socks...
Ryan has forgotten more than some of us will ever know. A very knowledgeable man.
A man after my own heart, I agree with Ryan 100%. Cradling a fine side x side while in pursuit of ruff grouse adds to experience. It is a gun maker’s artisan effort, a thing of beauty to be admired and treasured. My shotgun of choice is a twenty gauge of course, straight English stock, splintered forearm with fine checking on figured walnut, coin receiver and a single trigger. In my youth I carried an AYA 28 gauge, a tiny wisp of a gun. Our birds live in the mountains, so the minuscule shells and petite shotgun made it easy to carry over the miles and elevation gains. After forty-five years of hunting grouse, I have only been able to harvest our daily limit of three birds on two occasions, although I have had numerous two bird days. Just as often I have returned from a day afield on empty, as Mr. Grouse is a wily quarry. A nobler game bird there is not. A wing shooter by choice, I gave up “big game” towards the end of my teens. Afterwards I spent a lifetime hunting waterfowl, dove, quail, woodcock and grouse. Hunting waterfowl out of a duck boat was harsh on guns, so a trusty ol’ Remington 870 fit the bill, an almost indestructible utilitarian gun.
But spending a day in the uplands, it should always be a lightweight side x side kind of day.
Great podcast guys.
16 ga sounds like it needs to be the next 10 minute talk, after the statement "16ga is the gauge nobody loves, for no good reason"
I watch all the stuff this channel puts out. I have to say that regardless of the stuff that appears to pit the team against each other in one way or another (spaghetti shootout I'm lookin at you) and how entertaining that is, I really appreciate that these two dudes have a genuine rapport with each other.
Don’t reply to them it’s a scam
Looking forward to hearing that 10 minute talk on the 7.5 Swiss!
Browning A5 Belgian 12 gage. Grandpa had one and my cousin got it. It’s on my bucket list of guns to own.
My first shotgun was a 16 gauge, I still miss it, the perfect shotgun cartridge. My newest acquisition is a NIB model 1100 from 1997, in 410.
Don’t reply to them it’s a scam
I so enjoy listening to Mr Ryan, his knowledge and opinions on guns and hunting, kind of reminds me of my favorite uncle. FYI Ryan, I carry a Browning BSS with the straight English stock and semi beaverton in 12 or a Ruger Red Label in 20.
Ryan is coolest to listen too
Wow, Ryan just voiced everything I feel about shotguns and upland bird hunting
Shotguns are traditional firearms. Shotgun technology (especially break-action) hasn’t changed as obviously over the past 100 years as rifles and pistols have. Picking up a shotgun that looks traditional just feels right, so looks are perhaps more important for shotguns than for other types of firearms. The shotgun is truly far more utilitarian than most bolt-action rifles, but the traditional models feel more elegant.
Late to this podcast, but...
Thanks for doing these. Scattergun guy here, so this one makes my heart beat just a bit faster in anticipation of a day afield with my first gun(circa1929)
I hunt partridge in Maine. Shot most of them with a TC encore 410 pistol or a 20 ga Gaucho double trigger coach gun. Since 410 is impossible to get I used a 12 gauge sawed off single shot Stevens hammerless this year. The sawed off 12 was excellent on the wing an cheap to shoot with light 7.5 shot.
Partridge with Encore .410! That's very cool.
Thirty plus years ago I purchased a new Browning / Miroku Citori 12 ga. Gart Bros. Sporting Goods had it sitting in the sale rack because the forend had been damaged in shipping. I liked the modified, rounded pistol grip. Overall the gun fit me well; so I bought the beast. With it, I have hunted and harvested everything from quail and dove clear up to Greater Canadian geese and Merriam turkey. I can't cannot count the number of clay pigeons I've busted. I've taken all manner of waterfowl and upland birds from Gambel and Scaled Quail in Arizona to Pheasant and Huns in North Dakota to blue grouse here in the Rockies and waterfowl all along the Colorado Front Range.
I have no clue how many hundreds of rounds I've shot; yet the action still locks up tight as a tick.
Its a firearm I'm proud to own. One might even say that I love the old beast.
I’m not having any luck getting a screenshot per your request.
Thanks anyway for all you do!❤
I was just looking for the most recent video with Mr. Muckenhirn on it so I could comment that I think I've learned from him more firearm knowledge AND firearm adjacent trivia and history than from any other source. Truly remarkable depth of historical firearm knowledge as well as understanding every niche edge case and modern development. Write a book or series of little books on cartridges throughout history, with all your editorial comments and adjacent info. I'd read it all.
At the time of this comment, 7K views, but only 271 likes and 84 comments, this has been one of the most motivating podcasts I’ve listened to from you guys. Not sure why, but I bought a new vest from Orvis, added a very late upland tag and went for a walk with my grandfather’s side by side. I discovered I’m a little bit uncomfortable (read old) to be digging around in Russian thistle for dead birds. I know a breeder though, so I may need to get a new best friend. You guys ever see me with my wife, just walk away, lol.
Ryan has the same taste for shotguns like I do. He described my Merkel exactly! Straight grip custom made stock, nice piece of walnut, double trigers, fixed chockes.... only mine is 12ga and was made in 1974 but mint condition! Here in Serbia they are not so scarce, these older ones. It's not hard to find some nice 12ga or 16ga. On the other hand with 20ga it's not impossible but not so easy. Sull was part of East Germany and at the time production was organized in one big factory so you can find these older shotguns under Simson, Sauer or Merkel brand and basically it is the same gun.
Just found this video, and I have to say I agree with Ryan. I happen to own a Merkel 47E 12 gauge double triggers with splinter forearm and English stock. Lucked upon it at a local gun shop back in 1991 where it was consigned by the original owner who had put one box of shells through it. Made in March of 1975, with 2 3/4" chambers and tight Full/Full chokes. Has harvested many White wing doves and Gambles quail down on the desert, and Mountain Quail in the Sierras using spreader loads. Due to steel shot only required for all hunting here in California it is relegated to an occasional clay day. I would like to find either the two barrel set 1620, or a 147EL in 20 gauge. Dream shotgun a 20 gauge Cosmi.
Yall should do a 10 minute talk about the good old 16 gauge, it'd such an underrated gauge
wonderful talk loved to hear this discussion
I genuinely enjoyed this episode and love listening to Mark and Ryan.
Hearing Ryan describe the Prince of Wales grip vs an English Straight grip and also fiddleback and walnut grain was special.
I would love to see Ryan do a talk on Rifles that are a work of art; just like the Mannlicher Schoenauer (1903 or a newer 1956/MC/MCA) plus a new Rigby plus even a Schultz & Larsen Victory. Heaven!
Don’t reply to them it’s a scam
Went to replace a SxS I had sold yrs, before. Ended up w/20 Pre 1960's Spanish and English SxS's. It's an addiction.
I could listen to Ryan talk about anything. My background was in competition shooting not as much wing shooting. However, the dream upland competition even waterfowl like you said Ryan on a very, very good day Krieghoff K80 with a full set of tubes
My primary clays gun right now was built in 1883. A Joseph Lang hammer 12 gauge, built in London. Between a few sxs's they are happily doing 4000-5000 rounds per year.
My main AZ dove and quail and sometimes duck shotgun for 40 years has been and is a Remington 870 pump I got my junior year in high school. Excellent shotgun. Also have a cool, old LC Smith side by side 20 gauge inherited from an uncle. But, in dream world, I broke down and got "for my daughter" - ahem - on her 15th birthday a 20 gauge over / under made in Turkey, imported and marketed by ATI. Matte silver receiver with busting grouse engraving. It's gorgeous, excellent fit and finish. 1/2 price of a CZ, 1/4 the price of a Red Label. Don't knock 'em . . . P.S. - synthetic stocks have no place, ever, on a shotgun.
I’d agree as far as aesthetics, however for all practical purposes synthetic options are superior. It can certainly be argued if the difference is enough to make a difference, but it can not be denied that a stainless and synthetic firearm has a much lower maintenance requirement. Personally I’ve got plenty of both, I do tend to favor synthetic more for hunting simply do to not caring if it gets scratched.
@@jaydunbar7538 You are spot on sir. Cannot argue with durability of synthetic. I just prefer wood. And i will say that if taken are of, especially in a dry climate like where I live in Tucson, AZ, wood stocks and blued metal can last indefinitely without rust or pitting. My 870 literally looks brand new after 35 plus years of regular use - one reason firearms are awesome - they get better with age.
Thanks for a cool video on shotgunning. I'm primarily a clay target shooter these days and for that game my dream shotgun would be either a Perazzi MX-8 or HiTech with light 32 inch barrels non-selective trigger with fixed chokes around lt.mod/lt.mod each barrel and balanced slightly behind the center of the hinge area. The gun that gives the Perazzi a run for it's money with me are some of the P&V competition guns that are built in the same mold as the Perazzi. I already have a solid SXS that I use for clays competition in my 32 inch barrel Winchester model 21 that's choked mod/mod with a KILLER stick of wood.
If I had the means there are 2 sxs guns that I would really go for. A long barreled David McKay Brown gun in 28 gauge. I'm a real sucker for the 28 and to slightly lesser extent the 16 so to fulfill my 16 gauge want I'd find a smith that would rebuild and customize a Fox in a similar vein to what Steven Dodd Hughes did for himself a bunch of years ago. I would then do my best to wear them out on the clay course and field.
I asked Ryan’s advice regarding what rifle in .22 hornet and he was spot on suggesting a 527., at least in new gun, so I’d have to assume he’s right about this. It sounds like I need to go back to CZ far an accessible side by side in 20 gauge unless someone has a better suggestion?
Love my CZ sharp tail 20 gauge 28 inch single trigger. A 20 gauge 3 inch ounce and a quarter load is the same as a 12 gauge 2 and 3/4 in Oz and a quarter load.
Exceptional good taste! Merkel S/S are a class of their own. Model 147 in 12 ga would be my love. I owned a more simple Simson mod. 35/70 from Suhl. 32' barrels, double triggers and swinging like a dream.
77
Ryan’s got good taste, I’m a Mn grouse hunter, I use a Parker VHE 20 gauge with a straight stock, I’ve got guns for rainy days too
agreed upland game 20 gauge and smaller 😁 my go to field workhorse 1100 lt 20 had it for over 40 yrs
my fancy boys, 20 citori , 28 red label golden quail , 410 hand made french side x side ... love wing shooting 👍
While I enjoy the 20ga and 28ga it’s hard to beat a 12ga on Wild Iowa Pheasant’s and especially late season birds and since my GSP passed I don’t hunt Wild pheasant’s with a sub gauge without a dog. But when I retire in a couple years I’ll get another GSP and use my sub gauges again. Yes the 1100 20ga Lt is a excellent Gun.
@@sha6mm nice , something to look forward to ... 👍
Need a podcast on 16 ga
Absolutely
My model 21 deserves all respect.
Do a 10 minute talk on the 264 win mag. I see Winchester is now chambering it again in the model 70. How does it compare to the other 6.5s and what about a custom barrel with a faster twist rate?
I'm coming up on 70 years old. Can't hunt much at all anymore because of failing back, knees and legs, but can still dream and I keep buying all sorts of gun anyway. I do like to sit in a hedge row on my farm and shoot doves and geese when they fly in to a grain field.
55 years ago when I was a freshman in highschool, I moved up from my starter shotgun, an Ithaca 66 Super Single 20 gauge. We lived in central Iowa at the time and since 7th grade I had shot pheasants, rabbits, squirrels and ducks with that Ithaca. A single shot shotgun makes you disciplined. My step up gun was a Stevens 311 side by side 12 gauge with 30" barrels choked full and modified. I killed a lot of pheasants with that 8 pound (or maybe heavier) boat anchor over the next couple of years before falling in love with a gun at a local store. It was a Beretta Silver Hawk feather weight 12 gauge side by side with 26" improved and modified barrels, single non-elective trigger. I didn't know that a 12 gauge shotgun could be that light. It's just 7 pounds. With the $60 I got for the Stevens and hard earned money from baling hay, chasing cows and walking beans I acquired the Silver Hawk. Over the years it has taken a lot of quail, pheasants and other game. I've had many other shotguns of all varieties and liked all of them. Except for the old Stevens I still have every side by side I ever bought. The Beretta, an early Savage Fox Model B, an L.C. Smith O grade 12 gauge cut to 26" with thin wall choke tubes skeet 1 and skeet 2, and an AyA Matador III 20 gauge 3" magnum, about 6 and a half pounds, also 26" Improved and modified. We've lived in central Kansas 48 years now. After all these years, with all the other shotguns I've hunted with, if I still had my German Shorthaired Pointers and was about to head out for a day of mixed pheasant, quail and maybe greater prairie chickens the first gun I would reach for would be the Beretta Silver Hawk.
Nice !!! Ryan! You do have good tastes sir. I love side by sides. And I mostly hunt With side locks SbS. And I would add that with those kind of shotguns, you are more instinctively shooting. You are not aiming… I always finding my self over-thinking my shots with over and unders.
Regarding 16 gauge, I've really been contemplating a Sweet Sixteen. It's one of the very few current production guns in 16 gauge, and even though I don't really have a use for one, I'm sure i can find one.
Ryan, what about an Ugartechea? I loved mine, even tho it was a 12ga. Also box lock or side lock preference?
I have a little 28 gauge model 30 that's silly light and handy.
my dad cut his 1920 phil. ' FOX '' 12 gauge back to 24'' in 1930 and it worked on everything .. i have it now along with his beater st. entines french 16 gauge .16 on 20 frame
I love a 28ga for everything from quail to waterfowl
You can tell its an aspen because of the way it is!
Speak about the .375 Socom please. I like this beast a lot!! Thanks fellas; from Ohio
Yep I bought a discontinued New Old stock CZ redhead Target because the wood is amazing LOL damn fine gun though. Dream gun has to be the early '90s Browning citori over under sporting clays edition wouldn't mind a Ruger Red label either though
Ryan Ryan you will never shoot a triple with a SxS or OxU but I do enjoy seeing the craftsmanship that goes into them.
Grouse shooting is a short range game if I had to pick a gun it would be my 28ga 1100. I never liked OxU or SxS because they swing slow to me. I will say I used a 12ga 1100 and went to a Orvis Lodge and I shot a triple on quail ask the Guide how many triples he has seen there and he said they had only been one maybe two had happened. At the end of the three days I had shot three triples. But they were pen raised birds. What did I learn the 12ga on those quail was like swatting a fly with a sledge hammer. My dream shotgun for Grouse would be a 1980’s Remington 870 TC 20ga. Skeet Gun they have Excellent Wood or a D or F Grade. Just FYI I have not seen many of you WI or MN hunters in Iowa for the past 20 years.
Shot plenty of triples with single shots. You just have to reload fast and chase after them. Grouse don’t go far.
Ryan, do you own a double rifle? I am with you on splinter fore-ends and nicely-figured wood.
Missed. A lot. This year in Price County, WI. But looked good doing it w my 1950s Winchester Model 21 in 20 ga w 26” barrels.
I'm not really into shotguns but I'd love a nice two trigger .410 sxs. That Merkel 360 sounds pretty nice. Really I've wanted a double rifle ever since seeing Sean Connery as Alan Quartermain using one.
I would love an old Fox, however I don't know enough about them to make an educated purchase, so I would settle for a nice Baretta Silver Pigeon, in 20 g.
1st was a 20ga stoger uplander. (This was high-school). Now sx3 12ga. I'd love a 686 20 or 28 probably 20 so it could realistically back up waterfowl.
If I had more money than sense I'd buy that gorgeous double triggered Rizzini 12 gauge side-by-side reviewed by TGS Outdoors.
Weatherby D'Italia side by side single trigger 12 Guage. Just a sexy gun. Wanting to learn to hunt birds.
If I woke up a multi-millionaire one day, I would go to Westley Richards and have a fine SXS 20 built, with tubes for 410 for fun.
Upland birds I love using my LC Smith
You guys should do an episode talking about the Ruger #1
We can absolutely add that to our list! We appreciate the suggestion my friend!
Have a 26" 20 ga. side-by-side for waterfowl, but would like to add a 28" 28 ga. over-under for uplands.
mine is an Ithica 37 featherwieght 16 ga.,,yes i have one
Damn Ryan you have nice taste in firearms!
He has exquisite taste.
A gentleman hunts with a good side by side English style shotgun, for driven hunts he uses a 12 gauge, for working with a dog he drops o a 20 or 28 gauge depending on the bird, and for pass shooting he has a brace of 16 gauge guns so his loader can keep him with loaded gun while the birds pass over his stand. Proper dress is required, starting with boots brown leather coming half way up the calf, Tweed pants and jacket with he proper color flower of the owners land in his button hole. Proper shooting shirt is a white cotton long sleeve. Choice of hats while matching in color , most common is a NORTE Wool Earflap Flat Cap. Shooting gloves are required and should be of thin leather with open back and of tight fit. Gun cases are canvas or fitted leather hard case with your name and and car number on the tag. A soft cotton cloth is carried in the rear pocket to wipe the gun down if rain is likely.
Rifles are the cigarettes where as a good shotgun is a fine cigar. A gentleman respects such things.
Shotguns are pretty neat.
In your dream cabinet, you would rather have a Merkel over a Boss, Purdey or Holland & Holland? :O
Good show as always :)
I have been that guy hunting woodcock. My mutt and an old Winchester 1300 with some rust on it. That dog and i had over 1000 birds to hand. Mostly woodcock. I had a limit in 15 minutes in my tennis shoes after church.
AIN'T THE GEAR. Amid my AZ elk hunting group are several pairs of high end Vortex binoculars, including the highest end 15x for long range stationary glassing. They are great, superb. But the best glasser uses . . . 40 year old Tasco 10x50s from K Mart. He swears by them, and he spotted my first bull for me with them.
Let's buy this guy a mannlicher schoenauer carbine already. I really want to hear more about it.
For now already have mine… Stevens 311 20 side by side 2 trigger… MAAN I can hit with it. If I had to pick one…. And I have a few
I really like my beretta 686 silver pigeon over under in 28 gauge.
Is it ok to pull both triggers at the same time?
Done it many times with my coach gun. I wouldn’t recommend it but it does work. Generally if they are so far that you want to pull both, you should get closer. Every time I do it is on a Hail Mary bird and I never get it.
I think the same thought with dove just a 28 gauge is all ya need
My dream gun is a James Purdey, hammer pigeon gun with 30" damascus barrels, in 12 gauge, for clays
About18 years ago my family and I were in Maine and I stopped at an English stock makers shop. There were 2 things that stood out. One that captured my heart was a Rizzini R-1 28 gauge with 30 inch barrels that was in for normal service. The other one(s) that were COOL was a Purdey 3 hammer gun set in 12 gauge in the original motor case. THAT setup was outrageous!
I have a merkel straight pull. Need to get the side by side. Thanks gents
I had once gotten mad at Joe Rogan for telling Tom Green that a 12 gauge might be large for birds now I understand the thinking
My If I could have one shotgun would be a custom fit Purdey [not sure I spelled it right] CZ came out several years ago with some absolutely gorgeous side by sides from 4-10 up to 12 gauge. They were the sexiest shotguns I have ever seen or handled. Like a fine woman
It's like drinking wine with your pinky out
I would like to say right at the outset that I don't begrudge Ryan's right to feel any way he wants about rifles vs shotguns.
My opinion however is almost the opposite, I have never liked shotguns, I dislike them so much that I have never been interested in hunting any type of bird because I'm relegated to shotguns in order to do it. I can appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into a fine shotgun (just like a finely made wood-stocked rifle) but I much prefer the more utilitarian cerakote and polymer (I'm not even a huge fan of blued or stainless steel because of environmental conditions where I live, southeast TN will cause even the nicest of stainless steel to rust like cheap pot metal.
Perhaps my affinity for a more utilitarian type of firearm is because of where I live, one of the first things I see when I look at any gun is whether or not that gun would survive in my environment. That being said I do try to make every firearm I purchase a purchase that I'm proud of.
I can understand Ryan's desire to own that compliment of guns, and I can appreciate the craftsmanship, the history, and the intangible desirability that those guns hold for Ryan. And I sincerely hope he gets the opportunity to own them.
Can we get a 6.5-284 review?
Have they done a cartridge talk on 303 British?
lol sound like a few friends I know up here .... its different hunting for grouse in the arrowhead
.410 single shot Thomson center
For grouse I love my 1992 Browning citory grade 3 in a 28ga mod. Over imp.
Pheasant 1983 Browning SXS 20 GA imp/ mod. Best shooting gun is my Winchester 101 20ga mod over full . I have benellie guns witch are nice guns to look at but I just don't like autos.
For a dream gun would like a nice English or German side by side single trigger in a 16 ga
@text77 sorry don't do that stuff
Ah, yes, the Aspen. You can tell it's an Aspen because of the way it is. 👀
I have a love affair with pistols and revolvers, because of the challenge it is to shoot well.
10 gauge for that turkey that’s 40-70 yards away and you don’t have to spend $50+ for 5 shells
You have taste
What y’all do with the car yippee?
I have a question for you guys: who is buying so much ammo these days? This has been going on for quite some time now, and lots of hunting ammo is not as freely available as before. Are we just talking about individuals who are simply purchasing more ammo than they did in the past, or could there be very large entities involved in purchasing ammo? Are manufacturers still manufacturing at full rate production, or has there been a slowdown for some reason?
I'm primarily a shotgunner and the ammo crunch has hit all of us hard. From what a bunch of us had heard is that all the major ammo manufacturers have been running 3 shifts for the last few years. The demand was out stripping supply for a long time. Part of the reason for that was when Remington went down. The former owners were robbing Peter to pay Paul in that the ammo plant was making money and those profits were going toward keeping the gun factory up and running. The ammo plant wasn't being maintained and toward the end it was essentially on COD terms with the various suppliers of essential supplies. Think brass, plastic, lead, etc. That was a hit combined with shutdowns due to the pandemic and we're all still in a bit of a hole.
1301 is my dream
That's a good dream to have.
Why not buy an English side by side, when describing one.... the German ones are mere copies.
Holland & Holland, Wembley & Scott, Boss, Greener, Purdey, Holloway Norton, GS Holloway..... There are soooo many brilliant English side by sides!
Way to slide in the Neature Walk quote there at the end.
I have the side by side CZ sharp tail in 20 gauge and I absolutely love that gun which I use it for rabbits and I use Remington long range Express number 6 shot or number seven and a half shot awesome gun beautiful
So I'm not as big as an aficionado as our dear Ryan but there is one that I want as bad as anything. It's not a specific type but a specific individual one. Growing up my second firearm, the weapon I killed my first deer, rabbit, dove, and fox squirrel with, and a weapon that outside of school, sports and being an idiot teenage boy galavanting about I had it by my side was a Mossberg 500 12 GA that my dad "gave to me" which he pawned sometime in my mid teens much to my dismay. I would give anything for that specific shotgun.
If money was no object, A John Dickson & Son Round-Action in 16ga. for duck and Pheasant and 20ga. for Grouse, Chucker etc. Maybe a MacNaughton Skeleton by John Dickson & son in 28ga. for woodcock. Don't you just love dreaming about fine shotguns.
Dear Ryan, in fact I own something close to your dream shotgun: 12ga Merkel 147S Sidelock, german game scene engraving, Prince of Wales Stock.
Hard to beat an English sxs 28ga
You can tell it's an aspen cuz of the way it is.
325 wsm 10 minute talk or 7 prc and ryan will get one
He has said a few times he’s no fan of the 7 mag. His go to is the 280 ai and 7-08. The prc is more powder efficient than the 7 rem. Efficiency being the reason he’s not a fan of the rem mag.
.28 gauge
Mark, what sweatshirt are you wearing? I want one.
metro area of minnisota,,lol
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