Good over/under other than a big "B"

[elktrout]

A gunsmith recently recommended that any o/u I buy should have a name that begins with "B" - Browning, Beretta, or Benelli.

Are there any other brands out there that are durable, reliable, and smacking of similar quality?

 

[rabid wombat]

Purdy, Holland & Holland, … I am sure others.

Sorry, these also start with a “B”….as in bespoke….

 

[SwampWolf]

Are there any other brands out there that are durable, reliable, and smacking of similar quality?

Just new or are used/discontinued guns under consideratioin?

 

[bannockburn]

I would add Franchi to that list. I had a Renaissance O/U shotgun12 gauge which was very well made and at the time, was priced under 1K. It felt and handled like a Beretta I had previously owned and it fit me to a "T". It used choke tubes same as the Beretta/Benelli Mobil system.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Are Ruger Red Labels not considered good?

 

[12Bravo20]

Are Ruger Red Labels not considered good?

Yes they are but they haven't been made since 2011

 

[elktrout]

Used and new. I admire the big B guns and even own a Browning 725 Trap, which is wonderful for its application. But, it is too heavy to carry afield.

I am looking for a light weight o/u for hunting birds, but the price of the big B manufacturers is too dear at the present time.

 

[12Bravo20]

I know the Mossberg International O/U's are made in Turkey. But they are backed by Mossberg and seem to get good reviews. Another one to look at is the Weatherby Orion O/U, yes it is made in Turkey also but again backed by a reputable company. Both are under $1000 on Bud's Guns.

I bought a Turkish 410 O/U years ago and it has done just fine for hunting purposes. I would not expect it to hold up shooting a lot of skeet throughout a year.

 

[kudu]

Are Ruger Red Labels not considered good?

As much as I loved how they shot and felt, I wore out two of them shooting skeet and sporting clays. Had owned several, and had problems with all of them. My favorite was a little 28 gauge that started messing up not wanting to shoot the second shot, it only had maybe 5000 rounds through it. As far as I know now, Ruger won't even work on them anymore.

 

[Rlafever]

I would try a Turkish made SKB

 

[earlthegoat2]

For Big Bs, Browning Citori Upland for a great field and hunting gun….but alas, have been out of production and are mega bucks now.

I like SxS game guns myself and deals can be had on Italian and Spanish imports like Ugartechea.

 

[entropy]

I would try a Turkish made SKB

Better yet, a used Japanese made SKB. Or used Japanese made Weatherby.
If just a bird hunting gun, the Huglu-made CZ O/Us and SxSs are of good enough quality, I'd consider the Mossbergs the absolute minimum, and I do NOT recommend the Stevens 555. It'll kick the crap out of most everybody that shoots one. I'd even go with a used Win. 101 over a 555, and 101s are infamous for recoil.

You might find a used Beretta 686 Onyx to be a good field gun for you, or get lucky and find a good used Browning Superposed like I did for a pheasant gun.

 

[Jim Watson]

My Anschutz is pretty good. Well, Anschutz-Miroku; the action is the same as a Citori but it has no engraving.
It is the only one I have ever seen, the choice at the gun show was a shotgun for an occasional round of recreational Skeet or (another) 1911.

I shot Trap for a while with a Citori but sold it and stayed with my 1100 and Broadway. The guy who bought it wore it out, untold thousands of birds, and bought another.

 

[Barnfixer]

For myself it’s a little light for clay games but you can’t beat it for bird hunting. Franchi Instinct SL. Nice little gun in 20 gauge.

 

[Laphroaig]

One of my kids bought a Franchi Instinct 12 ga. It's a great upland hunting gun, I think comparable to any of the B's.

I'm still rocking a Win 101 that I got as a Christmas present when I was a kid. Not many birds in these parts anymore unless you chase stocked ringnecks on state game lands. Me and the boys spend a day chasing grouse every year. We do get a couple of flushes but they take off like rockets. I never could shoot a shotgun very well so for me it's a walk in the woods.

 

[Bill M.]

"Are there any other brands out there that are durable, reliable, and smacking of similar quality?"

For the most part, no. Your gunsmith gave good advice. The Win 101 from FN is worthy of a look. The CZ guns are good for what they are. There are some low cost auto loaders that are okay. Franchi makes decent guns.

The "best" guns for the money are the Browning guns.

 

[Twocanary]

I am looking for a light weight o/u for hunting birds, but the price of the big B manufacturers is too dear at the present time.

I can relate to this. Have owned a Japanese SKB, Stoeger Condor and an Italian Charles Daly while saving up and eventually getting 20 and 28 gauge Citori lightnings. The three guns worked ok for hunting. Didn't shoot a lot of rounds per season so nothing broke. If I were shopping, I'd look at the new Turkish guns. Good luck on your search.

 

[dobedo]

I own a Mossburg Silver addition 12 gauge with removable chokes, it is inlayed with pheasants and has been a great shooter. It has been a good all-around hunter and have won several turkey shoots with it. Trap shooting also has been very surprising. The best of all it was only 500 bucks. You can select which barrel to shoot first using the safety right or left. The gun is built very well and fit, and finish is excellent.

 

[Scribner]

There are several Turkish models. If you read other forums, you’ll see they are generally approved for the “one-box-per-year” crowd. If you’re not going to shoot it much & may not be too worried if both barrels shoot at the same place, you won’t find a lot of complaints. Those that shoot them much come back with a whole list - lock up problems, not firing, a barrel going off every time you lose the gun, barrels not shooting the place, no parts, no service, on and on.

As a person who follows several shotgun forums, no one has ever posted a large round on any forum for them. The largest round count claimed was 50,000 rounds through a CZ. No one has posted 1/5 of that for a Yildiz/Huglu/Stoeger etc. And we all know that 50,000 rounds is only 5% of what a B gun is worth.

 

[Dan-O]

I’d back any cz labeled turkish shotty.

If you live close to an Academy Sports, you owe it to yourself to check out the yildiz turkish guns. Tight, and very well made.

 

[Lo-Profile]

All of mine (6) are Beretta guns.
4 are older guns, 1 is from the mid 70's I still shoot it weekly. You'll probably never shoot one enough to wear it out.
Don't be afraid to buy used. My last one I bought used for $895 at my LGS.

 

[bassjam]

Are Ruger Red Labels not considered good?

The Red Label is a great gun for hunting or casual clays shooting and should last a lifetime. I've had a 20ga Red Label since 2005 and I still love it and lets say I've averaged 200 rounds a year through it.

I don't know that it'd hold up to competition where you're shooting thousands of rounds a year though, I think that's where it's more important to get one of those three "B's". Especially since Ruger stopped making them and as their parts inventory runs out they'll stop doing warranty work, which has already happened on the older models.

 

[Simple Shooter]

It is nowhere near the "B" category, but I have put hundreds of shells through a Stevens 555 without issue. It functions well, is light, and is budget friendly.

 

[Micro]

Franchi

 

[Mizar]

Fabarm (Italian) will also fit that price range - good, solid shotguns.