I spent the first 20 years of my hunting life using an old .22 Marlin for small game, a Ruger chambered for .270 for big game, and a Browning BPS 12-gauge for anything that flies. They were all perfectly capable firearms, and I got to where I could hit anything with any of them.
But as I got older, I started thinking I needed something bigger for elk, so I acquired a .300 Win Mag for that purpose. I picked up a 6.5 Creedmoor for coyotes, and I was given a friend’s old .25-06 that I now use exclusively for deer and antelope.
But even though I’ve gotten these new rifles, and I finally upgraded my bow, too, I’ve still been taking the same old Browning BPS out of the safe every time I go bird hunting. I won a semi-auto Benelli 12-gauge in a raffle, and I thought maybe it would become my new waterfowl gun. But I took it out a couple of times and just didn’t mesh with it the way I feel with the Browning, so I sold it.
But I do think it’s time to upgrade my shotgun, at least for upland birds and trap shooting. I’d love to have a good over-and-under for pheasants and grouse. It would also be easier to use at the trap range. I’ve shouldered a few in the stores, but the only ones that feel as good as my old Browning have price tags far above my pay grade. Even though I’d love to have a Caesar Guerini, the one I liked the most cost more than my pickup. I don’t think that’s going to fly with the household accountant.
I’ll keep looking for a good over/under in my price range. But in the meantime, I’ll keep hauling my old pump out into the field and to the trap range. I may not look like the quintessential upland bird hunter with it over my shoulder, but I take some comfort from bringing home my bag limit every time I venture out.
