For the last few years, I've really enjoyed upland bird hunting with my sweet little 28" 20 gauge Dickinson Estate side-by-side shotgun that was marketed/sold by Cabela's (and made by Akus in Turkey). As compared to the boxlock action of the CZ Bobwhite which it replaced (also made in Turkey), the trigger-plate action of the Estate is much thinner in the wrist and action, and in the barrels too (as it has the Teague-style thin-wall choke tubes), and it's more rounded on the bottom. I honestly think it looks and handles like a gun costing twice its price. The case color, engraving and checkering of the Dickinson is also heads & tails above that on the entry-level Bobwhite.
The only problem with that sweet l'il SxS is the checkered wood buttplate when I'm shooting extended rounds of sporting clays or multiple rounds of 5-stand or skeet. As much as I love the SxS and its straight English grip, I finally have given in to my friends and a shooting coach who have been encouraging me for quite awhile to use the SxS in the field and "Get a 12 gauge over & under if you really want to score better at clay target games".
So I found a very nice and little-used Browning Citori Lightning with 28" barrels and extended chokes, and brought it home. And the price was very good too, as they knocked off $75 and it came with two Midas Extended Chokes (which cost $40 to $50 each) in F and IM, and I used the $$ saved to add SKT and IC. I may get a M or Light-M tube later, or maybe another SKT; we'll see after I have used it for a few times.
Some shooters may prefer a full pistol grip, but as I have straight stocks on my leverguns and a straight/English stock on my SxS, I went with the Lightning model, which has the rounded "not quite a Prince of Wales" grip on it. Browning describes this grip by saying: "The rounded pistol grip offers a more open grip than full pistol grip designs. Many shooters feel this gives a slight speed-to-shoulder advantage. It represents a midpoint in design between ultra-speedy straight grips and extremely stable full pistol grips." To me, it fits and feels just right, and I also like the classic "old-school look" that is a little bit different than what most other shooters use (yet another reason why I like my SxS).
I spent half an hour last night cutting 1.5 coils off the 2 ejector springs, and now instead of almost taking your eyes out and vigorously tossing the empties over 12 feet back, they now eject about 3 feet behind me, and are much easier to catch in my hand.
I've done a lot of online research that suggests most shooters will shoot better with an O/U versus a SxS, but I've also talked to a few top shooters here in Maine who claim they can shoot both just as well. Go figure... But for sure, for extended rounds of clays shooting, I have to believe that my scores will improve just by changing to a 12 -- versus a 20, and by going to an 8.2 pound O/U with a recoil pad -- versus a < 7 pound SxS that has a wooden butt.
Oh, it's a very pretty butt -- yeah, BUTT it hurts after awhile...
![Wink :wink:](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
Now I need to get out and shoot... Pull!!!
Old No7