If you could get any gun?

[TrophyEyes]

If you had $5,000-$10,000 to buy any upland gun, what would you buy?

[muc33]

My tastes are pretty practical.

Auto = Berreta 391 Ultra light

O/U = I really like my Remington Premire and don't have much more that I could say I have shot that I like better.

Pump = How in the world could you ever stray from a classic 870?

Like I said. I am practical. Sorry

[Scott M]

I want an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle!

Whoops, too much Christmas Story.

A Merkel O/U or a Parker Brothers. My uncle had a friend that had an expensive gun collection. Not much shooting going on though. Kind of like antique cars. Maybe an old English gun? Maybe just buy a used 20 gauge and see how many acres of CRP you can buy in South Dakota...

[muc33]

I want an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle!

You'll shoot your eye out!

[harvey lee]

I dont know about a shotgun but I would love to own a working Thompson.

[PierBridge]

I'd settle for a 26" 20ga Benelli Montefelltro ....

[NWBuck]

I'd settle for a high quality semi auto and pocket the difference.

It ain't the arrow...it's the Indian!!

[gspman]

I'd get a new or used Italian or British sxs or o/u and I'd have it fitted.

Either that or a collection of Beretta AL391 semi-autos configured differently for what I am hunting.

[CodyDawg]

i am pretty practical too and already have a beretta auto so I would go with something historic. I think I would try and find an old civil war era gun or a cowboys and indians era gun. Something fun to look at.

[CJH]

Unless you wanted a trophy gun, I would go with one of the Berettas mentioned above. The best combination of performance, reliability, and they look and feel great.

[chub]

I would have to say a Barrett 82A1. It would be the perfect equalizer for the spooky late season birds rummaging around the middle of sections.

[tracker x-2]

I would go for the super x3

[grab the net]

I would spend about 2500 - 3000 on a Browning Citori 28 gauge O/U. I would take the remainder and buy a trained pointer, not sure what breed but would probably go with a Gordon Setter. Then I would have the best of both worlds, A pointer and a 28 for the 1st half of the season in the CRP and Duey and the 16 for the heavy duty snowy cattail work in the latter part of the year. Anything left over would go to gas and license for SD and ND hunts. My upland wish list.

[charliepete2]

If I was trying real hard to spend someone elses money on a shotgun I'd probably pick up a VH Grade Parker. When I foot the bill my Beretta O/U's do just fine.

[TommyJ33]

Merkel or AYA SxS

[BLACKJACK]

Guys that have Brownings swear by them, I'm surprised more people haven't mentioned them. I picked up a Browning semi-auto at a gun shop recently, light and nice looking, I'm starting to get the lust....

[R. Miller]

AYA #2

[koonie]

Kimber Valier.

[lawdog]

If I had a 5-10K gun I'd never be able to take it out of the safe. I USE my guns and hunt too hard for any of that top end stuff. Give me a good Beretta Semi-Auto or if you want to get real crazy a $1000 over/under and I'll take the other 4-9K and use it on one whole lot more than a useless pretty gun.

[RylFlsh85]

Browning Cynergy and use the left over for a nice trained German Shorthair and a good two week trip across south dakota.

[JeffB]

If I was Warren Buffet I still wouldn't be able to think of a good reason to spend more than $2000 on a shotgun I was going to hunt with.

[gspman]

Being pretty and expensive doesn't make a gun useless. I've killed a lot of birds with an AYA #2. It works pretty darn good.

[tybo]

I have an AyA #2 and an Arrieta and take them in the woods hunting grouse and woodcock. I also used them in Montana for Ruffed Grouse, Huns and Sharptails. On duck opener a few years ago I shot my first duck, a drake wood duck, witht he AyA. They're a little scratched but I could have helped that by taking the neoprene stock covers more frequently. Some would think I'm crazy for doing it but these guns are fine pieces of craftmanship and are very solidly built. I got them because I'm an Engineer and in this world of machine made products it's nice to own something that was made by hand.

I don't have a problem with it because they weren't designed to be pampered, they are functioning guns and are capable of putting up with the abuse. They aren't any more fragile than any other wood stocked gun. The only issue is finding someone you'd trust to fix, and paying for, anything major.

As an aside at one point I had two Arrietas in the same grade, 557. They had the same basic engraving pattern, rose & scroll. There was a difference in manufacturing year and scale of the guns, one's a 12 the others a 20, but the patterns of the engraving were almost exactly the same. Now, the same guy probably did the engraving for both and it's amazing how two pieces done by hand 5 years apart can be near identical.

I actually am debating trading them/selling them because I can't shoot steel through them - I wasn't aware of this at the time I bought them. I'm not rich, trust me, I'm not. I refer to them as the deck and finished basement. I just happened to get these guns at a great price but it's increasingly difficult to buy ammo for some areas since more and more land requires non-toxic. Unfortunately I'm not the greatest shot so $3 a round for the non steel alternatives is killing me. If I had bought them new I could have got them set up for steel, live and learn. They do hold their value which helps ease the pain.

When you understand how they are made it's really fascinating knowing hundreds of hours have gone into making them. The way they were made is same way that guns were made hundreds of years ago. The three pieces will only work with each other. I have owned them for a years and it's awesome to handle them - they just feel perfect. It's also cool to see the looks on peoples faces when they see them. Even if they know nothing about guns they look at them with amazement.

They aren't for everyone but if they are for you and you can afford it, go for it. If I get rid of them it will be a sad day. I will still have some cool pictures and awesome memories. The first pheasant my niece Keegan ever shot was using the 20, I doubt either one of us will ever forget that day. I think she'll be a little more bothered than me when she finds out it's since she thinks she'd have got it when I died (she's right).

[JeffB]

I guess maybe I'm to practical, because being pretty and expensive doesn't make a gun more useful for me either. Other than guns that have sentimental value guns are tools. I like nice good working tools but they don't have to be fancy. Two guns like that are a down payment on a piece of hunting ground or a lake home. Sorry for the unwanted input, good luck with your purchase.

[gspman]

Nobody is saying an expensive gun is more useful. They are certainly not useless and they have their place just like workhorse guns do.