in search of the perfect bird gun

I have wanted to own a nice double barrel shotgun for many years. Such a gun has not only the versatility of having two different chokes on the same gun ofcourse, but, it just says "bird hunting". The problem is that they are soooooo much more expensive than any other gun. The craftsmanship and complexity of the gun are much more involved than with a perfectly sensible pump action shotgun. I already own a Remington 870 wingmaster which is a great gun except for the fact that it has a 30 inch barrel and a full choke. This makes it very specialized for one type of hunting. Most of the hunting I do however is for grouse and some pheasant. This close to moderate range shooting really "needs" a side by side shotgun....are you listening, Tam?

Then there is the agonizing decision over the gauge of the gun. My 870 is a 12 gauge, but, I think I would rather try a 20 gauge for weight reasons. However, nearly every place I can hunt requires non toxic shot. A sixteen would probably be a good compromise, especially if I were to load my own shells. Oh well, the search for the perfect gun is almost as much fun as the hunt itself.