I guess since you say you’re just getting into it I feel I should point something out. Hunting with the right dog and in the right place at the right time absolutely overshadows the importance of what gun you are shooting with. I’m not saying it’s not important, and I’m not saying that talking about it and shopping, fitting, practicing etc... is not an absolute joy, just that you should not let it take your focus away from covering off those other, much more important aspects of getting started. Of course, those others are the subjects of many other threads, and you’ll have fun going through those too. But if you gain access to the right productive covers and hunt over a good dog, you can probably kill them with a tennis racket! LOL
As far as guns go, for what it’s worth, my prediction would be that you will likely go though a few guns until you find one that is 'right' for you. I wouldn’t worry about that - guns, especially high quality ones, hold their value for resale like not many other purchases, so resale and trades is always an option. For me, I started with a semi, having been a duck hunter before I was a pheasant hunter, so that’s what I had (Beretta xtrema II). That was fine, but I found that my third shot was usually a wasted Hail Mary, but also I’ll admit it - I grew envious of the 'look' of a few guys I hunted with using doubles. A plastic camo gun just didn’t 'fit' with Pheasnt hunting for me. I wanted a more traditional look to go with my new waxed cotton chaps! LOL LOL LOL I tried an inexpensive OU and it fit me poorly. It was not valuable enough to invest in fitting it, so I sold that and bought a beretta 686 OU ultralight. I loved the beautiful fit and finish, so I had it fitted to me. I shot better with it fitted for sure, but it was so light that it beat me up when practising, and its light weight also meant that it didn’t seem to swing or follow through very well. It’s comes to the cheek very quickly and I love it for grouse and woodcock to be able to throw up the Gun and snap off a few quick shots. But for pheasants I ended up getting a regular weight OU 687 silve pigeon II beretta with beautiful wood that I loves the look of. I had that fitted as well and now, five years later, I’ve never looked back. It makes me happy to own for it’s high quality, reliability and yes, for its fine looks and fit and finish. It shoots where I look and follows through beautifully, and I kill far for pheasants than I miss with it. But, when it comes right down to it, I’d trade those fine guns in for a rusty old Cooey single shot if I could not have my beloved DOG and my treasured COVERS. ��
Dave