Semi auto or break action shotgun?

Have lots of S x S’s, some O/U’s, several autos…depends on the day, the circumstances, etc. just returned from a week of prairie bird hunting…S x S only with one exception needing non-tox, when I used an auto.
 
I've used all 5 shots before when bagging a triple on chickens and quail. Those times don't occur often, but I like the flexibility should I need it.
 
To paraphrase a friend; "When you pass the Colonel Sanders on the way out of town, you've left all logic behind."

If I needed to kill something to be able to eat or to save money, my math tells me the $50k pickup, many tens of thousands in guns, gear, and licenses, not to mention the cost of fuel, lodging, meals and who knows what else, makes wild game cost many dollars per gram.

So, I hunt with guns I love, not guns that necessarily allow me to kill more. My choice is far and away side by sides. Not that I don't have autos, pumps and over/under guns and not that I don't hunt with those on occasion. But, I love hunting with small bore side by sides. Some are pretty old guns, some are new. My favorite quail guns are 2 composed Ithaca NID 410s. But I have a few Italian guns and some Merkels that are really sweet too.

But I've also noted that break action guns that are open make people (me in particular) more at ease when hunters are taking a break from hunting.
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And Geeze, I forgot, the dogs. Lord only knows the cost of a good hunting dog ownership.
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Roaniecowpony,
Those firearms are gorgeous, My main companion now is a 20 SXS Parker Reproduction by Winchester. After hunting Chukar in Idaho with it for 20 years it is in-surprising good condition I usually used my body to take the brunt of the falls while climbing talus slopes. The Merkel 12 SXS I used for Sage hens got too heavy and left that for a dealer in Michigan to pass on to a younger hunter..Now I borrow my wife's Superlight Citori when I hunt Pheasants and Waterfowl. Tried several Browning Auto-5's over the years, never felt comfortable with them, just hooked on doubles..
 
I started with an 870 pump then needed a Benelli SBE. I killed a lot of birds with the third shot and have shot a few triples on Huns, pheasants and waterfowl. I switched to a Beretta over under last year. I wasn’t sure about only having two shots and taking slightly longer to reload. I did miss out on some opportunities during popcorn flushes as I was reloading. But I also relearned to focus more on not rushing the first shot. A bonus is I shoot less shells and don’t have to look for my empties. And on the last flush yesterday in Montana I shot a triple with the over under on Huns, so two shots isn’t always less!
 
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I enjoy shooting autos, pumps and side by sides. My only side by side right now is a Merkel 1620--weighs about 6 lbs., IC/mod. coke and a dream to carry and swing. Also hunt with the new model A5 Sweet 16, weighs about 6 lbs. and provides a 3rd shot in the event I need it. I do have a 20 gauge mod-choked solid-rib Model 12 and it's a rooster killer too. My problem is I have too many shotguns and like to shoot them all.
 
Break action. 1. safer; never any question as whether the gun is loaded or unloaded; 2. easier to make safe; just break it open with a flick of a lever; 3. carries lighter; the long action of autos and pumps makes for a longer overall length if not a heavier gun; and more weight on the forehand; 4. better shooting; no shooter wastes more ammo on missed shots than an auto loader shooter; want to be a better shot? shoot a break action single barrel gun; but with a double barrel you have the capability of knocking down a double.
 
Wolfchief said:
I enjoy shooting autos, pumps and side by sides. My only side by side right now is a Merkel 1620--weighs about 6 lbs., IC/mod. coke and a dream to carry and swing. Also hunt with the new model A5 Sweet 16, weighs about 6 lbs. and provides a 3rd shot in the event I need it. I do have a 20 gauge mod-choked solid-rib Model 12 and it's a rooster killer too. My problem is I have too many shotguns and like to shoot them all.
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That's definitely one of my problems also, but it's a good problem! My dad told me once, beware the man with one gun, he probably knows how to use it!
 
Using my break-open single shot 410, I often limit out with a single shot...you do need them to get-up in bunches and wait for just the right moment....all head shots! I just needed to get in the triple telling stories too.

11-87 auto loader here. I know the gun well and know how to use it, not switching anytime soon (I hope). When I was young I ran her out of shells a few times. In the last 4-5 years I used the 4th shell to anchor a bird twice, sometimes you just know your shot was off, sometimes you just keep doing what you were doing. Both times my buddy said, "I thought it was out of range on your 3rd shot". I seldom shoot a 3rd shot any more, getting thing figured out (shooting better) and many of the places I hunt the cover is such, that if a bird goes down, I am getting that one recovered before I shoot another...unless it is one of the few times I get a group hunt going, them there is more dogs and men to aid in the recovery.

Just over 5 weeks away is the Iowa opener!
 
remy3424 said:
11-87 auto loader here...
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Great gun the 11-87. Carried one for over a decade and still pack it (vs newer ones) as my backup gun. It's a real trash pump - you can use it as a push pole out in the duck slough, shake it out and blast away. Extremely soft-shooting as well. But as I aged I found carrying that 9 lb fence post all day in the field was a bit tiring to the old shoulders and went to a Fabarm L4S. I love the Fabarm, but it is a bit more delicate - actually needs regular cleaning.

Recommendation for your 11-87: Add a Carlson Black Cloud mid-range choke tube. I'm not one for the finer points of choke tuning and patterning to get an extra pellet or 2 in the circle, but I put one of these in my 11-87 and it made a noticeable improvement (shooting steel shot).
 
Been shooting my for 3 decades, the first shogun I bought for myself. I have been using the factory improved cyl or modified chokes and for the last 6-8 years I have been shooting my 1.25 oz lead #5 reloads (private land guy) and seem to have things figured out, not too many escape, but I will get maybe more than my share of cripples....I try to mark accurately and recovery as fast as possible. Have learned to not keep calling the dog back to the area the bird fell and just let him do his thing and they usually bring the bird to you. Will be hitting the fields with a new GSP shortly, he seems like he will be fine. The gun weight doesn't bother yet, we are usually finished by noon or shortly there after, I don't have the all day marches, where weight might become an issue. If I ever find my self needing to shoot steel, I will try to remember the tip on the choke tube WB. All this hunting talk is getting me fired-up!
 
I like to shoot my guns, when i'm on my western trips I have everything but a single shot and exposed hammers. Auto-loaders are nice for extra capacity, either loosy shooting or multiple bird flush. Pumps are just reliable, 870's is what i shoot, they give you the capacity but you know they will cycle unless you short-shuck. O/U and SxS's are light quick and fun to shoot, as others have mentioned fun to carry a gun that has alot of history and age, down fall only 2 shots unless you can reload quick. I'm alway way over gunned for my trips but it does help if 1 or 2 have issues.
 
Semi auto. Personally, I prefer pragmatism over idealism. Seeing the way hunting has been prostituted over in the UK and the emphasis they put on everything that isn't hunting, like clothing and double barrel guns, makes me happy to keep banging away in my redneckery until the day I die. Fight the power. :)
 
Golden Hour said:
Semi auto. Personally, I prefer pragmatism over idealism. Seeing the way hunting has been prostituted over in the UK and the emphasis they put on everything that isn't hunting, like clothing and double barrel guns, makes me happy to keep banging away in my redneckery until the day I die. Fight the power. :)
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A pheasant hunter can mix pragmatism w/ idealism, having the best of all worlds, if he/she shoots a really nice, old style Browning A5. 🥸
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
A pheasant hunter can mix pragmatism w/ idealism, having the best of all worlds, if he/she shoots a really nice, old style Browning A5. 🥸
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Oh, boy. Here we go. :eye roll:

I'm not saying anyone who shoots a side by side or over/under is pretentious, just saying that I would feel that way if I did.
 
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