Utility grade... vs, something nicer.

Just wondering out loud here.

I've always been a user of utility grade shotguns. 870s, 500s...even my M2 is the basic black plastic and matte finish. I have to be realistic here- Alaska just chews a fine finish or piece of walnut to shreds.

But... I've now messed around with one of the new Benelli 828s and I love the way it feels and points.

Am I crazy for wanting this thing? I probably wouldn't haul it to the marsh, but for grouse it would be very nice..perhaps too nice. I've never been a serious wing shooter, but I can see middle youth pointing me that way.

Thoughts?

hodgeman":26di8p47 said:

Alaska just chews a fine finish or piece of walnut to shreds.

Click to expand...

That is the problem, we have the same thing here too in western B.C.

That said having a fine shotgun that maybe only comes out on nice days isn't a bad thing to have around. Your other shotguns can handle all the bad weather the rest of the time.

I read some place that life was too short to hunt with an ugly rifle. I think that is even more true with shot guns. I feel your pain, though I have yet to handle the new Benelli O/U. Regardless the effectiveness of an 870 there is something special about hunting upland birds with a fine shot gun.
Alaska and Alaskans are hell on guns but I know if I owned one I would take it for grouse and ptarmigan. I probably won't hang it off the wing struts of the super cub however.
I say go for it

You could always get the protective covers for the furniture.
http://www.bocashield.com/products/

JD338

I feel your pain. Sadly alaska is simply no place for a fine shotgun in the field. The only true wing shooting we have is ducks/geese and utility shotguns and ducks go hand in hand. Our grouse while plentiful don’t really provide the real upland game experience. Generally an accurate 22 is put to better use for grouse and ptarmigan. I had to practically kick the ptarmigan I shot with my 410 pistol this fall and I could just about watch it grow rust with its shiny blue finish and wood stocks.

With all this talk about fine shotguns I am reminded that well used shotguns have a beauty in and of themselves. While it would pain me greatly to abuse such a fine rifle I have rescued a few that wear their abuse well. This 870 wingmaster 410 started live all high luster blue and fine wood. By the time I found it, there was very little finishi left and the almost bare wood was swollen and angry. I cleaned up the wood and applied a dull linseed oil finish but left it as is, it has great character this way. It is also a fine shooting shotgun that has to this day never missed its intended quarry in my hands.

Dad always said, "Don't let life pass ya by."

We are meant to enjoy our life here to its fullest.

Go for it!

Howdy Friends,
Been a little while, but figured I'd try to weigh in on the question as well. While I've got more than a few rifles, I only have one shotgun that does it all for me. It's an old wood/blued Browning BPS 12 ga. and it has seen a lot of use from grouse and turkey in the mountains, quail and dove down in the desert, and waterfowl on the Texas coast. She got a few scars and I can tell you a tale about each one of them in detail. The big bend in the vent rib is where she slipped out of my mitten and hit a rock during a spring turkey hunt. Her bottom end is devoid of bluing having been carried for a few hundred miles for the better part of my lifetime. She's survived several dunks in salt water when the canoe with our gear flipped over, experienced torrential rain exposure in uncovered blinds on a routine basis, and seen enough grit from desert windstorms to have clogged a tank track, but she's still going strong and these experiences have only endeared her to me more.
I say go for it Hodge, but there's a little catch. Just like keeping a classic car running well, you've got to put a little time into a traditional wood and blued firearm. There is a fine line between used and abused and a lot of the day's suffering can be rectified with a quick wipe down and a little oil. For me, firearm maintenance is a labor of love, something akin to brushing down a horse after use. This is something that a lot of my friends using firearms with aluminum, stainless steel, and miracle finishes don't practice and it seems like they're able to get away with it, for the most part, but to my eye their firearms will never have the character that mine has.
Best of luck in your decision and hope you're enjoying your time up there in AK.
Joe

Well said, Joe. Always appreciate seeing your posts. Looking forward to you being back and posting regularly.

Love my wood stocks and they see use in all kinds of weather along with their blued metal. +1 on the Browning BPS, great pump gun.