Have you ever admired the paintwork on Federer’s rackets? No, nor have I. They are simply bits of sporting kit meticulously designed to do their job. For many, a gun is also just that - we want it to perform reliably shot after shot and allow us to shoot to the best of our ability. And if it does go wrong or need repair, then we’d like this to be done quickly and at reasonable cost.
Here we consider workhorse guns that are well designed, inexpensive and used by many of our top shots, together with a selection of 'best' guns, the product of British craftmanship at its finest.
While 20-bores are often seen in the field - and some use them very well indeed - I would always choose a 12-bore, which allows maximum cartridge choice from light 21gm loads for clays, to hefty 36gm shells for Geese. A slightly heavier 12-bore used with a 24gm load is better at.......
It’s been around for decades ( I own two) and is often the in-house gun at shooting schools..........
The choice among new side-by-sides is much more limited. Once the predominant type of shotgun, they are now greatly outnumbered by over-and-unders and mass manufacture and........
The definition of a best gun is unbending - it’s a gun that cannot be improved by the further expenditure of time or money. Handmade by craftsmen but with the assistance of modern tools to remove much of the basic work - why pay highly-skilled staff to file away large lumps of metal...
Photos -Charles Sainbury-Plaice, Holts, Gavin Gardiner, Beretta, Blaser and Browning
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