The Armchair Outfitter

(Note: The need for other gauges is beyond the scope of this article.)

This is a question to which you will have to find your own answer. I will provide mine at the end of this piece, but first let’s review the Armchair Outfitter armory’s current inventory.

Remington Model 870 Express

This is the first 12-gauge I ever owned, and with its 3-inch magnum chamber and slick double-rail action, it would serve me well if it were still the only one. My Papaw bought it for me after listening to me complain that with my improved cylinder choked 20-gauge, I was out gunned on the dove field. I was usually surrounded on all sides by 12s in capable hands,and most birds were stone dead by the time they got within gun range for me. I don’t advocate the arms race, but I was reloading at the time so I could afford to shoot the equivalent of Federal’s Duck and Pheasant load. The 12-gauge patterns much better than a hot-loaded 20, and screw-in choke tubes extended my range a bit.

More importantly, perhaps, I dreamed of shooting ducks with the 12. I eventually did and still do. This gun makes a loud sound every time I pull the trigger, and the matte finish and oiled stock are impervious to just about anything. A buddy once dropped a steel military surplus ammo can full of shells onto the stock from shoulder height in the bottom of a duck boat. He looked sheepish, I shrugged, and we went and shot our limits. He’s since passed away, but I think of him when I see the barely visible gouge in the stock.