Best Upland Bird Shotguns for the Money: Pheasant, Quail, Grouse

Miles of carry, seconds of shooting

A rooster pheasant goes up with a sound like someone shaking out a wet carpet, and for about two seconds nothing else in the world exists. Before those two seconds, though, you walked. Maybe three miles of cut corn, a fence line, a cattail slough. The gun rode at port arms or over your shoulder the entire way.

That's why upland shotguns are their own category. A gun built to absorb recoil on a high-volume clays course, or to shoot heavy waterfowl loads all morning from a blind, often weighs a pound or two more than you'll want to carry behind a bird dog. The best upland gun is the one that comes up fast, points naturally and is still comfortable in your hands at the end of the day.

How we chose

We did not shoot these guns. These picks come from published maker and retailer specifications and the trade-offs that matter for walking hunts. We favored:

• Weight you can carry, using the listed weight where the maker or retailer gives one.
• Screw-in chokes, so one gun can go from close quail to wide-flushing roosters.
• Gauge fit to the bird, from 12 for late-season pheasant to 28 for quail and grouse.
• Value, meaning what the gun does for its price class, not just a low sticker.

The picks at a glance

Best value over/under: Mossberg Silver Reserve (20 gauge)

An over/under is the classic upland gun for good reasons. It breaks open, so you and everyone in your party can see it's unloaded at a fence crossing. It gives you two barrels with two different chokes, typically more open on the first shot and tighter on the second. And it has no action to cycle, so nothing goes wrong when it's cold or your hands are clumsy.

Mossberg's Silver Reserve brings that format into the value price class. The 20 gauge version listed at Ammunition Depot has 26-inch barrels with a vent rib, a 3-inch chamber, an engraved steel receiver with a satin silver finish, a 14-inch length of pull and a set of five choke tubes.

Trade-offs: A value O/U is not a premium O/U. Fit, finish and wood are simpler, and resale won't hold like a Browning or Beretta. For a hunter who wants a reliable two-barrel gun for a few seasons, that's fine.

Best semi-auto for walking hunts: Beretta A400 Upland (20 gauge)

If you want a third shot and softer recoil, a gas semi-auto does both. Beretta's A400 family is one of the best-known gas-gun lines, and the 20 gauge Upland version listed at Ammunition Depot is 28-inch, 3-inch chambered, holds 2+1, and is listed at 6.7 pounds. It comes with Optima-Choke HP tubes in Full, Modified and Cylinder.

Trade-offs: Gas guns need cleaning, and some run best with loads above a minimum the manual sets out. A semi-auto also has to be opened and checked by hand at every fence, so build that habit early.

Best for quail and grouse: Stevens 555 Compact (28 gauge)

The 28 gauge has a cult following among quail and grouse hunters. It throws less shot than a 20, so it rewards good shooting at close range, but it's light to carry and gentle to shoot. The Stevens 555 Compact pairs that gauge with an aluminum receiver; the 28 gauge model at Ammunition Depot is listed at 5 pounds, with a 13.25-inch length of pull, a single selective trigger, a 2.75-inch chamber and five choke tubes.

Trade-offs: 28 gauge ammo is less common and usually costs more per shell than 20 or 12. Check that you can buy 28 gauge shells easily before committing. And it's not the gun for late-season roosters at long range.

The buy-once over/under: Browning Citori White Lightning (12 gauge)

Browning says the Citori traces its roots to John M. Browning's B25 Superposed and calls it the best-selling over/under in the world. The Citori White Lightning listed at Ammunition Depot has 26-inch back-bored barrels with a vent rib, a 3-inch chamber, a silver nitride steel receiver, gloss Grade III/IV walnut, a single selective trigger and Invector-Plus choke tubes.

Trade-offs: It costs much more than everything else on this list. A 12 gauge is overkill for quail, and a steel-receiver O/U carries more weight than a 20 gauge semi-auto. Buy it if you want one gun for many years of pheasants and clays, and value fit and finish.

The budget workhorse: Mossberg 500 (20 gauge)

Don't overlook a pump. A 20 gauge Mossberg 500 with a 22-inch barrel is short, handy and inexpensive, and it'll also handle turkeys and slugs with the right barrel and choke. Shell-capacity limits apply to some bird seasons, so check your state's rules for the species you hunt before loading a five-shot pump. The 500 has been in production since 1961 and has an ambidextrous top tang safety, which is helpful in the field for either hand. The 20 gauge model at Ammunition Depot is listed at 5.25 pounds, with a 3-inch chamber and Full, Modified and Improved Cylinder chokes.

Also worth a look

Several makers known for upland guns are worth checking at local shops, even though we couldn't confirm current listings for them at our affiliate retailer: CZ's over/unders and side-by-sides, Stoeger's value doubles, and Franchi's light semi-autos and over/unders. Handle any of them before you buy.

Chokes, loads and patterning

Chokes matter more in upland hunting than many hunters think. Wikipedia's choke article summarizes the standard series: Cylinder (no constriction), Improved Cylinder, Modified and Full, each putting a higher percentage of pellets into a set circle at a set distance. For birds that flush close in thick cover, open chokes help. For roosters that flush wide, a tighter second barrel or a Modified tube makes sense.

Pattern your gun. Shoot your chosen 20 gauge or 12 gauge load at a large paper target at typical hunting distances, and see where the pellets land. That tells you more than any spec sheet.

Fit beats everything

A gun that fits mounts to your cheek and shoulder the same way every time, with your eye looking straight down the rib. That makes a bigger difference to your hit rate than gauge or brand. Length of pull is the easy measurement; shops and clubs can help with the rest. If a shooter is smaller or younger, a shorter stock like the Stevens' 13.25 inches may fit far better than a standard one.

Also plan for the weather. Upland seasons run into cold, wet months; our cold-weather gear guide covers what fails first.

The bottom line

Store your shotgun unloaded and locked between hunts, keep ammunition separate, and check your state's hunting regulations for seasons, shell limits and shot type.

Editorial note: This is an independent editorial overview built from manufacturer specifications, retailer listings and published sources. We have not performed hands-on testing of the products discussed, and nothing here is a performance guarantee. Verify specifications, compatibility and the law where you live.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links to Ammunition Depot. We may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial choices are not influenced by commissions. Check current price, stock and specifications directly with the retailer.