Essentially since childhood, I have been a side-by-side guy. And not just any SxS, but preferably a 12 gauge. I learned long ago, partly by reading but mostly by doing, that the 12 is the most versatile of all the gauges, and that 7/8ths or one ounce of shot from a well-balanced, long-bsrreled (30-inch) gun will do just about anything I want in the field.
Then, partly by accident and partly design, I acquired a 28-gauge A-10 American over/under, with 30-inch barrels, weighing a perfect 6 lbs., 4 oz. Combined with the standard ¾-ounce load, and fitted with Full and Full chokes, my A-10 will do (almost) anything my favorite 12s will do, and do it with a minimum of noise, fuss, and recoil.
I say “almost” because, first, it is limited to an effective range of 35 yards, and second, it gives me no margin of error. None. I can hit with any shot I attempt, but only as long as I bear down, give it my full attention, and take nothing for granted. Head tight on the stock, concentrate on the target, and swing through. Fail to do any of these, and the target, whether clay or feathered, will sail blissfully away unscathed. Do my part, however, and as Michael McIntosh wrote years ago, “the lovely 28 will perform out of all proportion.”
This is a quality that has been noted by such shotgun luminaries as Gene Hill and Bob Brister, in addition to McIntosh. There is just something so well-balanced and ideal about the combination described above that it belies its paper ballistics, much like the .375 Holland & Holland in the rifle world.
We should also add that a range limitation of 35 yards is not exactly arduous, since I would estimate that 90-95 per cent of all the game birds brought down with a shotgun fall at shorter distances than that. We talk about 40- and 45-yard kills, but how many actually occur? Very few, I would contend. So, in addition to bearing down, one must also pay close attention to the range at which you attempt a shot.
This, to me, is a very small price to pay for the exquisite pleasure of shooting my A-10. No, I have not parted with any of my favorite SxS twelves, nor do I intend to. But they do get out a lot less than they used to.