[aigel]

Hi PPOT brain trust.

I have been lusting after a double barrel field gun for bird hunting. I did a lot of reading, including PPOT wich makes a decent gun forum! Today I finally had a chance to go to the store and fondle some guns in my price range. The question was Browning vs. Beretta and it has become pretty obvious to me that it will be a Beretta.

1) Fake wood. I read about this here on PPOT. Do all new guns have it? Which models? When did this start (how far back do I have to go if buying used to avoid this?)

2) What's the difference in all the pigeon models? I am unclear here and need to figure this out. I want the lightest gun without overpaying for too much bling.

3) What's special about the ultralight? This is a tempting route, as I lug the gun for many miles in a day, and lighter would be better. Why can't I find this used?

4) I found a used 12ga silver pigeon from 2012 with SN R22xxxS. Is this a fake wood model? Asking price is $1600 with quite a bit of dings on the wood from the field (I'd expect more from me, so this isn't a big issue). Seller claims $2100 new.

Anything else I need to know before I seriously shop?
Any opinions on 20 vs. 12 ga for quail, chuckar, snipe and occasional pheasant?

Thanks,

George