Looking for opinions on a hammer side by side.

[Danodog]

I am contemplating buying a CZ Classic Hammer gun with the 30 inch barrel or looking for a vintage hammer shotgun. I know prices can be all over the map, but I want to keep it between $900 and $1100. I know to stay away from Damascus barrels. I have shot and owned pump, semi auto and over/under shotguns. I love the look of the old west hunting hammer guns. Any suggestions for make, model, and resources to investigate? I am using this primarily for bird hunting. Thanks in advance.

Dan

[BOBGBA]

I realize that the decision to go with or without external hammers, all boils down to personal preference and that what works for me may not work for you.

If it were me, I'd go hammer-less.
If you are trying to reload and get back on the birds quickly, cocking the hammers is one more step that might slow you down.

My experience with owning an external hammer SxS shotgun is limited to a coach gun.
I know you aren't looking at something with short barrels, so this may not apply to you.
I shot skeet with it a few times and while it was fun, eventually, the novelty wore off (even though the gun looked cool) and since it really wasn't a good bird gun, I sold it.

I have hunted birds with a couple of SxS's and had fun with both of them.
1) Beretta 12 gauge 626 & 2) SKB 20 & 28 gauge (two barrel set) 385

Go here: http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s....php?t=1667410 and look at posts 7 & 10

Since you are looking at CZs, take a look at the CZ Sharptail.

[Danodog]

I realize that the decision to go with or without external hammers, all boils down to personal preference and that what works for me may not work for you.

If it were me, I'd go hammer-less.
If you are trying to reload and get back on the birds quickly, cocking the hammers is one more step that might slow you down.

My experience with owning an external hammer SxS shotgun is limited to a coach gun.
I know you aren't looking at something with short barrels, so this may not apply to you.
I shot skeet with it a few times and while it was fun, eventually, the novelty wore off (even though the gun looked cool) and since it really wasn't a good bird gun, I sold it.

I have hunted birds with a couple of SxS's and had fun with both of them.
1) Beretta 12 gauge 626 & 2) SKB 20 & 28 gauge (two barrel set) 385

Go here: http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s....php?t=1667410 and look at posts 7 & 10

Since you are looking at CZs, take a look at the CZ Sharptail.

Awesome information! Thank you.

[highpower]

The trouble as I see it is that the majority of hammer shotguns you see floating around are going to mostly be the old store brand guns. they were never really high quality in the first place and a century + of field use has left most of them pretty loose.

If it was up to me, I would look for a hammerless field grade shotgun made by someone like Lefever, Parker, Fox or some other US gun maker.

[General]

I love my Stoeger with ears. It was 24". I cut it to 18 1/8".

Oh ya paid $250 and real purdy.

[tanks]

Here is a nice Purdey

https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/shotguns/hammer-shotguns/james-purdey-2nd-patent-thumb-lever-bar-in-wood-hammergun-12ga.cfm?gun_id=101583625

And a Cogswell & Harrison

https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/shotguns/shotguns-english-double/cogswell-harrison-12-bore-bar-action-hammergun-with-beautifully-figured-30-nitro-damascus-barrels.cfm?gun_id=101594844

And an Army & Navy

https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/shotguns/shotguns-english-double/army-navy-side-lock-hammer-gun-12-gauge.cfm?gun_id=101591158

And another Purdey

https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/shotguns/purdey-shotguns/purdey-12-gauge-sxs-hammer-gun.cfm?gun_id=101582867

Plenty more on gunsinternational.com if you search for "hammer shotguns"

https://www.gunsinternational.com/search-results.cfm?qs_cat=&Quick_Search_Keyword=hammer+shotguns&start_row=1&the_order=6

[Ducky's Dad]

Hammer guns are a hoot. I have six of them in 12, 16 and 20, and shoot doves with at least one of them every year. Just ignore the hammerless guys and push forward. You don't need to avoid composite barrels (Damascus, twist, laminated), as long as the barrels are in good shape. There is a lot of low pressure ammo available (usually) from Kent, Fioccchi, Winchester, Clever, RST and others. Phillips Wholesale usually has lots of the Kent low pressure loads in stock because target shooters love them.

There are very decent guns available in your price range, but it may take some digging. Best bet is a quality Belgian or Spanish gun. There were a lot of Belgian clunkers that were sold as hardware store guns in the US (Crescent, Aubrey, Sears, etc.). They are not necessarily bad guns, but select carefully. A lot of Belgian trade guns had names that made them sound like they were from Brit makers, but it's easy to look at the proof marks. Buy the gun, not the name. My hammer 16 is a Belgian Damascus marked "Evans" (sounds English, eh?) and there is nothing I don't like about that gun. Tight, nice wood, good dimensions, well finished, great checkering, long barrels. Perfect for doves.

Look at Spanish guns from the smaller makers. I grabbed a 20ga Sarriugarte with 32" barrels a few years ago in your price range. They are out there.

Probably the best value in quality hammer guns would be the ones built by Bernardelli and Beretta. Those guns are very similar in most respects, coming out of artisanal shops around Brescia. Beretta sold hammer guns under their own name and under the Mi-Val name. I have handled a couple and they seem to be pretty much identical except for the name and the price. I have a composed pair of Vincenzo Bernardelli 12ga hammer doubles that were imported by Stoeger and they are great guns. Mine are the Brescia model, with 30" fluid steel barrels, case colored frames with light engraving, English grip, nice wood and checkering, fixed chokes but OK for sensible steel loads. They were right on your budget (ten years ago) and are wonderful guns. Bernardelli also made a higher grade version of the same gun, the Italia, but those are a lot more expensive. A VB Brescia would be my number one recommendation. They came in 12 and 20, various barrel lengths, but 20s are scarce and expensive.

You will find hammer guns from companies like Siace, Famars, and lots of Brit makers, but they will be way out of your stated price range. Good Luck.