Lightest Weight 12 ga Predator Shotgun....?

dan brothers

dan brothers

New member
Carring a rifle and shotgun both to a setup seems to be a problem because of the extra weight.... so.... why not stop for a moment and get real serious about getting the lightest weight 12 ga. shotgun out there.... what are your thoughts....?

Are there shotguns out there that are super light weight... or are there good ways to make them lighter...?

I have a Mossberg 500 with a 18 or 20" barrel...forgot which it is at the moment... and I have a pistol grip for it that I use to backpack in Alaska for Bear protection...but don't feel like it would be easy to aim with at running coyotes at further distances than what I was expecting on charging bears inside of 15 yds.

Are there skelton or folding stocks for the Mossberg...?

I think I would rather have a semi-auto if I could get a lightweight setup.

Maybe a dual harness carring strap for it like those crosscountry skiiers use...?

Got any thoughts Guys...?
 
some of the benelli shotguns are actually pretty light weight.

An m2 set up similar to a turkey gun would not be very heavy
 
I have no answer to your question, but, I know that I most definitely do not want to be subtracting any weight from any of my "predator" shotguns. They already cross my eyes when I squeeze the trigger. I'm trying to reduce the recoil of them, not increase it.

Chupa
 
Had a 5 pound Rossie 12 gauge once... The only gun I ever sold! It was SO light and short when you shot it it would come out of my hands and put me flat down. Absolutely a worthless shot gun. I had a 243 and a 50 Cal BP barrel for it to all mostly junk...
 
My Winchester super x3 is my dedicated turkey gun because of its light weight. I don't remember the stats but it was the lightest auto loader I could find at the time. It is lighter than my 870.

I needed a light shotgun for the long hikes in the wv mountains.

A single shot would be lightest, but will cause you to develop a flinch if not careful.
 
I don't care how light of one you can find, it's gonna wear on you carrying it. Find one you like and carry it when you feel the urge, it's what I do anyway.
 
Dan

I know this may sound a little crazy, but I was wondering if you have ever given any other options a consideration?

Depending on what type of terrain you hunt ... would it be possible to take some type of lightweight, collapseable cart along?

You could stuff all your gear in it, including a rifle & shotgun, then fold it down & hide it away once you reach your stand.

A lot just depends on the terrain, though. Just a thought.
 
I don't think a cart would work on any terrain, just my opinion. Here's what I use. It works great but the extra gun is still a pain in the butt.

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Ricky Bobby,,,I made a modified golf bag carrier for transporting my weapons at three gun matches...I installed the rubber padded firearm holders that were made for ATVs on each side rail and installed a wood platform with an milk crate on the bottom to hold ammo, handgun, etc., for moving between stages, as some of the courses are pretty spread out..

The wheels are about 10" in diameter and even on gravel, it moves pretty easily...It's pretty light weight when empty and it folds up relatively flat for carrying in a normal car trunk..Unless you were traversing some rough ground, it would work pretty well in a pasture setting..
 
I use a Mossberg 535 12GA Turkey THUG pump that is 7 pounds. It's light and cheap. We are not bird hunting! At 40 yards for coyotes you don't need nice. Already tore the back sight off and lost the rubber recoil pad going through thick crap. Mossberg sent me out new ones though. I glued the recoil pad on and haven't had a problem with it. It has a collapsable stock and fits in my Eberlestock or my Badlands pack nicely. I don't use it real often but it's nice to have when I do need it.
 
I think you may have something there Spart... I've been looking at folding stocks for my mossberg... they look like winners... you got me thinking now... thanks...
 
The lightest 12 ga semi is the benelli ultralight. Next would be a used franchi 48 but good luck finding one with chokes tubes, you could get one with a full choke barrel easily, they are only chambered in 2 3/4" and you can get them for about 250-400 on gunbroker.

The weatherby sa-08 is also very light and not too expensive.

I agree that the lighter you go the harder it kicks. I specifically purchased a beretta 3901 that is almost 8lbs to offset the recoil. Put on a kickeeze pad. Thing still kicks hard with 3" buck from the seated position on the stand.

I do not agree that no matter how light a gun is it will still wear you out if you lug it around all day. My 20 ga franchi 48 is a dream to carry at 5.5 lbs compared to my 3901 at almost 8lbs. I never get fatigue from it like I do the 3901. 2.5 lbs doesn't sound like much but its huge after 10 miles.

You will notice 7lbs is really common with 12 ga shotguns. I think this weight is a good compromise between recoil and ease of carry. I don't use a 12 ga for anything but predators, targets, someday watefowl. If I used it for upland hunting and walking nonstop all day I would certainly be looking at a 7lb or less gun. For predators I only hike for 30 minutes or so and sit down for 30 then repeat so its no that bad.

A good sling can sure help too.

I also think packing both guns is insane. Having to set one gun down and pickup the other in the heat of the hunt sounds silly to me. Try a 1-4 x scope and those really close shots get much easier. Most guys are way over scoped for predators. I rarely turn my scope past 1x even in the wide open desert.

Good luck.
 
I carry a 24" Bennelli SBE 2. Pretty dang light. Also use an Eberlestock backpack. They have several models with built in scabords. Super nice. I don't even use a sling anymore for when I go deer hunting. Carry it in the pack. I can pull it out with one hand and gives me both hands free which in some cases is real nice depending on terain or obstacles. Check them out!
 
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