Okay Technoid,

First things first. Given that my secondary and undergraduate education was supervised by Jesuits, I am something of a Flat Earther. Mere facts are not enough to convince me of anything. It usually takes a lot of misspent time, money and at least one set- to with The Missus before I take anything to heart. Therefore, I duly certify that the following Technoid Truth is self evident:

Big Guys Should Not Use Little Guns-I am 5-11″ and a solid 250. I figured I would beat the system by buying a tight, light and out sight 20ga auto and never have another worry. Yes, felt recoil is not an issue with this gun. However, I do have the tendency to whip the thing around like a fly on a sugar binge. Gone are the days of smooth arcing swings. I have entered the Age of the Jerk. Any thoughts for a cure?

My major question, however, has to do with the location of all of my discharged shells. The gun I purchased is a Browning Gold Hunter (not your favorite, but my feelings on the Browning vs. Beretta debate could fill a volume or two in the Archive) 20 ga. with a 26″ barrel. I have been shooting Remington ShurShot 2 1/2 dram, 1 oz #8 shot shells for both skeet and sporting clays. Because I am a glutton for punishment, I was planning on reloading at least a few of these guys. However, I can’t because I can’t seem to find them. Everyone else that I shoot with leaves a nice little pile of spent brass in their general vicinity at each station. Not me. I have been finding my empties spread quite literally over Hell’s Own Half Acre.

Any light that you could shed on this phenomenon would be appreciated, and any advice given might even be acted upon.

Thanks for the great website.

Curiously yours,
Jeremy

Dear Jeremy,

Big guys seem to always pick little guns just like they often marry small women. Little guys smoke big cigars and wear big hats. I guess that it is just human nature.

Your Gold 20 gauge auto was built for hunting. It was built to be light and easy to carry. It was not built for a big man to seriously shoot targets. To shoot targets, you get a TARGET gun. Something in the 8 pound range. If you want to play with a toy, you must accept toy scores.

Remington figured this out some time ago when they had that great 20 gauge 1100 target gun on the heavy frame. They don’t make them any more, but it was the ideal 20 gauge target gun. Now they are all lightweights like your Browning.

So, what do you do other than find a deserving smaller shooter or spend your life hunting up and down hills enjoying its light weight? You can fill the gun up with lead and see how that works. Autos have extra room in the magazine and stock that is just begging to hide a pound or so of road hugging weight. Adding weight in two places never produces the dynamics of having the weight properly spread out over the entire gun (moment of inertia and all that), but you may be able to put up with it. I don’t know of any forend screw-on mercury reducer weights for the 20 gauge Browning Gold. You only other choice is to feed and water the gun properly in that hope that it will grow.

As to your peripatetic hulls, I just don’t know. Some guns just do that. My 303 pitches them all over the place too. It is just the nature of the beast. I never noticed that anyone else’s shells landed in any sort of a pile. Perhaps you and I don’t take our birds exactly in the same place each time. We are probably all the better for it. “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”

Best regards,

Bruce Buck
Shotgun Report’s Technoid
(Often in error, never in doubt.)