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Montefeltro vs. UltraLight 20ga question


pdave

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Would appreciate some help in decesion making. The more I read on the net, the more confused I get. Looking to buy a 20ga exclusively for phesants. So the choice is Motefeltro or Ultralight. Do long walks and am looking for something light but am worried about recoil. But again for 20ga, not sure how it would be on either.

 

By the way both are around 5.5 lbs.

 

Any ideas? Thanks guys.

Dave.

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Don't know much personally about the Montefeltro; a buddy has and loves his for pheasant in South Dakota. It is a light enough gun especially in 20 gauge for most folks to hunt with all day.

 

If I had to pick that or the 20 gauge Ultralight, for wild pheasant hunting, I would go with the Monte. My preference would be based on kick. Kick is not something that has ever bothered me- heck, I was raised on a Ithaca #37 running 3" loads for geese and they kick hard. But the 20 ga. UL is SO light that if you use typical field loads for pheasant (especially in 3" length) it will kick considerably, maybe to the point where it could be bothersome. (If I was looking for a grouse/woodcock gun, using lighter 1 OZ loads, well now you're talking--the 20 ga. UL would be superb. :)

 

I have a 12 gauge Ultra that I love, but it will kick... they are wonderful guns (and I now have tested one pheasant hunting at -17 degrees temperature by day's end, and they work perfectly even then. The next day was a high of -22, time to leave the wildlife alone.)

 

But if you want a GREAT 20 gauge pheasant gun I don't think you could beat the M2 with 3" loads (for wild birds). I have one that has gotten serious field testing on Dakotaland pheasants and it's a long shootin' honey. Also might be easier to find than a 20 Ga. UL.

 

Good luck and great hunting, and Merry Christmas

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PDave,

1 big difference is the # of rounds each gun will hold. The Ultralight will hold 2+1 while the Monte will go 4+1....how good of a shot are you?

 

Good question! But for starters, North Dakota has gone to 3 shells max in all shotguns for all bird hunting. You can bet other states will follow.

 

I don't think the number of rounds in a guy's gun can help get more birds or make up for his level of shooting skill.:)

 

I am probably as confident shooting a shotgun as anything I do in my life... and I make my living with my eyes and my hands.

 

I'll just put it that way. To most skills there is a blend of science (applied knowledge) and an art (visual comprehension). I compare shooting rifles to shotguns this way: rifle shooting tends to favor science, shotgunning favors art. (I am a average rifle shot and a lousy pistol shot!

 

I grew up hunting a lot of ducks and geese in Minnesota. We were always limited to three shells for waterfowl. We most always got as many birds as we wanted and the freezer was full.

 

My opinion: If you flush a single bird, or have a passing shot at an incomer or crossing bird, and take more than three shots, you are shooting too fast to make a correction in aim.

 

If you have a chance to shoot at a bunch of birds, as I did this year a few times on stand as pheasants piled out of tree groves, and you are a good shot, you can shoot 2 or 3 birds and reload one shell at a time, shoot one, then reload, as long as they keep coming.

 

The only problem with that is if you shoot your buddie's birds they might get sore at you! :D

 

Happy hunting--

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...on that last post, I want to be clear- from the day I started hunting as a kid, we never shot more than our limit, which would have been pretty easy to do lots of times "back in the day".:o

 

Sometimes I look at these hunting shows with three guys water fowling in a blind, and they show about 20-25 ducks getting nailed... and I wonder, what's up with THIS? :mad:

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Guys THANK YOU ALL. What an amazing forum this is. Where was this forum when I bought my Stoger in 12ga. :p

 

To add more confusion to this. I have another choice too the M2 Field in 20 Guage which is around 5.8 lbs.

 

So now my choices are in 20 guage :

 

1) Ultralight

2) Montefeltro

3) M2

 

Please advise me guys. The M2 seems to have nice reviews? Would be really nice to find someone who owns any of the above or all. :)

 

Let me know.

P

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Guys THANK YOU ALL. What an amazing forum this is. Where was this forum when I bought my Stoger in 12ga. :p

 

To add more confusion to this. I have another choice too the M2 Field in 20 Guage which is around 5.8 lbs.

 

So now my choices are in 20 guage :

 

1) Ultralight

2) Montefeltro

3) M2

 

Please advise me guys. The M2 seems to have nice reviews? Would be really nice to find someone who owns any of the above or all. :)

 

Let me know.

P

 

I don't know much about any of them but the UL is a bit more than the M2 and the M2 is a bit more than the Monty.

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Pdave,

Honestly, you won't go wrong with any of the 3.

 

With that said, the M2 comes w/ the comfortech, synthetic stock which will take some field abuse & not show it as much as the Monty or the Ultralight. The ultralight stock has had a "weather tech" finish applied to the wood which helps it shed water more easily, but slight dings & scapes will show up just like on a high-gloss finish gun.

 

If you are in a state that does not have a shell limit, I'd go with either the Monty (if you prefer wood) or the M2 (synthetic, camo). But either of the 3 make for an awesome bird gun! :)

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  • 2 years later...
I don't know much about any of them but the UL is a bit more than the M2 and the M2 is a bit more than the Monty.[/quote

 

I own the Monty 20 gauge and really love it for clays. I'm an old goat and had to drop down from my 12 bore because of shoulder surgery. The Monty 20 even with 3" mags doesn't kick as bad as my old Remington Model 11 (1937 vintage) Now I will throw a wrench in the gears by suggesting the Franchi 720 Upland into the mix. Friend at the gun club owns one and loves it. I also bought my wife a Renaisance 28 gauge and it is a sweet little O/U for trap and skeet. It would be limited to 2 shots hunting birds, but the 720 is capable for less than the others. (About $1,000.) Agree that any of the above discussed are great guns and one doesn't have to spend 5 figures to own.

My rank

Monty 20

M2

Ultra

Franchi 720

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