The Remington Premier® Upland Grade in 28 gauge is just such a niche product. It is an exquisite work of gun art, made for Remington by Sabatti, who has been involved in making guns in Italy since the 17th century. It's perfectly balanced dimensions and a slim, low-profile receiver make it a natural pointing gun Fit and finish, as you would expect, are impeccable. Here's what makes this gun exceptional:

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* Oil-finished select walnut stock and forearm. I wiped my sample gun down with Clenzoil and the nicely figured wood popped right up. Crisp checkering and a perfectly tapered Schnabel forearm.

* Case-colored receiver with a well-executed gold woodcock on the right side, three quail in flight on the left side and a Remington "R" on the underside.

*The 28-gauge model comes with five ProBore™ choke tubes -- Skeet, Improved Cylinder, Modified, Improved Modified and Full. The 28" blued barrels are highly polished, have a 7 mm ventilated raised rib with an ivory front bead and a steel midpost.

 

*An ABS hard case in Remington green (with gold lettering) is included and features two combination locks. It is FAA approved.

Stock dimensions are: 1-1/2" x 2-3/8" x 14-1/4" to a 5/8" rubber pad and spacer and about 1/4" cast-off . Weight of my sample gun is six pounds eight ounces. The cost of this Italian beauty is only $1,895 plus $40 S&H.

The history of the Remington Premium Model Upland Grade (or Special) is that it was probably contracted for in 2004, produced in 2005 and introduced in 2006. Then discontinued in 2008. So, what happens is that at $1,895 you are buying a gun with 2005 dollars, when the dollar was a lot stronger against the Euro than it is today. Guns of this quality cannot be produced and sold at anywhere near this price. The declining dollar plus worldwide inflation has produced a situation that makes this a compelling small gauge value.

For example, I introduced the first BILL HANUS BIRDGUN BY UGARTECHEA in 1990 as a 16 gauge side-by-side, choked Skeet 1 & 2. Last month Ugartechea offered to produce these guns again for me. The cost is 2.5X -- that's 250% higher in today's dollars -- than what I paid in 1990. These guns sold for $895 in 1990 so, by extension, that I'd have to charge $2,295 or thereabouts in 2008. Folks, the BILL HANUS BIRDGUN BY UGARTECHEA was a good Spanish-made gun, but it was nowhere near the quality and workmanship I see in the Remington Premium Model Upland Grade made by Sabatti, which is available at $1,895 today.

Good wood sells guns

. . . is an axiom of the firearms trade. But, the declining dollar + worldwide inflation + increased demand + short supply = predict sharply increased prices in the years ahead for high grade wood. What I see in today's marketplace tells me there are still some bargains in great wood available at what I consider to be "bargain" prices.

We are indebted to Dennis Smith. a.k.a. The Stock Doctor, for the following information on the Browning Grading Scale for wood. Seven grades are pretty much a standard throughout the industry. The idea is an attempt to put a numeric value on what might otherwise be a purely esthetic judgment. Using the following scale the only consideration is the butt stock wood between the grip and the butt. It assumes one side may have a different grade than the other. Usually the wood be graded b y the lower number. A butt stock with Grade I wood on one side and Grade III wood on the other would be a Grade II. Given the increasing pressures of butt stock pricing and availability, Browning often uses multiple-grade designations like Grade II/III or III/IV to indicate a broader range of figure on a given model. Grade I Straight grain 0 - 10% figure in butt stock only (one side figure). Grade II 10% figure in butt stock only both sides. Grade III 10 - 25% figure in butt stock (one side). Grade IV 25 - 50% figure in butt stock (one side). Grade V 50 - 60% figure in butt stock (both sides). Grade VI 60 - 75% figure in butt stock (both sides) usually feather crotch. Grade VII 75 - 100% figure in butt stock (both sides) usually feather crotch.

 

 

Browning Citori Grade VII with exhibition grade wood is priced in the 2008 Browning catalog at $4,487. My best guess is that the 2009 catalog will price Grade VII's closer to $5,000. In the past few weeks several of what I believe are the last 16 gauge Grade VII's ever made. They are close-out priced at $3,795, which looks like a bargain in good wood to me.

Browning 16 Gauge Gran Lightnings have all but disappeared from the marketplace, but this one which I sold originally to a good home several years ago has come back to me in a trade. The serial number indicates it was made in 2003 and, as you can see, when Browning was still putting great wood on Gran Lightnings.

Although used, this gun is in "as new" condition in the original box. This one has 26" barrels and is priced at $2,795.

 

FABARM Nobile III fits my definition of "seriously upgraded" wood. This is unquestionably the most advanced 20 gauge side-by-side on the market today and it comes with wood like this in a leather fitted case for just $3,300. This is another "seriously underpriced" Italian-made gun that could just as easily be priced much higher.

Jim Tomsovic, who bought the first Fabarm Nobile II from me, wrote an objective product review that you will enjoy reading if you are interested in Fabarm shotguns or, for that matter, if you are thinking about making the transition to side-by-side shooting. If we can figure out the technical aspects, I'll add his review to the Fabarms page.

 

Merkel's "Luxury Grade" Wood -- if you like good wood, you've got to fall in love with Merkel's Luxury Grade wood, which they use on their EL and EL "Custom Limited Edition" guns. This example is a 147EL 20 gauge shotgun, which I was able to preview with the customer with a series of e-mail photos.

Retail price on this 147EL is $6,795. The Merkel Model 280EL -- retail price $7,295 -- and the Merkel Model 280EL "Custom Limited Edition" -- retail price $7,995 -- are top-of-the-line 28 gauge side-by-sides, built on Merkel's small frame action. The engraving is differs slightly and the "Custom Limited Edition" has a checkered butt. Both offer exquisite wood, as you can see.

 

Merkel Model 280EL

 

Merkel Model 280 EL Custom Limited Edition

 

Merkel Model 1620 EL

 

 

This beauty has come back to me after being sold to the original owner in 2000. His initials are on the initial plate. It passed through Dale Tate's hands, which may account for the leather-covered pad to 14-3/4" LOP; the leather/canvas case complete with AYA trade label, snap caps, oil bottle, wood cleaning rod and brass tips; and the overall appearance of the gun, which is as new.

This gun has 28" barrels, factory choked to Skeet 1 and 2, a perfect birdgun. A one-of-a-kind gun, priced at $2,995 plus $40 S&H.

 

 

Bascheiri & Pellagri -- but more affectionately known as B&P -- is an old-line, highly regarded Italian manufacturer whose shot shells routinely win gold medals in international competition. It also one of the few companies that produce a full range of shot sizes for their F2 Classic of 16 gauge ammunition -- a 1-1/16 ounce load of hard shot that goes out the door at 1280 fps. B&P describes this as "a medium load (29 g.) in a 67 mm (2-5/8") case to satisfy the demands of hunters who still posses 16/65 gauge guns." My experience with these "medium" loads is that they operate at relatively low chamber pressures (which explains why they can be used in 2-1/2" chambers) and still get 1280 fps velocities without undue recoil. I've been told this ammo also works in the old "Sweet 16" Browning semi-autos with pre-WWII 2-9/16" chambers. These old beauties had small ejection ports that weren't large enough to allow a 2-3/4" case to eject, but are big enough to eject the 2-5/8 B&P case.

B&P offers a full range of shot sizes in 16 gauge, but the headliner is No. 9 shot! First off, I am a great believer in the efficacy of high velocity No. 9 shot in at least the first barrel on birds over dogs. Yes, pheasants too. Not to mention clay targets. Second reason, good 16 gauge loads of No. 9 shot are hard to find. With the hunting season mostly over, B&P's No. 9's is a great way to get some off-season clay bird practice in with any of my 16 gauge Browning Citoris.

But the clincher reason to buy is that through some weird pricing anomaly, you can buy B&P's F2 Classic No. 9's for only $61.78 a case (8 boxes of 25 cartridges = 200) including shipping! 32¢ a shot! Whoopee!

Whether you're hunting or practicing, this 1-1/16 oz. 29 gram load goes out the door @ 1280 fps and puts 530 No. 9 pellets in the target area, enhancing your opportunities for dead-in-the-air head/neck shots in the field -- or -- crushing clay birds on the practice range.

And while you are visiting www.bandpusa.com I want you to think about No. 7 shot. No. 7 has more heft than ordinary No. 7-1/2 shot. I consider B&P's No. 7 a perfect second barrel choice for big birds and for tough targets like barn pigeons. It costs a bit more than No. 9, but then again it does more at longer ranges.

  

 

 This is a personal gun I've owned for more than 25 years. It was bought in Illinois and I ran 25-straight on the skeet field at the old Lincoln Park Gun Club on Chicago's lakefront the first time I shot it! I couldn't tell you how many birds I've taken with this gun since, but I am sure the Scaled Quail recovered some when I left New Mexico 15 years ago. This carries all day at five pounds, thirteen ounces. Barrels cut to 21-1/2", cyl/cyl, set of 28 gauge skeet master tubes, leather Leg of mutton case.

 

 

 

This another personal gun made, I think, in the late 1940's. It was converted very early to a skeet gun, with a Simmons raised, ventilated rib and a Cutts Compensator with a "Spreader" tube. There used to be a saying that "it wasn't a skeet gun unless it had a Cutts on it." The top of the receiver has a matte finish to cut down glare. The serial number range is 59XXX out of a total production run of 164,000 pieces between 1933 and 1963. The barrel is 25-1/2" long with the Spreader choke in it, slightly longer with Modified and Full choke tubes, which come with the gun. The well-figured premium replacement wood and all the metal on the gun is 97-98%. The pad, of course, was an affectation and easily replaced. The LOP is 14" and the gun is cast-neutral. The first 25 I ever ran with a .410 was with this gun at the Lincoln Park Gun Club in Chicago. I was using handloads and when I got around to Station Six, I was shaking every shell to make sure it had shot in it!" What a thrill!

 

  

Winchester made just over one million of these 1897 models between 1897 and 1957. The serial number of this gun is 963XXX, so it was made late in the production run and is chambered for 2-3/4" shells. The barrel has been cut to 27" hence a Cylinder choke. This would have been an awesome gun back in the 1930's when Skeet was a five-gauge sport, including 16 gauge. With it's superior patterning to both 12 and 20 gauge loads, it could have easily dominated the field sports for the next 40 years. The nice, contrasting straight-grain factory wood curls toward the toe and the original Winchester butt plate. Fewer dings and handling marks than you'd expect on the original finish of a 45-year old gun. Call it 85%. Metal shows wear on edges and action, but otherwise perfect. Also about 85%.

 

Back to Page One Browning's Treasures of the Past

 

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