For years the only shotgun I owned or shot was my dad's Savage 775a in 16ga (one of several guns built on that Browning pattern). I bought my first sxs (a lowly Stevens 16ga 5100) and though the old Savage will never be sold it hasn't been afield since.

https://i.imgur.com/JKc6xXql.jpg

John , I’ll have you know that I only drink the finest wines from South Dakota and indulge in fine dining at the Busy Bee in Roundup, Montana.

And when we journey afield, my friends and I go in high style.

Autos and recoil
 

My mom and I bought a Browning A5 in the 60's for $265 I recall. It was a Sweet Sixteen to replace his Rem humpback that split the barrel when he got some dirt in it while duck hunting. I still have his gun and 2 years ago I bagged a big gobbler with it and shot some doves. Boy it will kick you. It gets to sleep most of the season! Bless you Dad. Your Son David

a 3 1/2 inch 12 ga magnum single barrel that weighs 7 lbs will hurt you when you shoot the big shells i know it will out kick any gun i ve ever shot..mag ten is good to shoot compared to it...charlie

Wow! they make wine in South Dakota? Learn something everyday. Must be sought after very small batch stuff they can mix with moonshine to take the edge off..... the wine. Do the grape stompers in South Dakota wash the cow manure off their feet before mashup.

All I know is that my brother in law being from Minnesota always has good jokes about Nor and Sow Dakota. He is a big wine drinker. I need to get him a bottle of South Dakota wine.

When I entered my "Buy It Now!" phase of my A-5 addiction, I quickly learned that a crucial factor almost universally overlooked by people buying used A-5s was to always replace the springs with new ones!! There are 3 of them whose tension and force are critical for proper operation of the gun; the most obvious is the magazine tube spring, the bolt return spring in the metal tube in the buttstock, and the carrier latch return spring buried deep in the action. (Replacement of this spring requires total disassembly of the action). Weakness in any one of them can support a chain reaction that enhances recoil dramatically as the synchronized cycle of detonation, ejection, and rechambering a new shell is interrupted or, at worst, accelerated. This in addition to the above advice gives a marked reduction in felt recoil in the A-5.

I bought mine new. It beat the hell out of me no matter what I did and even after taking it to experts who told me it was acting normally.

I concur with Brian! The A5 is a soft recoiling gun when set up properly. I volunteer at a Boy Scout Camp where I am the shooting sports director. I use my Browning A5 almost exclusively for the Shotgun Shooting Merit Badge. The scouts prefer it as is a very soft recoiling gun!
On the internet there are directions on how to set up the gun for different ammo. About a 2 min set up for the type of ammo you are using.

Having shot a Parker since a teenager,(still have that first shotgun) I may be in a rut, but it is my rut and so I plan to stay there. :)

I like my old Browning Lightning 20 ga. and shoot it well, but I've only used it for hunting. It's a light gun and I've done okay with it on grouse, woodcock and pheasants, but it does kick pretty hard. The light loads for grouse and woodcock aren't too bad, but the high-brass loads for pheasants are pretty rugged on me.

Never shot skeet or sporting clays with it and I expect that after 50 rounds I would be feeling it. The gun has 3" chambers and I've never fired 3" rounds in it; not sure I would want to.

Last season I committed all of my wing shooting to a GH Parker 20 with 7/8 oz loads and loved it. I shot a few rounds of SC with it including one of 100 rounds and never felt beat up afterward. I'm going to mix and match the two above mentioned guns this fall.

I have an old Franchi O/U 12 ga field grade gun and that thing really punishes you. The comb of the stock seems to jump up and knock your cheek bone to the point of making you wince. You think twice about shooting it and in the grouse woods, you've lost your chance by then.

The Remington 1100s always seemed to me to be soft shooters. Never shot any of the "humpback" models.