I don’t intend to hunt with a scatter gun. I’ll treat this one as an heirloom. But I still want it to be functional.
I have always been a small bore long rifle hunter. Thought it to be more sporting. Also, after ONE waterfowl hunting foray, where I stood in shin deep ice water for hours, just to hope a target flew within range ... I have no personal use for that type of hunting. I much prefer to walk and stalk. Can’t do the deer stand thing either.
Thanks all for the advice.
If you’re ever looking for a field gun at a reasonable price (ie, keep the M-11 where it is dry and clean, and take your “field” scattergun out hunting), check out the Beretta A390/A391 shotguns. They’re semi-auto, gas-operated, simple as a rock (like four pieces in the gas mechanism) and they’re about $900 to $1000 new in most places. Watch for them on sale or used. You can get chokes and parts for them all day long, they’re reliable, simple guns and I can personally attest that they survive the most grueling conditions into which I’ve put them. When mine ceased to cycle properly from too much of Nevada’s talc-fine dust, I simply poured in some Delo 15W40 diesel motor oil, shook it out, racked the bolt a couple times and ignored it for another year.
They’re indestructible scatterguns for which you can find OEM and aftermarket parts at reasonable prices, and they’ll handle 3” magnum loads.
Don't know what part of the country you live in, but if you're not going "upland bird hunting", with a trained dog, you're missing out. You'll forget all about waterfowl. :)