Traveling with a nice double barrel is an uncomfortable experience, especially when commercial airlines are involved. I’ve heard too many horror stories about favorite guns being damaged or stolen to rest peacefully when my side-by-sides are in the sky.
A couple of years ago I eliminated some of this anxiety by buying a travel shotgun. I picked a 20 gauge Beretta 686 Onyx with 28″ barrels. It’s an all around over & under that handles everything I hunt and all the ammo I need to stuff into it (including steel).
Most importantly, it’s not collectible and easy to replace. So if I lose it, or if it ends up severely damaged, I won’t cry because a valuable, hard to find side-by-side has been ruined.
Here are a couple quality double barrel shotguns that I think would make great travel guns. They’re nice guns, too, and I would be proud to carry either one in the field.
An affordable, meat-and-potatoes option: 12g Beretta Bl-3 O/U, 28″ barrels
If you run with a fancier crowd, this one’s more upscale and traditional: 12g Beretta 470 SxS, 28″ barrels
