The double barrel shotgun is back in style. Shotgunners, like many people in the hunting and shooting world, can be an odd lot. Sometimes we just don’t want what is new and fancy and has a lot of bells and whistles and sparkle on it. We want to carry a shotgun that reminds us of “back in the day.” We want to at least, in our minds, rub shoulders with and join the ranks of those hunters and shooters that went before us. We want to at least, in spirt, carry a trusted side-by-side, to jump in the Jeep with Dad, Grandad and a big raw-boned pointer. We want to head to old familiar coverts that held grouse, lots of grouse. We want to carry a double gun just like they did – a double barrel shotgun like the Heritage Badlander Field Model.
While we may not be able to do all of that scenario, we can carry that side-by-side shotgun; this part is attainable. There is just something about it. It is very hard to explain, but I will try. If you are not a gun guy or girl, and especially if you are not partial to shotguns, you may not understand. What am I going on about here is the allure, the mystique of a double-barreled shotgun. OK, to do this right I should refer to this type of shotgun as a “side-by-side.” That is. the barrels are situated on the shotgun side-by-side, horizontally. One could say that an over-and-under shotgun, which is one barrel on top of the other, also is a “double-barrel” shotgun, but in truth … the whole world knows that a “double-barrel" is a side-by-side.
So, what makes double barrels (sorry, side-by-sides) so special? Again, hard to explain but we will give it a try.
The “chunk chunk” sound of dropping a pair of shotgun shells into the chambers of a fine side-by-side is somehow very satisfying. Closing the action of the gun and hearing the reassuring sound of the gun locking into place tells you all is ready with the shotgun; you just have to do your part. There is no doubt that some of us put ourselves in the ranks of the hunters we see in old pictures with those carrying a timeworn double barrel. We like to think that carrying this shotgun as they did will somehow transport us to a golden age of hunting when there were grouse in most every thicket, the sky was often black with ducks and things were a whole lot simpler. I know, I don’t really understand it either, but it is true.
For many years (prior to WW II) the side-by-side shotgun was really the only choice for shooters and sportsmen. If you like to look at vintage hunting pictures (as I do) in this time in history you will see hunters going for ducks, turkeys, grouse, quail and rabbits toting the double barrel shotgun almost exclusively. It was the gun that was available and hunters probably never gave it a second thought.
Well, as always, things began to change. Repeating action shotguns – in the form of slide action (pump guns) and semi-autos – started to take the stage away from the old reliable double barrel.
The double barrel began to be seen as old and outdated; they were still carried by some stalwarts you understand, but the age of the repeater was definitely at hand. The elegant, standard, tried-and-true side-by-side began to slip into a shadow. More is the pity, but there is hope.
Several years ago, a new spring began to bloom for the double barrel. Younger and new shooters, as well as veterans, began to turn their thoughts back to the side-by-side. Shotgun forums and gun store counters began to hear questions about finding a nice side-by-side shotgun. They were still being made of course, but maybe not in great numbers. Also the price of some English- and Italian-made doubles no doubt turned off the new shooter with a bank account that maybe could not go that route. Affordable double guns began to appear as a few gun makers began to take notice of the trend. Recently I have become acquainted with a pretty side-by-side that I would like to tell you about.
Heritage Badlander Field Model
Heritage Manufacturing is offering the Badlander side-by-side shotgun in several different models. My favorite, and the one I am reviewing at this time, is the 12-gauge Field model with 28-inch barrels. The metal finish is black oxide, reminiscent of deep bluing, and the stock and forearm are made of dark walnut. This gun is pretty and everyone I have shown it to thus far has expressed an interest in it. While the metal finish and wood is lovely, I will say that it is plenty subdued enough to be carried in the turkey woods, which I have been doing recently. This gun takes me back to the age of brown duck canvas hunting vests, block headed pointers and farmers that welcomed the hunter.
The Heritage Badlander By the Number
The Badlander shotgun I reviewed is a 12 gauge and the gun is also available in 20 and 28 gauge, as well as .410 bore. I chose the 28-inch barrel for hunting purposes, but it is also available in 18-½-inch models. The barrels and the receiver are made from alloy steel and I the find the black oxide finish on the metal to be quite attractive (reminiscent of deep bluing), but there are also nickel finish versions available. This model of the Badlander is a shade over 44 inches in length and weighs in at 7-½ pounds, which is not too heavy. The wood on this gun is lovely, a Turkish walnut-stained dark, and the effect along with the metal finish is eye catching.
The Badlander features double triggers, the traditional set up for double guns. Now if you have been used to shooting a single selective trigger, it will take you a minute to get used to the double triggers, but the transformation is easy. After switching to double triggers, I would say many, if not most shooters prefer the two triggers. The safety is on the tang, under your thumb where a safety should be, in my opinion.
The Badlander – on the Range and in the WoodsFrom the minute I saw the Badlander shotgun in the Heritage booth at SHOT Show, I knew I wanted to hunt with it. But first we had to go the range.
The shotgun impressed me – right out of the box. First, the shotgun went bang every time we pulled the trigger. This may seem a bit odd to mention but as I have written before and more than a few times, this is the first and primary thing that any firearm must do. While the break action on a side-by-side is one of the most basic and reliable actions for a shotgun, it still has to function, every time. The Badlander did; there were no failure to fire incidents. Likewise, the ejectors on the shotgun worked with gusto and ejected spent shell casings for a respectable distance.
Even more impressive to me was how the Badlander patterned on paper. With both the supplied full and modified screw-in chokes, the Badlander delivered acceptable patterns at 40 yards. With standard game loads and turkey loads with lead and TSS (tungsten super shot), the shotgun put plenty of pellets in the kill zone on turkey head targets.
These patterns were pleasing to see, but here is what really impressed me with the Badlander. The shotgun shot point-of-aim with every load tested. That is, the point of aim, where I was holding on the target was the same as the point of impact, where the pellets landed on the target. Believe me all double barrel shotguns, side-by-sides and over-and-under guns do not always do that. (For that matter, all single barrel shotguns don’t always do this function.) Even better, both barrels shot the same on target, again all double-barrel shotguns do not always do this.
Once I had the Badlander checked out on the range, taking it to the turkey woods this spring was a pleasure. In this day and age of specialized shotguns for turkey, some would raise eyebrows at using a basic side-by-side to the spring woods. No heavy pumps guns or semi-autos, no electronic optics and no shotgun camoed every inch. This was all you really needed.
Did I think I was limiting myself with the choice of the Badlander? Absolutely not. I was very confident in how this gun shoots. A turkey at 40 yards would be would be in a world of trouble. On three different occasions during this spring season, I was within a few steps of scoring with the Badlander, but is was not to be. The turkeys came very close, gobbling their heads off, but all three stayed behind a slight rise in the terrain and walked away unscathed. That is turkey hunting.
I had fun carrying the Badlander. It was light enough not to be a burden and it took me back to those who wore brown canvas vests and carried an ancient box call and a trusted double gun. It took me back to hunting with Dad and Grandad.
About the AuthorLarry Case has been a devoted outdoorsman since he was a child. He will admit to an addiction to turkey hunting (spring and fall), but refuses any treatment. He enjoys the company of turkeys and Cur dogs that are loud and people who speak the truth softly. He doesn’t consider himself an expert on anything, but has some pretty strong opinions on most everything.
Larry has a long suffering wife that has endured his hunting and fishing escapades for 30 years and two grown children who hope Dad will stop embarrassing them by wearing camo year-round and making comments about field dressing or skinning something in polite company.
He owns too many dogs, not enough shotguns and is usually scheming on a new hunting or fishing spot. Larry served 36 years as a DNR Law Enforcement Officer in West Virginia and retired with the rank of Captain.
He currently has a weekly outdoor, hunting, fishing and gun related column that appears in 8 newspapers in 5 states. He has published in “Outdoor Life,” “American Shooting Journal,” “NRA American Hunter” and “Guns and Ammo.” His website/blog is www.gunsandcornbread.com
