In another thread, Byrd_Huntr said: "For the price of a new double gun, you could probably get a nice used .22 AND a used 20ga."

I completely agree. The price of over/unders is insane. I'd be scared to take it out of the display case. What good is that?

Much better to go with an individual .22 and a shotgun. These are the firearms that were found in every pioneer household in Canada. I would bet that if you make some contacts, you could get a pair of perfectly serviceable used items for a couple hundred bucks or so, total. There's nothing wrong with single shots either; they're simple and robust, and in fact I prefer them. I doubt you're planning to go to war anytime soon.

You'll pay through the nose for those boutique shotgun gauges. Go for a 12 ga. and tailor the shells you buy to your needs (and tolerance for recoil). You can get low report 12 ga. shells that are quite inexpensive and have much less recoil.

My 5c.