At a 1973 Geese Limitless banquet a customized Remington 1100 shotgun was auctioned to boost cash to assist fund sustainable duck habitat for North American waterfowl. That first 1100 began some of the profitable philanthropic efforts in DU historical past—the “Shotgun of the 12 months,” a program that continues in the present day. Every year a gun producer is chosen to construct a particular run of shotguns particularly made for the DU dinners that happen throughout the nation. And a few of these dinner weapons have turn into extremely coveted.
A complete of 140,023 DU dinner weapons have been offered, each penny made going to waterfowl and wetlands conservation. The one method to get a brand new mannequin is to purchase one at a DU occasion or on-line public sale, although older model like these will crop up on the used market. Additionally, you’ll be able to try DU’s Into the Vault on-line public sale that runs from November to early December yearly to see if one among these classics comes up on the market.
The Misplaced DU Dinner Weapons
DU by no means saved any of the dinner weapons when this system began in 1973. However as time handed, the belief set in that they need to have, and workers started on the lookout for a whole set. For years, each lead got here to a lifeless finish till Tony Palermo of Sulphur, Louisiana, was discovered. He not solely had one full assortment of DU dinner weapons, however three. Palermo donated one among them, and the weapons are on show at DU’s nationwide headquarters in Memphis.
1. Remington 1100 Magnum (1973)
By the early Seventies, DU had accomplished 1100 wetlands conservation tasks in Canada. These tasks helped waterfowl populations via robust instances, together with the early Sixties when drought decimated populations, shortening season lengths and limiting each day luggage. By 1973, the birds had rebounded. So, to commemorate the success in Canada, DU chosen the 1100—the identical variety of tasks accomplished on the prairie. The Remington 1100 Magnum—a 2 ¾-inch shotgun with a 30-inch full-choke barrel—was some of the fashionable auto-loaders of the period, alongside the Browning Auto-5. It was constructed to operate within the harsh components duck hunters usually discover themselves struggling via, one thing that had not been accomplished with a gas-operated semi-auto to that time. The 1100 was a darling amongst clay shooters as nicely and supplied in each gauge from 12 right down to .410-bore.
2. Winchester Mannequin 12 (1975)
DU went with one other duck searching favourite in 1975, the Winchester’s Mannequin 12. The pump gun was deemed “the right repeater,” and all you wanted was to swing it on a crossing mallard as soon as to know why—it was a well-engineered smoothbore that match scores of various shooters. This 12-gauge, 2¾-inch Winchester had a 30-inch full-choke barrel with high-grade walnut furnishings and a signature pink Winchester recoil pad. The DU gun was not overly decorative, becoming for a shotgun constructed to take a beating. Tastefully engraved, the Mannequin 12 sports activities a particular bronze receiver medallion, and the DU crest is hooked up to the pistol grip. Winchester debuted the M12 in 20-gauge in 1912, earlier than including 12- and 16-gauge two years later. There was additionally a 28-gauge variant and the .410 grew to become a separate line referred to as the Mannequin 42.
3. Browning A-5 (1987)
In 1987, DU celebrated its 50th anniversary with essentially the most well-known long-recoil shotgun in American historical past—John Browning’s timeless Auto-5. The gun is actually beautiful, together with an elaborately engraved silver receiver paired with high-grade walnut inventory and forearm. The phrases “Fiftieth 12 months” are engraved in banners throughout the bolt aspect of the receiver, a sleek Canada goose overlooking the scene. The 2¾-inch chamber was chosen over the 3-inch magnum model, however this dinner gun was meant for gathering, not searching. The Miroku factories in Japan constructed 5,000 of those Auto-5s, every of which had fastened modified chokes. Rock Island Public sale offered one of many 50th anniversary humpbacks for nearly $3,000 in April of 2022.
4. Beretta White Onyx (2005)
It took greater than 30 years for DU so as to add a break-action to the Shotgun of the 12 months assortment. Beretta’s 686 White Onyx, a well-liked over/below design, was chosen in 12-gauge. In 2008 and 2009 the 20- and 28-gauge White Onyx fashions adopted, making a coveted three-gun collector’s set. Every shotgun sports activities 28-inch barrels with Beretta’s Mobil choke system. The 12 and 20 have 3-inch chambers (28 has 2¾-inch) with polished nickel receivers set off by inlaid gold flying geese. In 2019, the 12-gauge Tremendous Black Eagle III started the subsequent set of DU dinner weapons, adopted by the matching 20-gauge in 2022, and the upcoming 28-gauge for 2023.
Learn Subsequent: Belgium vs. Japan: Who Made the Higher Browning Auto-5?
5. Browning Maxus (2012)
Browning scored one other milestone gun with the 3-inch, 12-gauge Maxus for DU’s 75th Anniversary. Browning utterly modified the outside of the gun just a few years in the past, debuting the Maxus II, however the authentic remains to be a strong duck auto-loader. Gasoline-operated, the Maxus includes a Grade III gloss walnut inventory and fore-end. Just like the 1987 A-5, this Browning has a fantastically engraved silver receiver with gold inlay. It additionally has a excessive polish 28-inch barrel that comes with three Invector-Plus choke tubes. The Maxus fore-end was totally different from another auto-loader as a result of it was engineered with the Velocity-Lok system. That allowed shooters to take away the forearm by urgent a button and lifting a lever, very similar to you’ll when eradicating the barrels from an over/below or side-by-side. It was touted as being a lot less complicated (and sooner) than unscrewing a fore-end cap, but additionally meant an extension journal couldn’t be used. That’s not a problem with the Maxus II.
