My favorite gun is far from my most rare or expensive one. Its a 20 gauge side by side my grandfather bought in a cafe one morning. Its called a Plymouth, although some research says it was probably built by Cresant Arms. Hardware store double barrel.

It carries so well in the field, its lighter than a 12, fun to shoot, and since it doesn't have a "pedigree" I dont have to worry about scratching or dinging up the stock any worse than it is. I've got a much nicer Ithaca 16 gauge SxS but I usually leave it at home when I go small game or upland hunting.

Same goes for my normal hunting buddy. He's got a pair of overunders that he shoots clays with, but when we go hunting he usually grabs a side by side too. Just a mystique about them I guess. Since I quit playing the clay games, I've shot that little double barrel as much as anything I own. On the other hand, I dont think I've ever killed anything with my competition gun.

My friend and I both prefer a good break action, usually a SxS, to a repeater in the field. We're not shooting for food, so that 3rd shot doesn't matter as much to us. Plus the instant choice of choke (shoot the right or the left) makes up for the lack of a third shot to some degree. Not to mention I feel more sporting and dapper with my "junk" hardware store gun than I would with a $1000 Bretta autochucker