Call this the Year of the Shotgun: Of the 18 new guns we tested, 10 were smoothbores. And of these, four were side-by-side doubles. Having observed gun-buying trends for lo these many years, I've seen preferences for styles of shotguns ebb and flow like women's fashions. But the makes and models of side-by-sides available today indicate that this classic style is making a steady comeback. One cause, I'm convinced, is the desire of baby boomers to return to their roots, real and imagined, and the gentler times represented by hunting with a faithful dog and Grandpa's double.

There is also the delight of shooting a side-by-side and discovering that it isn't necessary to squint down a rib to hit a winging target. That's wing-shooting at its purest and most elegant. Also, the trend toward smaller gauges continues, with 28-gauge guns from Browning, Marlin (L.C. Smith) and Remington adding to a growing selection. The gauge's popularity has been spurred by the 28-gauge-only events in sporting clays and the discovery that it's not only less costly to practice with reloaded 28-gauge ammo than with larger gauges, but just as effective and certainly more pleasant.