This is a shameless plug for the Browning A5 20 Gauge. But in all fairness, it deserves it. Too often, we regard the features on firearms as nothing more than marketing buzz words, space-filling bullet points, and general functionality posing as innovation. However, there are days in the field when those well-designed features more than live up to the marketing hype and become an integral part of the experience. This is one of those stories.

“What are you hunting?” my talkative seatmate asked on a recent flight to Alaska.

“Ptarmigan.” I replied.

“Just ptarmigan? No caribou? Moose? Bear?”

“Yep, just ptarmigan.”

The fishing lodge we were staying at seemed equally perplexed. We had sent several shotguns to their place for clients who wanted to chase a few birds after a day of fishing. But we were going to wait to wet a line until after we had reached a limit of birds. It was backwards to them, but we didn’t care. I wanted to put the A5 20 to a test that was beyond that of a simple dove field or pheasant farm.

Joining me on the hunt were well-known outdoor writer and personality Scott Haugen and Syndie Wells, of Barstool Sports fame. Scott had a great interest in capturing compelling imagery and focusing on the written word, while Syndie filmed for an episode of her Barstool Outdoors YouTube series. Neither had spent much time behind the new A5 20, and I was just as eager to witness their experience as I was to have my own. My co-worker, Shaundi Campbell, and I played makeshift hosts, hoping to double dip on a rare fishing trip. The fishing never really materialized, as chasing the brown and white tundra ptarmigan proved too much fun despite the challenging environment.

Arguably, the muskeg of the northern tundra is one of the most challenging hiking areas a hunter can experience. Often swampy, but always uneven, the awkward mounds of moss and loose vegetation covering rocks, boulders, sand, and water require nothing more than your full attention. While your left foot moves to the right, your right foot moves backward, until you regain your balance and your left foot sinks, and your right foot lurches to the left. And if you do manage to catch your footing, be prepared to be knocked off balance by the constant 40-mph winds. You’re grateful for those, though, because mosquitoes, black flies, and no-see-ums are the alternative.

The point is that, when you’re constantly being distracted by outside forces and environments, that is not the time to battle your equipment. Ill-fitting boots, leaky rainwear, and heavy shotguns are not welcome here. Proper equipment that functions as designed and advertised becomes critical to success.

Enter the A5 20 Gauge. With a scaled-down sub-gauge receiver, built from premium-grade aluminum alloy, the buzzword “lightweight” became paramount to its performance on the tundra. While every ounce of you strains to keep yourself upright on the uneven terrain, the sub-6-pound shotgun becomes noticeably unnoticeable.

That’s not being overly dramatic. That’s the reality, and the reason for the shameless plug. Browning's team of engineers and product managers worked tirelessly on building a shotgun that performed with meaning. Being 5 pounds, 9 ounces isn’t just a fun bullet point in a catalog; it’s a game-changer in the field. While my legs were aching each night after the hunt, my arms weren’t.

So, why does being lightweight really matter? In a word, performance. I spent a fair amount of time at the trap and sporting clay ranges this summer. The gun of choice was our new Citori 825. Unlike the A5 20 Gauge, the 825 sporting platforms are built with advantageous added weight. On a controlled, stationary platform, the added weight of the Citori aids in fluid swing, consistent speed, longer sight planes, and reduced felt recoil. Again, feature sets that have real-world meaning. But in the field, you don’t have the luxury of a controlled environment. Fatigue becomes a factor, and performance suffers as a result.

It doesn’t matter how well a heavy gun breaks clays if, after a day of field work, you’re a half second behind a flushing flock because your arms are too tired to get the barrels going. If you want to give yourself the best opportunity when the time comes, you’d better put yourself in the best position possible. Carry an unnoticeable gun, especially when other factors consume all your energy. Your performance will change for the better.

Being lightweight to carry only goes so far. I can bring a lot of lightweight items to the field. But the purpose of a shotgun is to hit birds. So, how does a light-to-carry shotgun shoot? Well, in short, spectacular. In all honesty, I really didn’t notice how lightweight it was to carry until I had to stop suddenly, catch my breath, catch my balance, and swing on a fast-escaping ptarmigan flush.

I vividly remember thinking, “Wow, that was smooth.” Light in the hands means nimble in the swing and quick to the target. The word “natural” is another way of saying it.

Despite stumbling through moors and alder thickets, fighting off bugs, balancing against wind, dripping with sweat, and being chilled by the wind, when it was go-time, all of those external forces went by the wayside. The A5 20 Gauge rose to my shoulder, found the bird, swept to a lead, and fired off a nearly recoilless round.

Not every shot connected, but enough did to be successful. Every shot brought a smile to my face, mainly because I didn’t notice it. In the end, I still had enough arm strength to fight a few coho in the river later in the day.

The tundra of Alaska is a bit extreme for an upland gun test. So, after I returned home, I took my A5 20 on a more conventional hunt on the Utah dove opener. A short walk down a beaten path to a grove of trees surrounded by sunflowers. Hardly the muskeg of Alaska. Nevertheless, I found myself joyfully enjoying the lightweight nature of the gun, even though I didn’t need it. Speedy doves met their fate with the fast-swinging barrels and effortless target acquisition. Fast, nimble, quick to handle, fun to shoot. The A5 20 deserves the shameless plug.