shotgun for new shotgunner

[x2ndxall]

Lance is just looking out for the industry. He thinks you should buy one of each, ie, do your research.

What's asking a bunch of gun nuts a gun question if not research? And how does that differ from reading the opinions of other random gun nuts (authors), other than the ability to get numerous opinions with a single question?

Doing what you did is exactly what you should have done.

 

[Flopsweat]

There is a difference between asking a few initial questions, and being a pest or a time sink. It's smart to respond nicely to newbies...

I am not a shotgun person but somehow ended up with a Winchester 1300 (?) 12 guage and I did go out and buy a Mossy 20-guage, more for my wife than anything. I like the 20 guage but feeding it defensive ammo seems harder for some reason I don't understand. Just not that much out there.

I wonder if lightly-loaded 12-guage shells could be used. Might help the recoil-shy, and increase how many can be loaded if they are short (?), but the gun is still going to be a lot larger and unwieldy.

Overall I don't really see what a shotgun can do that an AR-15 can't (defensively anyway). The reverse is not true however.

Several companies make low-recoil loads in different weights. Low recoil slugs are a bit pricy, but I've found Fiocchi reduced recoil buffered copper plated 00 buckshot to be very good quality for the money. Also, if price isn't a big issue there are several recoil reducing butstocks out there. Combine the two and you've got a pretty pleasant shooting firearm.

 

[waglockfan]

My first purchase was a Mossberg 590 20" barrel. I heard that bayonet lug calling out to me from across room and I then declared "you're coming home with me!" While not for trap, it is a designated HD weapon and occasional range toy to test out various slug and buckshot loads. It really loves the copper washed 00 stuff from Federal. My second was a Mossberg 835. This thing runs thru 2 3/4, 3, & 3 1/2 with zero issues even when mixing loads in the tube. The barrels are ported and overbored, this overbore is claimed to help with steel shot to form better groupings so that is what I run. I'm not sure of the rules for trap and clays concerning steel though. The safety is on the tang, which feels more "natural" to me. Various factory barrels are available to make it a viable HD cylinder bored gun, to rifled barrel slug slinging deer slayer. Prices are not bad at all, my 835 ran me $275 w/ 3 Carlson aftermarket chokes and a 20 round box of 3" #4 shot steel rounds. There is a guy down the road from you in Aurora with a 28" 835 for $200. If I was not out of town on business it would be in my closet as we speak.

My .02

Happy Shootin

 

[Joe13]

My first purchase was a Mossberg 590 20" barrel. I heard that bayonet lug calling out to me from across room and I then declared "you're coming home with me!" While not for trap, it is a designated HD weapon and occasional range toy to test out various slug and buckshot loads. It really loves the copper washed 00 stuff from Federal. My second was a Mossberg 835. This thing runs thru 2 3/4, 3, & 3 1/2 with zero issues even when mixing loads in the tube. The barrels are ported and overbored, this overbore is claimed to help with steel shot to form better groupings so that is what I run. I'm not sure of the rules for trap and clays concerning steel though. The safety is on the tang, which feels more "natural" to me. Various factory barrels are available to make it a viable HD cylinder bored gun, to rifled barrel slug slinging deer slayer. Prices are not bad at all, my 835 ran me $275 w/ 3 Carlson aftermarket chokes and a 20 round box of 3" #4 shot steel rounds. There is a guy down the road from you in Aurora with a 28" 835 for $200. If I was not out of town on business it would be in my closet as we speak.

My .02

Happy Shootin

Ever play with bird or buck shot in your rifled barrel? Talk about a huge spread at 3 yards

 

[Doc In UPlace]

Mossberg 930 with an x-rail magazine:

 

[Joe13]

Overkill!!!

 

[waglockfan]

Ever play with bird or buck shot in your rifled barrel? Talk about a huge spread at 3 yards

I don't have a rifled barrel.....thick walled cylinder on the 590, and 4 different chokes on the 835 with the 24" barrel. I might pick one up to see if I like hunting with sabot slugs, figure I might go that route as I've heard rifled is more accurate than a cylinder with "rifled" Foster slugs. However, my 7mm Mag can take care of anything I desire to point my rifle at.

 

[DeanMk]

ok I have been thinking about this for a while and I think I wanna start getting into trap and skeet. I doubt I will ever be serious and I am almost positive I will never compete. Considering this what type of gun and gauge do you think is best? I dont need super analytical analysis (i dont think).. if you think a 20 gauge over under is all i need let me know I can start to look for one.

**disclaimer...I did absolutely no analysis/searching before posting this.....I am looking to this forum for help.

thanks a bunch.

I think a 20 ga. o/u is a great choice.
The chambering is small, and thus better suited to the restrictions one finds at most gun ranges, but not so small that it makes shooting more of a challenge than it may already be, or has to be.
Actually anything past a single shot would be a good choice, as skeet requires multiple shots (some can do it with a single, but its just another technique you'd have to learn and this would take something away from you honing your actual shooting instincts).
Most important is to find a gun that fits YOU.
Discovering that will make all the other aspects of a successful shoot happen that much easier.
Good luck.


Dean

 

[h2oguy]

I started with CZ Canvasback over under 28", and now I shoot a Beretta Teyknys semi auto with a 26" for both trap and skeet. A lot depends on your budget, my CZ $600 got me started, and the Beretta Teknys was $2100. The semi-auto will have less kick but only the use of one choke, where as the over under allows the use of 2 chokes and has a bit meaner kick, and is usually more for sporting clays and skeet. Pump only for trap but that gets old fast. Because you will want to eventually shoot doubles at trap.

my preference is the semi auto and of course in 12 gauge

 

[p_jackson]

I shoot trap with a Parker side by side only because it was given to me. Sweet Gun!
I own a 870, 500 and 930 as well.
Asking a man what kind of gun to buy is like asking what woman to date.
Pete

 

[U8395279]

Lance Jacobs said: ↑
That would be of far greater help to him, than critiquing my advice to him.

Wow, man your way off base and a little insulting.

My earlier comment was hardly insulting in any way. You are way overreacting. I simply pointed out that your critique of my advice was unnecessary, and did nothing whatsoever to help the OP. And that is all 100% true.

We all learn a little differently and you are the one that came in judging the guy for a disclaimer that he hadn't "done his own research". If you thought so little of his post then why give him all the good info and scold him all in the same post?

You really are overreacting in a most emotional way here. I never scolded the OP. I simply told him that he made a mistake, in my opinion. I simply feel that there is a better way to learn. I'm not "judging" him in any way. I'm simply saying that there is a superior way for him to go about reaching his goal.

I though my critique of your actual advice about shotguns was very good, I believe I wrote "decent points" from the get go at the beginning of the post. Apologies if that was misconstrued somehow.

Well, but my comments were not directed at you. They were for the benefit of the OP. So I don't understand at all why you felt it necessary to interject yourself, and act as both judge and jury in judging my post.

As far as help goes, it's not even a matter of "want or not want" to take a guy out and let him sample some of my shotguns - I try to take interested people as often as I can and find great joy in it, but my time right now is severely limited and the best I could do for him was to give him what he asked for "opinions".

I simply noticed that both you and he live in the same city. If you are not available to offer him any assistance, let's hope that someone else that lives in the Vancouver area perhaps can.

Get off the high horse and be a little more neighborly or don't, it's not my place to tell you how to do anything.

If anyone here has been on a "high horse", it has most certainly been yourself, for going so far out of your way to judge and criticize my advice to the OP. And to do it so extensively and in such a condescending manner.

If you wish to see someone riding a "high horse", you only need to look in the mirror.
.

 

[Stomper]

Overkill!!!

Ahem.... there is NO such thing.

 

[Joe13]

Ok

 

[semperfi68to70]

Asking a man what kind of gun to buy is like asking what woman to date.

Easy question to answer; beautiful, rich and owns a combination drive through liquor store and gun shop.

 

[tlfreek]

Asking a man what kind of gun to buy is like asking what woman to date.
Pete

Asking for ideas and recommendations are just that. You guys would be surprised, but some of the best purchases I've made were ideas from others. several vehicles were suggestions from others, in fact, my current employer was a recommendation from my prior manager.

your correlation to selecting a date is not close to a parallel argument. It does crack me up how deep you guys try to dig to prove a point that doesn't exist.

 

[Joe13]

Asking for ideas and recommendations are just that. You guys would be surprised, but some of the best purchases I've made were ideas from others. several vehicles were suggestions from others, in fact, my current employer was a recommendation from my prior manager.

your correlation to selecting a date is not close to a parallel argument. It does crack me up how deep you guys try to dig to prove a point that doesn't exist.

Not sure whether to ask you to lock the thread or keep it open as it has turned into somewhat of a train wreck situation...

 

[tlfreek]

Not sure whether to ask you to lock the thread or keep it open as it has turned into somewhat of a train wreck situation...

are you insane? i wanna ask if i should buy a 9mm or 40 for a carry gun. that would be awesome right there

 

[Stomper]

This thread has OFFICIALLY entered the zone.

 

[Joe13]

are you insane? i wanna ask if i should buy a 9mm or 40 for a carry gun. that would be awesome right there

 

[x2ndxall]

are you insane? i wanna ask if i should buy a 9mm or 40 for a carry gun. that would be awesome right there

Oh, you should definitely get a .25 or .380. 9s and 40s are way too big to start out with. Since you haven't done your homework, you've probably never used a firearm in your life so you should start small. Cause who knows, if you get one that makes sense, maybe you'll decide you don't like guns and stuff. And then you'll be stuck with one that's really easy to sell. And stuff.
Good luck with the original topic though, shotguns are really fun if you have time to use them.