Shotgun

[KRob]

Ok i know this is way off subject for you folks but hopefully someone might be diverse enough to answer my questions. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have never used shotguns much ive got a single shot break away 20 guage that ive used but have no other experiance. I am looking for something to use for turkey, quail, chucker and plus maybe some skeet and varmints. Lookin maybe 200-400. Pump i think? up to sugestion

Anything suggestion would be nice. I dont want to go done to the store and get had though.

Thanks Robins

 

[Buffalobob]

Shotguns and wing shooting

Fit

Shooting a shotgun is like shooting a basketball. Repetitive muscle training. Some people are not very good at it. While every shotgun will claim to have the same dimensions of pull and drop etc this is not very accurate. Small eight and sixteenths of an inch translate into a foot or so at 30 and 40 yards. Two inches of extra barrel will cause a shotgun to change weight characteristics and mount and swing differently. A pointing gun may change into a swinging gun with a different barrel. A thick winter coat for late season chuckars may cause you to undershoot every rising bird. A great duck and goose gun will probably be a disaster for quail. Fit of the stock for a rising bird and for a passing shot are different.

How to tell that a gun doesn't fit. Take it to the skeet range and shoot the low tower. Does the gun consistently shoot over the clay? Does the gun always shoot to one side. A gun that consistently shoots to the left has a comb that is too thin. .

Dominant eye- If you are right handed make sure your right eye is your dominant eye. Other wise you have some tough decisions to make.


Gauge
I hunt doves, quail, grouse and sometimes turkey with a 20 gauge with 3" chambers. Early season chuckar an open choke 20 is pretty good but by late season they may flush wild and you may need a full choke and wish for a 12 gauge.
You don't mention ducks and geese which is the only reason I own a 12 gauge. Of course I grew up wing shooting with a 410 so a 20 gauge is a luxury to compensate for lack of practice.

A 12 gauge is probably a better choice for an adult beginner and offers more flexibility.

Barrel length is not like in a rifle. It doesn't do much for velocity- it gives you different handling characteristics and will help a little on shot pattern. A 26 inch barrel should be fine for what you list where you need a pointing gun. For geese I prefer a 28 inch for the smoother swing.

Rem 870 SPS w 26 inch barrel in 12 gauge would be the first gun I would look at. Although I will tell you that my shoulder can just barely handle the abuse from a 31/2 mag in an auto. I do not know if this is the correct price range but you can probably find a used one.

Simple reminder – fit is everything with a shotgun. A shotgun that does not shoulder properly is a worthless piece of trash.

 

[sniper2]

Interesting article,if you want to know if a shotgun fits the shooter, mount the shotgun on the shoulder of your dominant eye the center site should sit at the bottom of the front site forming a figure 8 if you don't have a center site mount the gun and look in a mirror or at someone that knows something about gun fit the mirrow or person will tell you that your pupil should be in line with the site in order to hit what you are aiming at.The front site of a shotgun is on the gun the rear site is your eye so you should see down the barrel level if you are to hit anything.If you think you have gun fit try shooting a piece of note book paper at your desired range for taking game or breaking clays.Shooting clays fron station 7 is good practice for beginners at skeet but is not the key to finding gun fit no pun intended BufBob...