A Little Shotgun Help, Please!

[Buster]

Wow! Page bookmarked! I had never looked into it, but I've been looking for a shotgun for DW and the 870's I've been looking into in the store have been $300 so that's not to shabby at all.

Of course, at this point I don't know if I can re-train myself to shoot that way. I've hunted so much with my regular 870 that I'm afraid when the birds jump up I would shoulder that thing on my right shoulder and hurt myself when the shell ejects.

Something I could totally see happening LOL.

 

[birdsofparadise]

Quote:
Exactly! The lower the number, the larger the bore and the longer the range and stopping power (ie: 410 to 10 gauge). The lower the shot number (#12 to 00), the larger the shot and fewer pellets until you get to a slug which is a single, 1 oz bullet.

The most versatile shotgun would be a 12 gauge taking 3" shells and having an adjustable choke to allow for tighter shot patterns. Both Remington & Winchester make this combination that will shoot all of the most popular ammunition and be capable to taking almost any North American game at appropriate ranges.

PS: Recoil or "kick" is highly overrated. First, the weight of the gun itself absorbs most of the recoil; and second you will never fire more than a half a dozen shells in a actual morning of hunting. Trap & skeet shooters using 100ʻs of rounds over a weekend have to worry about recoil, not hunters.

 

[Buster]

Quote:
Exactly! The lower the number, the larger the bore and the longer the range and stopping power (ie: 410 to 10 gauge). The lower the shot number (#12 to 00), the larger the shot and fewer pellets until you get to a slug which is a single, 1 oz bullet.

The most versatile shotgun would be a 12 gauge taking 3" shells and having an adjustable choke to allow for tighter shot patterns. Both Remington & Winchester make this combination that will shoot all of the most popular ammunition and be capable to taking almost any North American game at appropriate ranges.

PS: Recoil or "kick" is highly overrated. First, the weight of the gun itself absorbs most of the recoil; and second you will never fire more than a half a dozen shells in a actual morning of hunting. Trap & skeet shooters using 100ʻs of rounds over a weekend have to worry about recoil, not hunters.

Agreed completely. And actually, I went out with mine the other day and shot skeet- hadn't fired the gun in a couple of months- and didn't notice any bad effects from any "kick". 12 gauge is the way to go.

 

[tileman@prodigBird Raiser]

i have a remington 870 20 gauge. I have used it on everything. I have shot squirrels to turkeys. Very good gun. Open sites. Best gun.

 

[menageriemama]

Quote:
I have the same issue!!! My dad was a hunter's safety instructor for years , and when he did my eye test he was a bit perplexed

I have adjusted as well- and am a pretty darn good shot if I do say so myself

 

[Bassleg]

amazondoc wrote:
What makes a gun left-handed




I am left handed and I shoot a lot I have no problem shooting right
handed shotguns pump or semi-autos so don't let that stop you from buying a right gun.

A left handed gun has the shell ejector on the left side of the gun.

 

[amazondoc]

Thanks for the info!

 

[invalidsession]

Quote:
If you can find one, i'd personally recomend a Miroku O&U 12g with single selectable trigger. Built under Browning licence these are one fine weapon and are available with invector chokes to cover all ranges and aspects of shooting.
FWIW, shotgun gauge is determined by the amount of lead balls that measure the same internal diameter as the barrel and total 1lb in weight, ergo; a 12 gauge = 12 lead balls to make 1lb whereas a 20 would require 20 balls of smaller diameter to make the same weight. All very interesting until it comes to the 410 which is perversely measured in the old imperial system and therefore measures .410" in diameter

 

[onthespot]

"tighter spray" or pattern, is affected by the choke, or the shape of the end of the barrel where the shot leaves the gun. There are different chokes you can get to give the pattern you desire at the distance you want. You can take a sheet of drafting paper, or newspaper or what have you, and hang it up somewhere safe for shooting and pace off thirty yards, sixty yards, or what distance you want to get a good pattern, shoot the paper, go up and look at it and see if the majority of pellets are around two inches apart, or to see if they tend to cluster to one side, or are WAY too dispersed to be effective against game. I prefer a vintage Ithaca 20 ga. just has a good feel to it. The amount of kick depends on the pressure of the load you are shooting vs the mass (weight) of the shotgun. There are countless recipes for custom shot shell loads that are optimal for a certain gun or pattern at a certain distance, or which travel faster, stay tighter pattern, produce less kick but travel as fast as a harder kick producing load. I assume you will be buying over the counter shells, so that is a moot point, other than to let you know there is a lot more to it than 12 or 20 gauge. So, type of shotgun, type of choke, and type of load in the shell, shock absorbing pad, making sure it has the right length of pull and is a balanced gun that you don't have to use all your energy to keep the barrel up all add up to whether or not you are going to have fun when you go hunting.
PS I don't own a shotgun but I used to shoot clays a few years ago with a borrowed gun and a guy that knew a lot about shotguns, loading shells, special loads. He had a great one he called his "powderpuff" load and it barely kicked at all, but it could pulverize and disitegrate a clay at any distance. I wish I had the recipe now.... Now look what you did. I wanna go shoot some clays... PLOW! (puff) woo hoo!

 

[bluey]

Love all the useful information. Keep it coming please.