MAN I LOVE SHOTGUNS!!!!!
I have yet to really meet a shotgun I did not like. I have owned everything from a .410 to a 12 and multiples of them all.
I am going to try and break down some things I like, dislike, loath and, owned and want. Why? Because I feel a need to talk shotty.
.410 For me the .410 is a great gun but I disagree agree with it being a great beginning gun. I think its only great if you have a shooter who is afraid of recoil. I look at a .410 as a expert gun when shooting shot. I think the reasoning is obvious but for a beginning missing targets can be discouraging to I think and again only if they arnt afraid of recoild a 28 or 20 is a better starter gun. I have owned both a 870 and 500 pump honestly I cant really say one is better than the other but if you made me choose Id opt 500 cos its cheaper. More money for ammo! The first shotgun I ever shot was a .410 H&R and I didnt shoot it till I was 21. The reason is honestly I was afraid of recoil. When I was a young teenager all my buddys started hunting and I wanted to participate. Now my Grandpa and Dad both was hunters and both felt a 20 was the way to go. However I was a skinny kid and all my buddys swore a 20 was to big for me. That xmas my Dad got me a 20 youth NEF I was scared. My Grandfather told me to stand firm and he'd show me what to expect, he then punched me in the shoulder and my butt hit the ground. Now I dont blame my Grandfather for this at all, I know he had no intention on knocking me on my butt. I think at worst he didnt realize just how small I was and honestly I probably wasnt standing as firm as I should and flinched. He tried for years to make up for it offering me several old .410 sxs but I was done. Then when I turned 21 I started a new job made a friend and started squirrel hunting with him. I started with a .22 and he used a 12 after a few weeks of me missing and him hitting I decided to go buy a .410 honestly I was still scared. I packed that thing for a week and never fired it once. Then one day my Dad and I went out and shot it, I fired it one time and remember turning to him and saying "Ahhh Hell!" Hand me that 835, a gun he just won in a raffle. He tried to get me to work my way up but I wasnt having it. And from that day on the harder the recoil the bigger the chubby.
28 This by far is my bread and butter I just love a 28. I have only had 2 a H&R Topper and a EAA IZH-27 O/U. The topper I used for squirrels for a few years and the IZH-27 I used for clays and upland hunting. My shooting greatly improved when I started shooting a 28 I think it was due to 2 factors. 1. Less recoil 2. I didnt expect to hit as much because I had a small gun. Sometimes when your expectations are low its easier to exceed those. Not that Id ever tell someone to buy ANYTHING because you have fewer expectations and more room to impress or anything along that nature. It just worked out well for me. I will have another 28 before rabbit season 2013. Just have to decide on which one. SR II, Franchi auto, CZ O/U I dunno but it wont be a sxs I can tell you that.
20 One of the first guns I packed alot hunting was a 20 870 light weight with a english or straight stock. This gun also had a short barrel if memory serves correctly between 22-24 mark. Only thing this gun couldnt shoot was slugs talk about the bottom falling out. I missed 2 does in one day took it home and decided better find out my exact poi and this thing was shooting about 2 ft low at 30yds. I like a 20 but to me its the perfect beginner gun and after away I feel most will either stay and love a 20, move up to 12 or take the challenge of a 28 or 410. For me I kinda wish I had a 20 for turkey hunting but other than that you can keep em. I did buy my wife a 500 youth 20 and she loves it and am looking for a single shot 20 to fit to my 7 year old.
16 Another one of my favorites, I have only owned 2 though. A 500 and a western field bolt action basically a mossy. Both of these guns had polly chokes and was a serious early squirrel season killer. I really liked the polly choke feature cos I could tighten it when busting through thick folage or open it up for those tree jumpers. I'll probably look for another one some day but I think it will highly depend on being able to locate a reloader and wads and keeping them around.
12 The standard of standards, there isnt a single bad thing you could say about a 12. I couldnt even begin to tell you what all Ive owned but a few favorites was a Remington Model 11, Browning A-5, Browning B80, Savage 210f, Mossberg 590a and Beretta 390. 12's are just the best all around gun period for me, you can use it for everything home defense and there isnt a critter alive you can drop with one what more can I say?
10 I have shot one, a single shot with no pad what so ever. Killed on both ends :mrgreen: Got to say though I have a growing desire to own one. Probably wont shoot it alot but I think it be a fun range gun especially to watch guys thats never shot one before.
A few other things.....
1. I love reloading shot shells easy fun and time consuming. I have never reloaded to save money I only reload to have the shells available. But like I said I really enjoy sitting behind a press I dont care if its a single stage Lee Load All or a progressive Mec 9000
2. O/U vs SxS...For me O/U all the way....I couldnt hit a broad side of a barn with a SxS everyone has always told me take it out and shoot it. It doesnt help, my Grandfather had a 20 he let me use for a few years I probably put 1000 or 2 rounds out of it and probably only hit my target 25% of the time.
3. Autoloader....when the work they are a blast, when you have issues can be a royal pain. Id like the way the 930s look but am afraid to purchase one due to the number of issues with them. I really think Im just going to pinch some pennys or wait till tax time 2014 and buy a Benelli M2 if I opt for another autoloader....either that or a older 1100.
4. Pump...Got one thing to say about the pump. THE SOUND MAN THE SOUND!
5. Single Shot...who here didnt either start on one or shoot the heck out of one in the beginning? One other thing I like about these are most people accuracy improves from what Ive seen. The reason cos you have to!
6. Muzzleloading Shotgun....Never had one never shot one, but I will. Dont know when, dont know how but that just looks like WAY to much fun. I live pretty close to Friendship IN which has 2 big muzzleloading events a year. Most of the evens are for tradtional muzzys but I love watching those guys shoot trap. Big white cloud having to wait a second for it to clear to see if you smoked the bird or not....O man I wanna do that something fierce. And when I do get one, Gooble Gobble bang smoke dead :mrgreen:
Anyways thats all I got for now, I just felt the need to express my love for shotguns. Those who choose can take their rifles and pistols and have alot of fun. But for me even though I'll probably own rifles and pistols a shotgun is the most fun and most well rounded gun.
If anyone feels the desire please share your overall thoughts as I have about these great boomsticks
I have yet to really meet a shotgun I did not like. I have owned everything from a .410 to a 12 and multiples of them all.
I am going to try and break down some things I like, dislike, loath and, owned and want. Why? Because I feel a need to talk shotty.
.410 For me the .410 is a great gun but I disagree agree with it being a great beginning gun. I think its only great if you have a shooter who is afraid of recoil. I look at a .410 as a expert gun when shooting shot. I think the reasoning is obvious but for a beginning missing targets can be discouraging to I think and again only if they arnt afraid of recoild a 28 or 20 is a better starter gun. I have owned both a 870 and 500 pump honestly I cant really say one is better than the other but if you made me choose Id opt 500 cos its cheaper. More money for ammo! The first shotgun I ever shot was a .410 H&R and I didnt shoot it till I was 21. The reason is honestly I was afraid of recoil. When I was a young teenager all my buddys started hunting and I wanted to participate. Now my Grandpa and Dad both was hunters and both felt a 20 was the way to go. However I was a skinny kid and all my buddys swore a 20 was to big for me. That xmas my Dad got me a 20 youth NEF I was scared. My Grandfather told me to stand firm and he'd show me what to expect, he then punched me in the shoulder and my butt hit the ground. Now I dont blame my Grandfather for this at all, I know he had no intention on knocking me on my butt. I think at worst he didnt realize just how small I was and honestly I probably wasnt standing as firm as I should and flinched. He tried for years to make up for it offering me several old .410 sxs but I was done. Then when I turned 21 I started a new job made a friend and started squirrel hunting with him. I started with a .22 and he used a 12 after a few weeks of me missing and him hitting I decided to go buy a .410 honestly I was still scared. I packed that thing for a week and never fired it once. Then one day my Dad and I went out and shot it, I fired it one time and remember turning to him and saying "Ahhh Hell!" Hand me that 835, a gun he just won in a raffle. He tried to get me to work my way up but I wasnt having it. And from that day on the harder the recoil the bigger the chubby.
28 This by far is my bread and butter I just love a 28. I have only had 2 a H&R Topper and a EAA IZH-27 O/U. The topper I used for squirrels for a few years and the IZH-27 I used for clays and upland hunting. My shooting greatly improved when I started shooting a 28 I think it was due to 2 factors. 1. Less recoil 2. I didnt expect to hit as much because I had a small gun. Sometimes when your expectations are low its easier to exceed those. Not that Id ever tell someone to buy ANYTHING because you have fewer expectations and more room to impress or anything along that nature. It just worked out well for me. I will have another 28 before rabbit season 2013. Just have to decide on which one. SR II, Franchi auto, CZ O/U I dunno but it wont be a sxs I can tell you that.
20 One of the first guns I packed alot hunting was a 20 870 light weight with a english or straight stock. This gun also had a short barrel if memory serves correctly between 22-24 mark. Only thing this gun couldnt shoot was slugs talk about the bottom falling out. I missed 2 does in one day took it home and decided better find out my exact poi and this thing was shooting about 2 ft low at 30yds. I like a 20 but to me its the perfect beginner gun and after away I feel most will either stay and love a 20, move up to 12 or take the challenge of a 28 or 410. For me I kinda wish I had a 20 for turkey hunting but other than that you can keep em. I did buy my wife a 500 youth 20 and she loves it and am looking for a single shot 20 to fit to my 7 year old.
16 Another one of my favorites, I have only owned 2 though. A 500 and a western field bolt action basically a mossy. Both of these guns had polly chokes and was a serious early squirrel season killer. I really liked the polly choke feature cos I could tighten it when busting through thick folage or open it up for those tree jumpers. I'll probably look for another one some day but I think it will highly depend on being able to locate a reloader and wads and keeping them around.
12 The standard of standards, there isnt a single bad thing you could say about a 12. I couldnt even begin to tell you what all Ive owned but a few favorites was a Remington Model 11, Browning A-5, Browning B80, Savage 210f, Mossberg 590a and Beretta 390. 12's are just the best all around gun period for me, you can use it for everything home defense and there isnt a critter alive you can drop with one what more can I say?
10 I have shot one, a single shot with no pad what so ever. Killed on both ends :mrgreen: Got to say though I have a growing desire to own one. Probably wont shoot it alot but I think it be a fun range gun especially to watch guys thats never shot one before.
A few other things.....
1. I love reloading shot shells easy fun and time consuming. I have never reloaded to save money I only reload to have the shells available. But like I said I really enjoy sitting behind a press I dont care if its a single stage Lee Load All or a progressive Mec 9000
2. O/U vs SxS...For me O/U all the way....I couldnt hit a broad side of a barn with a SxS everyone has always told me take it out and shoot it. It doesnt help, my Grandfather had a 20 he let me use for a few years I probably put 1000 or 2 rounds out of it and probably only hit my target 25% of the time.
3. Autoloader....when the work they are a blast, when you have issues can be a royal pain. Id like the way the 930s look but am afraid to purchase one due to the number of issues with them. I really think Im just going to pinch some pennys or wait till tax time 2014 and buy a Benelli M2 if I opt for another autoloader....either that or a older 1100.
4. Pump...Got one thing to say about the pump. THE SOUND MAN THE SOUND!
5. Single Shot...who here didnt either start on one or shoot the heck out of one in the beginning? One other thing I like about these are most people accuracy improves from what Ive seen. The reason cos you have to!
6. Muzzleloading Shotgun....Never had one never shot one, but I will. Dont know when, dont know how but that just looks like WAY to much fun. I live pretty close to Friendship IN which has 2 big muzzleloading events a year. Most of the evens are for tradtional muzzys but I love watching those guys shoot trap. Big white cloud having to wait a second for it to clear to see if you smoked the bird or not....O man I wanna do that something fierce. And when I do get one, Gooble Gobble bang smoke dead :mrgreen:
Anyways thats all I got for now, I just felt the need to express my love for shotguns. Those who choose can take their rifles and pistols and have alot of fun. But for me even though I'll probably own rifles and pistols a shotgun is the most fun and most well rounded gun.
If anyone feels the desire please share your overall thoughts as I have about these great boomsticks
