I think I am liking a shotgun over a rifle, which is a big change for me

Around my property we do have occasional predators. We rarely see any two-legged "accidental" visitors since out driveway is 900-feet long., but we do get our share of the four legged and winged variety.

For years I wanted rifles to suffice near every door and out in the barns. From .22LR to .308. And I found that I never had to commit to a necessary shot beyond 40-50 yards, because at that distance it just wasn't a threat to my home and livestock.

And the winged variety simply get encouraged to leave the area and not come back. It doesn't take them long to learn they are not welcome. Sky blasts work pretty well to chase them off.

So I am liking shotguns a whole lot these days.

The "shotgun" thing for me is the versatility of the ammo selection accommodating everything from clays to bears. Plus the ability to mix your load out in high threat environments.

The other thing, in my opinion, that drives selection of a weapon is the environment and surroundings where you live. Selecting a weapon for everyday 300 plus yard shots on a wide open ranch is totally different than living in the deep woods where 20 to 30 yards shots are common and brush and limbs tend to deflect cartridges. In recent years there has been a trend in embracing light weight, higher velocity, flat shooting cartridges. While these are great for wide open terrain they are not well suited to brush or the woods. Something as small as a .223 can be deflected by a blackberry bush.

Shotguns excell for under 100 yard shots and make excellent truck guns or home defense guns.

Regards

I have 3 shotguns now (12 ga Mossy & two old 16’s,) but I don’t have a .410

Now John has got me thinking about the load out on my .45-70.

Snake, coyote, boar, bear, and then anything with antlers, in that order.

So maybe . . .

A #7 shot wax load
A #4 shot wax load
A #2 buckshot load
A 500 grn wad cutter
A 400 grain spitzer

Maybe I’m just overthinking this completely, but when you have the liberties to do so, that’s half the fun.

Shooting wax loads through a rifle barrel is not something I would do more than necessary. I am only thinking about self defense against predators and that once in a lifetime big game shot.

Selection of a weapon certainly depends, in part, on the intended target ranging, for example, anywhere from squirrels to bears. That aside, I've always thought about the selection of a particular weapon simular to a bag of golf clubs. Each club has it's purpose and maximum effective range. You're certainly not going to select a 9 iron to hit off the tee on a par 5 hole nor would you use a driver instead of a pitching wedge to hit the green from 30 yards out. Having a range of weapons is, in my opinion, no different than carrying a full complement of clubs in your golf bag. Each weapon and caliber has it's own characteristics and limitations. Like in golf, knowing which one to select for the particular task at hand is where knowledge and lots of practice comes in.

Regards

That was certainly ummmmm interesting.

That’s kind of why I bought the long 16 gauge single shot. I think it would be cool to muzzle load it.

I’m not sure I would do it quite like that.

Good idea but this was obviously produced when you could buy 209 primers!

You can buy little kits to mix up the chemicals and refill a used primer or even re-prime rimfires.

CaddmannQ, There is an old thread titled "Reloading Primer" in the Ammunition section of the forum that discusses renewing primers.

Regard

Especially when you do this

Pretty AWESOME!!!!!!!!

Sporting clays with a pump shotgun is a great way to learn how to shoot fast as well as hit what your shooting at. It’s also really fun!