fun shotgun for newbie

T

TheBear

New member
Hi,

I never owned or even shot a shotgun. Now I want to get one for small range (max 35yards) rat/mouse/dove hunting and fun shooting in my garden. It should be pretty small, with little recoil and noise, something like the .22lr of shotguns...
I have no idea about shotgun calibers, chokes(??) or anything like this.
 
35yds is extreme range for a .410, but that should fit the bill.

Lots of old bolt action, pumps and single shots out there. Hunt the used gun shops till you find one that's rust free and fits.
 
Lots of 410 choices - some real crap, some real gems, and a bunch somewhere in between

Single shots, SxS, O/U, pumps and semis - all can be had in the diminutive 410, and will do the job - 35 is about the max range, but it is doable
 
I know oneounceload cringes everytime he sees one mentioned in a post... but I would go converted Saiga in 410. Ton of fun to shoot! If you plan on primarily using it for clays and bird hunting then I would go with pump, semi auto, sxs, O/U

saiga410k01.jpg
 
Cringe is close............GACKING would be more like it.....:D

Personally, a model 42 would be ideal AND have a touch of class..........;)
 
any recomendements for a break barrel .410 shotgun? Double barrel would be nice to.
Click to expand...

Just remember that with a double barrel the price goes up.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=255225547

Really all you have to do is haunt pawn shops and other places till you find what you want. Another option is online sites such as gunbroker.com

Shotguns are very simple machines and will last pretty much forever. That means the used market is full of good deals.

This Stevens will kill rats and bunnies just fine.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=256237016
 
I’m in the same boat. Never shot a shotgun, but am seriously thinking about one. #1 is the Remington 870 in 20 gauge as I’ve read it’s a much softer recoil than 12 gauge. However, I haven’t written off the .410. How do the .410 and 20 gauge compare for recoil?

My use would be for fun on the range. Not HD and no hunting.
 
My first thought was a .410 also, but then I remembered the cost of .410 rounds. The .20 gauge is actully not bad on recoil and is a more versatile shotgun round.

It is my recommendation.
 
I’m in the same boat. Never shot a shotgun, but am seriously thinking about one. #1 is the Remington 870 in 20 gauge as I’ve read it’s a much softer recoil than 12 gauge.
Click to expand...

This is not true. The 20 ga version weighs about a pound less then the 12ga version. It makes it nice to carry in the field, but recoil is not much softer then the 12ga version. It is pretty stout. Shooting the lightest loads you can out of a heavy properly fitting gun will have the most impact on reducing recoil.
 
I have an old damascus barreled (beautiful pattern in metal) 16ga. Ithaca double. Bore nice. I had gathered up paper shells, cardboard/felt wads, for black-powder loading. Then at gun show, I came across two Savage "four-tenners on a fellows table..both in 16ga.! These are steel and aluminum tubes chambered for 3" .410. After checking with several knowledgeable gunsmiths who gave me the ok, I tried it on hand thrown clays.
What a blast! No recoil, birds were being dusted with ease.
 
For the record, the 20 gauge 870 here is quite a kicker. It's just 6 lbs,2 oz and slugs, buck etc, are emphatic.

Still, with light loads, good fit and form, it's a fun shooter. With some 3/4 oz handloads mimicking 28 gauge ballistics, it's really a blast.
 
For the record, the 20 gauge 870 here is quite a kicker. It's just 6 lbs,2 oz and slugs, buck etc, are emphatic.
Click to expand...
YES!!! WHAT HE SAID!!!

While my Mossberg 20 ga. is not real hard hitting with a mag tube full of shells firing off slugs etc...

My new to me 1953 Savage double gun weighs only 5.85 pounds with 20 inch barrels... I am quickly fearing a "flinch factor" will develop if I don't get some new stocks with a recoil pad... That second shot smarts... I would likely be all over the place trying to settle down and shoot 10-20 rounds of slug thru the bugger.

As for ammo price... .410 as a plinking round is for rich folks... Even cheap field loads are STEEP!!! I can buy mid shelf .270 rifle ammo for the price of low shelf .410...

You literally buy a 100 round "promo pack" brick for right around the same price as a 20-25 round box of .410 shells...

Brent
 
Get a 12 ga. B/c it is the standard you can buy ammo for it pretty much as cheap as the smaller shell. You can get pretty week loads that aren't too loud. Also, you can get an adapter for it which will allor you to single shot a 20 GA or 410 if you really need to be quiet.
 
Get a 20 gauge Remington 870.

410 is great, but EXPENSIVE. I think you would be quite happy with 20 gauge, it has milder recoil than 12 gauge but still has good shot quantity and distance. One of my favorite rounds to shoot...
 
Interesting. In all the posts I’ve read, and it’s been a few dozen in different forums, all said the 20 gauge is mild recoil compared to the 12 gauge... until this thread, which is also the first shotgun thread I have participated in. I don’t have the opportunity to try either, so I must buy blind. I’m not a fan of big recoil. I haven’t shot my 30-06 for 25 years or more because of the recoil. 5.56 and 7.62x39 are fine. I want to be able to shoot everything from birdshot to slugs and still have it be enjoyable. Everything I’ve read up to this thread has pointed me to the 20 gauge. Now, I’m beginning to wonder if I should just move on, and forget the shotgun altogether.
 
If you shoot a quality 20 gauge (NOT A POS SINGLE SHOT) the recoil is quite tame especially in a quality over/under (beretta 686 / Browning Citori etc..)... A good 20 gauge autoloader (not an ultralight model) is especially pleasant... My 20 gauge Wingmaster light contour does kick but it is not excessive...
 
Wing, on the contrary... Don't move on... MOVE UP!!! To a 12...

Or just add weight (if possible) to the 20. But with 12 gauge there is just more variety than all the others!

Folks see a smaller shell and think smaller re-coil than they see a smaller gun and bore and think smaller recoil...

But the fact is an equally proportionate Shell payload and powder charge drop in 20 gauge WILL recoil exactly the same as a 12 gauge in an equally proportionate weight of gun.

If the 20 is disproportionately LIGHTER... it will recoil more...

Brent
 
An equal weight load at the same velocity will have the same recoil. When fired in a lighter gun, the recoil increases - hence you can easily have a 20 that has more recoil than a 12
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top