Sleepers that may be found in used racks?

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baddarryl

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All the time I see racks full of single shot and double barrel shotguns. Some are pricey, but many are quite reasonable. What are some sleepers out there that are good shotguns, but may be not as well known and could still be had at a decent price?

Would love to have a cool SXS and maybe a single shot 410. What brings this up is I locally found a Sears 101.1610 which i think is actually a Savage for $400. Funny how the sears guns are undervalued, but were mostly made by top manufacturers.
 
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yes it is savage made and they are going for more 400.00 as a matter of fact i would have been on it like a bird on an a early june bug. eastbank.
 
I'm a 20ga fanatic. I pick up some nice single barrel guns all the time. I will admit that im partial to the Pardner SB1 though. I own 3 now. I never pay more than $80 for them though. A lot of bang for the buck
 
Just a heads up on the 410. They are nice but $15 a box of shells vs $5-7 for 20 or 12 gauge is more affordable.

And yes I have a 410 although I wish I had bought a 20 instead.


Ok so my input on the topic would probably be to look at store guns like the sears guns that don't have actual gun makers names on them. There are lots of Coast to Coast (mossberg 500) shotguns floating around.
 
The Savage SxS and their off-branded versions were all variants of the 311. While it was functional, it was made to be cheap. They were designed to be the kind of shotgun that has a few boxes of shells a year run through it - not hundreds of shells every weekend at the range. I.E., not bad but just know what you are getting.

One sleeper SxS that you can find with the Sears label was made by Hunter Arms. You'll have to look up the model numbers to see which ones they were but Hunter was the descendent of the company that made LC Smiths.
 
the .410 sears savage 311 may be made inexpensive, but for a light carry rabbit gun out to 25-30 yards it will work. i bought a charles daley 500 in 12ga with double trigger, 30" barrels 2 3/4 chambers for 200.00. i think it was a super buy as it was made by miroku in japan and looks and is made just like my browning bss 20ga. i realy like the double under lug lock up, my browning o/u,s have been shot thousands of times at trap and other clays games with out any problems over the years. eastbank.
 
A J.C. Higgins version of the 311 made me into a duck hunter many moons ago. A Remington Model 1100 turned it into a much more productive activity, but that was more me and the guns than just the guns. Those old guns made have been made inexpensively, but they were still well made.
 
I picked up my Marlin Model 19 up off such a rack. I checked it out thoroughly according to the steps so I could be sure that the bolt would not come off into my shoulder and it is fine with old style low power loads and I have no qualms about using it for turkey season. Used it last year along with my 150 year old damamcus barreled 16 gage that I also oicke up froma wall hanger rack.

I hunted black poeder season last year with a Jukar pistol in .45 cal that i picke up for $20 from a wall hanger rack. It just needed a few minutes work on the sear.

I picked up .44 Navy that was built by CVA for $100 because it needed work on the wedge and the retaining screw was missing. Yes it was built by CVA it is that old not just imported.

The LGS has a Winchester 12 gage sitting in the rack righ now that I am surprised no one has picked up as they made great trench guns for WWI. The local C store has the same shotgun in a rack with a $1500 price tag on it eventhough some joker put an adjustable Win choke on it.
 
Which guide is that as I really know nothing about them?
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I don't have it handy but I've seen a list of things that you would normally look for when examining a SxS or O/U. I remember the position of the unlocking lever being one item (needs to be right of center because it moves to the left as it wears).
 
On a SxS remove the fore arm or front iron and wiggle the barrels, look for a space between the barrels and the action face.

If you see light between the action face and barrels or if they wiggle when the action is closed, give it back.
 
Get a gun that takes screw in chokes.
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Far less necessary on a double barrel than on a single barrel. Plus, if you really need to shoot at various distances for different types of game then it's much more fun just to have a 2nd (or third) shotgun.

Which is why I'm keeping my eyes open for a 30" O/U choked full and full just in case I ever decide to shoot doubles trap. :D
 
I try to "Spot Shoot" the first one, and chase the second one. Works well if the wind isn't blowing... :D
 
Ever since I turned 70, my scores while shooting the BT99 w/ fixed full choke, the Winchester Model 12 also with a fixed full choke are better than the scores I shoot with the O/U using IM/Mod. at the 16 yard singles. :)
 
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I am in the old and slow group. I don't shoot double trap, but find that I shoot 16 yard better with improved modified or even full. I picked up the game of skeet a few months ago and keep it simple as possible. I go with skeet and skeet.
 
A Marlin Model 19 is a pump that uses a bolt that engages on the side. When higher pressure 12 gage loads were introduced many of the bolts of these Marlins discharged violently into the shooters face.

There are steps to check out these old shot guns to make sure that they are still safe to shoot with low pressure loads. I found them at a Marlin site and anyone that is looking to purchase such an oldie can find them.

Screw in chokes are not needed for a lot of hunting.
 
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