Criteria For Choosing A First Shotgun

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stubblejumper

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Yesterday a new member showed up to try skeet with us, and he discovered that his tactical style shotgun with a 14" barrel was a very poor choice for shooting moving targets. The recoil and noise were excessive, and the gun was too short to swing with any consistency. He then told us that he owned two shotguns, and the other one was a scoped AR type shotgun, and that he purchased both on impulse, because they looked "cool". He told us that the shotguns were fun the first few times that he shot zombie targets or cans with them, but that the novelty had worn off, so he rarely used them now. He had a great time yesterday, and told us that it was the most fun that he had experienced shooting any firearm. His problem now, is that he wants to shoot more skeet, and get into hunting birds, and neither gun he owns is at all practical for these uses, and his firearms budget is spent for a while. From what I have seen lately, he isn't alone, many people are choosing a shotgun because it looks "cool" with no thought as to whether it will be at all practical for his future use. What criteria did you use to purchase your first shotgun? Do you still use that shotgun on a regular basis?
 
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Well, it was simple.
I wanted a hunting gun for ducks and geese and grouse.
Started with a Winchester 2200 moved to a Remington sportsman and then went to the 870 Wingmaster.
This was long before tacticool word was invented....
Rob
 
Actually, it's not just shotguns, this applies to all firearms, it seems in the old days, the criteria for a first firearm, was to get something that would get you out hunting, and it was't about looks or style. However just as society has changed, so has our criteria for making purchases.
 
I picked up a used mossberg for $125. Old school bolt action with built in choke. Great truck gun!

Ill be honest, I do like the "taticool" so i try an do a 1-1 split

1 tactical for 1 every practical
 
I grew up using an ithaca 37 and remington 1100 and 870 wingmaster. I then bought a mossberg 535 ats and use it for everything and still do sometimes. I showed up at a skeet shoot and saw a holland and holland royal sxs. The next week i ran out to woodstock gun show and came home with a sxs. Its a baikal but it fits perfect. It now has over 65000 rounds thru it and i still shoot it great. From there it expanded. I now have 20x 12ga guns nearly half are sxs.
I do shoot skeet and hunt with a 14" barreled pump and its surprising what can be done if you know how to use them. Havent broke a perfect score but have shot a few 24s and 23s and ducks with it. Loud it is. Best choice for skeet no but it is fun. I prefer sxs and pumps for both clays and hunting. I took a 12ga ithaca 37 pump and a sxs 10ga duck hunting yesterday.
Guns are like lays chips. You cant have just one. Or is it like pringles ? Once you pop you cant stop lol
 
What model of shotgun did he have, if it’s an option he should look into a longer barrel for shooting clays.

I bought a tactical shotgun for my first 12g, so style was a consideration but I though ahead a bit for its overall use. It’s got a 20” barrel, field stock, bead front sight but has a dovetail and accepts a rail on the receiver. Most importantly it threaded for chokes, as I planned on hunting with it. I don’t hunt waterfowl so the 20” barrel has been perfect for my use, it’ll do fine for throwing clays in the bush. I’ve never regretted buying or hunting with it, its an awesome shotgun.
 
I'm not a hunter so when I was looking for my first shotgun I knew I was looking for a clays type gun. A friend had a 20 gauge that I tried so I ended up buying a used 1100 with a fixed, skeet choke barrel in 20 GA. That was 25 years ago and I still have the gun.
When my son started shooting I bought another buttstock and had it cut to fit him. When he hit 16 I put the original back on and gave him the gun. Between us the gun has just over 20K rounds (that we know of) through it and it's never missed a beat ! I changed O-rings and springs on occasion just in case.
He's 31 years old now and the gun is mostly retired as I bought him a Blaser F16 Sporting for his birthday this year (my wife is always OK if I say it's for him). We've had several shotguns in the meantime but for the last few years the 1100 only comes out on fathers day and once or twice more when we shoot together.
Like Stubblejumper, I can't help but notice how many people come out for their first time who are determined to shoot a round of "Assault" skeet with an AR type or 14" shotgun. When they can't hit anything with the 14", or in the case of the AR type, parts start falling off with alarming frequency, I always offer my backup gun for them to try. Many have ended up buying a more appropriate gun for clays, though we do have one guy who shoots an 870 Tactical incredibly well (and he usually shoots doubles on everything).
 
stubblejumper said:
What criteria did you use to purchase your first shotgun? Do you still use that shotgun on a regular basis?
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My main criteria was a fit and a purpose. And it still is. My first shotgun was a Beretta 686 Sporting. Perfect fit and a great shotgun for sport and hunting. I bought A400 for waterfowl hunting purpose later as it was made for it and better suits my needs. As you mentioned, I see too a lot of guys who choose their first gun by look and price only.
 
Tokay444 said:
Fit. Fit is the main criteria. Any and everything beyond fit is personal preference.
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To a point yes. But even if that little 14" pump gun fit me, I would not enjoy shooting 3" waterfowl loads in it while goose hunting. The 870 clone with a folding steel skeleton stock that another person showed up with, would be even more painful with heavy loads.
 
Buying something simply because it looks cool is ridiculous. It's what 9 year old boys do, or would if they had some money. Like all cool toys, the OP's story has a predictable ending. The buyer of said cool guns gets bored fast. Sounds like January after Christmas.

You buy a gun for a purpose and you try to buy a gun most suited to that purpose. Then the gun is not a toy, but a tool that aids you in whatever that purpose or endeavor may be.

Many of us bought guns because we wanted to hunt. Others because they wanted to get good at clays of one form or another. My guess is that few of us long time gun owners bought their first gun to shoot up old refrigerators in the local gravel pit.
 
I shot quite a few shotguns before purchasing my first, it was a Browning 2000 12 gauge and it came with two barrels, one was 28 inch with a mod choke and the other was 30 inches with a full choke. I chose it for several reasons not the least of which was that it was in my local sporting goods store, I suppose that I liked the looks of it too as it was a handsome gun! It was a quality gun and fairly universal as it could be used in a goose blind with 3 inch shells or it could be used for upland game birds with 2 3/4 inch ammo. I also used it to shoot my first couple of rounds of sporting clay's before deciding that an over and under was more versatile and dependable. That 2000 has to be thoroughly cleaned after a round of 200 shells and got maintenance intensive when used a lot.
Buying a gun based on looks alone is a big mistake but I always figured that looks does play a part in the decision because I like looking at nice guns!
 
stubblejumper said:
The 870 clone with a folding steel skeleton stock that another person showed up with, would be even more painful with heavy loads.
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I understand what you’re saying but change out the stock and it’s a different gun altogether, I can easily shoot heavy loads from my 14” 870 clone with an M4 stock kit. It has a limbsaver on it though, 3” sabots now feel like 2 3/4” 00buck. Pretty tame now, with birdshot and the right choke I can easily kill grouse out to 30y with little meat damage. 40-45y if I don’t care about meat damage, we all know a short barrel is not the limiting factor on shot patterns. It’s choke selection, shorter barrels swing less easily but practice will bridge the gap fairly well.

Kills birds just as dead with a 14” barrel as if it had that 28” barrel that’s a dust collector in the closet lol, it’s more functional with a shorter OAL as well. Looks better too.
ta8IwhN.jpg
 
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Butcherbill said:
........it’s more functional with a shorter OAL as well. Looks better too.
ta8IwhN.jpg
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That last statement is clearly up for debate. LOL Besides, they are only dust collectors if you don't shoot them. The problem with the OP's friend is he's bought a couple "cool" guns that turn out to be dust collectors.

No dust on this one....
 
canvasback said:
That last statement is clearly up for debate. LOL Besides, they are only dust collectors if you don't shoot them. The problem with the OP's friend is he's bought a couple "cool" guns that turn out to be dust collectors.

No dust on this one....
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Haha, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Gorgeous sxs you have there by the way, I wish I had inherited a couple pieces my dad had when I was a kid. Alas he had sold them off long before he passed, I only have one of his old guns.

They are only dust collectors if you don’t shoot them, which is why I got a 14” barrel for that particular shotgun. I was tired of not being able to hunt with it, the 12.5” it came from the factory with wasn’t threaded for chokes and that’s a must have for me with a shotgun. I’m slowly getting rid of guns that have no purpose, hunting has taken a priority for me and I’m not as interested in things sitting in the safe unless there’s sentimental value attached or values increasing quickly. There are a couple exceptions but for the most part my guns have a purpose.
 
Butcherbill said:
Haha, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Gorgeous sxs you have there by the way, I wish I had inherited a couple pieces my dad had when I was a kid. Alas he had sold them off long before he passed, I only have one of his old guns.

They are only dust collectors if you don’t shoot them, which is why I got a 14” barrel for that particular shotgun. I was tired of not being able to hunt with it, the 12.5” it came from the factory with wasn’t threaded for chokes and that’s a must have for me with a shotgun. I’m slowly getting rid of guns that have no purpose, hunting has taken a priority for me and I’m not as interested in things sitting in the safe unless there’s sentimental value attached or values increasing quickly. There are a couple exceptions but for the most part my guns have a purpose.
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I could not agree more. I have one "duster"......my 870 Wingmaster my dad gave me 40 years ago. As much as I have a "collection" (insert eyeroll here) if I can't take em into the field, I don't want them. Mind you, it takes more a few days to go through the rotation but I do my best. LOL
 
Butcherbill said:
I understand what you’re saying but change out the stock and it’s a different gun altogether, I can easily shoot heavy loads from my 14” 870 clone with an M4 stock kit. It has a limbsaver on it though, 3” sabots now feel like 2 3/4” 00buck. Pretty tame now, with birdshot and the right choke I can easily kill grouse out to 30y with little meat damage. 40-45y if I don’t care about meat damage, we all know a short barrel is not the limiting factor on shot patterns. It’s choke selection, shorter barrels swing less easily but practice will bridge the gap fairly well.

Kills birds just as dead with a 14” barrel as if it had that 28” barrel that’s a dust collector in the closet lol, it’s more functional with a shorter OAL as well. Looks better too.
ta8IwhN.jpg
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Except the owner didn't have another stock for the gun and he was trying to use that gun as is for an all around shotgun. He wanted to shoot skeet with it, and hunt waterfowl with it as is, but it wasn't long before he realized that he had made a poor decision. We also had some guys show up with optical sights on their tactical guns, and they quickly figured out that it was a poor choice for wing shooting. One guy actually tried to use a scope for skeet, and it was a dismal failure.
 
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stubblejumper said:
Except the owner didn't have another stock for the gun and he was trying to use that gun as is for an all around shotgun. He wanted to shoot skeet with it, and hunt waterfowl with it as is, but it wasn't long before he realized that he had made a poor decision. We also had some guys show up with optical sights on their tactical guns, and they quickly figured out that it was a poor choice for wing shooting. One guy actually tried to use a scope for skeet, and it was a dismal failure.
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There is a HUGE difference between swatting grouse on the ground and trying to wingshoot a flushed grouse. And yes I shoot grouse on the ground as well.
 
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