Who made the mistake and bought a gun based on looks instead of what fit best?

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ian1974

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My friend and I had a discussion recently on which gun to purchase. We are both new to trap/skeet shooting. I am more inclined to buy whatever gun fits me best, whether it be a semi-auto, over/under, or side-by-side. My friend agrees with me however he still seems to be leaning towards purchasing a gun based on looks even if it doesn't fit perfectly because he wants to like whichever gun he is shooting. I just want to be as accurate as possible (if I love the look of the gun that's just a bonus).

My question is, how many of you have made the mistake and bought a gun based on looks and then ended up purchasing another gun because you got much better results with it? I'm just curious....thanks.
 
I want a gun that most of all fits me,yet gets me the best quality for the price.If you shoot good,you look good,if you shoot poorly,you look bad,no matter what gun you are using.Of course the gun must also be reliable over the long haul.

Many years ago,I bought a Beretta 302 for goose hunting,because it was so highly recommended.However it fit poorly,and I shot poorly with it at first.Then I took out the wood rasp,and started to rasp down the comb to get the proper sight picture.I kept shooting and rasping until I could shoot the gun properly,but it took a lot of work,and I had to refinish the stock after wards.That was the last poor fitting shotgun that I ever bought.
 
The last gun I bought needed only 2 modifications..... New barrels and a new stock.

Guns can adjusted to fit you. You can buy something that fits (or comes close to fitting) or buy something that you like an adjust it to fit you. In the latter case you just need to understand going into this venture that more work is required to make it shootable.

Brad.
 
Well if you show up at the range for trap with a tactical shotgun that has an 18.5" barrel, make sure your skin is suitably thick. Trust me on this. :)

Fit is very important. A good shotgun will have a comb adjustment, a better one will just fall into place.
 
Guilty as charged. I guess the upside is you can learn a lot by modifying it so it will shoot to where you are looking. Difficulty is that I still don't know how to judge whether a gun fits without shooting it. Fred
 
BCFred said:
Guilty as charged. I guess the upside is you can learn a lot by modifying it so it will shoot to where you are looking. Difficulty is that I still don't know how to judge whether a gun fits without shooting it. Fred
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Well I tried an 1100 I had to scrunch my head down onto the combing to get a proper bead on the sight. Lovely gun but I had the impression that I had to fit myself to it every shot. I was forcing myself on the gun.

The Ruger O/U was like putting on your favorite pair of jeans. Before pulling the trigger I knew I had to talk the guy into selling it to me. And he did, eventually. He could see how well the match was and he had plenty of shotguns.

That's why it's a good thing to get in touch with a local club and see about a clinic where you don't have to bring your own shotgun. It's just not the same thing when you hold a rifle in a store and point it at the ceiling and then shell out $1K and you have no idea what it's like to shoot the thing.
 
That's why it's a good thing to get in touch with a local club and see about a clinic where you don't have to bring your own shotgun. It's just not the same thing when you hold a rifle in a store and point it at the ceiling and then shell out $1K and you have no idea what it's like to shoot the thing.
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When I started shooting skeet,I was invited to come out and try several guns on the skeet field.Other shooters were happy to let me shoot their guns to try the sport,and to see which gun I shot best with.That is how I determined which gun fit me best.In the same way,I have let other shooters my my guns.
 
i had purchased about 27-28 handguns, mostly based on looks, and popularity. It was a learning experience i guess :) now i am down to 8, 3 different makes which suit me best. i have to say go with what fits you best and what you can shoot best with, if you can try out other peoples firearms before purchasing, that will save you lots of money, trust me.

good luck!
 
I'm very lucky in that I've never had any issues with proper gun fit. I'm a Browning O/U fan....and virtually every Browning I've ever mounted....be it a "Plain Jane"...or the prettiest, shiniest Browning out there....they all just seem to fit me very well right off the shelf.

I'd venture to say that there are alot of people around who have over the years bought a particular gun for the wrong reasons. Sometimes because the price just seemed too good to pass up. Sometimes because it just looked so nice. Only to find sometime down the road that it may not have been such a good purchase after all. It's hard to be patient sometimes and keep ones eagerness in check....but buying something like a gun really shouldn't be rushed. A little patience and research at first can go a long ways to ensuring that a mistake isn't being made and that you're in fact buying something that is right for you.

Talking with some kid behind the counter at a gun shop who quite often doesn't really know what the heck he's talking about...quite possibly doesn't even own a gun...or shoot himself....really isn't the best way to go in my view either. Don't allow yourself to get talked into buying something simply because it's so pretty..and so shiny...and has such nice engraving...or flashy flourescent lime green tube on the end of it that looks so "cool". Or may come with that "hard case included". But yet may be totally wrong for you.

In my experience.....shooters like to help other shooters. Being patient and talking with some of the more experienced guys at a gun club....and looking at and trying as many guns as possible can be a great help and go a long ways towards steering you in the right direction and ensuring you get a good gun FOR YOU in the first place. One that you can shoot and enjoy for many years. One that can help reduce the frustration of not hitting what you're shooting at when you're first starting out.

There's enough to learn and think about when first starting out at Trap or Skeet...trying to contend with a gun that doesn't fit right and doesn't shoot where it's supposed to shoot for you is not something you need to throw into the equation. Make a wise purchase in the first place...then go focus all your attention on learning how to play the game of your choice with the confidence in knowing that you have to right equipment.

Good luck.
 
I have cut 100% of my shotgun stocks to fit me, usually about 3/4" sometime more. (oops I lied, i do have a single 410 that fits great)

the best way in my opinion to see if a gun fits without actually shooting it, is to pick a target, close your eyes and shoulder the gun as if you were going to shoot, no open them. You will likely not be on target but if you have to scrunch your head to see "nothing but bead" it is not a proper fit.
I can usually do this with guns that are too long for me as well, the cut is usually more for the mounting of the gun in the field.

You should never have to lift your gun out and pull it back to your shoulder, you should be able to slide the stock up from your hip to your shoulder without catching our coat. I also wear an average coat when fitting a gun, if wearing something thicker in the field, I just deal with it and realize this isn't the norm.

As far as buying for looks and not fit, well, I have long time ago, bought a gun when I was 16 using a catalog, luckily after 5 years, someone told me I needed to cut it and it fit great after that. If a gun is too long, make sure it can be cut, some cannot or will need a lot of work, suck as Beretta Extremas as the have mechanical parts in the stock. Some semis can only be cut a small amount as teh have recoil springs in them as well.

Good luck!
 
It is always better to buy a gun that fits as opposed to one that doesn't but looks good.

But guns can be altered. Having brought thousands of guns to my shoulder I know pretty well by now what fits and what doesn't and what needs to be done to make a gun fit.

A beautiful shotgun that doesn't quite fit can be altered. A despicably ugly shotgun usually stays that way forever.
 
Thank you for all the reply's....one common recommendation is to try as many guns as possible from other shooters at the gun club...my question is, is it ok to show up at a gun club without a gun and let people know that I am new to the sport and am trying to decide which gun to purchase? I want to be as respectful as possible to the shooters/club members and I don't want to look like a "free loader".
 
ian1974 said:
my question is, is it ok to show up at a gun club without a gun and let people know that I am new to the sport and am trying to decide which gun to purchase? I want to be as respectful as possible to the shooters/club members and I don't want to look like a "free loader".
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Generally it's okay but it depends how you go about it. Simply walking up and asking to shoot someone else's gun is a bit rude. NEVER pick up a gun from a rack to look at it without permission from the owner.

The approach that works best is to explain that you are new, really want to get into the sport but are very confused about which gun to buy. Ask them what their advice is, what they shoot, why they shoot it, what they like about it and why they chose it. Most times the shooter will offer you the gun to try.
 
Upon reflection, after reading some of the posts here, it is true that you can tell some things by shouldering a shotgun. How much you have to adjust yourself to the gun is certainly one thing you know right away, as has been said. In fact, when I was a kid learning to hunt ducks with my dad, that was the way he and his friends tested a shotgun. If they shouldered it and didn't like the feel of it, they didn't buy it. Maybe we didn't travel in the right circles, but I can't remember hearing of anyone patterning a shotgun. I know that some people don't have trouble with fitting a shotgun. But, not taking anything away from manufacturers, considering the number of different builds there are in shooters, it makes sense to me that a gun off the rack won't fit most of the guys holding it without some tinkering around. Adjustable butt pads and combs will help most of us, of course, but shooting it is the acid test as they say. I'm hoping to buy a Beretta O/U that I looked over some time ago. It is a beautiful shotgun...gorgeous even:bigHug:. The fellow who owns it has suggested we go and pattern it when the time comes to get serious about it. I'll know in a half an hour whether it is the one I want doing it this way.
 
:D

Functionless gimmicks, tacti-cool & superfluous eye-candy sells guns.:)

I just bit the hook on a Remington VTR with a triangular barrel.

Coulda bought the "Plain Jane" Savage Model 12 sitting on the rack beside it that probably shoots better for $200 dollars less money but the "Hit Man" unorthodoxy of the "mil-green" gun turned me on & the next thing you know I was fondling it in the living room & the old "ball & chain" was standing there hands on hips with that "Oh so familiar" scowl:mad: on her face.
 
Claybuster said:
Generally it's okay but it depends how you go about it. Simply walking up and asking to shoot someone else's gun is a bit rude. NEVER pick up a gun from a rack to look at it without permission from the owner.

The approach that works best is to explain that you are new, really want to get into the sport but are very confused about which gun to buy. Ask them what their advice is, what they shoot, why they shoot it, what they like about it and why they chose it. Most times the shooter will offer you the gun to try.
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:D
NEVER pick up a gun from a rack to look at it without permission from the owner.
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Gun Grabby Newbies, Range Nazis, firing line chatterboxes............my three pet peeves. :mad:

Grabbing somebody elses gun without asking.......good way to get unpopular real quick &/or loose a hand or an arm or get verbal tracks running up one side of you & down the other.

A couple of summers ago I was returning to the firing line from patching up my target with black masking tape (because most of my holes are in the "10-ring" :bsFlag:) at a range I belong to in Northern Ontario and spotted a guy handling my rifle that I had left back on the bench ON A GREEN LIGHT (cease fire where nobody is supposed to be handling any gun on the line)........needless to say the ensuing dressing down was immediate & loaded with uncomplimentary adjectives.
 
Fine to say to try out several guns, you will definately narrow your choices down. However, most of the time, even a gun that fits you well will need some minor adjustments. So as suggested, pick one that seems to fit, then find someone who is qualified to measure and fine tune it for the shooter.

Just mounting the gun may give you a sense of fit, but everyone should shoot at least 100 rounds to know.... even after thousands there may be incramental adjustments to be made. Shooting targets is a "fine motor" skill that will require fine adjustments.

You can give a Ferrari to a beginner - doesn't mean they can drive. Even when the gun is taylored to fit the shooter, the shooter still needs to know proper technique. It could be improper technique that makes the gun not fit.

The way I see it, there are two ways you can find Zen with your equipment:

1) Learn by volume of shooting.
2) Find a Coach.

I chose #2 and gained years of experience in just a few months.

I too like to look at a finely crafted gun - there are ones that will fit. I don't think ian1974 that your friend is wrong for wanting to have a fine looking gun. The question is, "How much do you want to spend?" If money is no object then you will buy a gun that fits no matter what. Another question would be, "What level of interest do you guys have in shooting clay?" These questions can lead us to the right gun for the shooter.

To Claybusters point, "An ugly gun that fits, will always be ugly." Thats why you need to know what level of interest you have in this beautiful sport. Only way to do that is to get a shotgun.
 
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