Hunting Shotgun advice

J

johnydepp

Member
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
21   0   1
Location
Coquitlam, BC
Hey guys, I have been hunting with rifles for a couple years already for Deer, moose, etc. But this year I am thinking of going into Bird hunting as well so I can start up early on hunting.

I have a couple of questions and I need some good advice, I don't want to spend too much money on a shotgun, but I do want to get something that's good beside being cheap. I am getting it for ducks, geese and prarie Chickens. I have checked a few out there and I would like to get some advice on the following shot guns.

Mossberg Model 500 Persuader Pump Shotgun this one sells for $319.99 plus shipping and.

Mossberg 500 Combo Pump Action Shotgun $279.99 Plus Shipping (comes with two barrels one for deer hunting and one for bird hunting)

What do you think guys and if anyone has these guns how bad is the kick when using a 3" shell. Can you get a good recoil to fit on to lower the kickback.

Thanks for your help and I hope i did post my question in the correct section, if not Mods my apologies.

Cheers!
 
If recoil is a concern get a 20ga.

Yes you can fit a decent recoil pad to a 500 but be prepared to have a gunsmith do it. Many "precision-fit" pads do not fit correctly and fitting a grind to fit to a synthetic stock can be an adventure.

My preference between the 2 Mossbergs you list would be the combo. I prefer a modified choke for upland hunting and the fixed cylinder bore of the Persuader may limit it to very close shots. However seeing that you already hunt moose and deer implies you already have a rifle or rifles. That being the case I's simply go for the Mossberg 500 Field unless the combo is the same price.

3" shells do kick hard! Anyone that says different is trying to prove something. A good recoil pad and a well fitting gun can make the recoil very manageable. A semi-auto also reduces felt recoil.

FWIW, I hunt ducks with a 20 ga or a 12 with 2 3/4" shells. The ducks don't get any deader with the 20 ga or with the 12 ga. I used to use nothing but 3" shells but I never got anymore ducks. So the 2 3/4" are less expensive, kill the ducks effectively, and are easier on my poor old shoulder.
 
Thanks for the informative reply. The guy from the local gun store said that 20 guage ones aren't that great for bird hunting specially if I want to hunt geese. I have a couple of rifles for deer and also have a Barnett Predator Crossbow. The rifle I use for deer and moose is 30 ot 6 which has a pretty strong kick, but I manage it, but after a few shots I do get sore shoulder.

I was wondering if these moosbergs do have the same amount of recoil as my rifle, but mind you since you are shooting birds you tend to shoot a couple of quick ones with shotgun which definitely make your shoulder sore faster.

Thanks for the advice and if you think I can do with a 20 guage then I will definitely go for one and yes I would go for 2 3/4 shells as well if I get 12 gauge.
 
My choice would be the combo as you can do more with it. As Wolly suggested the 3" shells can be painful and the 2 3/4" will do for most duck hunting situations unless you are trying to sky-bust. For prairie upland I like to use 1 1/8oz Trap loads with #7 1/2 shot unless pheasant is on the menu when I suggest that you go to at least #6 shot.

A 20 gauge would work as well and it comes down to what feels best to you.
 
you can buy a mossberg 500 with 3 barrels (24" fully rifled, 28" waterfowl, 22" turkey all in mossy oak camo (gun aswell) comes with 3 choke tubes, fibre optic sights on the shot barrels for $460 before tax from a sponsor from this site.
 
Pump guns all kick hard and make a fallow up shot harder.For small game and waterfowl you need two quick shots.Buy a good semi auto shotgun.
 
johnydepp said:
Thanks for the informative reply. The guy from the local gun store said that 20 guage ones aren't that great for bird hunting specially if I want to hunt geese. I have a couple of rifles for deer and also have a Barnett Predator Crossbow. The rifle I use for deer and moose is 30 ot 6 which has a pretty strong kick, but I manage it, but after a few shots I do get sore shoulder.

I was wondering if these moosbergs do have the same amount of recoil as my rifle, but mind you since you are shooting birds you tend to shoot a couple of quick ones with shotgun which definitely make your shoulder sore faster.

Thanks for the advice and if you think I can do with a 20 guage then I will definitely go for one and yes I would go for 2 3/4 shells as well if I get 12 gauge.
Click to expand...
The guy at the gun store is full of ####e, and you can tell him the cat says so!!:cool:
There is nothing wrong at all as far as using the 20 for ducks and geese, and you will not find a better upland gun for an all around gun.
I have proven this many times to many people!
Keep the 20 within decoy range and it will run with the big guns!
Cat
 
catnthehatt said:
The guy at the gun store is full of s**te, and you can tell him the cat says so!!:cool:
There is nothing wrong at all as far as using the 20 for ducks and geese, and you will not find a better upland gun for an all around gun.
I have proven this many times to many people!
Keep the 20 within decoy range and it will run with the big guns!
Cat
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, what's a good range anyways for 20 Gauge? I have never done any bird hunting so I wouldn't know what decoy range will be.

Thanks again!
 
Really when your boost of adrenaline kicks in and you shoot 3 shots faster than you can think and miss all of them, but still reload and try again that's normal.

If you can handle the recoil of a rifle you can handle the recoil of a 10 gauge shotgun. Do not believe anyone that says a 20 gauge kicks less than a 12 gauge because that is a lie.

Gun fit controls recoil as well as heavier pump guns and semi-auto actions because the weight and action soak up the recoil.

Don't just go online and order a shotgun, get off your butt get to the shop and pick up a bunch of different shotguns, just because it is a good deal does not mean the gun will fit you properly. And be wary of gun stores that are just trying to sell you any gun on their shelf, find a place that will work with you in your price range.

Or get some friends and go to the nearest range and ask them to bring out a few different guns not just trap guns.
 
A 20 ga. kicks less than a 12.

The Mossberg Combo would be a good choice. Forget the Persuader, as the Open Cylinder choke won't be very helpful, and you'd have to plug that big magazine for hunting anyway.

Don't worry about recoil when hunting. You're wearing extra clothing, and the adrenaline negates any feeling in your shoulder. You'll only fire a box of shells anyway, if you're unlucky.
 
Grouse Man said:
A 20 ga. kicks less than a 12.

The Mossberg Combo would be a good choice. Forget the Persuader, as the Open Cylinder choke won't be very helpful, and you'd have to plug that big magazine for hunting anyway.

Don't worry about recoil when hunting. You're wearing extra clothing, and the adrenaline negates any feeling in your shoulder. You'll only fire a box of shells anyway, if you're unlucky.
Click to expand...

Thank you. A 20 gauge usually kicks less than a 12. Less shot mass, similar velocity = less recoil. Now, a heavy 20 gauge load in a light small framed gun can kick more than a light 12 gauge load in a heavy gun, but lets compare apples to apples?
 
johnydepp said:
Hey guys, I have been hunting with rifles for a couple years already for Deer, moose, etc. But this year I am thinking of going into Bird hunting as well so I can start up early on hunting.

I have a couple of questions and I need some good advice, I don't want to spend too much money on a shotgun, but I do want to get something that's good beside being cheap. I am getting it for ducks, geese and prarie Chickens. I have checked a few out there and I would like to get some advice on the following shot guns.

Mossberg Model 500 Persuader Pump Shotgun this one sells for $319.99 plus shipping and.

Mossberg 500 Combo Pump Action Shotgun $279.99 Plus Shipping (comes with two barrels one for deer hunting and one for bird hunting)

What do you think guys and if anyone has these guns how bad is the kick when using a 3" shell. Can you get a good recoil to fit on to lower the kickback.

Thanks for your help and I hope i did post my question in the correct section, if not Mods my apologies.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

No Mossberg. Get yourself a Remington 870 Pump. You won't be disappointed.
 
Winchested said:
If you can handle the recoil of a rifle you can handle the recoil of a 10 gauge shotgun. Do not believe anyone that says a 20 gauge kicks less than a 12 gauge because that is a lie.

.
Click to expand...
I do not know where you got your information from, but this is very wrong.

As far as a 20 kicking as much as a 12 , the 20 has a different pressure curve and normally is loaded with less shot, so yes, a 20 does kick less.
I use a 20 gauge because i cannot hold a 12 for more than a few shots because of nerve damage.
Couple that with a 1 1/8 standard load and I am done for a few days after 4 shots out of a 12 gauge.
JD, as far as "decoy range" goes, we set our dekes at about 25 yards, but I have stretched a few quartering shots past thirty - the key is to concentrate on the head of the bird, not the body.
Single barreled or double gunners normally have a lower shells to bird ratio because they also tend to concentrate more on the shell that is in the gun, not the extras that are in the mag, so they tend to kill more geese with less ammo.
Cat
 
Thanks everybody for the advice, I have been to many different gun shops and have tried several of them. Just found that moosbergs fit me well. Everybody helped on this thread and I am thankful for the advice guys.

Cheers!
 
So what did you decide ?

as they said, pumps hit harder than semi's

12 gauge won't kill ya, or hurt you much more than any other

get what fits you and what you like

I prefer the Remington 870 over the Mossberg, just my preferance

look for the Rem 870 triple offer by Le Barons, I am not sure if any one else is offering this package, but it will give you a deer, turkey, and bird barrel, nice combo

or look at a semi, Beretta, Browning, Winchester

good luck on your quest....
 
Thanks ftaview, that's actually a nice combo, never saw that one and the price is real good. I will go again to the local gun store tomorrow to try out a 870 just to see the fit and my liking and if do like the fit I will definitely order this bad boy. Thanks again!!
 
A 3" from a 20 will have less felt recoil than a 3" from a 12, but the 20 will kill geese as long as you respect its limits and make good shots.

I personally wouldn't go for a pump in your situation - maybe a nice 3" semi like a Beretta 391 or a 3" SX3, but that depends entirely on your budget. If you're in pump money, check oyut the Winchester X Speed. The key to shooting well with a shotgun is getting one that fits, so you have to shop and try...preferably at a shop where the guy behing the counter has a clue what he's talkin about...something harder and harder to find lately.

Good luck.
 
Thanks everybody once again for the advice. I had a buddy of mine that lend me his Baretta xtreme2 for a couple of weeks and I loved it and I wanted to purchase one. This didn't happen because these shotguns are fairly expensive so he sold me one of his other older shotguns. Now I own a nice semi-auto browning which is old but in great shape and only takes 2 3/4 shells though and doesn't have hardly any recoil in it. I have been out already with it and have shot a few ducks and a couple of geese. I love it for sure, I just had to get use to the fit but now I am good...

Cheers once again guys...
 
I have a Pursuader. It's a great gun and a lot of fun for general shotgun blasting. For birds I would go for the combo.
As for recoil, I don't mind mine. I can shoot a lot of rounds and not be bothered. It's even okay with 3" 1.1/4 oz slugs. Maybe the gun just fits me well.
 
The browning I have is 12gauge just to add in my previous post. One last question I had about another shotgun I was looking at and was interested to add to my collection. Does anyone know if H&R Excell Auto 5 Semi Auto Shotgun any good. It takes 3" shots and is a 12guage shot gun which sells for $400 plus shipping of course..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom