Advice for a forst shotgun please

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smitas5

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Just received my PAL, so bare with me if terminology is new to me and I'm not sure what I want yet :)

Looking to purchase first shotgun and it probably should be somewhat universal till I figure out what kind of hunter I will become.
Goose, duck, some taget practice too, so any advice is welcome... To start with could you guys advice on types that work best for you and why? Over and under, pump, semi-auto...
 
Fairly new to this myself. There are a ton of "first shotgun" threads here including one started by me! Search out those and do some reading.
Summary will be: Older Wingmaster, older Mossberg 500 for medium priced guns and one of the "B" guns for a more refined and costly option.
B = Browning, Berretta and Bellini I'm lead to believe.

Pump action is a good starting place.
 
smitas5 said:
How do you know if it fits you? What do you look for? Grip, weight? No idea what that means sorry..
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Take the shotgun in your hands as you will hold it.
Close your eyes.
Shoulder the gun while keeping your eyes closed.
Without moving the gun at all, open your eyes.
Are you looking down the rib both left to right and vertically?
If the rib is not centered left to right, the gun doesn't fit you.
If the rib appears to be rising vertically so you are looking at it , rather than along it it, the gun doesn't fit you.
If the rib falls away so that you can't see all of the bead, the gun doesn't fit you.
Try this a few times until you get consistent results.
Be aware that many shotguns, including the SX-3 normally come with shims that fit in between the stock and the receiver, that allow you to alter the gun to fit you better.
 
stubblejumper said:
Take the shotgun in your hands as you will hold it.
Close your eyes.
Shoulder the gun while keeping your eyes closed.
Without moving the gun at all, open your eyes.
Are you looking down the rib both left to right and vertically?
If the rib is not centered left to right, the gun doesn't fit you.
If the rib appears to be rising vertically so you are looking at it , rather than along it it, the gun doesn't fit you.
If the rib falls away so that you can't see all of the bead, the gun doesn't fit you.
Try this a few times until you get consistent results.
Be aware that many shotguns, including the SX-3 normally come with shims that fit in between the stock and the receiver, that allow you to alter the gun to fit you better.
Click to expand...
Big thanks.. I'll go with that to the shop and try and choose :)
 
$1000 Budget leaves you lots of room to work with. For a pump/slide action, I would be looking at a Benelli Nova or Supernova(depending on fit) or Browning BPS if you prefer a pump. A Remington 870 Wingmaster is recommended if you decide to go for a Remington, on your budget their is no reason to fight with a Mossberg 500 or Remington Express. On that budget however, you're getting into quality semi-auto territory, Winchester SX3/Browning Silver, Beretta A-300, A-390, Franchi Affinity would be good choices. Weatherby SA-08 is another good choice, even a Mossberg 930. A decent used O/U can be had for this money as well, Browning or Beretta are common recommendations, if you're leaning more towards field than target duty CZ & Akkar makes decent new O/U's in this price range. Waterfowling generally isn't done much anymore with a SXS or O/U as they can be more difficult to load in a blind, not saying it can't be , it's just more difficult to do. Don't get caught up in the "need" for a 3 1/2" 12ga chamber, most who have sat behind a 3 1/2" waterfowl load have no desire to repeat the experience, most waterfowl is shot with 3". Your order of preference should be fit, purpose, brand, action, then price.
 
So, I visitted couple local stores and seems that Im not too confident in buying semi-auto, pump looks good and Benelli Supernova in black looks real good, feels good...
As for the way to test it maybe Supernova feels right, but to be honest none were perfect, but thats maybe because I don't have developed habits for holding a gun or aiming..
Anyways Crappy Tire said there are option for these shotguns from Benelli and Supernova... Also maybe you guys can recommend best approach to purchasing it, since I kinda made my choice. Cabella, Canadian Tire and wholesale sports are around my town or should I consider online?
Thanks
 
Haha don't even have my Pal yet but ordered a Derya Mk10 as my first shotgun ; ) lol my new Duck hunting gun, why else would they make 2rd mags, right?

If full of bad ideas, I like the Benilli supernova or2 and the Mossberg 590A1 if you want heavy duty work horse, not a great bird gun though.

Happy hunting so to speak!
 
Maritime Storm said:
$1000 Budget leaves you lots of room to work with. For a pump/slide action, I would be looking at a Benelli Nova or Supernova(depending on fit) or Browning BPS if you prefer a pump. A Remington 870 Wingmaster is recommended if you decide to go for a Remington, on your budget their is no reason to fight with a Mossberg 500 or Remington Express. On that budget however, you're getting into quality semi-auto territory, Winchester SX3/Browning Silver, Beretta A-300, A-390, Franchi Affinity would be good choices. Weatherby SA-08 is another good choice, even a Mossberg 930. A decent used O/U can be had for this money as well, Browning or Beretta are common recommendations, if you're leaning more towards field than target duty CZ & Akkar makes decent new O/U's in this price range. Waterfowling generally isn't done much anymore with a SXS or O/U as they can be more difficult to load in a blind, not saying it can't be , it's just more difficult to do. Don't get caught up in the "need" for a 3 1/2" 12ga chamber, most who have sat behind a 3 1/2" waterfowl load have no desire to repeat the experience, most waterfowl is shot with 3". Your order of preference should be fit, purpose, brand, action, then price.
Click to expand...
How does Browning BPS and Benelli Supernova compare to your opinion?
 
You should watch some youtube videos on proper gun mounting. This can help when you're in the store and will know what to look for in a proper fitting gun.

+1 for the 870 pump!
 
smitas5 said:
Just received my PAL, so bare with me if terminology is new to me and I'm not sure what I want yet :)

Looking to purchase first shotgun and it probably should be somewhat universal till I figure out what kind of hunter I will become.
Goose, duck, some target practice too, so any advice is welcome... To start with could you guys advice on types that work best for you and why? Over and under, pump, semi-auto...
Click to expand...

There is tons of debate on what shotgun is best for first-timers. Personally, I acquired a Remington 887 Nitro Mag. It's a pump-action, which is better for fast-paced bird hunting requiring you to hold as many rounds as possible. The pump-action also tends to be more reliable than the semi-autos while retaining all of the benefits of the semi-autos besides super-rapid fire. Its bang-for-the-buck value is tremendous. It holds a broad range of shot shell sizes (2 3/4, 3, 3 1/2), making it a multi-use gun for sure. As a Waterfowl and Upland bird guide, I can honestly say it's the toughest and most versatile shotgun I've used. To illustrate this, I will tell you a unfortunately personal story. I was once hunting in a Texas rice field, it was after the harvest as well so up-churned mud and gunk was what we had to walk on and interact with. The geese were so skiddish that we had to give up our hunting tarps and decoys and I had to stalk behind soggy old hay bales until I got close to the feeding flock and then jumping them, while providing my hunting companions with airborne geese heading their way. On my first jump I did, I ran straight for the flock and tripped immediately, into the thick, grainy mud. This mud got everywhere it could on my gun. In fact, after successfully bagging a nice sized Snow goose from the flock, I checked my mud-filled chamber and saw how truly dirty it was. Yet it still performed great the entire day, although that didn't help me get more geese. I also have used it on my upland hunts and it performed just as well. Its recoil is great for a 12 gauge and spare parts for it are all over due to the popularity of the gun. We do have it in stock here at Grouse for $449.97 in both 26 inch and 28 inch barrels. You can take a peek at it here.
 
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Grouse River said:
There is tons of debate on what shotgun is best for first-timers. Personally, I acquired a Remington 887 Nitro Mag. Its a pump-action, which is better for fast-paced bird hunting requiring you to hold as many rounds as possible. The pump-action also tends to be more reliable than the semi-autos while retaining all of the benefits of the semi-autos besides super-rapid fire.Its bang-for-the-buck value is tremendous. It holds a broad range of shot shell sizes (2 3/4, 3, 3 1/2), making it a multi-use gun for sure. As a Waterfowl and Upland bird guide, I can honestly say it's the toughest and most versatile shotgun I've used. To illustrate this, I will tell you a unfortunately personal story. I was once hunting in a Texas rice field, it was after the harvest as well so up-churned mud and gunk was what we had to walk on and interact with. The geese were so skiddish that we had to give up our hunting tarps and decoys and I had to stalk behind soggy old hay bales until I got close to the feeding flock and then jumping them, while providing my hunting companions with airborne geese heading there way. On my first jump I did, I ran straight for the flock and tripped immediately, into the thick, grainy mud. This mud got everywhere it could on my gun. In fact, after successfully bagging a nice sized Snow goose from the flock, I checked my mud-filled chamber and saw how truly dirty it was. Yet it still performed great the entire day, although that didn't help me get more geese. I also have used it on my upland hunts and it performed just as well. Its recoil is great for a 12 gauge and spare parts for it are all over due to the popularity of the gun. We do have it in stock here at Grouse for $449.97 in both 26 inch and 28 inch barrels. You can take a peak at it here.
Click to expand...

There is a mag limit of 2 shells for hunting.
 
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