Help me pick a shotgun

[rdelliott]

On the break-open front, you might want to look at the CZs. Site sponsor Prophet River sells them. They're great bang for the buck. I bought a CZ 20-ga SxS from them last year, fell in love with it, and ran out and bought a matching 12-ga. in the same model about six weeks later.

They aren't Purdeys, but having shopped around a bit, they're the best bang for the buck in a new sub-$1K hinge gun out there IMHO.

 

[R0llllin]

thanks guys... i appreciate the community feel here...
got some great suggestions

for the record, a few comments around semi vs hinge actions... i personally prefer the hinge actions just because they are easiest to PROVE safe ... and i guess i grew up with hinge actions and never really handled semis till a few years ago...

however the one message i think we can all agree to is the need to pick something that fits well... and it could be either..

 

[beretta boy]

I don't shoot a semi myself, and would actually look right at home the way I often dress and certainly with the type of guns i shoot , but I'll be damned if I'll hunt with ANYONE who thinks they are better than someone else just because they shoot a break action shotgun.
That just smacks of snobbery, and a snob I am not.
Cat

Cat ... the "break open only" rule is mandated by some Club's as a safety consideration. Snob factor not even part of the equation. No question an open double is visibly safe.

 

[catnthehatt]

Cat ... the "break open only" rule is mandated by some Club's as a safety consideration. Snob factor not even part of the equation. No question an open double is visibly safe.

All a person has to do is look at a pump and they can tell if it's ope or not, same goes for a semi.
i don't think this rule is valid anymore, after seeing some people handling guns at different clubs.

Our club has a rule that guns have to be open at all times but they do not impose this crap on O/U's or SXS guns that are racked, jus the pumps and semis.

I have seen people swept with as many break action guns as i have with pumps.
The action type has nothing to do with how a gun is handles IMO.
Cat

 

[Win/64]

Our club has a rule that guns have to be open at all times but they do not impose this crap on O/U's or SXS guns that are racked, jus the pumps and semis.Cat

Cat I find that if I try and leave a break open gun on a rack while open they tend to fall on the ground.

 

[catnthehatt]

Cat I find that if I try and leave a break open gun on a rack while open they tend to fall on the ground.

Not if the rack is built properly.
that still does not justify making one person keep his action open and another closed IMO.
if a closed gun is a loaded gun and an open gun is a safe gun as we are taught from a very young age, then every dammed break gun out there is being handle improperly.
Cat

 

[Ahsan Ahmed]

for the record, a few comments around semi vs hinge actions... i personally prefer the hinge actions just because they are easiest to PROVE safe ... and i guess i grew up with hinge actions and never really handled semis till a few years ago...

however the one message i think we can all agree to is the need to pick something that fits well... and it could be either..

A breechloading shotgun, more particularly an O/U (and not a SxS) would be my foremost preference for clay and upland hunting activities - when both will be performed using a single shotgun. However, when waterfowl is brought into the equation then a semi-auto will be the all round tool more often than not. Besides an O/U shotgun can be somewhat cumbersome to load inside the confines of a blind.

Cat I find that if I try and leave a break open gun on a rack while open they tend to fall on the ground.

LOL! That's a fact. But Cat does have a valid argument.

 

[Win/64]

Not if the rack is built properly.
that still does not justify making one person keep his action open and another closed IMO.
if a closed gun is a loaded gun and an open gun is a safe gun as we are taught from a very young age, then every dammed break gun out there is being handle improperly.
Cat

The only time I ever see a break open gun closed is when it is time to shoot or when the Gun is in the rack. Closed or open it is in the rack and not being handled. When taken out of the rack the action is opened.

Right or wrong the "Preserves" that have these rules have every right to impose them.
I have been "swept" as many times with Pumps and Semis as I have with Break Guns. Has nothing to do with the action of the gun but the carelessness of the owner.

 

[thumbshark]

FN SLP Semi auto

 

[Win/64]

FN SLP Semi auto

Good idea. A Police tactical Shotgun.

 

[Claybuster]

A breaking gun is more reassuring because you can see from a distance that it is open and safe, not as easy with a pump and harder still with a semi-auto.

The issue with semis is people who carry them by the receivers as one might carry an o/u. Their hand is over the ejection port making it impossible to see if the gun is open and the barrel is parallel to the ground pointing at the lower legs of everyone around them.

The problem with breaking guns is how people take them off the rack. Too often they wave the gun around before they open it. The proper method is to close the gun with the barrels pointed up just as you rack it and to open the gun as you lift it off the rack again with the barrels pointed up.

Pumps are a little better than semis because you can see that the action is open by looking at the forend but again not as easy as a hinge gun.

Regardless of what type of gun you have if you point it at me and I think it is closed I won't hesitate to ask that you show me it is safe. If the gun is closed we'll have words. Polite words the first time. Not so polite if it happens again.

 

[catnthehatt]

A breaking gun is more reassuring because you can see from a distance that it is open and safe, not as easy with a pump and harder still with a semi-auto.

The issue with semis is people who carry them by the receivers as one might carry an o/u. Their hand is over the ejection port making it impossible to see if the gun is open and the barrel is parallel to the ground pointing at the lower legs of everyone around them.

The problem with breaking guns is how people take them off the rack. Too often they wave the gun around before they open it. The proper method is to close the gun with the barrels pointed up just as you rack it and to open the gun as you lift it off the rack again with the barrels pointed up.

Pumps are a little better than semis because you can see that the action is open by looking at the forend but again not as easy as a hinge gun.

Regardless of what type of gun you have if you point it at me and I think it is closed I won't hesitate to ask that you show me it is safe. If the gun is closed we'll have words. Polite words the first time. Not so polite if it happens again.

it still goes back to safe gun handling and muzzle control, and what is good for one should be good for another, bt such is not the case.
Cat

 

[Claybuster]

it still goes back to safe gun handling and muzzle control, and what is good for one should be good for another, bt such is not the case.
Cat

True enough but I wouldn't and don't object if I see a semi or pump that is in the rack and closed. But will say something if the shooter is carrying it around that way.

 

[catnthehatt]

True enough but I wouldn't and don't object if I see a semi or pump that is in the rack and closed. But will say something if the shooter is carrying it around that way.

Exactly, but I know many shooters who have no problem telling a man to open his action on his gun in the rack when it is right next to a closed O/U.
That just straight out bugs me.....
Cat

 

[beretta boy]

True enough but I wouldn't and don't object if I see a semi or pump that is in the rack and closed. But will say something if the shooter is carrying it around that way.

Right on ... and Cat's point is also quite valid ... what is the status of that O/U or SxS (closed) on the rack ?

With a few years spent behind the counter in a couple of gunshops, it's a real eye-opener when someone would come in with a gun for repair, evaluation, service, whatever ... open the action and eject a couple of snap caps or empties ... but even more startling once or twice a year when it was a live round or two that flew out !

There are more than a few folks at local Gun Clubs that could use a little gun handling refresher too ... not so much as to handling firearms on the line - but more with regard to gun carrying & muzzle control when they're not actually shooting.

At one Club ( private, Pheasants & Chukars) our party of 3 were assigned a dog-handler and his delightful pointer. His rules, in addition to the Club's break-open only, was that the guns were to be carried and remain "open" until the dog went on point and he had moved one or more of us into position for the flush. Only then was the gun to loaded, and the safety was to remain on until he flushed the bird(s) ... and "blue sky" only, please. No problem and a very enjoyable afternoon of dog work & shooting ... but at the same time, definitely not the way to hunt Grouse or Woodcock.

Each to their own, but always, safety first, for you, your companions and the dog.

 

[catnthehatt]

Right on ... and Cat's point is also quite valid ... what is the status of that O/U or SxS (closed) on the rack ?

With a few years spent behind the counter in a couple of gunshops, it's a real eye-opener when someone would come in with a gun for repair, evaluation, service, whatever ... open the action and eject a couple of snap caps or empties ... but even more startling once or twice a year when it was a live round or two that flew out !

There are more than a few folks at local Gun Clubs that could use a little gun handling refresher too ... not so much as to handling firearms on the line - but more with regard to gun carrying & muzzle control when they're not actually shooting.

At one Club ( private, Pheasants & Chukars) our party of 3 were assigned a dog-handler and his delightful pointer. His rules, in addition to the Club's break-open only, was that the guns were to be carried and remain "open" until the dog went on point and he had moved one or more of us into position for the flush. Only then was the gun to loaded, and the safety was to remain on until he flushed the bird(s) ... and "blue sky" only, please. No problem and a very enjoyable afternoon of dog work & shooting ... but at the same time, definitely not the way to hunt Grouse or Woodcock.

Each to their own, but always, safety first, for you, your companions and the dog.

I hunt pheasants and chukars like that as well....
Cat

 

[superd222]

If you decide on the AL-391 Urika-2, consider the 'Sporting' version. The comb is wider and a little higher than the classic field version. There's also a shim kit with these that allows for customization of the fit by changing cast (on or off) and drop - a great feature.

You're right about the fit - the beads must line-up. LOP is (usually) easy to adjust if needed. Adjustable combs are relatively easy to have put in if desired too.

12ga is versatile and 20ga can be every bit as effective too. Have you considered a 20? Right now, 12 and 20ga target loads are priced the same at about $50/flat (10 boxes of 25).

12ga will probably serve you better if you're into trap. For skeet, a 20ga is more than enough.

For hunting, I find myself grabbing a 20 more often than anything else. For the past year, I've had the oportunity to use a 28ga and find it a joy to carry and shoot. Both 20 and 28 get the job done without adding extra lead to game meat!

Don't be afraid to take a sporting gun hunting - if they fit well and work for clay sports, they'll work well for speedy critters too!

Good luck - have fun! SD