New shotgun on a budget.

romiogt said:
In every instance that I have seen someone shooting a Mossberg it has jammed - maybe its the loads, maybe its whatever but I would not spend anything for it.

The SX3 Black Shadow looks like it may fit the bill if your set on a semi (I believe this gun is very similar to the Browning Silver).

If you were to sway towards a pump, the 870 Wingmaster would serve one very well doing just about anything for a long time.
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I have 3 mossbergs and none have had an issue, I also have/had a Hatsan, 2 fabarms, 2 Baikals and a Dlask custom, no issue with those either. All have cycled any ammo fed to them without an issue.
 
They both have shot about 100rnds at the skeet club with their singles and yeah there's a bit of recoil...so? Can you feel recoil when you're hunting? I can't... My boys have shot geese with 3" shells out of my sxs. There was recoil, but that's part of the fun when you shoot a big gun, no? They love the recoil and can hit 18 of 25 skeets too. One day they will make guns with no recoil and guess what? People will want the old guns back. Hunters and shooters NEED recoil...
Brian46 said:
A 5lb 12 gage shotgun for a kid..........how do they handle the recoil?

I started shooting a 22 when I was very young, I had a 20 gage pump around age 10, A 12 gage pump shortly after that. Looking back I would have loved to have an autoloader 12 gage instead of the 20, less felt recoil and would have gotten me way more grouse as a kid. I still have the old shotguns from when I grew up, so I know what I am talking about with the felt recoil.
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Some good advice out here. Do some research on the low end guns if you decide to go that way. Baikal are somewhat crude, but indestructable. Have heard good things about the Weatherby Sa-08. Some of the Versa max that are cheaper are the sportsman which i believe is very cheap plastic furniture and a tube that only holds 2..so 2+1.
Some research will uncover the high end snobs slagging anything that is not 2K or name starting with a "B". Have not read all of the posts, but the EE seems to have a lot of 870's, people selling tricked out guns they are now tired of. Buy someone elses project with two barrels...shorty and choke tube with the original stock and a "tactical" folder. Beats paying retail.

Someone else has no doubt mentioned it...but 3.5 is expensive and in most cases not necessary. Could get really costly in a auto loader. very few guns like to run everything from 2 3/4 to 3.5. This usually means the autoloader has trouble with the most common, target loads but cycles the 3.5 you almost never use well.

Lots of choices to make.
 
jett said:
They both have shot about 100rnds at the skeet club with their singles and yeah there's a bit of recoil...so? Can you feel recoil when you're hunting? I can't... My boys have shot geese with 3" shells out of my sxs. There was recoil, but that's part of the fun when you shoot a big gun, no? They love the recoil and can hit 18 of 25 skeets too. One day they will make guns with no recoil and guess what? People will want the old guns back. Hunters and shooters NEED recoil...
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sounds like they are not as young as your post made it sound they are, my bad.

As for recoil, that is up to the shooter how much they want or don't want, everyone is different, what I posted is what I would have rather had at a young age since I found the recoil heavy. Lighter recoil in a shotgun allows you to recover quicker when wingshooting multiple targets, even more so if you are young and get pushed around by the recoil.

For fun I have shot 25 of 25 with a 410, I still get looked at funny every time I bring it out for skeet, even more so when I shoot a perfect round. How do your boys shoot skeet with a single shot?
 
They were 10 and 13 yrs old and the skeets get sent out for them as singles only, our club makes room for young shooters when they show up.
Brian46 said:
sounds like they are not as young as your post made it sound they are, my bad.

As for recoil, that is up to the shooter how much they want or don't want, everyone is different, what I posted is what I would have rather had at a young age since I found the recoil heavy. Lighter recoil in a shotgun allows you to recover quicker when wingshooting multiple targets, even more so if you are young and get pushed around by the recoil.

For fun I have shot 25 of 25 with a 410, I still get looked at funny every time I bring it out for skeet, even more so when I shoot a perfect round. How do your boys shoot skeet with a single shot?
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Brian . I'm seeing Hatsans , Fabarms and such . Are they semi's or pumps, 3" or 3.5" ? I saw a used Fabarms semi listed(didn't mention the model but it has a boxy looking reciever). Don't know much about these brands or what it's like to get parts or service. I had mentioned the Hatsan because of the 5 yr warranty vs more common models with 1 and 2 yr. I see you've had no problems with yours but do any of your friends own the same and if so, have they had issues. I don't put much stock in the dealer i went to see the Hatsan at. They have been caught in a few lies by my friends and i so we only go if we're in a pinch.
 
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I've had good success with Remington 870's, I own two(one wood one synthetic) and never had a problem. Price wise they are very reasonably priced.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. Alot of good feedback here. I'm glad i signed up to this sight. In answer to your age question jett , their in their 20's and once they both have their licenses they can use my 1187 and doubles to get a handle on what feels good to them . Then we'll go to the store and see what they like there. If not , I still have a couple of 2.75" guns they can knock the cob webs off til they make up their minds.For now i think we have some good input to work on. Thanks once again magnum 3.
 
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No, by all means do NOT get a 3.5" gun. Not only will you not need it, but it makes for a heavier gun, which is what you DON'T want when training new shooters. A standard old Remington 1100 shooting 2-3/4" shells can kill 90% of what you want to kill, geese included. Don't buy into the 3.5" hype, it's a waste. Guys who have bought it for the 'just in case' factor have fired a few $hot$hell$ and the recoil is brutal.

I have a Browning A-5, Remington 1100 & 11-87, and a Mossberg 930. All work fine and do the job well. Two are 3" guns, two 2-3/4". All have killed geese.
 
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