Member since: 11/04/2014
Location: TN
| RE: Best all around affordable shotgun for beginnerThat depends on exactly how deep your pocket goes and your set of standards. Some would say a $500.00 gun is a good gun, others might say a $5000.00 gun.
I have an old Spanish Lomas side by side and a heavy weight mossberge pump and those 2 cover all the range of hunting that I do... but it might not be right for you. Some even laugh at my old 1980 mossy 500, but it has not failed me yet, never jammed or froze up, and it kills just as good as a Barretta or Browning. Its the shooter so to speak not the gun, but the gun has to work.
Over unders, side by sides, Pump, Automatic, single shot are your choices.
Gauge is also a consideration of what you hunt and where you hunt, but 20s and 12s are the most common.
Duck, Goose, Turkey seem to dictate a 3 and 3.5 magnum shells.
Dove, Quail, Chuckar, Sharptail, Pheasant call for lighter to heavier loads of 2-3/4 up to 3 mags.
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Not many times (over a long period of time and use)... will a automatic shotgun that performs well with 3 and 3.5 inch shells perform the same with a 2-3/4 lighter load, so I would stay away from an Auto for that reason alone. It might jamb the hull on eject as there is less gas/power on eject (the recoil spring is longer/heavier or whatever on the heavier lead singers, and the action too long to work well with shorter hulls).
Also, depending on the weather, cold to extream cold, rain, humidity, frost, cold temps will sometimes fault and automatic on occasions as metal springs and oils react to cold.
A good pump, side by side, Over under, with swapable barrels and chokes, would be my advice For an all around gun. You can pick up barrel lengths as you have the $$$ and need.
Among all shotguns, A Full choke is a full choke by the SAMI Standards, it might be 1 to 3 thousandths different between manufactures, but most are usually about the same. Other chokes as well.
Barrel lengths- 26, 28, 30, 32 inches is just that and like the tolerances above, have the same allowances/considerations/exceptions. But getting a shot gun with swap-able barrels will allow you to purchase additional barrels later on as you find the need and brands may limit or dictate that available and the prices.
for example:
26 close in brush and wood hunting tarring
28-30 for filed Dove/quail, (longer if their high balling or gun shy)
Longer barrel for Goose maybe duck depending on where you hunt.
All with swapable chokes.
I use to work at Accurate-A before they sold out to western powders, Gary(Q/A ballistic testing) and I used to talk these issues and scenarios a little. But I still think experience means more than the data.... to a degree~ |
Member since: 11/04/2014
Location: TN
| RE: Best all around affordable shotgun for beginnerI bought my mossy 500 back in 1987 and still use it to date (2020) on just about every hunt. However, I recently got a good deal on an rem-870 with a 26 inch rem-choke and grabbed a 30 replacement for September (forward) dove/duck as well so old mossy might become an shelf hanger or hand-me-down.
But I used old mossy in just about all local settings year round- clay, birds, turkey, quail, dove, wood cock, ducks, geese and anything else that flew, jumped, Slithered, even lite home dog protection.
On the old Mossy, it originally had a 28 Fixed Mod choke and that cannon is thick enough that I bet I can run TT or larger steel trough it without a minds worry! But I still picked up a new additional barrel with multiple chokes for it when they demanded steel on migratory birds just to be safe-er in the minds eyes.
The receiver is metal, but the body is aluminum and I hear others complain about that as they claim its a lesser gun and loose on the pumps. But the only thing I see that makes this a minus is the fact that you cant re-blue the receiver body, and the pump is due to the design that only makes it feel like its loose. It will last 2-5 lifetimes of wear and tear or more just like the rest of them...besides you have to run about 2000 rounds though any gun before truly consider broken in properly anyway.
But sticking to the OP question and topic, A gallon of water is the same measure as a gallon of milk,just as a 12 gauge is a 12 gauge no matter the brand (proven as all commercial 12 gauge shot-shells can be used in all the different brands of 12g shotguns, 410, 10, 16, 20s gauges as well), quality, fit, balance, weight, and all the bells and whistles is the only difference and matter of $$$$. But No matter the brand, they will all have the same measures and close tolerances set by SAMI (corrected too SaMMI).
But for a good all around shotgun, should you live at the north pole or in a hot desert, a pump will always rarely fail over an auto. less it gets to cold and shatters like glass or to hot and melts in your hands.
As for that 1 to 2 seconds it takes me to reload/pump and require target, Ive always been able to drop at least two birds (while quartering) before they get out of my zone and good enough for me and any fun I want to have.
Come to think about it.... All my cars/trucks/harley are stick shift as well.
Guess I am just old school. |
