A simpleton's guide to guns...

[Selectamatic]

A while ago, I thought about buying a gun...

I asked about it on here, and suddenly it's an indepth thread on every aspect of shooting, guns, etc etc etc All over my head!!

So, here we go again, but please can we keep it a bit more simple this time?!

I'd like to buy a shotgun, to shoot birds, rabbits, rats and possibly the occasional fox. Some Clay Pigeons too, possibly...

What should I buy, not a massive budget, it wont be used every day, just something to go out with every now and again.

What should I buy, and how do I go about it?

 

[Steevo]

First off....do you have a shotgun licence?

That would be your first, pretty simple step.

 

[Still Farming]

Once you have gone through all the hoops to get a certificate then a cheap 12 bore single barrel shotgun are about £50 upwards to an English make say Purdey or Holland and Holland could set you back thousands upwards.

 

[Selectamatic]

First off....do you have a shotgun licence?

That would be your first, pretty simple step.

I'll be applying soon.

 

[Still Farming]

I'll be applying soon.

Get ready for it all!

 

[Werzle]

Get a licence, get a double barrel 12 bore though. Plenty about at cheap money from local gun rooms

 

[chaffcutter]

Have you any friends who shoot? If so ask them to let you try mounting and shooting their gun or guns just to get the feel of them a bit. Then go to a good shooting ground where they sell guns and you can try before you buy.
Most people start wrongly imo, and buy the first one they like. But you need an experienced coach to make sure that the gun fits you as well as possible. If you are a right handed shot there are thousands of secondhand guns available very cheaply.

Twelve bore over and under are the usual choice, but if you find them too heavy or suffer from too much recoil 20 bore are fine, cartridges are more expensive though.

You can’t beat going to a local clayshoot with experienced shooters for a play around before you do anything else. Don’t forget before you buy that you need a shotgun certificate and a gun safe inspected by the local firearms officer before you can take your gun home.

 

[davidroberts30]

You can get a single trigger over and under with multi choke and ejectors for around 400 to 450
Dont get too hung up on names and makes,they will all do the job
Fit is the main thing,if it's wrong and uncomfortable you wont enjoy shooting,so see a good gun smith

 

[Dry Rot]

A trick I was taught many years ago to decide whether a gun fits you is to look at a point with both eyes open. Then close your eyes and mount the gun. Now open your eyes and see where the gun is pointing.

Shooting with a shotgun should be instinctive, like pointing something out with an extension of your arm. If you get that right, the price of the gun is immaterial. A cheap
secondhand that fits is worth far more than a fancy side lock by a top London gunmaker that doesn't.

 

[Still Farming]

Inside of your elbow to your trigger finger sets butt length

 

[tr250]

You can get a single trigger over and under with multi choke and injectors for around 400 to 450
Dont get too hung up on names and makes,they will all do the job
Fit is the main thing,if it's wrong and uncomfortable you wont enjoy shooting,so see a good gun smith

Yes but he will want something half quality there are some cheap tat about. I’d recommend Lincoln premier over and under

 

[Kidds]

Get in touch with North Wales Shooting School and go from there.
You will have to pay but they will show you the ropes.
Or, get in touch with me and I will show you but to a lower standard of both tuition and weaponry
I have land at Tarvin which is only a few miles off the A55, I will show you the basics and we can shoot some clays. All for free.

 

[Clive]

A while ago, I thought about buying a gun...

I asked about it on here, and suddenly it's an indepth thread on every aspect of shooting, guns, etc etc etc All over my head!!

So, here we go again, but please can we keep it a bit more simple this time?!

I'd like to buy a shotgun, to shoot birds, rabbits, rats and possibly the occasional fox. Some Clay Pigeons too, possibly...

What should I buy, not a massive budget, it wont be used every day, just something to go out with every now and again.

What should I buy, and how do I go about it?

Budget dependant but you won’t go wrong with something like a Beretta silver pigeon, multi choke and 30 or 32” barrels

Go to a decent shop that will do a basic fitting - looking for one with an adjustable comb will help with fit which will change as you learn to shoot and mount better

Anything much below that kind of budget is tat really and of negligible secondhand value

If you have more to spend then sky really is the limit - pointless for a first shotgun though

 

[ARW]

I know a man with a nice Russian made single barrel 12, it could be used as a extension on the breaker bar when your putting the row crops on!

 

[Happy hillbily]

@Selectamatic go to valley arms in Rhuthun, they will put you right

 

[Vincent]

As @Clive said above a Beretta is a gun for life, a bit expensive when you buy but they will give you great service. I bought mine when I was 17 and it is still a great gun . It's an auto and will take 24 GM to 42gm no bother. Used to put about 250 round ds through it every Sunday for years.

 

[traineefarmer]

If you have no shooting experience I'd recommend finding a friend who will let you have a go with theirs first.

A shotgun sounds like a great thing and in the hands of a skilled operator they are very effective, but they are not for everyone. I can't hit a barn door with one and much prefer a rifle. I'm no expert marksman, but the precision of placing a crosshair on a target seems to suit me better than waving barrels in the rough direction of a pigeon.

 

[Yale]

@Selectamatic go to valley arms in Rhuthun, they will put you right

Yes,definitely,they’re a good bunch there.

 

[oakleaf]

If you have no shooting experience I'd recommend finding a friend who will let you have a go with theirs first.

A shotgun sounds like a great thing and in the hands of a skilled operator they are very effective, but they are not for everyone. I can't hit a barn door with one and much prefer a rifle. I'm no expert marksman, but the precision of placing a crosshair on a target seems to suit me better than waving barrels in the rough direction of a pigeon.

I am ambidextrous and can shoot equally comfortably from left or right shoulder , but also dont have a consistent dominant eye so on the rare occassion l connect with a shotgun it is most probably fluke. Therefore a rifle suits me way better.

 

[Jameshenry]

A while ago, I thought about buying a gun...

I asked about it on here, and suddenly it's an indepth thread on every aspect of shooting, guns, etc etc etc All over my head!!

So, here we go again, but please can we keep it a bit more simple this time?!

I'd like to buy a shotgun, to shoot birds, rabbits, rats and possibly the occasional fox. Some Clay Pigeons too, possibly...

What should I buy, not a massive budget, it wont be used every day, just something to go out with every now and again.

What should I buy, and how do I go about it?

Look at Hushpower shotguns if noise is a consideration, very effective tool for vermin control, i have had a single barrel hushpower 410 for years, not much louder than an air rifle with the right cartridges,