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Old September 27, 2009, 06:50 PM   #26
greyson97
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remington 870 and mossberg 500 are cheap. get one type of model, and then get barrels and stocks and fore ends to swap out and make them like something else. after all the extra barrels and furniture, it becomes affordable.

those are pumps. if there was a reliable semi that had swappable barrels and stocks and fore ends, id recommend that one, but i dont know of any.

i have a benelli m4 with a 6" briley barrel extender and an improved mod choke. it lets me hit clay out to 40 yards
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Old September 27, 2009, 06:50 PM   #27
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Hi - new to shotguns - seeking advice on a good affordable all-purpose choice. Any suggestions?
Just a reminder of what the OP is looking for.
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Old September 27, 2009, 06:51 PM   #28
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but you folks need to stop bashing those of us who can actually appreciate something more than a plastic wally world special
Plastic Wally World special? I think not... It goes everywhere I go up here...



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and i will forever fight the BS prejudice spouted by folks who have nothing but wealth-envy on their mind
Not really prejudice, just distaste for those who love to rub in others faces that they've got money to burn, which really means that they think they are better people because their wallet has more stuff in it...
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Old September 27, 2009, 06:55 PM   #29
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very nice........is the wood original? I have an 1100 with a butt stock like that.....gotta love good wood compared to black plastic...... WELL DONE

Quote:
Not really prejudice, just distaste for those who love to rub in others faces that they've got money to burn, which really means that they think they are better people because their wallet has more stuff in it..
...And I'm about as rich as hogdogs - doesn't mean that I can't appreciate nice stuff
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Old September 27, 2009, 06:56 PM   #30
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The wood is original, my Dad gave it to me 10 years ago after he dropped my A-Bolt (7mm-08) down a mountain...
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Old September 27, 2009, 07:03 PM   #31
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OUCH!....got a model 7 in 7-08 - great caliber.......but looks like you got a good deal!....how does it shoot?
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Old September 27, 2009, 07:07 PM   #32
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.75-1MOA if I do my part.. Figuring out the placement of the BOSS is a bugger if you switch loads often. I finally broke down and took about 20 boxes of ammo and a camera to the range. I sighted them all in individually, counting my clicks and recording them for each load. Then I started adjusting the BOSS for tightest group. Took a picture of the BOSS placement and set the scope and BOSS back to zero... Took a long time, but I've got good data for that gun and all the factory ammo I use.
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Old September 27, 2009, 07:16 PM   #33
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I remember when that BOSS was "the thing" according to the gun mag writers.......never bought one - do you think it works worth anything or is it hype?
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Old September 27, 2009, 07:18 PM   #34
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and to NOT TOTALLY veer this thread - this is from another forum, from someone that only shoots SxS, but the information is first rate:

Quote:
My experience is based on SxSs, but O/Us follow the same rules. So I'll just call them "doubleguns"

There are plenty of good doubleguns that are inexpensive. They work. But a doublegun needs to have the barrels "regulated", that is, adjusted to shoot to the same place. That is a difficult labor-intensive job to do well. An inexpensive gun may not be well-regulated. Indeed, on SGW there are several ongoing threads right now that bemoan this fact. An expensive doublegun will generally not have regulation problems; an inexpensive one could.

But what really is an elusive issue is the "feel" of the gun.

If you shoot a pump or semi-auto, they mostly feel the same except for possible differences in recoil. (Please note - I assume that any gun you shoot fits you so it is immaterial if you don't like an "X" gun "because it doesn't fit" If it's a good gun it's worth restocking)

Now doubleguns have distinctive "feels" to them. The way they mount and swing; their motion dynamics - all of these very subjective qualities that exist in a gun. It is not possible to describe this - but if you ever get the chance to shoot a Baikal and then a Boss O/U you will immediately know what this is all about. My 35-yr-old F. Anitua Spanish SxS kills as many clays as my AyA but the experience is not nearly as satisfying.

I shoot SxSs only. I have some superb guns and I also have some very inexpensive older Spanish SxSs that literally cost me less than $500 each. They are fun guns - I don't really care what happens to them. They fire each time I pull the trigger and al of them are well-regulated. I have re-stocked many of them so they all fit me perfectly.

However, they lack that certain "zing" that makes just mounting and swinging a "best" so wonderful.

A fly fisherman once smiled at me and told me he began to really like fly-fishing when he realized that fishing was not about catching fish.

Same for doubleguns. It takes experience and some good coaching to learn how to properly mount and swing a gun and once that's down then the difference between an ordinary doublegun and a good one is the difference between croaking and singing.

If the guns all go "bang" then the only thing more expense gets you is the "bling" that you feel when you use the gun.

And it is that "bling" that makes a really fine doublegun so wonderful.

A Hyundai will get you home, as will a Jag. You pay for the experience.

(flamers- please note this is a statement about guns, not people or their ability to afford guns! It does not involve engraving, wood quality or wood/metal fit. No social statement of any kind is intended.)
Again -these were NOT my words, but I agree with them.....they explain it better than I seem to be able to do here with certain folks

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Old September 27, 2009, 07:20 PM   #35
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It turns a 3.5" 200yd group to a <2" group. The one down-side is increased noise levels, but you don't really notice it from one or two shots in the field. A worthy investment IMO, even if you have to have a smith install one, definitely worth it.
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Old September 27, 2009, 07:29 PM   #36
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awesome - my little 18-1/2 barrel does OK, but it isn't a tackdriver - good enough for deer or elk though......glad to hear the caliber is capable of more than I can do!
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Old September 27, 2009, 07:33 PM   #37
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FWIW, that BAR is a .30/06...
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Old September 28, 2009, 02:33 PM   #38
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Sorry for the confusion. I have never owned a shotgun. Have shot 410 and 20 gauge when I was younger. Looking primarily for home defense. May wish to try my hand at skeet and/or Deer Hunting in the future.

Thanks for all the help!
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Old September 28, 2009, 02:39 PM   #39
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Then before you go buy one, you might want to go to a shotgun club and try some models for that trap/skeet down the road. You might also check out some of the other shotgun venues - 3-gun, etc. to see if you can rent/borrow one and try their course out to see which might be the best alternative for you
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Old September 28, 2009, 02:40 PM   #40
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i'll reiterate. remington 870. it has a lot of after market parts for swapping out components for the task at hand: 28" barrel and a traditional wood stock and forend for clay and hunting, to a 18" barrel with a synthetic pistol grip stock with a synth foreend for HD. I think everything included would run you 400 tops.
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Old September 28, 2009, 02:57 PM   #41
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Thanks again for all of the advice. I appreciate it. And, sorry one more for any confusion.

I am awaiting an orientation at a local private gun club, so hopefully I will be able to narrow down my choice after that.
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Old September 28, 2009, 03:16 PM   #42
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Does the club rent any firearms?
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Old September 28, 2009, 03:16 PM   #43
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If you have a $300 or a $20.000 shotgun or any gun and you can hit what you aim at whats the big deal. I buy what I like and can afford and still can shoot as good as the next guy. But the edge will be to the guy with the most money but so what I JUST enjoy shooting
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Old September 28, 2009, 06:11 PM   #44
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I am awaiting an orientation at a local private gun club, so hopefully I will be able to narrow down my choice after that.
This is a good start. Try out as many as you can (if possible) and after a bit, you will notice not only which guns "feel" the best in your hands, "mount" the best, but also which shotguns have the most desireable feature-set given your needs. Again, for HD, the Mossberg 590A1 is my preference without a doubt. But, this does not mean its necessarily the "best" out there. Its just the best that I have come across, within a particular budget, in terms of meeting my particular need(s) (primarily HD, along with a bit of skeet/trap shooting, static target practice and the like).

The reason I mentioned a 12ga. pump is because, regardless of brand, it is a fairly straight-forward weapon in terms of its use, is quite forgiving and is certainly powerful enough and versatile enough (given the various 12 ga. loads available) for almost any use. Now, autoloaders are also an option. But, they can be a bit more finicky when it comes to ammo selection. In addition, the mechanism(s) they use can prove a bit daunting and/or frustrating to a newcomer (but, not to a huge degree perhaps).

Regardless of what you eventually end up with, once you enter the world of shotguns, Im sure you will find that one shotgun may not be nearly enough!

Keep us posted and enjoy the search....
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Old September 29, 2009, 01:43 PM   #45
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The term "all-purpose" is specific, but "affordable" is a subjective term that means different things to different folks. For me, when I'm talking about guns, my idea of "affordable" is a couple of hundred bucks. That doesn't mean I couldn't pay $20,000 for a shotgun, it just means that I wouldn't; not while in my part of the South, I can still buy decent, habitable rental houses or small tree farms, or tracts of cutover timber for that kind of money.

Here's my idea of an affordable all purpose shotgun: I just bought a classic John Browning- designed Remington Model 11, in very good to excellent condition for $200. Depending on the ammo I shoot, it should be good for anything from upland birds to geese. I could probably use it for deer hunting with slugs. It was manufactured in 1938, and it's a little heavy by todays standards, and it kicks like a heavyweight, but for HD it will fire 5 rounds about as quickly as I can point it and pull the trigger. Of course,I can plug it for hunting. It's a very well made gun, with checkered stock and hunting roll mark, and I could probably sell it tomorrow morning for as much or more than I paid for it. It will probably last another 71 years, and as time goes by, I'll bet that it'll be worth a lot more than $200.
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Old September 29, 2009, 02:32 PM   #46
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All purpose means to me it can do many things but few well. I like the 870 with a 20" barrel w/chokes. Rifle sights can be over looked or looked past when going for birds. I used my 870 with IC choke for upland birds and it worked pretty darn good. Just change your choke for what you need.
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Old September 29, 2009, 03:19 PM   #47
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Thanks again for all of the advice. I appreciate it. And, sorry one more for any confusion.
No need to apologize, some of us are just rascals and anytime a what should I get....? question comes up fur flies and what the heck, its on the inter tube, nobody can spit on each other or throw their drink or roll around in the dirt.

But a valid question was raised and it really helps to be a little more specific. Some people just do skeet, I shoot turkey and practice HD drills, others are rabbit hunters and others are goose busters, no two of us have the same shotgun but any shotgun we have can be used with varying degree's of success at the other guys sport. You mentioned a club and that is your source for information. Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays, a mixture?

See what the old timers are using and ask them why. Gun guys like to talk about their guns, might even have a few shotguns scattered around among the club members that they no longer use and might be willing to let go for less than blood money to get a newbie started.
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Old October 1, 2009, 09:34 PM   #48
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All purpose choice you say... probably a 12 guage with a combo barrel for shot and slug, and this will suffice for hunting needs. At least this way you don't have to switch back N-forth and shell out for the extra barrels. And as far as Home defense goes...just let someone get in front of it just once for the wrong purpose..and you will see how effective any shotgun will be.

Remember that 'New' doesn't constitute better, and something under $400 bucs doesn't mean incapable.
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Old October 2, 2009, 12:21 AM   #49
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You'll get a lot of opinions on this one: my preference for an all purpose shotgun is one that has a 21" vent rib barrel. That way it can be used to hunt and is still short enough to be a truck gun or home defense gun. YMMV
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Old October 2, 2009, 11:04 AM   #50
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Consider a browning BPS?

There are many things I like about mine. It's a solid and well built pump gun that over the years has been used to take almost anything that can be taken with a shotgun pheasants, ducks, geese, turkey, deer, and wild boar. It's also a truly ambidextrous gun which lefties like me love but certainly fits "all purpose" pretty well. Browning makes a variety of barrels that interchange from rifled slug barrels to shorts for home defense.

I have had mine since 83 and have down right abused it at times and it's never given me so much as a hiccup. The barrels themselves can get a bit pricey but I've used the stock 26inch on mine to to take everything listed above. You can pick up the gun istelf new for under $500. You can also find them used for $400 or less.
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