First Shotgun Purchase

dds115 · July 25, 2011, 11:49 AM

I was recently bitten by the gun bug, and purchased my first handgun a few months ago. It came down time to buy a shotgun, and after doing a good about or research, I went with the Benelli SuperNova. Put about 175 shells through it this weekend, and loved it.

Any must buys for my shotgun?

Thinking about getting a shorter barrel for HD, because walking around with a 28" just doesn't seem like the easiest thing to do. Any thoughts? The price tag is pretty high, but sure is cheaper than not having it if I need it.

zippy13 · July 25, 2011, 11:57 AM

Congratulations!!

Any must buys for my shotgun?

More ammo!

SurplusShooter · July 25, 2011, 12:57 PM

A sling and a shell sleve for the buttstock to ho;d spme ammo on the gun at all times the only useful and nesscery accesories.

BigJimP · July 25, 2011, 01:35 PM

No, you don't need anything .....except what my friend Zippy mentioned....

Hanging junk all over it / or even a shorter barrel ....are things that you will probably never need ---or use ....

A 28" barrel may not be optimal for a "Fighting" shotgun ...but its just fine for a "Defensive shotgun" ...in my opinion.

Several of my son's buddies - all in their 30's ....have tactical Fighting shotguns with 18" barrels or whatever is common ...and not one of them have fired those guns in over 3 years. They all shot them when they were new ( but when I say shot them / they put maybe 100 shells thru them ..) so they shot them a little bit ...but now they're getting into some Trap and Skeet and Sporting Clays shooting ...and they all want guns with
28" or 30" barrels on them to go out and have some fun.

Dave McC · July 25, 2011, 01:55 PM

All you need's ammo,and wear marks. Learn your shotgun.

ripnbst · July 25, 2011, 02:17 PM

Like others have said you don't need anything else. If you want something for home defense then I'd get another shotgun all together. You could pick up a police trade-in like I did for cheap as an HD gun. Police trade-ins are great because they are:

A. Cheap
B. Shot very little

Some may have some wear from being in a cruiser most of its life but don't let that fool you. Look at the mechanics of it and the internals, I'll bet they look like new. I went this route and have an HD dedicated shotgun with an 18" barrel. No attachments. Simple is best.

I wouldn't go crazy adding lights and lasers and garage door openers to your existing shotgun to try and make it a dual purpose HD and hunting/clays/whatever gun. Its too much hassle to take all that stuff on and off and you'll get laughed at if you go upland bird hunting or turkey hunting or busting clays with a tac light on your forend. Not to mention if upland bird hunting you are adding weight to carry around all day.

dds115 · July 25, 2011, 02:26 PM

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I promise I wasn't thinking about "blinging" out my gun, I was thinking more along the lines of, "You have got to get this choke", or "I'd change to rifled sights" etc.

Sorry if it sounded like I was trying to get on Pimp my Shotgun

BigJimP · July 25, 2011, 03:49 PM

rifle sights, etc ....are no good for shooting moving targets ( birds, clays, etc )...so no.../ if you're going to shoot clays or birds....

Chokes - sure you might need chokes ...depends on what you do with the gun ...but with lead shot...in general...

a. Cyclinder choke - is ok, out to about 20 yds
b. Modified Choke - is ok, out to about 35 yds
c. Full choke - is ok, beyond 45 yds ..

Most of us - for "clay target games" ...or that hunt birds ....carry the following in chokes ( but there is some overlap too ):

Cyclinder
Skeet
Improved Cyclinder
Modified
Improved Modified
Full

You don't need a "Skeet" choke to shoot Skeet ....you can shoot it reasonably well with a Cyclinder or an Improved Cyclinder choke as well.

For 16 yard Trap singles ....( you are 16 yds from house / target goes downrange - and you kill it between 30 and 35 yds - so most of us would screw in a Modified Choke ...

Depending on what your gun came with - you might need a few more chokes...

July 25, 2011, 11:49 AM	#1
dds115 Member Join Date: March 28, 2011 Posts: 23	First Shotgun Purchase I was recently bitten by the gun bug, and purchased my first handgun a few months ago. It came down time to buy a shotgun, and after doing a good about or research, I went with the Benelli SuperNova. Put about 175 shells through it this weekend, and loved it. Any must buys for my shotgun? Thinking about getting a shorter barrel for HD, because walking around with a 28" just doesn't seem like the easiest thing to do. Any thoughts? The price tag is pretty high, but sure is cheaper than not having it if I need it.

July 25, 2011, 11:57 AM	#2
zippy13 Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 6,442	Congratulations!! Any must buys for my shotgun? More ammo!

July 25, 2011, 12:57 PM	#3
SurplusShooter Senior Member Join Date: July 3, 2011 Location: Upstate,New york Posts: 308	A sling and a shell sleve for the buttstock to ho;d spme ammo on the gun at all times the only useful and nesscery accesories.

July 25, 2011, 01:35 PM	#4
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	No, you don't need anything .....except what my friend Zippy mentioned.... Hanging junk all over it / or even a shorter barrel ....are things that you will probably never need ---or use .... A 28" barrel may not be optimal for a "Fighting" shotgun ...but its just fine for a "Defensive shotgun" ...in my opinion. Several of my son's buddies - all in their 30's ....have tactical Fighting shotguns with 18" barrels or whatever is common ...and not one of them have fired those guns in over 3 years. They all shot them when they were new ( but when I say shot them / they put maybe 100 shells thru them ..) so they shot them a little bit ...but now they're getting into some Trap and Skeet and Sporting Clays shooting ...and they all want guns with 28" or 30" barrels on them to go out and have some fun.

July 25, 2011, 01:55 PM	#5
Dave McC Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 13, 1999 Location: Columbia, Md, USA Posts: 8,811	All you need's ammo,and wear marks. Learn your shotgun.

July 25, 2011, 02:17 PM	#6
ripnbst Senior Member Join Date: November 24, 2010 Location: Spring, TX Posts: 1,552	Like others have said you don't need anything else. If you want something for home defense then I'd get another shotgun all together. You could pick up a police trade-in like I did for cheap as an HD gun. Police trade-ins are great because they are: A. Cheap B. Shot very little Some may have some wear from being in a cruiser most of its life but don't let that fool you. Look at the mechanics of it and the internals, I'll bet they look like new. I went this route and have an HD dedicated shotgun with an 18" barrel. No attachments. Simple is best. I wouldn't go crazy adding lights and lasers and garage door openers to your existing shotgun to try and make it a dual purpose HD and hunting/clays/whatever gun. Its too much hassle to take all that stuff on and off and you'll get laughed at if you go upland bird hunting or turkey hunting or busting clays with a tac light on your forend. Not to mention if upland bird hunting you are adding weight to carry around all day.

July 25, 2011, 02:26 PM	#7
dds115 Member Join Date: March 28, 2011 Posts: 23	Thanks for all the suggestions. I promise I wasn't thinking about "blinging" out my gun, I was thinking more along the lines of, "You have got to get this choke", or "I'd change to rifled sights" etc. Sorry if it sounded like I was trying to get on Pimp my Shotgun

July 25, 2011, 03:49 PM	#8
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	rifle sights, etc ....are no good for shooting moving targets ( birds, clays, etc )...so no.../ if you're going to shoot clays or birds.... Chokes - sure you might need chokes ...depends on what you do with the gun ...but with lead shot...in general... a. Cyclinder choke - is ok, out to about 20 yds b. Modified Choke - is ok, out to about 35 yds c. Full choke - is ok, beyond 45 yds .. Most of us - for "clay target games" ...or that hunt birds ....carry the following in chokes ( but there is some overlap too ): Cyclinder Skeet Improved Cyclinder Modified Improved Modified Full You don't need a "Skeet" choke to shoot Skeet ....you can shoot it reasonably well with a Cyclinder or an Improved Cyclinder choke as well. For 16 yard Trap singles ....( you are 16 yds from house / target goes downrange - and you kill it between 30 and 35 yds - so most of us would screw in a Modified Choke ... Depending on what your gun came with - you might need a few more chokes...