want to buy new

[old knife buddy]

want to buy a new shotgun i only have 600 $ want to retire my sportsman 58 any sugestions 12ga [ not mosburg]

[ar15chase]

Have you looked at the Remington 870 express? Its a very reliable and good priced firearm.

[old knife buddy]

yes was thinking SxS orO/U or auto not to much a pump man .have 16ga and 20 in pumps

[hornady]

Hello new to this form, question, what is your objection to mossberg. I purchased a Mod 500 back in the early 70s and used it mainly for predators,I have shot a boat load of 3 inch mags,threw it never had any trouble. Its one of the easiest shot guns I have owned as far as take down to clean. The 870 is a fine weapon but for the day to day busting threw the brush. I think the 500 is a great Buy.

[old knife buddy]

yes yours was made in the 70s check out the new ones

[hornady]

Posted before I saw you did not want pump. are you looking for hunting, or trap gun. I had a double for small game, but old age said it was time to go lighter.

[old knife buddy]

hunting

[BigJimP]

$ 600 is going to be a problem.

Personally, in terms of gas operated guns - I like the Beretta 390 or the newer 391 models.

In terms of Inertia guns - I like Benelli ( they have lots of models ).

Honestly, you may have to go to the used market / and just find a good clean one.

[ar15chase]

Have you looked at the Benelli shotguns? I have wanted one for a long time. They make a good semi. I just cant afford to shell out the money for one.

[old knife buddy]

yes there nice might go over in pennsylvania to look arond new and used. keap sugestions coming

[BigJimP]

My personal preference is the Benelli Super Sport, 12ga, 30" barrel - lots of adjustability / nice gun. But used in my area its around $ 1300 - $1500 / new they are selling out here for $ 1750 - $ 1,875.

But it comes with 5 extended chokes / and I think its worth the money if you can find one. The other Benelli's use the same inertia system / it shoots very cleanly / cycles very quickly.

Beretta 390 or 391 / used are probably $ 600 - $ 750 - new, if you find a 390 still in a box maybe $ 900. They're good guns for the money. Personally, I don't like the gas passing accross my eys / and they cycle slower than the Benelli. But there are lots of them around / and you might find a 390 still in the box .

[old knife buddy]

thanks bigjim ill keap that in mine :)

[Waterengineer]

+1 everyhting the Jimster said.

[OLNfan]

http://www.stoegerindustries.com/firearms/stoeger_coach_guns.php

stoeger's are nice lookin side by sides, never herd anything bad about them. People will aruge accuraccy but they come with chokes and you can get different chokes installed. improved, modfied are able to shoot slugs aswel as the obvoius rifled slug barrels. I personally have always wanted one but never have I seen one in my neck of the woods (b.c canada) I think it would be a good fun little firearm at a resonable price. not to mention its a gorgeous piece. can be used for hunting and h/d. just a suggestion though. hope you find what your looking for!

okay now after I post this, a thread pops up about stoegers miss fires haha..perhaps their not quite the shotgun I hoped they where.

[old knife buddy]

thanks OLN

[BigJimP]

Price is important to everyone for guns, etc. in their shooting hobby ...

but take a look around at gun shops that have a variety of guns for sale:

a. Get a feel for the average price on some of the more well know semi-autos ( like Benelli, Beretta ) and Browning, Winchester, Remington ( Remington is still making the model 1100). I think you'll see a lot of guns around $ 1,000 for semi-autos

b. get a feel for the average price on an Over Under ( Browning and Beretta primarily ). You will see a lot of guns from $ 1,750 - $3,000.

Then I think you have to ask yourself / if some mfg - Stoeger, Mossberg, etc are selling a gun for 25% under that average ( where did they save the money, to get to that price point ). Is the steel as good, is it made in
China, Turkey, etc - in general how do the guns look that come from those countries ( vs Japan or Italy ) for some of the bigger names.

I'm not saying an entry level gun is a waste of money / its not. But there are going to be some tradeoffs - in durability, etc. Its not just about fancy wood - and the Italians or Japanese screwing us on price / they might be, they might not be.... Then talk to a lot of guys at your local club - what are they shooting, why, would they buy it again - how many shells do they have thru a gun ( 500, 5,000 / 100,000 - and how does it look mechanically (if he takes care of it ) ... But part of this is why its so hard to give you solid guidance on which gun to buy under $1,000.

Stoeger has some issues ( even though they are part of the Beretta, Benelli family of mfg's ) - Browning and Winchester are under one company now .... / kind of like the auto companies ( the top of the line Cadillac and the cheapest Chevy are all part of GM - but do they get the same care or quality of parts on the line - maybe, maybe not ).... They sure don't cost the same / but they sort of do the same job - and most all shotguns, just go bang ...but there is more to it / just like there is more to price, and why its priced where it is. Maybe a Benelli is overpriced, maybe not ........maybe a Browning is overpriced, maybe not ....and part of it depends on how many shells you intend to put thru it / and whether you expect it to let you run 50,000 shells thru it, with no issues or not ...

[old knife buddy]

yes your right big jim. afriend has a ruger o/u 12ga for sale for 850$ ithought a little much asthere a little heavey and have a heavier recoil and do not have a good rep. for lasting long if u shoot a lot of trap

[BigJimP]

The heavier the gun / the less recoil there will be for any given load. So weight is not your enemy - especially in Trap.

Personally, my Trap gun is a Browning XT - with 32" barrels - and mine weighs about 10 lbs ( stock it was a little over 9 lbs ) and I added a little weight to it.

The Ruger you're talking about is probably an 8 lb gun / so to me, its too light for Trap.

Trap is a game with less barrel movement - so a longer and heavier gun is a plus. For my general shotgunning - like Skeet, Sporting Clays or hunting - I prefer an O/U like a Browning XS Skeet with 30" barrels and around 8 1/2 lbs.

Many semi-autos are around 7 1/4 lbs and I find them a little light / and I tend to "whip" them rather than swing smoothly / so I add about 9 or 10 ounces under the forend / and 9 or 10 ounces in the stock to increase the weight - to help my follow-thru and swing characteristics / plus the extra weight makes them shoot even softer.