notsosureshot

Americans have the luxury of cheap guns for any form of shooting and will care not for the potential damage this may cause. I've seen how they treat their pistols. For me, understandably, a £500 pistol is gold dust, to them, just an easily replaceable asset. Kind of explains why all the best shotguns are English really. Unscrewing chokes is for those who have deep pockets and perhaps, little regard for future safety.

I know who my money would be on, and they arent blue bloods!

After looking into the issue, I'd agree pattern (as measured on card/paper) is irrelevant in 99% of situations. The OP sounds like he has a dad who is playing mind games! He's trying to psych you out mate! PS. I've found Eley to be rather poor, messy and the cheaper end seem to "crack" rather than "boom". Hull Comp X seem fine in 21 and above, clean and consistent.

I'd also say 21gm/7.5/8/9 is perfect for skeet. Hull do a 7 1/2 21gm which works out at about £123/thousand fibre wad, or £112 plastic. They are clean. I shot around 275 today and got away with 3 bits of kitchen towel and 2 squirts of solvent to make the bores spotless. Well, it also rained so it was a full strip down job but hey, its England No need to use 24gm or higher for skeet in my humble opinion, its close range so you'll benefit more from the quicker spread offered by the lower power cartridge with smaller shot. 21's even work nicely on sporting clays in some situations. Then again, I dont know anything, so feel free to shoot down my opinon, anyone PS (edit): Make sure you are using light chokes too for skeet. Less is more.

One or two pictures might help. Are we talking prestige or a regular gun which has sentimental value? That might sway any answers you get.

A miss on a wabbit? With a .17? The farmer will call Claims Direct!

I cant see an issue, I dont know of any law which states you can only keep 5 guns in a 5 gun safe. What would be the point? If the cabinet is secure, its secure. If not, its illegal anyway.

I've amended my post above so it makes more sense.

RE: Cabinet capacity. Sako's with the quad barrel system are obviously firearms. In this particular case, I would consult your FEO as you will need variations adding to your FAC for each and every calibre which you do not currently have listed, not to mention a reason for needing each calibre. The capacity of a cabinet is irrelevant, the security IS relevant. If you acquire a second barrel for a Sake Quad, you require approval for the additional calibre on your FAC. It does count as 2 entries on an FAC because you need separate, valid reasons for both calibres. The cabinet is not relevant in this case unless you have so many as to be considered an armoury, which I doubt. Having said that, it's wise not to store 10 guns in a 5 gun cabinet, simply for practical reasons. Speak to your FEO.

Welcome to PW dude

Depends on the class of women I see on the day :o

The shot wont all reach the target at the same point in time as they dont all leave the barrel in the same instant. Im new to this game but these kind of pattern tests dont seem logical to me as only part of the spread will hit the target. Its the amount of lead you give a clay which dictates which part of the shot cluster hits the target so seeing their final position would seem to me to give very little benefit. Consider shot in flight to a clay: . . . vs. (representation on cardboard target once all shot has reached it) . . . Can someone offer an opinion as to why pattern tests are useful? Not trying to hijack a thread here, just thought it was relevant to discussions on cartridge choice for skeet.

It gives poorly endowed shots something to do if the pigeons dont play ball.

Brand doesnt matter to me either, but Im sure someone would have been quick to correct me if I'd stated it was a Browning, I've seen it done before! Shooting prima donnas dont like people claiming a new £750 gun is a Browning. Good luck to you too mate!

2.5 Weeks in Wakefield area. Had to have two visits (FEO suggested fitting cabinet after approval), otherwise it might have been only 1.5 weeks. I was very pleased with the speed of service the FEO provided. Certainly cannot complain.

Welcome to PW. Im kind of new to all this too and recently bought my first shotgun. Can I recommend, depending on budget, that you look at Lanber, Bettinsoli and Lincoln as starter guns? Quite a wide range available and you should be able to pick up a used one for a few hundred sheets. You're bound to find something that fits you. My first is a FIAS made, Browning marketed, 12 bore Medallist. I picked it up for £500, used, with a grand total of 25 carts fired through it. RRP was £750 so there are some reasonable deals out there for the beginner. Im happy with it so far. Take a peek at ukgunroom.co.uk and guntrader.co.uk to get an idea of prices if you havent already. What type of shooting are you getting into? Hope that helps.

3xspringer: I got some from Swillington Shooting Supplies, its £120/thousand. spurs14: Tried the gun this afternoon on a simulated grouse flush, comb is still a little high so i'll be getting it adjusted, but otherwise for the Medallist. I 100% agree with fit being all important with any firearm. A fully choked .410 Baikal in the hands of an expert will out shoot a novice on a 12g Krieghoff any day of the week.

Bobby, Having shot both of those models today, in my humble opinion the Beretta is far and away the better gun. It just feels solid and has excellent balance. As with anything though, condition is all important, but particularly so with a semi-auto (shotgun or firearm). I have only a tiny amount of knowledge in shotguns, but semi-auto center fire rifles can be horrific if not properly looked after (unless it's an AK variant which could be recycled and still function), and I have to assume its the same for shotties. Im open to being corrected I gotta agree with mickeylove though, whom I suspect might be a League of Gentleman fan, nuff said

Hey guys, Well I did it, finally went out and bought a starter shotgun for my clay shooting endeavours. I was toying with several different models, all of which have both positive and negative comments on them spread all around the web. I considered, Lanber, Lincoln, Bettinsoli and a rather tired looking Miroku trap gun (not really suitable for skeet ) In the end I plumped for an ex demo Browning (FIAS really) Medallist 12g Sporter. Its certainly not the classiest gun on the market but it seems to fit nicely, if a little barrel heavy which will help in certain situations I think. Action seems nice and tight. Woodwork is a little soft I'd say, light duty, which is disappointing but Im not expecting miracles in this price bracket. Ejectors seem to be cast rather than machined, which might prove a problem later, but we'll see. I hope I've made the right choice, but even if I get a year or two out of it, for £500 you cant really go wrong (hopefully!). Finally, I'm buying carts for £3/25 (12g 28g Fibre), this seems cheap compared to what I've seen online. Would I be correct in thinking that? Does anyone else own one of these who can make me feel a little more confident in my first O/U purchase? Cheers all. PS. I know its not a "real" Browning, before anyone says, Im not that much of a sucker for marketing, just looked and felt nicer than the others I tried

Just following on from Lancs_Lad, I confirmed this the other day with a local RFD. Margin is 5% gross on quantity carts, barely anything when you consider how long they take to unload, space to store them, security measures and all that jazz. He's retailing at £3 a box down to quantities of 250. If possible its nice to support your local RFD's, otherwise, like village shops, they will soon be all gone. Would you want to buy from some spotty geek in a high street chain store? </post hijacking>

Hello mate, My local dealer can probably help with this, or at least point you in the right direction. David Baines - Redbeck Farm Shop (Wakefield) Te: 01924 862037 Cheers.

Hey there, welcome from a fellow newbie. Im just up the road from you too in Wakefield. Do I make it onto the subs bench for the footy team?

I bet you're one very proud dad. My best friend is over there with the Marines at the moment, they are doing well from what I hear. I bet he'd down a few pigeons with that GMG

Hi all, Well I've spent many years browsing the forum and finally decided to register. Theres so much useful information on here I never got around to it to before but maybe now its time for me to contribute where I can. A bit about me. Well I'm approaching my 30's fairly rapidly. Spent most of my life in and around different types of shooting on a casual basis. I've recently got into shotguns with a view to breaking some clays and possibly a bit of pest control at some point. Used to shoot 10m air rifle in an amateur league down in Telford but I had to sell my target rifle a few years ago Most of my experience is with firearms used abroad (thanks to our rather draconian laws) but I may end up going FAC if the pest control bug bites. My area of (amateur) expertise is modern military firearms, from WW2 to present, so if I can be of any help, please let me know. Its a real pleasure to join you all, thanks for having me here.