Simple shotgun questions

[DanG]

Hi all! I have shot a few critters with my dads AYA 12 Bore and I'm thinking of applying for the license and buying my own gun for shooting bunnies and squirrels. SO, a few things I'm not sure on.

 

If I get a weapon chambered for 3 1/2 inch Magnum do I have to fire that all the time, or have one tube loaded with a small cheaper load and the other with a Magnum.

 

Another: Is there much of a price difference between wood and synthetic guns?

 

Is there much of a practical difference in terms of use between a side by side (Like my Dads AYA) over and under and pump? Will one be better for my use?

Thanks everyone! :o

[gunner]

side by side and over and under are nearly the same it depends on your style i use both guns for hunting but would prefer an o/u if shooting clays for example or certain type of game like from a hide etc but for shooting game over dogs my favourite is a s/s but thats me so you have to try out a bit first to get a good opinion about it all . Pump gun is good to play around with i would never use it for hunting as it wips a lot to go for a pump go for an auto now thats great especially if you want to shoot woodies and rookies or rabbits :o

[DanG]

Ok thanks. So I'm on a tight budget <£500 (Student :o ) and I will consider S/H. Any good / bad brands?

 

Oh and the chambering thing?

[Browning GTS]

DanG

As for the chambers you can shoot a shorter cart but not a longer one. My Browning is chambered for 3 inch so i can shoot 2 3/4 but not 3 1/2. Also if you want to shoot steel shot it has to be proofed for steel you will need this to shoot over water.

[The_Craws]

Another: Is there much of a price difference between wood and synthetic guns?

 

Synthetic furniture generally costs more than wood, cost differs depending on what type of wood comes on the gun as standard.

 

Is there much of a practical difference in terms of use between a side by side (Like my Dads AYA) over and under and pump? Will one be better for my use?

 

There are little practical differences between s/s and o/us ands its personal preference that governs which one you choose. Some people dont like the sighting of a s/s finding the two barrels a distraction. O/us look sportier I guess.

 

Pump actions fire three shots before needing reloaded and are very reliable as the cycling mechanism is operated by hand and not like semi autos which rely on either recoil or gas operated cycling mechanisms. Pumps are slow to cycle because you operate it by hand and semi autos are fast to cycle because it works by the recoil or gas from the shot before. Some people find the semi automatic cycling mechanism a distraction - they also chuck the spent cartridges for miles.

 

Side by side, over and unders and pumps are not fussy about cartridges. Semi autos are and some dont work well with heavy, light or reloaded cartridges. Which is annoying if you wish to save money by reloading, a real difference can be seen with steel shot.

 

As for brands, depends on what you are looking for. Dont suppose you can really go wrong now a days.

 

Pump actions, mossberg are supposed to be good value.

 

Hope this has helped.

[ernyha]

Also if you want to shoot steel shot it has to be proofed for steel you will need this to shoot over water.

You will need non-toxic shot (in England and Wales) if you shoot at any wild fowl over land or water.

[bobt]

I would suggest a Lanber sporter, 3 inch chambers sh about £200 to £300,

 

if you ever think you may game shoot dont buy a semi auto or pump action, you will not be welcome.

[the last engineer]

I would suggest a Lanber sporter, 3 inch chambers sh about £200 to £300,

 

if you ever think you may game shoot dont buy a semi auto or pump action, you will not be welcome.

from what i can now understand ,your not welcome shooting pumps at clays , and your not welcome shooting pumps at game either , Ern is there anywhere you can shoot your pump in England now ??

 

 

 

Martin

[plexer]

Last clay shoot I shot at there was a guy shooting a pump. I read other posts about people not liking pumps and auto's on a clay ground for not knowing wether they are safe by just looking at them as you can with a broken o/u or s/s.

 

If you shoot game on a rough shoot with friends it may be perfectly acceptable to use an auto or a pump. If I had paid a lot of money for a day I'd also want to shoot whatever I wanted to shoot.

 

Ben

[paulos]

i know what you mean, but if i paid a lot of money to shoot, id like to know that the gun pointing at me isnt loaded! i dont have a real problem with it when im shooting with people i know. but i can see why some people are cautious of a stranger with one. saying that though, you also see people from time to time walking round clay shoots with closed O/U's or loading them before theyre in the cage perhaps its the shooters that do it that should be banned and not the gun.

 

ps. sorry if im a bit jumbled - ive been on the smooth all night

Edited August 2, 2005 by paulos

[the last engineer]

part 1/ . saying that though, you also see people from time to time walking round clay shoots with closed O/U's or loading them before theyre in the cage   perhaps its the shooters that do it that should be banned and not the gun.

 

part 2/ but if i paid a lot of money to shoot, id like to know that the gun pointing at me isnt loaded!

Now theres a statement worth reading paulos, too often the gun has been blamed for the stupidity of the shooter .

 

as to part 2 i would not want any gun pointed at me ,loaded or not .

 

I'm finding this , how shall i say ,,,,, "old boys club attitude " over the semi/pump versus the sxs and o/u ,very petty , I shoot with a lot of guys here in ---Alberta ,Canada, of which there are as many semi/pump guys as O/U's .

 

Ive seen as many mistakes and bad gun handling by all types ,its sad to find the gun gets the raw deal again ,how many times have you heard this said,or similar , ,,,,and be honest " if he'd had a O/U that wouldnt have happened "

 

usualy refering to a shooter who has just swung a gun across another shooter or shooters ,or walked out of a stand with the action closed.

 

do any of you guys use release triggers ??? if so how do you get on with them ?? curious is me

 

Martin

[The_Craws]

I'm finding this , how shall i say ,,,,, "old boys club attitude " over the semi/pump versus the sxs and o/u ,very petty , I shoot with a lot of guys here in ---Alberta ,Canada, of which there are as many semi/pump guys as O/U's .

 

I fully agree with you. I feel this attitude is one of the major factors in the decline of shooting. When I get my cert I am going to purchase only one gun and thats going to be a Beretta semi auto and if the clay or game clubs dont like it then they have poked theirself in the eye.

[Catamong]

Formal driven game shooting is a bit like golf - there are certain standards of dress and behaviour that are acceptable, and some that are not.

 

All good shoots will set out very clearly the standards that are to be expected of every guest.

 

If you don't like those rules, then don't winge about them being old fashioned or archaic, you simply don't play, and stick to Pigeons, where there is no dress code.

 

If I was paying over a grand for a days sport, i'd hate to be pegged alongside a pump wielding novice shooter in a Man Utd top.

 

[the last engineer]

only if he beat you DH

 

 

 

Martin

[The_Craws]

If you don't like those rules, then don't winge about them being old fashioned or archaic, you simply don't play, and stick to Pigeons, where there is no dress code.

 

Absolutey fine by me. They have lost out on my money because it is not as good as other people's with "traditional" weapons. You see my point that they are poking themself in the eye, they are the only losers as I may be able to go without game shooting but can they go without customers. I know most clay grounds dont really care that much of the type of shotgun as long as two carts are used.

 

The last thing we want is shooting to be associated with snobery or the persuit of the upper class because then the antis will have extra support from the people who jump at the chance of class war like we seen with fox hunting. In my opinion fox hunting was subject to an extra disadvantage because it was seen as the persuit of the upper class in the eyes of the public.

 

Formal driven game shooting is a bit like golf - there are certain standards of dress and behaviour that are acceptable, and some that are not.

 

Tell that to the hooligans that go with a 3 wood wearing kappa trackies, burberry caps at a 45 degree angle and slugging from a can of Tennents that frequent some golf courses!

Edited August 3, 2005 by The_Craws

[the last engineer]

completely agree with you there Craws, Its detrimental to the sport of shooting allowing class distinction to influence an average shooter in the persuence of his sport , I dont think im alone in wanting the sport to continue and grow, I tend to encourage all types to shoot here young to old, guys and girls , the more the merrier for me ,and if soome young kid ,or old fella with an old ruger red label out shoots me , I'll be the first up to offer the hand of congrats .

 

 

Martin

[bobt]

Most of the people I shoot with are either farmers or come from a wide cross section of jobs, from labourer to dentists and doctors, I would expect someone to at least turn up in clean jeans etc.

[Catamong]

Engineer,

 

The class system has nothing to do with it, perhaps if you came back to the UK, you'd realise that there are now only 2 classes of people here, those that work for a living, and those that don't.

 

My point is that quite simply, there are certain standards of behaviour that need to be maintained, in order to preserve the integrity of the sport.

 

The "anything goes......... couldn't care less" policy has resulted in the mess that the UK is currently in, and if Mr Craw ever gets his shotgun certificate, then with his attitude of "rules are made to be broken if I don't agree with them", i'm sure that he won't be getting many invites to decent Game Shoots.

[Browning GTS]

Engineer,

 

The class system has nothing to do with it, perhaps if you came back to the UK, you'd realise that there are now only 2 classes of people here, those that work for a living, and those that don't.

 

My point is that quite simply, there are certain standards of behaviour that need to be maintained, in order to preserve the integrity of the sport.

 

The "anything goes......... couldn't care less" policy has resulted in the mess that the UK is currently in, and if Mr Craw ever gets his shotgun certificate, then with his attitude of "rules are made to be broken if I don't agree with them", i'm sure that he won't be getting many invites to decent Game Shoots.

Maybe that should be 3 classes those that work for a living, those that don`t and those that should not be here but are

[Catamong]

Browning,

 

You're dead right there - but don't start me on that one...I'll leave it to the Old Rooster...........!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[deadeye ive]

I find myself having to agree with Double H on this one .I'm a Welder fabricator by trade and i was raised on a rough council estate but i believe certain standards have to be maintained and people should respect that on open shooting grounds if the Sport is to survive and i don't mean having to wear tattershall shirts and moleskins etc.

I'm no snob and i know my roots but as as been mentioned in golf if a standard is set that people have to abide by then they 'll respect the sport more and not let it fall into dissarray

 

As to date there are no standards of dress code or type of gun (within reason)that you can use on a open clay shooting ground in my area and i hope that never changes.

 

 

Cheers Ive

[The_Craws]

The "anything goes......... couldn't care less" policy has resulted in the mess that the UK is currently in, and if Mr Craw ever gets his shotgun certificate, then with his attitude of "rules are made to be broken if I don't agree with them", i'm sure that he won't be getting many invites to decent Game Shoots.

 

I dont care much for tradition and this is what I see this is; tradition. There are no other reasons for not allowing pump actions at game shoots because in a practical sense they do the exact same job as any other - as long as the user uses two carts. If anything they put the user at a disadvantage because of the slow cycling time. Can someone please explain to me how a pump at a game shoot is below standard and damaging the integrity of the sport?

 

I dont break rules, without rules there would be anarchy (depending on what you mean by anarchy) but in this case I can honestly not see any difference. I couldnt even break the rules if I wanted to because I'm still waiting on the cert coming through.

 

I say get the gun that you want if you enjoy having it.

Edited August 3, 2005 by The_Craws

[the last engineer]

Engineer,

 

The class system has nothing to do with it, perhaps if you came back to the UK, you'd realise that there are now only 2 classes of people here, those that work for a living, and those that don't.

 

My point is that quite simply, there are certain standards of behaviour that need to be maintained, in order to preserve the integrity of the sport.

 

The "anything goes......... couldn't care less" policy has resulted in the mess that the UK is currently in, and if Mr Craw ever gets his shotgun certificate, then with his attitude of "rules are made to be broken if I don't agree with them", i'm sure that he won't be getting many invites to decent Game Shoots.

D H , i understand the money side of the shooting fraternity that pay exorbitant amounts just to have the privalidge of saying " I was that guy ", knock yourself out i say ,your money your call, i have no problem with them , i couldnt afford the air in their tires anyway .

 

my point was that the "normal" or "average" shooter ,who turns up with the old pump and a box of shells for a sunday morning outing ,who then is frowned upon, ignored or even cold shouldered at a shoot ,and before you say it aint so , my buddy and i went through the same thing years back at a CPSA shoot, he with the mosberg pump and me with my savage pump, all day listening to snide comments like "can you get radio one on that thing ".

 

I stand by this principle in my all of my shooting , If there's someone experienced and better, admire ,respect ,learn from and strive to met or exceed them ,If there is someone new and struggling ,respect them aso ,teach or help them and strive to bring them " they are the next generation .

 

 

Martin

[Gemini]

The main reason that people dislike pump-action and semi-s at game shoots, is because they can’t be broken to show that they are safe.

OK you can get a little flag to stick in the action, but it ain’t the same as breaking the gun.

One other reason is that if you turn up at a game shoot with a pump-action, then it does give the impression that you are sticking two fingers up at your host, who is probably a dedicated shooter who wants to maintain his shoot to the highest standard.

It’s a bit like turning up at a wedding in tee shirt and jeans. They may be clean and tidy, but it’s a bit of in insult to the bride and groom who may have spent a small fortune on their big day.

G.M.

[The_Craws]

Thanks, I now understand.