garden gun Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 Should plans pan out I will soon be looking for an entry level shotgun. Primarily for busting clays in the first instance, but quickly moving on to woodies and other quarry with (if I can blag it) maybe even the odd driven day. Looking at reviews there seem to be two classes of entry - the Baikal/Bertinsolli £700-£800 range and the the £1200-£1400 Winchester Select/Berretta Siver Pigeon/Browning 525/Miroku Mk 38/40. It would appear the PW members are a broad church when it comes to weaponry. Reviews/opinions from real users would be welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COACH Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 A nice Beretta 686/687 30 inch m/c sporter at around £7/800. You can`t go wrong. Most of the shooting schools use them. They are very reliable, hard to wear out and parts are easy to get if you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeker Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 That's new ... have a look at the 686 discussion a few posts down ... £600-800 gives you good secondhand and they'll stay around that price until you move on ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonesbach Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 id go with COACH, a beretta for £7-800 is your bet. i picked one a few yrs back 687 sporter m/c and was very pleased with it. mind you if you want a new gun on this money then a bettinsoli is also a nice gun..my 20g is just as nice to shoot as my 12g beretta and looks wise aint too bad either..! good luck in your search Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 I bought a second hand silver pigeon 3 sporter for my first gun, and i still have it now, where as a friend that started at the same time as me bought a bettinsoli, then changed after a year to a miroku, and has now changed to a berreta gold e. He says looking back he would have bought a beretta for a first gun if he had to do it all again. My advice would be to buy the best gun you can afford and that fits you properly, But go for a beretta or browning that way you know it will last and have a good resale value if you ever want to sell it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 I'd go along with all that except don't decide on one gun and go looking for that alone. Go and try as many guns etc as you can lay your hands on. You amy well find that a Baikal suits you much better than a Beretta and if it does get that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziplex Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 Should plans pan out I will soon be looking for an entry level shotgun. Primarily for busting clays in the first instance, but quickly moving on to woodies and other quarry with (if I can blag it) maybe even the odd driven day. Looking at reviews there seem to be two classes of entry - the Baikal/Bertinsolli £700-£800 range and the the £1200-£1400 Winchester Select/Berretta Siver Pigeon/Browning 525/Miroku Mk 38/40. It would appear the PW members are a broad church when it comes to weaponry. Reviews/opinions from real users would be welcome. Over the years i've bought cheap then progressed to better gear and lost out financially. Guns, fishing eq'...especially fly rods and beachcasters, bikes etc etc. I'd say stretch yourself and get the best you can afford, Browning and Beretta will always hold their value. You will have to go and try each gun you 'fancy' for fit or you run the risk of having to px it before you've put 100 carts through it I hankered after an SP and had one on hold at the shop pending my licence coming through only to find it didn't fit me too well in the real world and exchanged it for a Browning B525 which I shoot quite well with. A mate of mine has a Miroku MK38(?) grade 5 which he doesn't look after at all well but it's never let him down in all the years he's been handing out abuse to it! I'd say Beretta or Browning dependent on fit, whether you want a fancy bit of engraving is another matter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 probably the best advice is get someone that can tell you it fits to help you rather than what you think fits. I'd be looking at a second hand berretta in your shoes as you will then have almost a gun for life. Most people that I know who have bought a silver pigeon have kept them as you can bust clays, vermin and game shoot with one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 I have my Silver Pigeon III as a first gun and love it. Have added since (see my sig!). I have had a lot of fun with a Baikal NE SBS that I was given for free - great for really rough shooting - don't mind if it gets knocked or scratched whereas I do look after my better guns. I'm even toying with fitting a kick ease pad to it if I can get one at the Midland cheap. I have chopped and changed a number of guns but don't ever plan to get rid of the Silver Pig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon R Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 garden gun - your pricing seems to be almost double the actual cost. Baikal do not cost £700. For that money, you could get a good Miroku or Beretta - both of which would be excellent. Have a look around - try different guns. If you go clay shooting, most clubs have someone who will show you the ropes and let you try different guns. Find a decent one which fits you. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashley c Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 hi garden gun i just got in to clay shooting i had my hart set on a winchester enregy select but was told there was going to be a min 4 week whate. a friend of mine put me on to a beretta 686 e sporting 30" it was in verry good condition i think ime the therd owner of the gun and i payed £900 with two victory chokes. i dont know much about guns but my friend who took me to a practice shoot had a go and sead how nice it shot and the recoil was low with 28g carts. ive put about 300 carts throught it now and it has been faultless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinxy72 Posted August 28, 2010 Report Share Posted August 28, 2010 If u do want a new gun and not a second hand one then I'd buy a lanber m8 ... had one and loved , decent enough quality and comes with decent warranty . End of day everyone has their own opinions on the which to buy question ... But one thing to ask yourself if ur gonna buy 2nd hand ... " can I afford to pay a gunsmith to fix it if my second hand gun breaks within a month of buying it ?" ... I say this cos no matter what make a second hand gun is it's only as good as it's been looked after .... And this sometimes u just can't know . Personally if ur in a position to I'd buy a new one just for the piece of mind ... And out of the budget guns I'd choose a lanber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted August 28, 2010 Report Share Posted August 28, 2010 My thoughts are buy something real cheap that fits you well enough to begin with max £200 preferably half that as long as it is sound. Everyone should have a rough gun in thier cabinet that you ain't bothered about getting knocked about and even abused a little. Gain some experiance with it don't sell it and buy yourself a nice gun that you realy want and that totally suits the shooting you get into. Berretas and Browning hold thier money but is this relivent if you never sell it ? If you get into different things as you progress like shooting trap or sporting clays, wildfowling or even driven game then you will be buying and choosing the gun that suits you and you will always have the rough one at hand if you have some rough / mucky stuff to do. Remember they all go bang and fire the same cartridges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busdennis Posted September 15, 2010 Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 I'd go along with all that except don't decide on one gun and go looking for that alone. Go and try as many guns etc as you can lay your hands on. You amy well find that a Baikal suits you much better than a Beretta and if it does get that one. go with the above but make sure you try a lanber out. for a first gun you carnt get better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yickdaz Posted September 15, 2010 Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 plenty entry level to choose from..berreta 686..miroku mk 70..bettinsoli..lanber..baikal.. and many more..all around £700 either new or second hand ..plus numerous semi autos..best thing to do is dry mount a range of guns in the gun shop and and see which one feels right to you;a recommended gun might not feel the same as a gun you have tried and feel comfortable with so go with your instinct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMungo Posted September 16, 2010 Report Share Posted September 16, 2010 I had the same problem at the start of this year...I had a £600 budget. After trying a lot of guns, i chose a lanber over any of the others...cheaper, but felt right, and its a sturdy gun which suits me just fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam f Posted September 17, 2010 Report Share Posted September 17, 2010 My thoughts are buy something real cheap that fits you well enough to begin with max £200 preferably half that as long as it is sound. Everyone should have a rough gun in thier cabinet that you ain't bothered about getting knocked about and even abused a little. Gain some experiance with it don't sell it and buy yourself a nice gun that you realy want and that totally suits the shooting you get into. Berretas and Browning hold thier money but is this relivent if you never sell it ? If you get into different things as you progress like shooting trap or sporting clays, wildfowling or even driven game then you will be buying and choosing the gun that suits you and you will always have the rough one at hand if you have some rough / mucky stuff to do. Remember they all go bang and fire the same cartridges This is what I did a few months back. I had a budget of £1k - and got soooo confused, looking around at what to buy. In the end I bought a Rizzini off here for £250. It turned out to be an OK gun. I stripped and oiled the stock, added a stock extention to get it fitting right and it works great. I like the fact that Ive only outlaid £250, it got me started, I dont panic when out in the rain or if it gets knocked and as the chap above says - if you point it right and pull the trigger it goes bang and kills. I will get a better gun in time, but right now I'm in no rush and will wait until I find one I really like... Just mt 2p worth! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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