First Shotgun

[bishbash89]

Right,

 

I'm looking to buy my first shotgun for a bit of clay pigeon and hopefully one day a bit of wildfowling. The budget is under £1000 and I'm right handed and I would prefer to buy new but second hand would be considered.

 

Can I get recommendations on a good entry-level shotgun that I wont outgrow too quickly (if at all). I understand that £1000 isn't even close to what you pay for top quality but for my budget, what is "reasonable"?

 

I have no preference on semi, O/U etc, but if you can recommend one then can you give reasons why, what makes it better etc.

 

Cheers

 

Bish

[Livefast123]

Lanber o/u. Good reliable gun, lots of underused examples about and you'll get a minter for £300 - £600 depending on how hard you look. This leaves you with enough money to buy another semi auto for 'fowling

 

Just make sure the gun you buy fits reasonably well.

 

Brand New - http://www.guntrader.co.uk/Guns-For-Sale/Lanber_Shotgun_Sporting-Delux_For-Sale_130604131529001 - £820

 

Second hand - http://www.guntrader.co.uk/Guns-For-Sale/Lanber_Shotgun_Sporting-Delux_For-Sale_130608152633001

http://www.guntrader.co.uk/Guns-For-Sale/Lanber_Shotgun_Sporting_For-Sale_130604163320001

Edited July 26, 2013 by Livefast123

[bostonmick]

for that money you should have a wide choice,beretta browning, miroku,you will get a lot better quality second hand,and you could have some change as well,i would go for a sporter but nobody can tell you what to buy you must go and try a few for fit a good gunshop will be able to advise you.good luck

[barraboy]

Get down to Malmos just off the M6 south of Lancaster, the nearest good shop. Beretta or Browning new or second hand both will hold their price well if your looking to trade up. Id also advise, as posted earlier, If you can stretch to it you opt for a semi, or a rough and ready o/u for fowling as the foreshore is savage on guns and your lovely 1k gun will soon get battered.

[OvEr_KiLL]

get yourself to malmos and brian will sort you out! there is plenty to choose from with that budget, new browning or beretta or miroku - couple of hundred more

[fabarm gamma boy]

beretta, browning, miroku, winchester especially the old 101! my advice is forget the lanbers ect and buy your self one of the above second hand u will struggle to obtain one new but u will get a good clean.example! theres a good choice in.ur price bracket but im assuming your budget is close to £1000! the above guns will not lose much if any value if looked after! the lanbers second hand value is rubbish same goes for betinsolli! they look nice and shoot as the should but after alot of use the signs show on the cheaper guns! beleive me mate iv had lots of guns and this is my experience! good luck

choose well

 

fabarm

Edited July 27, 2013 by fabarm gamma boy

[bishbash89]

Thanks for all the replies! I will definitely get myself down to Malmos and try a few out for size. I think buying two shotguns for the budget would be a good idea, more guns the merrier. Not sure the missus would agree but I'll just sneak them in the house and buy her flowers

 

cheers guys

[welshwarrior]

I would recommend you try and find 1 good gun that fits so you can learn to shoot it well.

[Gordon R]

Get down to Malmo and take some advice from them. You can try the guns on site.

 

They are dead straight and you should easily get sorted within your budget.

[fabarm gamma boy]

Thanks for all the replies! I will definitely get myself down to Malmos and try a few out for size. I think buying two shotguns for the budget would be a good idea, more guns the merrier. Not sure the missus would agree but I'll just sneak them in the house and buy her flowers

 

cheers guys

trust me buddy, buy one good quality shotgun and leave it at that! if your new to shooting? u want nothing shooting 2 guns and tbh y sacrifice the quality of your gun to have 2 poorer quality guns when u could have one decent gun that will do it all! one gun is all you need mate! id go for an o/u this is the most vesatile shotgun going!!

 

fabarm

[DaveyTed]

I think you may shoot more consistently if you stick to one gun especially when starting out.

Good luck whatever you choose to do.

[collectors]

Have a look at the Winchester range of guns for clay shooting. I purchased a 30" Winchester Select a wile back for £760 brand new & have been very happy with it.(But this was a good deal) They are a bit of a cross of the Browning / Beretta. The only part i don't like about the gun, is they are a little fiddly to put back together after cleaning in comparison to some, but this is just a tiny thing on what is a very good gun & wont effect your days shooting.
Dont bother with the autos as you will spend the day picking up cartages, "and if you don't, peeving others off". Auto's can also lock & jam sometimes.
But have a try on as many as you can before purchasing. With me, i liked the Beretta but found it a bit front end heavy, when i tried the Winchester it felt a lot more balanced for me. If you do find a new gun you like, have a good search on the net for the best price & get it delivered to your local gun shop for around £50. (Unless they can match the price?)

Good luck.

[bishbash89]

Great advice from everyone - I understand the importance of getting a good fit with a gun so even if I just get to hold a few, it'll help me decide what type to go for when/if I need to search online for a good deal.

 

Valid points raised on the getting used to one shotgun rather than trying to master two guns. I think it'll depend on what guns catch my eye but an O/U does look appealing at the moment - I think jamming/catching will put me slightly off the gun, especially if I'm on for an excellent shot.

 

I guess as I'm starting out, one gun to get the practice in and if I feel I want to focus on one area (clay/wildfowling) then I can look at getting a more specific gun at that time.

 

As always, appreciate everyone's comments. Any more tips/advice would be welcome and I'll keep you posted on where I'm up to on getting my first shotgun

 

Cheers