Advice needed on a gun

[spylikeus]

Chaps,

 

Aplogies for approaching like this however I am somewhat confused. I have been to 3 x different gunsmiths now and have received different advice on each occasion.

 

I have around £700 to spend on a gun 12B either S/S or O/U. I have never owned a gun however, I plan to undertake some lessons via Clay and also improve my skill set via a spot of pigeoning with my brother. The ultimate aim is to join a rough shoot for the 2008 season with the hound at my side.

 

The overall plan makes sense however, I am unsure as to what length of barrel I need. Should I get something that is around 28" or something at 30". M/C or F/C. I know that some of you will say its a personal choice however, I really have no idea which way to go. I have seen a Beretta 28" m/c Ultralite and it is a lovely gun in a very good order and within range of the wallet.

 

Some of you thoughts on any of the above would assist me greatly.

 

Regards to you all,

 

Spylikeus

[njc110381]

I have roughly the same aim as you, apart from the dog bit! After a lot of discussion on here, I ended up with a 28" multichoke beretta silver pigeon. Longer barrels are supposed to make your swing more smooth, but get tangled up in hedges more easily too! If you ever plan to shoot from a hide, the shorter barrels are again much less likely to get tangled in the netting. Multichokes are handy if you want to shoot foxes and skeet with the same gun (as I do), as the choking needs are totally opposite! If you just plan to rough shoot in the end at pigeons and rabbits etc, a gun choked 1/4 and 1/2 will be fine. Berettas are good guns, but I'm unsure about the ultra light. A guns recoil is calculated by the weight of the gun against the weight of shot and the speed it's propelled to. If you will be firing quite heavy loads, an ultra light will kick like hell! Good luck with the choice, I would get a silver pigeon myself!

[suggs]

you need to pick up as many guns as you can and see what feels best, if your ultimate goal is rough shooting with a hound then maybe a side by side will be the best bet, i have a 28inch silverpigeon m/c and its great for clays, also have a cheap sbs that ive just bought for a bit or rough shooting as dont want to damage the Beretta, i did have a 30inch gun for clays but find i shoot better with a 28inch barrel..

 

 

H

[spylikeus]

Many thanks to both of you for your advice

 

I've looked at the silver pigeon and it was a beautiful gun but a little out of my price bracket. How much would the Ultralite restrict the load of shot? Also, I looked at a Browning 525 (I Think) the last week and it felt a little heavy.

 

I will investigate the Silver pigeon a bit more and report back

[Hairy Pat]

I've got a sil pig and a semi auto beretta with different barrel lengths and the swing difference is not noticable. Worry more about the fit of the gun into your shoulder, how your eye lines up with the barrel, and the weight of the gun after a couple of hours shooting. If you find the gun kicks a bit then look at your mounting procedure or get down the gym on upper body weights, I use 32g loads on a game gun and even after a session on 250 clays its not that bad, a night on the **** in my home town of Oswestry will give you worse bruises :unsure: .

My advice is any Beretta is a beautiful gun, so buy it .

 

Pat

[njc110381]

I wouldn't say that it would limit the shot you can fire, it will just recoil harder! As has been said above, gun fit is a very important part of shotgun shooting. A badly fitting gun will not help you learn well. Most dealers will understand this, but if you can get some lessons on the clays with a good instructor first it will help you to know what to look for. The stock on any gun can be fitted to you, and although not expensive, this may affect the resale value of the gun. A S/S will get hot on a heavy clay shoot, so if you plan to keep up the practice after you have learned to shoot it may be best to stick to the O/U. You may find some good used guns in the for sale section here. A second hand gun by a good maker is better than a new one from a lesser manufacturer

[suggs]

£700 will get you a decent used gun, i looked at the ultralight but my RFD wouldnt sell it to me as was the wrong gun..

 

this is good value http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...showtopic=25664

[njc110381]

I was going to say that myself. Bargain in my opinion :unsure:

[chippy18]

£700 will get you a decent used gun, i looked at the ultralight but my RFD wouldnt sell it to me as was the wrong gun..

 

this is good value http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...showtopic=25664

 

Hi

 

I shoot with a ultralight all the time and using 32g carts is not a problem as far as recoil.

They are a superb gun and great if you are having a wander round a large area.

I would certainly recommend them and as i say the recoil to me has never been an issue.

Cheers

[invector]

If you are likely to be shooting any wildfowl don't forget to buy a gun that will handle steel shot.

[Lord Geordie]

I will jump in here and say get BOTH guns

 

Get yourself a cheap SbS (around the £100 to £150 mark) you can find a tidy example between those prices if you shop about aither an AYA yeoman SbS or a Spanish one etc

 

Then spend the other £550 to £600 on a O/U again for £600 you SHOULD be able to get a tidy Beretta or Miroku etc then you have a gun for BOTH occasions

 

I like to keep the traditional look "SbS" for Pheasant shoots etc but when it comes to all other shooting (pigeon and clays etc) i prefer the O/U.

 

Have you had a Look on www.guntrader.co.uk ?

 

LG

[spylikeus]

Crikey!!!!

 

Lots of fantastic information. I have to say that my brother recommended this site to me and said that "they were a good bunch, ask a question and the mountain will come to mohammed". He's not wrong!!!!!

 

I have actually made a decision, my father is lending me his Eley S/S 12b (his trusty gun) and I am going to get into the sport slowly. They way I see it is not to rush and there are several schooting schools nearby so I might be able to try a gun out before I go and buy one. Thanks for all the really useful advice.

 

Xmas tidings to you all

 

Spylikeus.

[suggs]

I will jump in here and say get BOTH guns

 

Get yourself a cheap SbS (around the £100 to £150 mark) you can find a tidy example between those prices if you shop about aither an AYA yeoman SbS or a Spanish one etc

 

Then spend the other £550 to £600 on a O/U again for £600 you SHOULD be able to get a tidy Beretta or Miroku etc then you have a gun for BOTH occasions

 

I like to keep the traditional look "SbS" for Pheasant shoots etc but when it comes to all other shooting (pigeon and clays etc) i prefer the O/U.

 

Have you had a Look on www.guntrader.co.uk ?

 

LG

 

 

have to agree there mate, ive got a Beretta o/u and also picked up a nice little spanish sbs for £100, as much as i love my Silver Pigeon theres something special about nice old sbs guns

[florida1]

I will jump in here and say get BOTH guns

 

Get yourself a cheap Bus (around the £100 to £150 mark) you can find a tidy example between those prices if you shop about either an AYA yeoman SbS or a Spanish one etc

 

Then spend the other £550 to £600 on a O/U again for £600 you SHOULD be able to get a tidy Beretta or Miroku etc then you have a gun for BOTH occasions

 

I like to keep the traditional look "SbS" for Pheasant shoots etc but when it comes to all other shooting (pigeon and clays etc) i prefer the O/U.

 

Have you had a Look on www.guntrader.co.uk ?

 

LG

 

 

have to agree there mate, Ive got a Beretta o/u and also picked up a nice little Spanish sbs for £100, as much as i love my Silver Pigeon there's something special about nice old sbs guns

 

Get a semi Beretta and chill with that for a bit nice and light , and will not kick ten bells out of you , we would like you to keep shooting. good luck

[starlight32]

Chaps,

 

Aplogies for approaching like this however I am somewhat confused. I have been to 3 x different gunsmiths now and have received different advice on each occasion.

 

I have around £700 to spend on a gun 12B either S/S or O/U. I have never owned a gun however, I plan to undertake some lessons via Clay and also improve my skill set via a spot of pigeoning with my brother. The ultimate aim is to join a rough shoot for the 2008 season with the hound at my side.

 

The overall plan makes sense however, I am unsure as to what length of barrel I need. Should I get something that is around 28" or something at 30". M/C or F/C. I know that some of you will say its a personal choice however, I really have no idea which way to go. I have seen a Beretta 28" m/c Ultralite and it is a lovely gun in a very good order and within range of the wallet.

 

Some of you thoughts on any of the above would assist me greatly.

 

Regards to you all,

 

Spylikeus

 

I have a Berretta ultralight, 28". I found it has a lot more 'pointability' than my other two 30" guns an o/u and semi auto when game shooting. Only down side the ultralight does not have the 'Fleaur de lees' italian steel shot proofing to 1300++ 3" magnum bar rating as does the silver pigeon. This may not be an issue for you as I do not know if you do any wildfowling but even so on rough shooting you may encounter some flight ponds where you will need to use non--toxic. I will certainly aggree with another post and from experience when using heavy loads in the ultralight, if you are likely to have a red letter day and are shooting 32-34g loads be prepared to suffer for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regards starlight32