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First Shotgun, advice welcomed


Genesius
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Hi, 

I've had my certificate since August 2018 and its time for me to get my own gun.  i haven't got loads to spend £600-£900.

I've been to a fw shops and had a look at some guns.  I've looked at the 525 and a silver pigeon, the browning felt nicer but they are more than i want to spend on the hobby.

I was looking at the ATA's but after holding one and comparing it to a Bettinsoli it was cheap looking, and the fore end felt huge (lol)

I've held the Franchi elegante, nice feel but it looked boring, Browning gti, but that looked very old (because it is) but it did fit nice.

the only two guns I've seen that feel nice and look nice to me are the Bettinsoli diamond and the Webley & Scott 1000.

i think that Bettinsoli make both guns in Italy.

Which one do you think i would be better off with or do you have any other suggestions (that aren't spend more and get an SP or a 525) that i should look at.

 

Thank you

 

 

 

Edited by Genesius
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Don’t disregard older models of Browning, Miroku, Beretta or even the older Winchesters. Age doesn’t have the same effect on well made models such as these as it does on some of the newer and cheaper models of other makes, which are cheaper for a reason, while those I’ve mentioned have string followings of popularity for a reason. 

If you want the assurance of a warranty then fair enough, but don’t take warranty over proven quality. I’ve never bought a gun ( and I have owned dozens and dozens of guns over the years ) with a warranty and as far as I can recall have only owned two guns which required a repair, and both were minor. 

Others in your price range are the Lanber DeLuxe Sporting, a quality gun for the money.

Edited by Scully
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23 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Buy something cheap (£150 max), learn to shoot, when you have spend a bit more on a better gun!:rolleyes:

As a beginner myself "only been shooting shotguns seven years" I would say this is excellent advice. Hoping that your first gun will be "the one for you" is a very tall order.

Having said that if you buy well a  SP or 525 is well within your budget.

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ok, thanks for the replies.

I have a pretty strict budget and as its a first gun and i don't know about fit etc id like to buy from a shop.  I cant seem to find a shop thats selling Browning, Miroku, Beretta in my price range.  Maybe im looking in the wrong places.

Im in Thurrock Essex.

 

 

1 minute ago, DUNKS said:

As a beginner myself "only been shooting shotguns seven years" I would say this is excellent advice. Hoping that your first gun will be "the one for you" is a very tall order.

Having said that if you buy well a  SP or 525 is well within your budget.

from where?  i visited 3 shops on Thursday, cheapest 525 was £1300 and the only Browning below £1000 i was offered was a 1992 Gti with 32 inch barrels.  Fit was nice but i have to like the look of what im buying and that looked awful.

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11 minutes ago, Scully said:

Don’t disregard older models of Browning, Miroku, Beretta or even the older Winchesters. Age doesn’t have the same effect on well made models such as these as it does on some of the newer and cheaper models of other makes, which are cheaper for a reason, while those I’ve mentioned have string followings of popularity for a reason. 

If you want the assurance of a warranty then fair enough, but don’t take warranty over proven quality. I’ve never bought a gun ( and I have owned dozens and dozens of guns over the years ) with a warranty and as far as I can recall have only owned two guns which required a repair, and both were minor. 

Others in your price range are the Lanber DeLuxe Sporting, a quality gun for the money.

This good advise. I bought secondhand and haven't regretted it. I will buy secondhand again. Reason being that although its nice to have a warranty on your gun for me **** law will have it that the gun goes wrong outside the warranty. For the money you have to spend browning, miroku, beretta, winchester, lanber and some other names are well worth a look at. The most important thing to consider it fit. If it don't fit you wont hit anything regardless of the name on the side or whether its old or new. 

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1 hour ago, vampire said:

Gun fit is everything, make/model is vanity.

Had a lot of guns before I knew what fitted properly.

And here we have the crux of the matter. 

You need to shoot as many different makes and models as possible, over a period of time, and see which you shoot better with, and by the sound of it the Browning is the one which fits this category. If that’s the case then chances are it’s either a Browning, Miroku or Winchester to choose from. To shoot well with a Browning and then buying a Beretta isn’t the way to go, and vice versa. 

It takes a long time to find which guns suit best because as beginners our mount is inconsistent, so until we practise that mount until it becomes consistent via muscle memory ( by which time we’ve made us fit the gun rather than the other way round ) then we won’t discover what suits us best. 

I found I shot best with a Browning, and as I liked the looks of the Winchester 101 I was pleased it came up just as the Browning did, so bought one. Then after quite a bit of research on shooting technique ( no tinternet back then ) came the long repetitive hours of long repetitive technique to achieve that consistent mount. Have fun. 

 

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1 hour ago, Genesius said:

ok, thanks for the replies.

I have a pretty strict budget and as its a first gun and i don't know about fit etc id like to buy from a shop.  I cant seem to find a shop thats selling Browning, Miroku, Beretta in my price range.  Maybe im looking in the wrong places.

Im in Thurrock Essex.

No you are looking in the right places and your pricing is spot on. I always buy second hand, it's a long wait but at bargain prices I have bought a 35 year old Beretta 687 12g a Beretta 687 20g  30 years old and both virtually unshot and just got myself a hand made Spanish 1976 Garbi 12g also as new. and under your budget. They are out there. As suggested get yourself a cheapy and look around.

 

 

from where?  i visited 3 shops on Thursday, cheapest 525 was £1300 and the only Browning below £1000 i was offered was a 1992 Gti with 32 inch barrels.  Fit was nice but i have to like the look of what im buying and that looked awful.

 

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As a rough (very) guide - whilst holding the gun at waist level stare at a point on a nearby wall or area and keep your head still, close your eyes and mount the gun so it feels comfortable - do it several times until you find a position that you feel comfortable and easily repeatable - then whilst holding the gun still in your shoulder open your right eye (assuming you are right handed/master eyed) and take a look - if the gun fits then you should see along the top of the rib (but none of the rib) and the bead should be on your aim point - you can learn to overcome small fit issues but if the bead is nowhere near then the gun is not for you. Avoid Trap guns - go for a well known make, Browning etc with 28 or 30 inch tubes and multi choke (cos sooner or later you will want to fiddle) - buy wisely and you could get your money back after a couple of years. Someone suggested a 425 - superb guns.

Edited by bruno22rf
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