Buying second hand!

[Lloyd90]

Ok SGC coming next week, looking to pick up a second hand shotty! Seen a few nice ones that I like but just wondering on any tips when choosing one.

 

Would you suggest waiting and buying new ? What should I check about the shotgun before buying to make sure im not getting a bum deal ? Dont want anything dodgy or something that'll break in a matter of days.

 

Im probally just being paranoid but in these days and times ripping people off doesn't seem all that rare, which is a damn shame!

 

Appreciate tips guys, sure I'll be fine hehe

[Ice]

Well i was in the same boat as you no more than a few months back......

 

I was told not to worry about multichokes (as i need to learn to shoot properly first)

 

Buy a decent gun, not a cheap thing..... as a cheap gun wont do you any favours in the long run, whereas a decent gun will hlod its value and if looked after, last forever.... i took this advice and bought a S/H Miroku, fantastic, i love it and dont think ill ever sell it.

 

I was also advised to stay away from semi-auto's and buy a traditional breakbarrel for my first gun and boy am i glad i did..... My mate as i said previously has just bought a Hatsan Escort semi auto for his first gun, im not knocking semi auto's in any way at all, just after using his, my advice would be to buy a break barrel, no matter how tempted to go for a semi....

 

Hope this help's.

 

Ice

[Lloyd90]

haha, thats the same one im interested in! Hatsan Escort Semi in Camo, £200! Not a bad deal, my local RFD said £400 for one on the phone a few weeks ago lol!

 

Was also looking at the Browning Medalist O/U! What would you recommend ? And where to buy from ?

Appreciate the tips Ice

[Ice]

haha, thats the same one im interested in! Hatsan Escort Semi in Camo, £200! Not a bad deal, my local RFD said £400 for one on the phone a few weeks ago lol!

 

Was also looking at the Browning Medalist O/U! What would you recommend ? And where to buy from ?

Appreciate the tips Ice

 

Dont get me wrong the Hatsan Escort is a cracking piece of kit and i would deffinatly buy one, just not yet....... Im having too much fun with my Miroku O/U. (my personal advice would be the Browning pal, can go wrong and will hold its value if you buy second hand.....

 

I might get a semi-auto towards the end of the year maybe, see how it goes......

[2shots]

If your wanting new o/u at a good price check out the over and under Lanber

good solid gun and been around for years,other than that beretta, browning

miroku, you cant go wrong,mirokus start at around 900 new with browning

and beretta just over a grand new, the lanbers around 650 ish new.Cant

fault the hatsan auto in my experience if thats your choice cheap as chips.

[shaun4860]

Ok SGC coming next week, looking to pick up a second hand shotty! Seen a few nice ones that I like but just wondering on any tips when choosing one.

 

Would you suggest waiting and buying new ? :unsure: What should I check about the shotgun before buying to make sure im not getting a bum deal ? Dont want anything dodgy or something that'll break in a matter of days.

 

Im probally just being paranoid but in these days and times ripping people off doesn't seem all that rare, which is a damn shame!

 

Appreciate tips guys, sure I'll be fine hehe

 

 

How much is your budget is good place to start?

 

if its up too £1000 then there is a cracking silver pigeon in the for sale section here....

 

thats what you need to decide.... budget.

 

shaun

[roadkill]

if you are buying second hand see if you can tray the gun first at a clay ground , just incase the gun doesnt fit , i tried a lanber and it knocked my face to bits hurt like hell ....

[Lloyd90]

Well when my SGC comes I'll have about £150 :unsure: lol! But hoping to start a job VERY soon! So as soon as Im earning a bigger budget will be developing! Wasn't looking to go into the £500+ mark really as I was hoping for something cheap and chearful for a young shooter to begin with, this is why I liked the Hatsan Escorts, the pump actions are even cheaper than the semi's! One in my local RFD for £320 pump!

[sambu13]

im in the same situation, but ive decided to pillage my student loan!

[weejase]

It`s all very well getting a cheap gun but If you can`t hit anything with It theres no point

 

Try a couple of gun`s out for fit first and save enough for one :unsure:

 

jase.

[SirMorris]

when I bought my shotgun , I had a assigned a limited budget of 500quid tops! and the escort was definitely on the list!

With that budget, I knew I had to look for second hands or content myself with a new escort/baikal/webleyscott.

Then I saw my Browning 525 32" advanced sporter and fell in love at first sight...1300 quid new and i bought it straight away. nerver regreted it!

And I tell you, buying a new gun has a totally different taste. I am paid 700 straight from my debit card and 800 on my credit card that i am paying back on 9 installements. hence My opinion is .. if you can wait and buy new,,,, go for it.

Now for the second hand option:

1-check the wood.. (real close up) and check for any ununiform markings. dents, near chipping fatigue and all that

2- hold the stock and forend and try to twist the gun, make sure you there is no clearance in the action.

3- hold your barrels disassembled, hanging from the hing and give it a tap with a pen or a piece of wood.. you mus be able to hear one Frequency (natural frequency) if you heard more than one,, then the rib is defective..ie came/coming loose)

4-If multi chokes, unscrew them and look closely for any markings inside the barrels that might be caused by using wrong chokes with steel pellets or firing with loose chokes. Check the threads on the chokes too.

5- Fire it!! put a 50 rounds in it. Its your right!

 

 

Never been a fan of Berettas! (nothing wrong with them, it is certainly me!) Their forends always seemed very thin and I could always wrap my fingers around it and across the rib.

[Andy W]

It all depends on what you intend to shoot, if you intend to shoot clays buy a multi choke sporter that way it will do any clay discipline you choose, if you intend to shoot rough consider a sbs, they are dirt cheap and suit your budget, if you intend shooting say pigeons, the extra shot of the semi auto becomes useful, choosing a gun is not about price but what fits you, make sure it fits, take someone along with you who knows a little about gun fit, not all shops can be trusted when advising on gun fit to a new shooter.

 

Shooting can be an expensive hobby you know, once you start and when the bug bites there is no turning back, you will never have any money. :unsure:

[Lloyd90]

You say theres no point in having a gun if you cant hit anything with it. Dont really think that comes in too much mate! Surely its the shooter not the shotgun that is doing the work. Im sure a person with a £30,000 gun wouldn't have too massive an advantage over someone with say a £10,000 gun!

 

End of the day they all have barrels and are firing the same type of shot, the choke on an escort is multi so I could use it with 2 in the gun for claying and then get the advantage of 3 for pigeon shoots. Will be using for Crow/Pigeon shooting aswell as clays once every fortnight! So really looking for a good all rounder! Escort pump or Escort Semi or a O/U / SbS ??

 

Its really a tough choice! Wish I could just stick a £1000 gun on a credit card and pay it off but got my last exam 2moz so am not in full time employment atm!

 

Been out looking for a job today atleast Hopefully going to save up a few quid before I rush out and buy the first gun I can afford lol! Awfully tempted by some cheap and chearful ones! but going to have to restrain and make a good choice lol! :unsure:

Edited June 18, 2008 by Bigthug87

[Gordon R]

Someone with a £30k gun would have no advantage over someone buying a Miroku MK38 for under £1k.

[weejase]

If It`s not down to the gun then why do people go to have gun`s fitted

 

All I`m saying Is just because a gun Is cheap It doesn`t mean you should buy It.

 

My mates a great shot with his 12 bore but when he had a shot of my 20g He couldn`t hit a thing because the gun didn`t fit him right

 

Another mate had a silver pigeon and was a fantastic shot with It.

he went and traded It In for a newer one and Is now on his fifth gun because he can`t shoot as well as he could with his original.

 

So I don`t think It`s all down to the shooter mate :unsure: The gun has a lot to do with It.

 

jase.

[SirMorris]

If It`s not down to the gun then why do people go to have gun`s fitted

 

All I`m saying Is just because a gun Is cheap It doesn`t mean you should buy It.

 

My mates a great shot with his 12 bore but when he had a shot of my 20g He couldn`t hit a thing because the gun didn`t fit him right

 

Another mate had a silver pigeon and was a fantastic shot with It.

he went and traded It In for a newer one and Is now on his fifth gun because he can`t shoot as well as he could with his original.

 

So I don`t think It`s all down to the shooter mate :unsure: The gun has a lot to do with It.

 

jase.

 

Totally agree with you mate. the gun is a major factor. however, additional posh engravings and grade 10 woods arent.

There is a big difference between a 300£ and 3000£ gun... But not much between a 10K£ and 90K£ IMHO!

[Lloyd90]

Hehe Weejase, your point is that the FIT makes the difference NOT the gun! Ofcourse the fit will make a difference, but that doesn't mean a O/U will be a better fit than an escort, :o I will have to try! Only had a go of 3 guns, 2 O/U and 1 SbS! Its worth looking into an escort instead of just striking it off!

 

Although I do see your point mate and appreciate the input :unsure:

If the fit is the only reason then I will have to have a good look around lol! Cheers mate, didnt think fit made a massive difference. Appreciate the help

Although I will go to the local RFD and check the fit on a Escort, the semi or pump with 3 shots is tempting and the Price on some is just fantastic!

 

What would be better a semi or a pump ?? Pump would make you take more time I suppose lol, plus it sounds cool aswell Although the semi is very usefull for fast shots.

 

Appreciate the help :yp:

[weejase]

I`m just a newcomer to shooting mate :unsure:

 

The guy that Introduced me to It has been shooting for around 15 years and It Is him that has drilled It Into me about the Importance of having a gun that fits.

 

He took me to the clays one day and let me use his 20g zoli and I hardly missed a clay

 

He always says that first day I saw you shooting with the 20g I knew the gun fitted you.

 

I dare say If I used his 12g I would have missed a lot as It`s a lot heavier/longer etc etc.

 

I was In the mind set that If you can shoot with one gun then you can shoot with any as It was all down to the shooter

 

I myself am looking to buy a semi auto 12g even though I have never shot with one

 

You may be lucky like myself and buy your first gun and shoot well with It...OR you could buy and sell a load of gun`s until you find the right one

 

If you know the gun your buying fits then you will save yourself a lot of cash and time.

 

Good luck mate .

 

jase.

[radio1ham]

well i bought a franchi trap gun and i use it for everything from shooting crows to foxes ive had it for 5 years now and still going strong and yes it was a cheap gun 40quid for an over and under

chokes are full and three quarter

as long as the shot comes out the barrell i dont see the point of paying 100`s of pounds for a gun when a cheap reliable second hand one will do the same job i guess you will be best suited with a good baikal s/s you cant go wrong with one of them , forget paying hundreds of pounds for a gun dont go over your budget as you will kick yourself

as for anyone saying you wont hit anything with a cheap second hand one is utter rubbish its not the the gun its the person using it that counts

in my opinion why pay a fortune when something less than half the price will do same job

why buy a rolls royce when a normal family car will do the same as a rolls royce

anyway thats my opinion

[weejase]

I didn`t mean If you buy a cheap gun you will not be able to shoot with It :unsure:

 

I`m saying just because a gun Is cheap It doesn`t mean you should buy It

 

I don`t believe for one minute that If I bought a £2000 gun that I would hit the target more than I could with my couple of hundred pound zoli.

 

As for the gun having nothing to do with hitting the target I`m sure many will agree that Is utter tosh.

 

 

jase.

[Andy W]

So Radio1ham, if I was to buy a cheap o/u cast for a left handed shooter and I shoot right handed, when mounted I could see loads and loads of rib and I have to shuffle it in my shoulder pocket and cock my head to one side ............. it would be fine for shooting english sporting un mounted?

 

With the corerct gun fit you lift to the cheek, pull back into the shoulder pocket and the correct amount of rib is seen or in the case of the mid bead gun, you see the front bead over the top of the mid bead with no shuffling or head tilting, some people can be lucky and get a gun off the shelf close enough, others are not so lucky, some people a Beretta fits and a Browning/Miroku doesnt, some people vice versa.

 

If you are going to shoot game and your gun doesnt fit and you are not an accomplished shot either you stand more chance of just wounding your prey and leaving them to suffer which is not fair.

 

If you visit the gunsmith at Doveridge he will check your gunfit and say yes or no, he would then temporary pack the comb with a comb raiser or cardboard, sticky tape etc and tell you to shoot it for a couple of weeks and see if it has made a difference, no hard sell just help and recommendations, that guy does know what he is talking about.

[reedbradshaw]

So Radio1ham, if I was to buy a cheap o/u cast for a left handed shooter and I shoot right handed, when mounted I could see loads and loads of rib and I have to shuffle it in my shoulder pocket and cock my head to one side ............. it would be fine for shooting english sporting un mounted?

 

With the corerct gun fit you lift to the cheek, pull back into the shoulder pocket and the correct amount of rib is seen or in the case of the mid bead gun, you see the front bead over the top of the mid bead with no shuffling or head tilting, some people can be lucky and get a gun off the shelf close enough, others are not so lucky, some people a Beretta fits and a Browning/Miroku doesnt, some people vice versa.

 

If you are going to shoot game and your gun doesnt fit and you are not an accomplished shot either you stand more chance of just wounding your prey and leaving them to suffer which is not fair.

 

If you visit the gunsmith at Doveridge he will check your gunfit and say yes or no, he would then temporary pack the comb with a comb raiser or cardboard, sticky tape etc and tell you to shoot it for a couple of weeks and see if it has made a difference, no hard sell just help and recommendations, that guy does know what he is talking about.

 

why would you buy a second hand gun when you know damn well it doesnt fit ie from your point, a left hand gun ?? ive been looking at guns in the local gun shops and just from picking them up i can tell whether they feel comfortable or not. Im not an expert at all, i dont know how i do it....i guess if it feels right for me.....then or more or less is.

 

im in the same market for a gun sub £300.00 at the moment.....ive had a look at the hatsans but im not sure whether to go for one or go for a O/U, i like the "quality" finish of wood rather than synthetic. i know the quality ill be getting will be limited to my budget though :unsure:

[weejase]

I would personally start with an o/u or s/s mate

 

If your doing clays check that they allow semi autos as the place next to me does not

 

Some people don`t like to shoot with folk that use semi`s because you don`t know If the gun Is safe/unloaded :unsure:

 

The clay ground next to me Insist that all guns are broken unless shooting.

 

I think a gun that can be broken will give you more shooting opportunities.

 

jase.

[al4x]

start with a second hand over and under either fixed or multi choke it won't make much difference. IMHO don't start with an auto as learning the most important aspect of shooting which is safety is much harder with a semi auto. A broken over and under all and sundry can see its safe and you can check far easier. With clay shooting its less crucial than rough shooting but it is still far easier to learn the basics. As for a SBS I've yet to see anyone learn well with one but I'm sure I'll find lots of experts after making the statement :unsure:

[reedbradshaw]

i think i am going to start with a over and under as i guess it will teach me to be more "patient" and pick my shots better as ill only have 2. im guessing also that O/U guns will be more reliable than semis as they have less moving parts ?? ( only a guess...prove me wrong :unsure: ) and of course, safety.

 

i have room in my cabinet for another 2 guns afterwards so i can always get one in the future