hendersons Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 hi all i've been shooting with air guns for years and have just decided to put in for a s.g.c. I have been looking for which shot gun to buy and as far as i can tell these seem to be the main categories game, sport, trap, skeet, game/sport overs unders, side by sides semi autos, now these mean absolutely nothing to me so if possible could somebody please explain them to me and any reccomendations as to waht would be good for me i will mainly be shooting for pigeons rabbits and corvids. oh and any info on cartridges too or books or anything really sorry if this has been covered a thousand times before but i need the help and just one more thing those bolt type efforts that they give you with gun cabinets do you just drill a 8mm hole then stick them in and tighten up man y thanks for any help given nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CZ550Kevlar Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 Unless you are an ace shooter there are 3 types of gun, semi, over/under and side by side, don`t worry about types when first starting out just get something that feels good to you. The bolts yes drill the holes insert the anchors, pop the cabinet on them then put the nuts on job done. For rough shooting again get what feels right for you. Cartridges a case of bu a few try them if you like them commit to buying them by the 1000 for discounts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Fudd Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 (edited) hi all i've been shooting with air guns for years and have just decided to put in for a s.g.c. I have been looking for which shot gun to buy and as far as i can tell these seem to be the main categories game, sport, trap, skeet, game/sport overs unders, side by sides semi autos, now these mean absolutely nothing to me so if possible could somebody please explain them to me and any reccomendations as to waht would be good for me i will mainly be shooting for pigeons rabbits and corvids. oh and any info on cartridges too or books or anything really sorry if this has been covered a thousand times before but i need the help and just one more thing those bolt type efforts that they give you with gun cabinets do you just drill a 8mm hole then stick them in and tighten up man y thanks for any help given nick ok bolts just tighten up and the metal collar expands, clamping them to the wall. for your first shotgun id advise something cheap, simple and robust cos it will get dropped ALOT if youre rough shooting, also dont bother going for different chokes, fixed choke on a first gun will be best. my first guns were a single barrel hammer gun and a side by side. once i got used to those and the safety aspects i bought a semi auto and traded in the sbs,, then a pump action instead of the single barrel, then traded in the semi and got another pump action! everyone will have their own opinions on shotguns, personally i prefer pumps, followed by semi's, due to the fact you get 3 shots (and theyre better ). on my list over and unders are at the bottom (if someone gave me one id trade it in for a semi or a pump) but thats just me. once you learn how to handle a basic shotgun (id advise side by side) start looking at the different types available in the gunshop, they can get a bit complicated otherwise! B) edit - cartridges, i always use 32 gram no 6's, can handle most things youll end up shooting (rabits/crows/pigeons) Edited April 24, 2009 by babbyc1000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendersons Posted April 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 ok so i think i'm going to go for a semi auto (is there any makes i should avoid) shooting with 32 gram no 6's (anyparticular brand or does it not matter) i think the farmer i help out, would prefer me to use fibre wads does this make any difference? as for the bolts there seems to be a nut type thing then a sleeve over the nut do i slide the nut type thing and the sleeve into the hole then put the bolt through the hole in the cabinet and just tighten up? thanks for the help guys and any advice given nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperfection Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 You're likely to get people warning you from getting a Hatsan Escort semi-auto and to be fair they have suffered from problems in the past with older models,but not so now and they do have a 3 year guarantee.Provided you keep them clean-they work great and mine cycles perfectly.They are however a budget gun (mine was £300 brand new) so will never have a tremendous resale value should you want to sell it in a few years time.A secondhand Beretta,Winchester,Remington etc will probably be worth as much as you paid for it after a few years,but it will always be a secondhand gun so this has got to be your own personal choice. Cartridge wise-yes 32gms of 6 shot is ample to take down woodies,crows,rabbits and if you buy enough of them are relativley cheap.I paid £42 for 250 a little while ago so they're not gonna break the bank.Plastic or fibre-depends on your particular farmer because some dont like seeing wads on their fields while others dont care.Plastic wads apparently give a better pattern,but to be honest i've never noticed a difference. As for the anchor bolts. Drill holes in wall,remove the nut and bolt from sleeve,push sleeve into holes,align cabinet onto wall so the holes match,screw in the bolt,pop washers over thread,reattach nut and then start tightening it up using a spanner/socket set,teeth etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy33 Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 All this info seems confusing even to me, if its your first shotty buy a cheap o/u say a baikel cause they are reliable and wont break and you'll get what you paid for it when you decide to upgarde , regarding fit if your average size and build most will be ok but dont go for something to heavy as it'll feel like your dragging a cannon around after a couple of fields B) , when your happy your head is screwed on and your used to handling it then think of going for a semi but be carefull dont get rushing in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Master Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 I always use fibre wads and you will not notice the difference between plastic. B) They are better for the environment and you won't upset the farmer. FM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Fudd Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 Pump action!!!! you are shooting game etc, not robbing a bank!!!!! ignore these maybe now would be a good time to point out that a sawn off double barrel is the weapon of choice for bank robbers??? B) theres a couple fo members here (myself included) use pumps. far more reliable than a semi, get more shots than an over and under and most of them (nova's and mossy's prime example) are damn near indestructible! but as i already said, start of simple and cheap, once you get the basics then start looking around. ps - semis arent difficult to carry, thats what slings are for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatcatsplat Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 Go for a shiny one!!!! As said by many, go down the gunshop, have a good look around and see what feels nice in your price range. If they're any good they will be able to tell you whether the gun fits you or not. For personal preference, i think i would go for an over/under as your first gun - side by sides shoot a lot differently and pumps/semis, although fun and 3rdshotmungous, cannot be shown to be unloaded (unless you put the orange flag thingy in) and are a bit of a pain to carry around with you all day. To be honest with you, whatever you get, you'll more than likely change it in the first 6 months as you get used to shooting - It's a bit like getting your first car - You think it's all nice and lovely and then your mate gets a better one! Good luck whichever way you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 An ideal starter gun would be a medium priced over and under multi choke . This would surfice for any type of shooting that you would want to try . Once into shooting and getting more experiance you could then make up your mind what way you would want to go . I would not advice buying a semi auto for a first and only gun . Self loaders are a specialists gun and restrict you to what kind of shooting you would be kitted up for gun wise . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendersons Posted April 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 at the risk of soounding stupid what on earth does multi choke mean nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 (edited) Chokes are the constriction in the barrel to alter the spread of shot for close range targets and for the longer targets . Multi chokes allow you to screw in different chokes for different types of targets . That is a very basic discription of multi chokes it is of course more complex than that as you will see the more you read the forum . A multi choke gun will give you more options in you shooting and will allow you to shoot game and clay targets using the same gun . Harnser . Edited April 25, 2009 by Harnser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendersons Posted April 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 ok so for example wat chokes would i need for pigeon,rabbit,corvid,pheasant,duck and clays and wat do i do if i get a gun that isnt multi choke oh and clays are somethinng i'm not sure i will be able to get much of a go at as the clay clubs in my area only open weekends which is my busyiest time so i wont be able to attend saying that the farmer who owns the land i shoot has a thing for throwing clays in the air and we are going to have a go together untill i'm fairly confident i can shoot to a reasonable standard. if this fails i would pay for a few lesson (any reccomendations ) in the swindon cirencester area thanks again for the help nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 Hendersons , Without getting bogged down on the subject of chokes which is quite a complex matter , you would do well if buying a fixed choke gun gun having quarter choke in one barrel and half choke in the other barrel ,or half choke in one barrel and full choke in the other barrel . Either combinations will give you enough leeway to shoot most game and clay targets . Dont be worrying to much at this stage about chokes . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 Try a Browning Medalist multi-choke.Solid and reliable guns that you wont lose much money on-i would advise against a semi-auto if its your first shottie as its eay to make an O/U os S/S safe just by breaking them open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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