Shot Guns

[huntingcrazzy]

Ok folks I have never owned a shot gun and im looking from some decent budget guns what calibers are you folks recommending for skeet, goose, prarie chicken. Makes and models if you could thanks.

[huntingcrazzy]

Oh and single shot, pump, or semi. thanks again.

[elkhunter11]

You mentioned skeet, so if you really mean skeet, rather than hand thrown or portable machine thrown targets, then you need at least two shots. As for caliber, only the .410 is listed by caliber, and it would be a poor choice for geese. For geese a 12 gauge is most common, although a 20 gauge can be used. As far as prairie chickens go, there is no season for them in Alberta.
So considering that you want a budget gun as well, I would look at a 12 gauge pump, something like a Remington 870 Express, or a Winchester SXP. If you purchase a gun with a 3" chamber, it will be plenty for your uses, and they are usually a bit cheaper than the 3-1/2" guns.

[Bergerboy]

What is your budget?

[Huntsman]

How much are you willing to spend?
I prefer pumps and 12 gauge. I do have a couple 16g which are great upland game bird guns but my go to is the 12g pump.
Winchester 1200/1300 or SXP, Remington 870 or Mossberg 500etc. Mossbergs are more budget minded.
Others will chime in

[Newview01]

Benelli Super Nova - best pump in my experience. Buy once cry once.

[Salavee]

Not trying to be rude or obnoxious HuntingCrazy but shouldn't you have a lot of this figgered out on your own by now? Hit The books, do some research and narrow it down from there. Your queries are so broad you may want to take (or retake) your Hunter Ed course. It appears you are a long way from being ready for gun ownership and use of a firearm. Sorry Bud .. just my take.

[Ithaca Dog]

For your needs and the word budget I would go with any pump you like around the $500 dollar mark. They will all work reliably enough. I would look at one with a slug barrel and a bird barrel if deer and a camp gun is your primary interest. But interchangable chokes may be more what you want if you will be hunting birds more than the rest.

Winchester SXP-- no experience with this one but I would look at it because I have read good things.
Remington 870 express-- great design. Quality control can be crappy.
Mossberg 500-- top tang safety lots of add ons. Very well respected Mossberg 535 or 835 would be good choices too. 3 1/2 inch shells with these two. 835 is over bored to improve patterning. I would look at this one if I was looking at a goose gun first.
Weatherby PA-08-- probably fine. Again. No experience.

Shotguns are super versatile all around guns. I would spend more money and buy a good semi-auto. I bought a good Beretta semi auto when I was 15. I have killed deer, ducks, geese, pheasants, Hungarian partridge, quail, grouse, squirrels, rabbits, crows, coyotes, foxes etc. I want to carry it for elk one year just because.

I would handle them all and make my decision at the gun counter. Pumps are more reliable. No auto ever invented will ever be as reliable as a pump. They all jam at some time. Single shots are cheap and effective but limited to one shot. Doubles are expensive for a good one. They are also more complicated than you would think and when they malfunction they are very frusterating.

Oh. And buy a twelve.

[huntingcrazzy]

Originally Posted by Salavee

Not trying to be rude or obnoxious HuntingCrazy but shouldn't you have a lot of this figgered out on your own by now? Hit The books, do some research and narrow it down from there. Your queries are so broad you may want to take (or retake) your Hunter Ed course. It appears you are a long way from being ready for gun ownership and use of a firearm. Sorry Bud .. just my take.

Don't be sorry I was simply looking for some info on shot guns obviously your not interested in providing any thanks to those who did, but be assured when I'm ready to take or retake my hunters education course you will be the first person I call upon, you seem very knowledgeable. just my take. oh and I have been a gun owner for 25 years just not shot guns.

[saskbooknut]

Fit is everything in shotguns.
If it doesn't fit, you cannot hit.

Try a bunch. Hang around with guys at an informal trap night at your local club, and you will be offered the chance to shoot different guns.
I have always experienced the greatest welcome at shooting clubs that I visited. Trap and skeet are social games for shotguns.
Some more sophisticated clubs have rental guns.
If you have friends who shoot informally at "pasture trap" ask to join them and try different guns.

Pump guns are an inexpensive way to get into a multi-shot gun.
Extra weight is an advantage in a waterfowl gun, or a target gun shooting lots of shots, not so much in an upland gun that you want to carry for miles and miles.

[elkhunter11]

Fit is everything in shotguns.
If it doesn't fit, you cannot hit.

A very good point. If the gun doesn't fit you, you will never shoot to your potential. Unfortunately most shotguns are chosen based on looks, or price or on reputation, with no consideration for fit. The other problem is that most people have no clue as to determine if a shotgun fits them. To get a quick idea, close your eyes, then shoulder the gun, then without allowing the shotgun to move at all, open your eyes. If you are looking along the rib, rather that at it, and the bead seems centered left and right on the rib, the gun is at least somewhat close to fitting you. You should see the entire bead, but very little of the rib. If the gun has a mid bead, then the beads should either be overlapping somewhat, or at least form a figure eight. If there is a gap between the beads, then the gun does not have enough drop at comb for you. If you don't see any of the front bead, the gun has too much drop at comb. If the beads do not line up left to right, the cast is not right for you.
And once you have found a shotgun that appears to fit you, then forget that it even has beads when you are wing shooting. Trying to aim a shotgun using the beads while wing shooting is a great way to miss. Do not purchase one of those huge hi-viz beads or ribs, because they will distract you into looking at the bead, rather than at the target. I have actually helped people to significantly improve their skeet scores, by simply removing the hi-viz bead from their gun.

[rugatika]

Remington 870 express with 26" or 28" barrel. 12g

Good point about the hi-viz beads elk. First thing I did when I used to have a Browning Gold was remove the hi-Viz tube.

[Canuck Bob]

If you are a lefty a Browning BPS is a good shotgun, bottom eject. Should say a decent grade of shotgun for anyone. A 3" 12 gauge pump with replaceable choke tubes for a first shotgun is never a bad decision.

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by huntingcrazzy

don't be sorry i was simply looking for some info on shot guns obviously your not interested in providing any thanks to those who did, but be assured when i'm ready to take or retake my hunters education course you will be the first person i call upon, you seem very knowledgeable. Just my take. Oh and i have been a gun owner for 25 years just not shot guns.

lol. Nothing wrong with asking the questions you did. My recommendations:

Money tight: 12 gauge Remington 870 pump. Bombproof.
Bit more money: 12 gauge semi-automatic Weatherby SA-08. Good manufacturer, low cost. reliable.

12 gauge is sort of the "do everything" gauge. First one got. Later bought a lighter 20 gauge for upland hunting (lots of walking). But the 12 can do everything. I've owned Remingtons, Winchesters, Berettas, and Weatherbys. None of them were bad guns or prone to jamming.

[Grizzly Adams]

Money tight: 12 gauge Remington 870 pump. Bombproof.

On sale at Cabelas right now, proven design, extra barrels are easy to find and install.

Grizz

[NorthShore]

Originally Posted by Newview01

Benelli Super Nova - best pump in my experience. Buy once cry once.

I love mine.

But if on a budget I would try to find a Mossberg 500. Thats what dad has had for 20 some years for ducks, geese and grouse.

[huntingcrazzy]

Thanks folks I now own a Remington 870 12 guage (not caliber) for those whom are particular about that which I will use for Geese and Not skeets but to get it right Clay Pigeons and a Mossberg 500 in a .410 which I will use for grouse, thanks again for all your info boy sure hope I got my lingo right this time do want anyone getting offended by my lack of knowledge or incompetence.

[Bergerboy]

Go find a trap club and get some practice and your good to go!

[elkhunter11]

If you want more realistic practice for hunting, go to a skeet or Sporting Clays range to work on your shooting.

[Bergerboy]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

If you want more realistic practice for hunting, go to a skeet or Sporting Clays range to work on your shooting.

I guess it is 2016, rainbow flags are flying, people are identifying with whatever they feel they are. Go and publicly shoot skeet. No one will judge you.

[JA Boomer]

On a budget:

Remington 870 Express
Mossberg 500

Good quality pump:

Remington 870 Wingmaster
Benelli Super Nova
Browning BPS

Good quality semi-auto:

Remington VersaMax

Most people will tell you you have to go and shoulder a few of them to find the right fit. I tend to think you can adjust your stance/shouldering slightly to accommodate most differences.

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

If you want more realistic practice for hunting, go to a skeet or Sporting Clays range to work on your shooting.

ya skeet is great if you want to learn how to shoot the same thing at the same trajectory and the same speed every single time.

sporting clays would be a much much much infinitely better choice


but hey no shooting is bad, just like bb points out no love is bad love

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Bergerboy

I guess it is 2016, rainbow flags are flying, people are identifying with whatever they feel they are. Go and publicly shoot skeet. No one will judge you.

Oddly enough, those of us that prefer skeet, still occaisionally shoot trap, but most trap shooters are too afraid of failure to even try skeet.

And of the people that I hunt upland birds and waterfowl with, the skeet shooters tend to do much better on live birds than the trap shooters do. You do get incoming or broadside shots while hunting birds, but you don't practice either of those shots at trap.

ya skeet is great if you want to learn how to shoot the same thing at the same trajectory and the same speed every single time.

I take it that you have never shot skeet on a windy day, when some of the clays hit the ground before they reach the opposite house?

And if that is still too easy, shoot doubles with a sub gauge gun.

There is no doubt that sporting clays is the ultimate clays game, but most of us simply can't afford to shoot several hundred rounds at sporting clays every week.

[wwbirds]

I dont think anyone will think you are incompetent or be offended by your questions but they also are trying to determine what you need on the basis of the way your question is worded.
As you probably now know shooting clay birds can be anything from a hand held thrower in a field with friends to a complex array of shooting stations in sporting clays.
Trap is a 5 shooting stations with trap house in front of you throwing primarily rising standard clays straight away or angling straight away from the shooter.
Skeet is a high and low house throwing double clays when you are on a variety of 8 stations situated around the skeet field. Depending where you are on the course you may have a clay going away from you while another is coming at you or 2 birds may be crossing in front of you and ideally you will break them both at 22 yards.
A sporting clays course is like a golf course where you walk from station to station shooting a variety of regular clay targets cited above as well as mini midi and even hopping rabbit clays skipping across the course.
As you can imagine it takes a specialized set up in each of the above examples so knowledgeable people have asked your intent before giving you an answer. To me when you are talking skeet, grouse and geese you are talking 3 different shotguns. use of terms like "praire chickens" or chickens just confuses anyone trying to give you a valid answer as some people use "chickens" to describe anything from hungarian partridge to sage grouse which have been closed in Alberta for many years. Terminology allows a proper answer to your questions. As a rifleman I am sure you would seek clarification from a new shooter asking about buying his first rifle by determining if he intended to hunt big or small game, varmints or game in deep forest or open prairie before providing an answer.

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

I take it that you have never shot skeet on a windy day, when some of the clays hit the ground before they reach the opposite house?

And if that is still too easy, shoot doubles with a sub gauge gun.

any clays game in the wind or with a sub gauge would be hard.

i'd rather get used to getting on a random target quicker and smoother but i guess everyone is different

[Bergerboy]

The reason why trap is superior to learning how to wing shoot is that the shooter is changes positions and the clays will come out at different directions and elevations. When wind is involved it gets really hairy. The shooter must learn to recognize where to pull the trigger in regards to the clay position and distance. These fundamentals can be learned at trap and with the slightest understanding can adapt this to hunting birds with any presentation.

If you cannot take the leanings from trap and apply it to oncoming or crossing birds than you may have to shoot sporting clays. Sporting clays is like summer school for kids that may not grasp concepts as easy as the rest of the crowd. They try hard but they just don't quite get it...

Skeet is what you learn before trap. Its like shooting with your machine locked in one position. Unless you can convince live game to fly in the same direction every time, the only advantage is getting used to shot gunning. Once you learn the dance move onto trap. The best tool for a skeet shooter may be to purchase the Luminosity Brain Training software. https://www.lumosity.com/landing_pag...FRKRfgodawcNbg

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by wwbirds

I dont think anyone will think you are incompetent or be offended by your questions but they also are trying to determine what you need on the basis of the way your question is worded.
As you probably now know shooting clay birds can be anything from a hand held thrower in a field with friends to a complex array of shooting stations in sporting clays.
Trap is a 5 shooting stations with trap house in front of you throwing primarily rising standard clays straight away or angling straight away from the shooter.
Skeet is a high and low house throwing double clays when you are on a variety of 8 stations situated around the skeet field. Depending where you are on the course you may have a clay going away from you while another is coming at you or 2 birds may be crossing in front of you and ideally you will break them both at 22 yards.
A sporting clays course is like a golf course where you walk from station to station shooting a variety of regular clay targets cited above as well as mini midi and even hopping rabbit clays skipping across the course.
As you can imagine it takes a specialized set up in each of the above examples so knowledgeable people have asked your intent before giving you an answer. To me when you are talking skeet, grouse and geese you are talking 3 different shotguns. use of terms like "praire chickens" or chickens just confuses anyone trying to give you a valid answer as some people use "chickens" to describe anything from hungarian partridge to sage grouse which have been closed in Alberta for many years. Terminology allows a proper answer to your questions. As a rifleman I am sure you would seek clarification from a new shooter asking about buying his first rifle by determining if he intended to hunt big or small game, varmints or game in deep forest or open prairie before providing an answer.

To shoot any clays game or to hunt any bird to your maximum potential, may require multiple shotguns, but there are shotguns that will work quite well at all clay games, and that will do quite well at shooting pretty much any bird fro grouse to geese. If had to do it all with one gun, I would take my SX-3 in 12 gauge. It is my lowest price gun, yet I would feel comfortable shooting any of the clays games, or hunting any game birds. It may not be the best choice for every application, but it will certainly do a decent job for all of them.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Bergerboy

The reason why trap is superior to learning how to wing shoot is that the shooter is changes positions and the clays will come out at different directions and elevations. When wind is involved it gets really hairy. The shooter must learn to recognize where to pull the trigger in regards to the clay position and distance. These fundamentals can be learned at trap and with the slightest understanding can adapt this to hunting birds with any presentation.

If you cannot take the leanings from trap and apply it to oncoming or crossing birds than you may have to shoot sporting clays. Sporting clays is like summer school for kids that may not grasp concepts as easy as the rest of the crowd. They try hard but they just don't quite get it...

Skeet is what you learn before trap. Its like shooting with your machine locked in one position. Unless you can convince live game to fly in the same direction every time, the only advantage is getting used to shot gunning. Once you learn the dance move onto trap. The best tool for a skeet shooter may be to purchase the Luminosity Brain Training software. https://www.lumosity.com/landing_pag...FRKRfgodawcNbg

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by Bergerboy

The reason why trap is superior to learning how to wing shoot is that the shooter is changes positions and the clays will come out at different directions and elevations. When wind is involved it gets really hairy. The shooter must learn to recognize where to pull the trigger in regards to the clay position and distance. These fundamentals can be learned at trap and with the slightest understanding can adapt this to hunting birds with any presentation.

If you cannot take the leanings from trap and apply it to oncoming or crossing birds than you may have to shoot sporting clays. Sporting clays is like summer school for kids that may not grasp concepts as easy as the rest of the crowd. They try hard but they just don't quite get it...

Skeet is what you learn before trap. Its like shooting with your machine locked in one position. Unless you can convince live game to fly in the same direction every time, the only advantage is getting used to shot gunning. Once you learn the dance move onto trap. The best tool for a skeet shooter may be to purchase the Luminosity Brain Training software. https://www.lumosity.com/landing_pag...FRKRfgodawcNbg

Really? I personally find trap the easiest discipline. I've taken people out who have never shot a shotgun before and they can hit over 50%. I guess it's like bird hunting if you know exactly where the bird is going to flush from, which way it will fly generally, and it flies in a straight line and predictable trajectory away from you. I thought the other two disciplines were a little more realistic. Any practice is useful of course.

[bearstalker234]

Hey ive been using a 12ga Mavrick with a 28" full choke barrel for over 10 years. Mavrick is backed by Mossberg and you can swap out Mossberg parts if you want to. the shotty is very reliable and easy to take down and put back.
my other shotty is a 12ga. Mauser GEHA (YE-HA), I picked it up for 150 bucks, I went I to a gunshop and asked what they have for used shot guns, they showed me the GEHA and a double barrel side by side. I use a k98 8mm mauser as my big game rifle so I decided to pick up the GEHA so I could have a matching rifle and shotgun