Buying a shotgun. What do I need to know?

[warthog]

I lived in the South for years, and unless you really go out of your way to find flat wide-open agricultural country, your shots on deer are all going to be under 100 yards. You can't see much further than that in those woods, and even if you could your scope always blurs sticks that deflect and frag. So you're shooting deer at 20-60yds, through little 4" holes, from a treestand or shack stand that may or may not afford a rest. No rest, no minute-of-angle groups no matter how much you spent...

Like Jack O'Connor, I'd rate the 30-30 up there as #2 American big game cartridge of all time. Probably #1, if you go by weight of all the bacon it's brought home. It's as versatile as the .30-06, with factory loads from 130gr to 190gr, and just as good on anything other than grizz or beanfield shots.

For decades, the .30-30 was a social marker here in Alaska. Native subsistence hunters couldn't afford fine MOA rifles in elite wildcat cartridges. So for years and years, if you found some brass on the ground you could tell if a Native or a white guy fired it by the caliber.

If it was the only gun I could own, I would be fine with that.

[highangle]

If it was the only gun I could own, I would be fine with that.

Me too. My paternal grandfather fed his family market hunting deer with a Model 94 and ducks with a L.C. Smith 10ga during the Depression. Had 9 brothers, all loggers in Quebec, where he was born in 1902...

[Bite Me]

Oh, wait - Did someone say SHOTGUN:



Would like to get a Benelli M4 just for something a little more traditional.

[SB]

I really like my Mossy 590A1, mine is wood stocked with the heat guard ala trench gun. Top it off with the M9 for those pointy stick duties.

[MakersTeleMark]

Life is not a video game. That is the last post I will make on this thread. It's ridiculous.

Blow your money anywhere you want. I won't care or judge.

[SB]

Its not!?!

Judge not lest ye be judged.

[riser4]

I really like my Mossy 590A1, mine is wood stocked with the heat guard ala trench gun. Top it off with the M9 for those pointy stick duties.

I still can't wrap my head why you would put a bayonet on your shotgun. You specifically. Yes, I can see the point (hehe) possibly for CQB, aka trench warfare, or guarding prisoners. But it doesn't make sense even in the remotest of wild prepper fantasies. Unless you are actively hoping for and or working to cause a civil war and plan to be part of an organized unit. Which is a problem and should disqualify a person from owning firearms. It's one thing to prepare for uncertain times. There's a few terms in the federal statutes for actively precipitating it.

[TBS]

^^^Maybe it’s a virtual cock extension...
And yea, this thread got thrunted by the AR/Glock crowd.

[wooley12]

I spoke at a graveside memorial service recently for a vet who was skilled with, and had killed with the knife. The guy died by cutting his own throat about 3 years after his last kill. I spoke with a vet who knew the soldier and he told me that it took a few days for the man in the ground to die. You'd think he'd have had moar skilz. Or maybe he used the skills he learned to do the job he wanted to do.

[riser4]

^^^Maybe it’s a virtual cock extension...
And yea, this thread got thrunted by the AR/Glock crowd.

Um, excuse me? "Glock crowd"? I own a Glock 19. This is the first and hopefully only mention of it in this thread. So no "thrunting" about it on my part. And for the record, I am not a huge fan. I'd rather have a 1911A1.

[TNKen]

FYI, proved the Aguilla shorties will not work in a Benelli M1 Super 90, or a Beretta 1201 shorty. Two shells dump in the loader and it becomes a jamomatic. Much better in the pump for some reason.

[riser4]

FYI, proved the Aguilla shorties will not work in a Benelli M1 Super 90, or a Beretta 1201 shorty. Two shells dump in the loader and it becomes a jamomatic. Much better in the pump for some reason.

I didn't expect them to work. Thanks for trying.

[wooley12]

So I'm picking up a 20 guage waterfowl pump today. Ammo on hand is bird shot. Seems that would have enough stopping power from 10-15 feet. Google seem to say I'm good to go. Any thoughts?
https://nyfirearms.com/forums/shotgu...rdshot-hd.html

Relax. It's a dummy.Picture from the link. No humans were harmed in producing the picture. For instructional purposes only.

[lake_effect]

My self defense ammo is 3" #5 prairie storm pheasant loads out of my browning bps, which happens to be my waterfowl gun. Just the shells and weapon I have on hand and probably will not feel good if someone were to be shot in the face with it.

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[AdironRider]

It'll pepper em up real nice.

[Core Shot]

So I'm picking up a 20 guage waterfowl pump today. Ammo on hand is bird shot. Seems that would have enough stopping power from 10-15 feet. Google seem to say I'm good to go. Any thoughts?
https://nyfirearms.com/forums/shotgu...rdshot-hd.html
H]

Dick Cheney shoots his friends in the face, with birdshot, in jeans.

[wooley12]

YeeeHaaa!! Remington Model 870 Express Compact. A mere 40" long. 3 boxes of #2's to practice being Rambo. My Stay At Home is at the edge of nothing but forest. Maybe 3 boxes isn't enough? I have a strange feeling in my jeans.

[Marshall Tucker]

I hate that fucking song with a passion.

strikes a little to close to home ? ;-)

[riser4]

strikes a little to close to home ? ;-)

No. I hate it because if you are not listening to the words it's catchy. And the message is absolutely awful, normalizes shit that shouldn't be normalized. I have kids and don't really want them hearing that it's ok to get hooked on oxy and then blow their brains out. To me it seems like a foreign psyop, to further crumble our society.

[MrClean]

Sorry to revive this thread; it's been a while, but due to some events today, got me searching back on this forum for advice.

<Backstory> We are foster parents who adopted our latest placement 6 months ago (she's now 4). Birth Mom & Dad are homeless and addicts. Birth dad has a gun fetish and somewhat unstable best we can tell from the history, etc.

Fast forward to today... somebody at the Dr. office forgot to verify information so they accidentally sent her latest physical - with OUR residential and contact info - to birth mom. They had updated everything (name, address, phone #, etc) but apparently not email.... A very different problem to solve with that doctors office but not on this discussion..... My wife has gotten 2 random # calls this evening that hang up.

Now we're concerned about home defense. We do have a dog who is very protective. But contemplating if something like a shotgun would not be unwise.

Based on past threads, a shotgun for those less proficient and (depending on shell load per this thread) won't scatter too much nor penetrate beyond that which was aimed at... might not be a bad idea. For context, we have our 'new' 4 year old and our son - 7. I'd rather not accidentally shoot through something and get them for whatever reason.

Yes, I agree: Training and regular practice are a must. I was taught weapons handling when I was younger... a LONG time ago. So training, safe storage and practice are understood.

But I have seen a wide range of opinions. I'm less inclined to fret over, say $300 vs $500, if I have the piece of mind that when I need it, it will work reliably as expected.

I've seen Benelli Nova mentioned, followed by Mossberg followed by Remington (in order of people's apparent preference).

I guess... thoughts?

We are in a more populated area, so police response time is reasonable. Am I just having a wild reaction or should I be getting the appropriate storage, etc and weapon in the near-term?

Looking to the collective to offer perspective.

Thx.
-MC

[japanada]

I've got a mossberg 590A and I love it. Could be a bit unwieldy with the longer barrel and full stock, but plenty of adjustable stock/pistol grip options available, along with shorter barrels. Can be had for 400-600 depending on the setup. Though with covid pricing your results may vary.

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[MrClean]

Thanks. I'm somewhat assuming given COVID, there is little I can do other than accept the supply/demand curve.

Assuming the collective doesn't smack some sense into my concerns.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

Sorry you're going through this. What a fucking nightmare.

My thoughts and experiences: Loud mouth dogs are great.

Homeless drug addicts usually trade guns away for hits.

Shotguns will shoot through walls very well, birdshot included.

All three of those rigs will work just fine.

I used to have a shotgun next to the bed for chicken coop protection, now I have a 9mm CX4 with a 20 rd mag and light and red dot sight. It's very compact and shoots like a BB gun.

[mcsquared]

With a 4 year old and a 7 year old in the house any gun probably won't be readily accessible if you really need it.

Sorry you have to deal with this situation.

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[stealurface831]

I'm sorry to hear of that. Sounds like a nightmare. We hold down the fort with two 11-87 Remmys and #4 federal buck. They are cheap and relatively easy to find. I guess they aren't as reliable as a pump but I have never had an issue while practicing.