Yeah I got a couple of shotguns bought new, one that took some hard trading for, the SKB 505 O/U, but my heart always comes back to the bargain oldies that you can throw into the truck and get dirty, all the while knowing they'll still do their job. I have a soft spot for the Winchester 1300, wood/blued, that some pawnbroker always tries to overprice with "but they don't make 'em anymore" crap, but will take $200 for em in the end. And an old Wingmaster, that always comes along on the trip. Anybody else got a soft spot for bargain shotties?
Bargain Shotties
- Thread starter bearmgc
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target1911
Member
I have owned 3 870s....still have one, have a Mossy mod 600CT 20ga, and a Mossy 500 12ga combo with 26"bbl and 18.5"bbl. So to answer your question......YES I do like the Bargain Shotties.
The Deer Hunter
Member
You mean price wise used or price wise from the factory? (like do you mean a Maverick 88 vs a Benelli SBE2 class guns?)
plateshooter
Member
My "soft spot" beater gun is an old H&R single shot 12 ga that I paid $35.00 for years ago. I put a barrel clamp type front sling stud on it, installed an old sling I had ,and carried it where I would never take any of my higher cost guns. If it gets soaked, I just heat up the action with a hair dryer and drench it in WD40. I have taken a lot of game with it just because I had it with me. 28" mod choke seems just about perfect for an all around utility gun.
Okiecruffler
Member
Steven's 311s, the bargain double gun, single shots of all flavors, ratty old pumps that have been thru more rounds than Ted Kennedy. We called them grocery guns in my parts. Usually passed from one generation to the next since they weren't worth enough to bother with selling. There's an old Sears and Robuck pump 12 ga in my family that has probably been claimed by at least a dozen people. Thing is just HUGE, I can't imagine the stature of the person it would actually fit. 30 inch barrel with the big screw on choke can on the end. Taught you how to shoot a badly fitted shotgun so you'd appreciate when a nice one came along. Still, I took my first deer with it, dang near knocked me out of my tree stand.
I have an old 20 Gauge Ithaca SKB 500, which is the 505 with a slightly different shape on the receiver -- the 500's design causes cracks in the walnut and the 505 fixes this -- and a longer trigger guard tang. Though I paid 500 bucks for it -- probably the cheapest good-quality O/U I'll ever find -- I still consider it a non-beater, and the cracks have been fixed with West Systems epoxy, the stock trimmed to prevent further problems. I use it for hunting, but I take care of it. Nice shotguns, those SKB's!
I bought a $50 used single shot with the intent of using it for Jeep duty, but it's one of those funky old Ithacas with a lever-action-style lever to break it open. It's real tight still, and though it has a lot of honest wear, it seems a shame to trash the old thing. Not worth much cash, but a classic in its own way, so I don't want to trash it.
Then I have this old 1100 I picked up cheap, but it's got the stronger Magnum receiver. Again, not valuable to a collector, but it's probably the best field-grade 1100 Remington ever made or ever will, so it's valuable to me for all-around use. And I have a shortened stock for it, too, so it's useful as a teaching gun, since it has no recoil with range loads and I can change up the length.
Just because a gun was cheap for what it is, that doesn't make me feel okay to use it as a beater, necessarily.
So, despite having bought a few good shooters for cheap, that leaves me with no real "beater" gun, except for the one shotgun I've ever bought brand-new, an 870 Express.
And that's what I'd recommend. The thing balances well enough for after-work trap league. 870s are anything but rare, so they're guilt-free tools, not museum pieces. Parts and accessories are available from all sorts of vendors, and they're still pretty cheap, even brand new. They're easy to clean, even in the field, with their modular construction, so mud and dirt are not your arch enemy. The newest ones even have a laminate wood stock, which is nice and durable for knockaround use, but still feels like a real shotgun when you shoulder it.
Others prefer the Mossberg 500. That works, too. The 870 and 500 are refined mass-production guns after all these years, in that they shoot well, work well, and their manufacturers can build and sell them for pretty cheap. A single shot can work, too, but it's sure nice to have a repeater, and these guns handle much better than the light single-shots IMO.
Or, just get a brand-new Beretta Silver Pigeon V and throw that in your truck. People will either be really impressed, or really appalled, or maybe a little of both.
I bought a $50 used single shot with the intent of using it for Jeep duty, but it's one of those funky old Ithacas with a lever-action-style lever to break it open. It's real tight still, and though it has a lot of honest wear, it seems a shame to trash the old thing. Not worth much cash, but a classic in its own way, so I don't want to trash it.
Then I have this old 1100 I picked up cheap, but it's got the stronger Magnum receiver. Again, not valuable to a collector, but it's probably the best field-grade 1100 Remington ever made or ever will, so it's valuable to me for all-around use. And I have a shortened stock for it, too, so it's useful as a teaching gun, since it has no recoil with range loads and I can change up the length.
Just because a gun was cheap for what it is, that doesn't make me feel okay to use it as a beater, necessarily.
So, despite having bought a few good shooters for cheap, that leaves me with no real "beater" gun, except for the one shotgun I've ever bought brand-new, an 870 Express.And that's what I'd recommend. The thing balances well enough for after-work trap league. 870s are anything but rare, so they're guilt-free tools, not museum pieces. Parts and accessories are available from all sorts of vendors, and they're still pretty cheap, even brand new. They're easy to clean, even in the field, with their modular construction, so mud and dirt are not your arch enemy. The newest ones even have a laminate wood stock, which is nice and durable for knockaround use, but still feels like a real shotgun when you shoulder it.
Others prefer the Mossberg 500. That works, too. The 870 and 500 are refined mass-production guns after all these years, in that they shoot well, work well, and their manufacturers can build and sell them for pretty cheap. A single shot can work, too, but it's sure nice to have a repeater, and these guns handle much better than the light single-shots IMO.
Or, just get a brand-new Beretta Silver Pigeon V and throw that in your truck. People will either be really impressed, or really appalled, or maybe a little of both.
I enjoy the mossy 500 as a workhorse gun. I don't care if it gets beat up, because it looks like junk straight from the factory. It's inexpensive, highly adaptable, has every aftermarket accessory you can think of made for it, and it works pretty much all the time.
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