HELP!! I need a Christmas present for my husband!!

[Jen]

HEllo, I want to get my husband an over & under sporting gun for our first Christmas together, but I'm not that knowledgable on the subject. I've done a little looking on my own but quickly got overwhelmed.

I know I want a barrel length between 24 & 28 (he has shorter arms), and interchangeable chokes. He would use the gun for trap, skeet and sporting clays, among other target shooting. Aesthetically, I'm looking for pretty wood and a nice engraving... but not over-done (this is my touch... I think he could care less about prettiness).

My budget is between $600 and $1500 (but I can go "over" or "under" this amount.. HaHa, (I know, I'm hilarious).. but only if there's a REALLY good reason). I'm looking for something that could be heirloom (I'm sentimental), but also good quality. I've never bought him a gun before and I want it to be something special... so any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks!
-Jen

 

[farscott]

A few comments:

1) Welcome to the board.

2) Awesome that you are willing to buy your husband a gun for your first Christmas together.

3) For one gun for all clay sports, longer barrels are necessary. I would suggest 28" or 30" barrels. You should focus on 12-gauge guns with interchangeable chokes.

You have lots of choices. Browning and Beretta sell lots in this segment with prices at the upper end (and a bit higher) than what you mentioned.

Perhaps the forum moderator, Dave McCracken, who is located close by, can suggest some places to shop as well as some guns. He has lots of experience and is a great source of good information.

 

[nhhillbilly]

First Welcome

I would take a good look at the Ruger Redlables. They are American made. Nice shotguns.

 

[SUBMOAS]

Shooting Style???

What type of shooting do you guys have planned??
This could help the selection better....

 

[kudu]

Welcome Jen,

First, it is wonderful that you want to do this for him, but buying him a gun is kind of like him buying you shoes. Sorry if that sounds a bit chauvenistic, not meaning to.

What he may choose for himself may be different that what you choose just by looking at a nice gun with pretty wood. Each brand of O/U shotguns feel different when they are handled. A gun must fit the shooter or there are problems.

This similar problem was discussed here recently on another thread. One idea was to get a shotgun box wrapped up with a gift certificate to buy the gun he would want.

If you know what kind of shotgun he wants, by all means get it for him, but it may be safer to let him pick it out himself.

 

[LHB1]

For trap, skeet, and sporting clays go with a Browning Citori with 28" barrel and interchangeable chokes if you want to buy it for him. Best choice would be to let him pick it out himself as this is a very personal thing for a shooter. The 28" barrel will swing more smoothly than a shorter barrel. Some target shooters even prefer 30" barrels but the 28" will function better on game in my opinion. Length of barrel has nothing to do with length of arms. If his arms are short, he may need a gunsmith to cut off the stock and install a recoil pad to fit him better. Does he prefer a 12 gauge or 20 gauge? Most people go with 12 gauge. Being a perverse old coot, I prefer the 20 gauge as more comfortable to shoot.

I have shot Citori's for 20-25 years. Started with Grade I/Field grade and later moved up to Grade V/VI. The Grade I now sells for about 1200-1500. The Grade V/VI (changes from year to year) is about three times that amount. There is a Grade III for about twice the price of Grade I. Internal parts of the guns are the same. Difference is that the Grade III and V/VI have better quality wood and more metal engraving. Grade V/VI also has gold inlays carved with figures of ducks, quail, dogs, etc.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

 

[Hoppy590]

i vote for the Ruger Red Label

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firea...id=48&variation=12 Gauge&bct=Yes&type=Shotgun

 

[gdvan01]

My budget is between $600 and $1500 (but I can go "over" or "under" this amount.. HaHa, (I know, I'm hilarious).. but only if there's a REALLY good reason). I'm looking for something that could be heirloom (I'm sentimental), but also good quality.

I have to admit...between the 'over' and 'under' crack and the heirloom/quality statement...this guy has a grade "A" woman looking out for his best interests.

Chicks and guns rock!

 

[scout26]

Jen, WELCOME !!!!

You cannot buy a gun for him. If you are wanting/willing to spend $1500 dollars, then you are basically buying him a really nice suit, so he needs to go and find what fits him. Very similiar to buying a suit and getting it tailor to his dimensions. If you are going on price alone and looking at the lower end of your price range then you're buying him a sweater and looking at just getting close enough with the generic "Medium", "Large", "XL", etc. sizing.


Do you let him pick out dresses and/or shoes to buy you as gifts ???? Very similiar to buying a shotgun, fit is important.

Take him to a "good" gun shop and let him pick and/or get help in finding what he wants and fits him. Make sure that you point out those things what you want (engraving, etc.).

 

[gdvan01]

You cannot buy a gun for him. If you are wanting/willing to spend $1500 dollars, then you are basically buying him a really nice suit, so he needs to go and find what fits him. Very similiar to buying a suit and getting it tailor to his dimensions. If you are going on price alone and looking at the lower end of your price range then you're buying him a sweater and looking at just getting close enough with the generic "Medium", "Large", "XL", etc. sizing.


Do you let him pick out dresses and/or shoes to buy you as gifts ???? Very similiar to buying a shotgun, fit is important.

Take him to a "good" gun shop and let him pick and/or get help in finding what he wants and fits him. Make sure that you point out those things what you want (engraving, etc.).

Well, I WAS going to say the same thing but the smart-a$$ in me spoke up first.

 

[Sniper4Life]

You might want to check out the new savage milano. But the idea of taking him to a gunshop and letting him pick out a gun is pretty good to.

this guy has a grade "A" woman looking out for his best interests

+1

 

[IDriveB5]

Jennay
i do agree that a gun is a hard thing to pick out for the guy, especially getting one that fits the best. that does kinda take the fun out of the suprise tho.
i'll be available next week to go shopping with you!

 

[TFin04]

Wish I could help ya, I just wanted to post and say you are a very nice wife.

I agree with the others, he should pick it out. If you want to keep it a surprise I would convince him to get in the car with you (hell, blindfold him if you want), drive to the best gun shop in the area and hand him the gift card you already bought. If my girlfriend did that for me it would be one of the best presents I've recieved, for sure.

You two pick out the gun together. I think it would be the best of both worlds.

 

[sm]

Welcome to THR.

1. Gift certificate to Gun Store .
2. They will give you a long box like a shotgun comes in to wrap up
3. Drive him nuts by putting marbles, BBs ...similar, into empty plastic soda bottles and similar.

Do not secure these inside let them shift, rattle and drive him nuts thinking there is a shotgun inside, something is loose, shifting and rattling inside. He will quit messing with the package that way.

Each person needs to choose for themselves the firearm for them. Gun fit and and sorts of things come into play. Best to actually shoot a variety, so a range/ skeet/ trap club is a good place for folks to get assistance from qualified folks.

 

[gunut]

Either the Browning or Beretta will work fine....but one of those will fit him better than the other....that is the one you want....

If he plans to use the same gun for Trap, Skeet, Sporting, 5 stand, ect.. a flat shooting gun is what you want...anything from a field grade gun on up....These will start with the grade I Brownings and 686 style Berettas...

He will most likely need to be there to see which gun fit him better unless he has already tried some out that you dont know about, and you can somehow discretely get that info out of him

 

[Grayrock]

Do you have a sister?

 

[cslinger]

I am kind of partial to the Berettas myself but like others have posted it is a very personal decision that has lots to do with fit and feel, especially with this type of firearm.

My suggestion is to give him a gift certificate or cash with the explicit rule that it must be spent on an Over Under from you.

If he has already expressed interest in a particular gun then go for it. As far as good over / unders you are not going to spend under that $600, figure closer to your 1000-1500 mark.

Chris

 

[theCZ]

Ok, here is my suggestion for that price range. I'm a fan of SKB O/Us, and if you go over by about $200 you can get their competition model 12ga, the 85TSS. SKB makes a darn good gun for the money, The jury is still out on how long mine will last, but I've put 7,000 rounds through it so far in a year and a half and it's had no problems at all.

 

[MNgoldenbear]

sm -- Great idea! The gift certificate and trick packaging would be awesome for a surprise, yet let Jen take him shopping to help insure a better fit.

Jen -- DO remember to remind your husband just how lucky he is... show him the responses to your query after Christmas. I think at least half the members here would want to propose to you! (The other half either (a) are women -- we won't go there, (b) already have an awesome gal like you, or (c) are too deeply involved with their firearms collection to ever look at anything without locks, stocks, and barrels. )

Have a merry Christmas. Wishing you both many years of happiness in your marriage.

 

[RNB65]

I'm with the never-buy-a-gun-for-someone-else crowd. Guns are a very personal choice. Some folks love Glock pistols and some folks hate them. Some folks love Browning shotguns and some folks hate them. Some folks love Remington rifles and some folks hate them. Buy him a $1500 gift certificate at the best gunstore in town and let him make his own choice.

 

[____hoot____]

buy him 4 or 5 EAA's of various guages and styles, bet he will keep one and trade the rest for what he really wants[ps: make sure the one he keeps fits you]

 

[Red Label]

My vote is also for the Red Label. They come optional with engraving and are fine guns, made in the USA The idea of taking him to the gun shop though is probably the best. He may find a Beretta or a Browning feels better to him but my Ruger shoots like a death ray at Sporting clays, at least for me

 

[axeman_g]

Since Grayrock asked first....

do you have another sister.... I can wait.


Jen you have just made a bad mistake... your spoiling your man fully. God Bless you for it.

As others have said, shotguns are personal. Some ideas find out somehow exactly what he wants buy going shopping with him in an innocent manner. Or just give him a "personal credit" for the shotgun of his choice in a card. It will make the weeks after christmas that more exciting. Sometimes shopping for the right gun is as much fun as shooting it.

If he has no idea what he wants make sure he goes to a "Shotgun Store" no just a sporting goods store. Your in Silver Spring, hopefully someone knows a good store in the area and will recomend. Anyone?

 

[Simon Yu]

If he has no idea what he wants make sure he goes to a "Shotgun Store" no just a sporting goods store. Your in Silver Spring, hopefully someone knows a good store in the area and will recomend. Anyone?

Don't live quite in the area, but I know that Atlantic Guns has a branch there and I've had good experiences with their Rockville branch.

They have a small and, last I checked, not quite fully functional website at www.atlanticguns.com, but it has directions which is the important thing.

 

[IDriveB5]

Yup, we'll have a look-see at PG Trap&Skeet and I'll have my buddy who works at Atlantic let me know what theyve got. I mainly wanted her to come and get your opinions on O/Us as I dont know too much about them.
Maybe she'll even get more involved with shooting too... the maybe "lucky SOB" and best-man(me) can shoot more often....