Hello folks - first time poster here, and wanted to say hello. I've been reading lot's of the stickies and the invaluable 101's by Mr. McCracken - A huge thank you to you sir.
Obviously I'm interested in shotgunning. Particularly clay games for now, and later perhaps some small game birds. This will be my first gun purchase, so it will also pickup the Home Defense duties - more on this later. My intentions are to buy said gun, buy ammo, practice drills and attempt to wear it out at the range. Now on to the queries...
The first issue, and one I've read is most important when buying, is the "fit" of the gun. For reference, I'm 6'0", 185ish, average (American) build. Now, I'm a little confused about what to look for here. And some of the answers from different sales folks have been, well, less than informative. I feel like I've almost never worn pants before, and am asking a clothing salesman how my first ever pair of pants should fit. You can imagine my confusion here... One old-timer gave me what seemed like a helpful starter. His words; "Close your eyes, put the stock in the pocket of your shoulder, bring the stock up to your cheek, and open your eyes. You should be looking down [slightly over?] the barrel." In the store, a few models of a particular Italian brand seemed to feel [sight?] nicely. Such a shame they were so dang expensive...
Question number 1 is... How do you know when a particular gun "fits?" Will you just get that magic feeling? Is there something specific to look/test for? Should I see a gunsmith (or gun tailor?) to be measured, and use my measurements to use as a starting point? And closely related; should the availability of drop/cast stock shims be used as a factor to sway me towards one gun over another?
Second issue, is caliber. I know this is largely subjective, so I apologize if it seems redundant. Any reason to choose a 12g. over a 20g? Being as I'll be shooting the clays and on range for a long time, I can't see much practical reason to need a 12g. But I can't really see much case for a 20g. either. As the nature of the shooting dictates, I'll be using lighter (the lightest?) loads of either caliber for quite some time. I doubt my wife (5'4", average ladies build) will be using this much at all, so that's not too much concern. If she picks up any interest, we'll consider her own gun.
Question number two is... Any distinct reason to side with 12g. or 20g? Actual recoil, ammo availability, ammo price, gun resale, physical punishment? I'm open to consider all factors here.
Third issue, is action vs. recoil... I've decided on a semi-auto for a number of reasons, but I'm a little confused about the recoil effects of gas-operated vs. recoil-operated actions. From reading on THR, it seems like gas operated guns help reduce recoil by their very nature. My mechanically minded brain accepts this as reasonable. However, some of the salesmen have touted Benelli's inertia-operated actions as reducing recoil. Scientifically this doesn't compute with me. It seems like their inertia-operating mechanism would simply be reacting to the recoil, and not absorbing or opposing it. And all three Benelli's that I held were very lightweight too, so again, without shooting them I would be inclined to believe that they would transmit a lot of recoil to the shoulder. I attribute some of this sales talk to them trying to sell me a more expensive gun, so I am naturally skeptical. (The Benelli's are also about twice my initial price range by the way, so they weren't even considered until I picked one up...)
Question number 3... Do gas-operated actions really offer a benefit over recoil-operated actions in terms of recoil? I am particularly skeptical of this Benelli system as well, so if there are any owners who have shot both, I would really appreciate your feedback.
Issue number 4 deals with storage, and home defense. I'm not sure how to safely store a shotgun and let me be a little more specific. No kids here, nice walk in closet to keep it in, and can even be hidden behind lots of clothing. In other words, I'm not worried about it falling into little or wrong hands when we're home. What I am concerned about is being stolen should someone break in, or worse, walking in on thieves who now have my loaded shotgun pointed at ME. (Side note, this is one argument for buying a carry Pistol first, which my wife wants me to do by the way.) For storage I have considered buying or making a rather simple vertical rack, with provisions for locking. Other obvious choice would be a gun safe, but how much is enough? (I realize this is another discussion altogether.)
Question number 4 is... On storage, what's acceptable? Hidden in a corner? Locking rack, or a safe? I will obviously have to factor this price in with the gun purchase as well...
Issue number 5, related to home defense. Shotgun at all? My house is kind of small, having one large kitchen/dining/living space, with three bedrooms and a bathroom sharing a single, 22' hallway. My point being, it won't take long for the intruders to make their way from any entry door, down the hallway and into the bedroom(s) where all the good stuff resides. There may be only seconds to react, so perhaps a shotgun safely locked away (for above reasons) won't be possible to access.
Question number 5 is... So for home defense, would a Pistol on the nightstand be a better (read quicker) choice?
I apologize for being long winded and asking so many questions to start. Hopefully I've provided some useful info, that seems relevant and can be helpful. I look forward to hearing your feedback, and to be a new member of The High Road. Thanks folks!
-Justin
Oh, and one last thing I haven't figured out yet. What does BA/UU/R stand for?
Obviously I'm interested in shotgunning. Particularly clay games for now, and later perhaps some small game birds. This will be my first gun purchase, so it will also pickup the Home Defense duties - more on this later. My intentions are to buy said gun, buy ammo, practice drills and attempt to wear it out at the range. Now on to the queries...
The first issue, and one I've read is most important when buying, is the "fit" of the gun. For reference, I'm 6'0", 185ish, average (American) build. Now, I'm a little confused about what to look for here. And some of the answers from different sales folks have been, well, less than informative. I feel like I've almost never worn pants before, and am asking a clothing salesman how my first ever pair of pants should fit. You can imagine my confusion here... One old-timer gave me what seemed like a helpful starter. His words; "Close your eyes, put the stock in the pocket of your shoulder, bring the stock up to your cheek, and open your eyes. You should be looking down [slightly over?] the barrel." In the store, a few models of a particular Italian brand seemed to feel [sight?] nicely. Such a shame they were so dang expensive...
Question number 1 is... How do you know when a particular gun "fits?" Will you just get that magic feeling? Is there something specific to look/test for? Should I see a gunsmith (or gun tailor?) to be measured, and use my measurements to use as a starting point? And closely related; should the availability of drop/cast stock shims be used as a factor to sway me towards one gun over another?
Second issue, is caliber. I know this is largely subjective, so I apologize if it seems redundant. Any reason to choose a 12g. over a 20g? Being as I'll be shooting the clays and on range for a long time, I can't see much practical reason to need a 12g. But I can't really see much case for a 20g. either. As the nature of the shooting dictates, I'll be using lighter (the lightest?) loads of either caliber for quite some time. I doubt my wife (5'4", average ladies build) will be using this much at all, so that's not too much concern. If she picks up any interest, we'll consider her own gun.
Question number two is... Any distinct reason to side with 12g. or 20g? Actual recoil, ammo availability, ammo price, gun resale, physical punishment? I'm open to consider all factors here.
Third issue, is action vs. recoil... I've decided on a semi-auto for a number of reasons, but I'm a little confused about the recoil effects of gas-operated vs. recoil-operated actions. From reading on THR, it seems like gas operated guns help reduce recoil by their very nature. My mechanically minded brain accepts this as reasonable. However, some of the salesmen have touted Benelli's inertia-operated actions as reducing recoil. Scientifically this doesn't compute with me. It seems like their inertia-operating mechanism would simply be reacting to the recoil, and not absorbing or opposing it. And all three Benelli's that I held were very lightweight too, so again, without shooting them I would be inclined to believe that they would transmit a lot of recoil to the shoulder. I attribute some of this sales talk to them trying to sell me a more expensive gun, so I am naturally skeptical. (The Benelli's are also about twice my initial price range by the way, so they weren't even considered until I picked one up...)
Question number 3... Do gas-operated actions really offer a benefit over recoil-operated actions in terms of recoil? I am particularly skeptical of this Benelli system as well, so if there are any owners who have shot both, I would really appreciate your feedback.
Issue number 4 deals with storage, and home defense. I'm not sure how to safely store a shotgun and let me be a little more specific. No kids here, nice walk in closet to keep it in, and can even be hidden behind lots of clothing. In other words, I'm not worried about it falling into little or wrong hands when we're home. What I am concerned about is being stolen should someone break in, or worse, walking in on thieves who now have my loaded shotgun pointed at ME. (Side note, this is one argument for buying a carry Pistol first, which my wife wants me to do by the way.) For storage I have considered buying or making a rather simple vertical rack, with provisions for locking. Other obvious choice would be a gun safe, but how much is enough? (I realize this is another discussion altogether.)
Question number 4 is... On storage, what's acceptable? Hidden in a corner? Locking rack, or a safe? I will obviously have to factor this price in with the gun purchase as well...
Issue number 5, related to home defense. Shotgun at all? My house is kind of small, having one large kitchen/dining/living space, with three bedrooms and a bathroom sharing a single, 22' hallway. My point being, it won't take long for the intruders to make their way from any entry door, down the hallway and into the bedroom(s) where all the good stuff resides. There may be only seconds to react, so perhaps a shotgun safely locked away (for above reasons) won't be possible to access.
Question number 5 is... So for home defense, would a Pistol on the nightstand be a better (read quicker) choice?
I apologize for being long winded and asking so many questions to start. Hopefully I've provided some useful info, that seems relevant and can be helpful. I look forward to hearing your feedback, and to be a new member of The High Road. Thanks folks!
-Justin
Oh, and one last thing I haven't figured out yet. What does BA/UU/R stand for?