looking for a shotgun

[fishblade2]

I am extremely interested in buying a single shot break open shotgun that is reliable. I see quite a few in stores but they look extremely old or worn out and I do need at least one that for a cheap price (or somewhat cheap price) I can trust not to break down on me or blow up. I am interested in getting one of these because I want something to shoot black powder in and test out the subcaliber inserts for shotguns that if something did mess the gun up I was not out a nice skeet shooting shotgun.

 

[TurtlePhish]

Look at H&R single shots. They're inexpensive and well built. Actually going to be getting a couple pretty soon for my little brothers to use for clay shooting.

 

[PedalBiker]

I got my brother a break open single shot shotgun. I probably ruined any chance of turning him into a fellow shooter - the thing kicked like heck.

You may want to look into a used pump. Then you can try the rifled barrels and other fun stuff too.

I recently made the same mistake for my kids. I got one of those Rossi three barrel combos. The only barrel I let my kids will touch is the .22 I tried the 243 and 20 gauge myself even the .243 has a bite to it.

 

[Bud Tugly]

I agree about the quality of the H&R/NEF models and if you find a decent Stevens single shot in the used rack I've had excellent luck with mine. All of the single shot guns out there are pretty light, and the Rossi models are probably the lightest of them all. That makes them easy to carry on long hikes but hard kickers unless you stick to light loads.

These guns are so simple that there's little to go wrong. Check that the gun locks up tight when closed, that the ejector is working, that the firing pin isn't broken, and that there are no cracks in the stock or rust and pits inside the barrel. If those things check out OK the gun is probably fine.

I'd avoid getting a pump or any action other than a break open if you're going to shoot black powder since cleaning will be much more of a pain.

 

[Walking Dead]

Check these out too.
http://www.rossiusa.com/product-list.cfm?category=10

 

[Salmoneye]

NEF Pardner

Used to be less than $100 at K-Mart...

Dunno what they are now...

 

[303tom]

http://www.galleryofguns.com/genie/default.aspx?item=sb1-010

 

[rcmodel]

I can trust not to break down on me or blow up.

I would trust any old H&R, Stevens, etc to not break down or blow up, further then I would trust any of the new ones to work right out of the box today.

They didn't get to be old used shotguns on a gun rack by breaking down or blowing up already years ago.

rc

 

[fishblade2]

These shotguns that are mentioned new are around 200 dollars. That's not cheap. What is the going price I should be looking at for a used and a new H&R or NEF shotgun?

 

[snooperman]

You can get a used old stevens , H&R, and Iver Johnsons in pawn shops for about $100 or less that will be reliable. I have an old Stevens that is about 80 years old and it is still a fine gun. It is my favorite turkey gun and has a full choke.

 

[Swing]

H&R would fit the bill nicely.

 

[Bud Tugly]

Look for one with a modified choke if you want versatility. Most of the used 12 gauge models will come with a full choke and that's fine for waterfowl and turkey hunting but patterns too tight for most upland game. Unfortunately it's very rare to find a used one with screw-in choke tubes.

 

[One_Jackal]

I see H&R single shots at Walmart for less than $100. You can get a Rossi with a .22 and a 20 ga barrel for under $200. For $215 I can get a 20 ga Mossberg 500 with a 28 inch barrel and 3 screw in chokes. Where are you shopping?

 

[washambala]

That same Mossberg cost me 217 almost a year ago to the day. Big 5 sporting goods usually runs an add for the single shots in 12 and 20 gauge for about 120-130 new. Ive seen em on gunbroker as cheap as 30 (looked like hell but it was salvageable).

 

[MrDig]

Where was the last place you left it?

Seriously the H&R single shots are really good guns part of me regrets selling the one I had.

 

[fishblade2]

I am going to begin calling store nearby me tommorrow to ask for any of these single barrel shotguns. I did notice that one person already stated this before but is there any main things I should be looking for in the shotgun besides these factors:

The ejector works
The barrel is clean of residue
The wood isn't crack

 

[fishblade2]

So I looked online and found a couple of shotguns but I was wondering is there anything with some of the bolt action shotguns that people don't prefer. I found some of them cheap along side the single barrel shotguns. I was wondering is there something that isn't preferred by people. These were older bolt action shotguns and I didn't read anything about the barrel being rifled but are all bolt action shotguns rifled?

 

[TurtlePhish]

Nope, old bolt actions are smoothbore. Only reason they're so cheap is because 1. They were cheap when they were first sold and 2. They load a lot slower than a pump or some such.

 

[fishblade2]

I was thinking of getting a shotgun capable of different chokes but I can't seem to find any in the 100-200 dollar range that is single barreled and that is capable of taking different chokes. Any ideas how popular these are and how easy they are to find? any pointers in where to look for these guns online?

 

[One_Jackal]

@fishblade, I wouldn't look online for single shot. I would just go to walmart. No you aren't going to get screw in chokes for $89. If you need screw in chokes on a budget you need to look at a pump shotgun.

 

[Lost Sheep]

I got a Mossberg pump 12 ga with screw-in chokes and two barrels (18.5" and 28") for $300. Any lower price than that and I think you are looking in the used shotgun market (not that that is a bad place to look).

You CAN have a single barrel break action or bolt action threaded for screw-in chokes if you want, but the cost of the machining may put you back into the pump's price range. I did not investigate that aspect.

Good luck,

Lost Sheep