What 12 gauge Shotgun to Buy?

[sm]

I have no problem with folks having "toys" and having pride of ownership, and /or shooting toys.

THR is a very Global Internet Forum, read not only by Pro Gunners and RKBA, also by Anti-gunners and Anti RKBA

Now in the THR Rules of conduct :

http://www.thehighroad.org/code-of-conduct.html

Welcome to The High Road, an online discussion board dedicated to the discussion and advancement of responsible firearms ownership. It is the declared mission of this board to achieve and provide the highest quality of firearms discussion on the Internet, a standard set by the discussion board The Firing Line from 1998-2002.

Now before I ever knew of Rich Lucibella and The Firing Line, and knew of Oleg, who is responsible for The Highroad, I was a Responsible Firearm Owner.

I made Promises to not only myself, also those whom I call my Mentors & Elders.

I am going to pass forward as passed to me.

This Responsibility includes, still not limited to, Getting Folks off on the right foot in regard to Responsible Firearm Ownership.

I have many friends on TFL, THR and Sister Sites. I cut up, razz and have my fun.

I have my very serious qualities as well, and by golly folks are going to read about these Serious things, whether they want to or not.

I have not, nor will I apologize to Rich or Oleg or any other Site owner. These folks know I won't, and guess what? I do not have to as they want me to do my thing.

Dave McCracken, Trapper, PJR, Smoke, Correia, Lee Lapin, Larry Ashcraft, Preacherman, BullfrogKen, Jeff White ...and the list goes on...of folks that want new folks to get gun fit, correct basic fundamentals, safety and be responsible with firearms, pass these things forward some day, and have fun all the while doing so.


I've seen the Victims that could not own a gun do to age, jurisdictions and such.
I have seen the Victims that could not run a gun.

I've seen them in battered shelters, hospital rooms, rehab centers, court rooms, and in the Main OR where I have seen them lose limbs, a breast, eyes, and some lost life and we did the Organ Harvest.

Look me in the eyeball and let me tell you about a lady that could not run a tricked out shotgun with curb feelers and fuzzy dice, that HER 1100 20 ga was traded in for because her husband had to have the lastest greatest toy.

She was raped and beaten, HER shotgun was gone, and she did not know it was gone.

Divorce happens, but the living hell continues, even past all the waiting for Rape results, HIV tests and all.

Oh I have my fun side, but I have seen the gates of hell, smelled the fire and brimstone, and heard the screams of agony and pain.

It is my Responsibility to pass forward as passed to me.


Steve

 

[TrapperReady]

some people just want a toy

That's something I most certainly understand. However, there is another side to that comment which must be understood. Guns are fun. Lots of fun. It's the primary reason why I shoot as often as I go. However, they are also potentially lethal. That's the reason why the Four Rules are paramount. That's the reason why my head is on a swivel when I'm at the range. That's the reason why they need to be taken seriously and with great respect, even when we're having fun.

Anyone who has the money and can pass an NICS check can be a gun owner. Owning a gun is the easy part. Becoming a safe, responsible and proficient shooter is another thing. As I'm moving through the various stages in my shooting career, I find that I take more and more satisfaction from helping people become better. Most of the students I work with are there because they have an intense desire to improve.

However, when I log onto THR these days and see the number of posts about the (trivial) hardware side of things, it is frankly frustrating. Being prepared for the UN-invasion or repelling the zombie hordes makes for some amusing reading, but it's not too bloody likely. If someone asks the questions "What 12 gauge Shotgun to Buy?", the only thing I can recommend is something that would actually help them become a decent shotgunner... and a tricked out tacti-ma-cal hunk of plastic isn't going to do it.

What would? For a grand? If it were a friend of mine, I'd recommend (in order): Beretta 391 Urika, Remington 870, Remington 1100, Browning BPS. I'd then invite them to go shooting... as often as they wanted.

With any of those guns, you could: shoot clays, hunt upland birds, hunt ducks (and geese and turkey), hunt deer, provide for the common defense, repel zombies, keep hearth and home safe, etc... If you get some short-barreled tactical gun with ghost-rings, 3-point sling, Surefire fore-end and such, you've got something that's not very useful for almost any of the above. But, it would look cool. I guess.

 

[kmrcstintn]

also plan to buy lots of sexy upgrades for my berretta cx4 too so i can go deer hunting with it.

uuummm...a sidebar inquiry...

1) what caliber is the CX4?

2) what state do you live in?

3) are you sure that your state doesn't have any restrictions such as...no semiautomatic centerfire rifles or handguns for large game hunting; kinetic energy restrictions for certain calibers (there might be a reduced restriction if using handguns since handgun calibers are way less than traditional longgun calibers, but you might get bit trying to use a handgun caliber carbine that may not meet minimum energy restrictions for a 'rifle length' firearm)

BTW: unless you plan on keeping a 2 shotgun arsenal...one for sporting purposes and one for deicated home protection, stay clear of the tactical setup and get a regular game setup...you could always use a sporting gun as a defensive gun, but you cannot use a tactically setup gun for most sporting purposes...just food for thought

 

[Alphazulu6]

BTW: unless you plan on keeping a 2 shotgun arsenal...one for sporting purposes and one for deicated home protection, stay clear of the tactical setup and get a regular game setup...you could always use a sporting gun as a defensive gun, but you cannot use a tactically setup gun for most sporting purposes...just food for thought

I agree to an extent. You can always get one 1100 and swap out the barrels between the 20" (that comes with the firearm) and a 26" that you can purchase seperately for $110.00 that you can shoot birds/clays/etc. with. Obviously you would need a dowl in the magazine tube to regulate your ammo capcity to two when shooting upland game (but I guess this depends on your state).

Good Luck!

 

[Nomad101bc]

Its .40 cal CX-4 and I live in CT but when i hunt typically its in missouri. Dont get me wrong i dont like want pistol grips on my shotgun i think those are useless. I just want one with a black look to it not some ornate wooden one i would be afraid to shoot. I want it customizable so that i can mount a light on it so in a self defense scenario i would be able to identify an intruder and make sure thier not family. I dont really see how its unrealistic or absurd to want to minimize any sort of accident risk.

 

[VARifleman]

Alpha, it's a gun capacity of 3 total. It's for game birds such as ducks, geese, dove, and I think quail. It's federal law.

 

[RevolvingCylinder]

Steve, I actually agree with you. The point I was making is that some people don't want to take sound advice from skilled and experienced shotgunners. Like the old adage goes, "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink". That's all that I meant. I certainly didn't mean that you shouldn't try to share your vast knowledge on shotguns.

Trapper, I see what I posted could be misconstrued. Next time I'll be sure to use quotation marks when using such loose terms.