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help in choosing first shotgun


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Any suggestions for first rifle? Have shot numerous times before but never bought one of my own. Will be used for mainly target shooting/clay pigeons and possible deer hunting. I dont want to spend a fortune but want a good gun with somewhat cheap ammo.

I like the Remington 870. Relatively inexpensive, and reliable!!!

 

Sent from my 1911-A1

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Your title say's shotgun, yet your post mentions rifle. I'll assume you meant shotgun, so I'll echo the Remington 870 and add in the Mossberg 500. Both are excellent pump shotguns that have been around for a long time and are pretty darn reliable. A 12 ga is the most common shotgun out there, but if you want something a tad lighter that kicks less the 20 ga is also very common. Ammo for both is typically the same price.

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I can wholeheartedly recommend the Franchi Affinity 12g synthetic stock left hand semi-automatic shotgun. If you're shooting sporting clays, you may not want a pump although the prior recommendations aren't wrong.

 

This gun is made by Benelli (a recognized premium brand) and is indistinguishable except that I paid $700 and couldn't have bought Benelli for that. I've put a few hundred shells through this gun in a variety of conditions. Not once has it been unreliable.

 

Pay attention to pump vs semi-auto.

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The best 2 that are popular and affordable are the Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 (or 590 which just has a longer mag tube for more shells). Either is a good choice. But, once I saw that with the Remington if the ejector broke you had to send it to Remington to replace it because of how it's installs. I believe it's a rivet that you can't get to on the other side. With the Mossberg 500 or 590 you can replace the ejector yourself.

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Personal preference, I prefer Ithaca over above mentioned. Ithaca is ambidextrous, mechanically smoother, and you can release the shells out the bottom without chambering. Yes, I own all above and prefer Ithaca

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Good call. One parameter OP didn't list was budget range. That's an important criteria that needs to be included. For skeet/sporting clays, it takes years or seasoning to make a pump work to your advantage.

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Personal preference, I prefer Ithaca over above mentioned. Ithaca is ambidextrous, mechanically smoother, and you can release the shells out the bottom without chambering. Yes, I own all above and prefer Ithaca

That's a good point. I am a lefty and it's always challenging to buy guns.

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My first gun was the Remington 870 Express Tactical. It is a good shotgun, never seemed to have any problems with it. I've only shot slugs out of it however, my local range only allows slugs. I added a limbsaver to it when I shoot it, cuz the 12 GA does have some kick to it lol.

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Any suggestions for first rifle? Have shot numerous times before but never bought one of my own. Will be used for mainly target shooting/clay pigeons and possible deer hunting. I dont want to spend a fortune but want a good gun with somewhat cheap ammo.

A shotgun is not a rifle. Nor visa versa. It's like calling a motorcycle a car.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Personal preference, I prefer Ithaca over above mentioned. Ithaca is ambidextrous, mechanically smoother, and you can release the shells out the bottom without chambering. Yes, I own all above and prefer Ithaca

 

The Remington 870 can and should be unloaded without chambering also, it's the correct way to unload the magazine tube. Unfortunately, most people don't take the time to, or care to learn how to properly handle the shotgun and start racking rounds through the chamber......Not a good idea.

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The Remington 870 can and should be unloaded without chambering also, it's the correct way to unload the magazine tube. Unfortunately, most people don't take the time to, or care to learn how to properly handle the shotgun and start racking rounds through the chamber......Not a good idea.

 

 

My 500 can be unloaded without chambering too. There's a little spring/tang thing that lets you do so.

 

I like my 500. It's been good to me but the 870 is hardly a bad firearm. Either will serve you well and offer a huge aftermarket to customize it if desired.

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I'll echo the Mossberg 500, I had one that probably ate 10k rounds over the time I owned it and never had an issue. I had three barrels: a 26" improved cylinder that was deadly on ducks, a 30" full choke for turkey and geese, and 28" accuchoke that I used if I knew I was going for mixed bag. That's one I should have never gotten rid of...

 

My father and grandfather have the Mossberg 835, 3-1/2", 12 gauges that work very well. Kick like a mule, but get the job done almost like a 10ga (we had lots of those as well). The main thing with a 3-1/2" 12ga is that you can shoot 2-3/4", 3", and 3-1/2:.

 

The main thing with the Mossbergs is that you can easily switch barrels, swapping from a shotgun barrel to a rifled slug barrel takes literally a few seconds.

 

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

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