Monday, December 13, 2004
Bleg / Seeking Advice
I am unlearned in anything having to do with shotguns. A buddy of mine set me up with the previously mentioned Mossberg. As it has a left-hand configuration, he sold it to me for a good price. It's short-barrel, tactical yadayadayada, but it's a good bedside gun.
I want to get into skeet shooting and am torn between buying a normal sport-configuration or just getting a barrel and stock that I can swap out on the Mossberg.
Also, if any of you have time on your hands, you can explain what chokes are good for what.
And, what shot size is ideal for what application with what choke.
Sorry, I'm a centerfire guy and have a hard time getting my head around any of this.
I want to get into skeet shooting and am torn between buying a normal sport-configuration or just getting a barrel and stock that I can swap out on the Mossberg.
Also, if any of you have time on your hands, you can explain what chokes are good for what.
And, what shot size is ideal for what application with what choke.
Sorry, I'm a centerfire guy and have a hard time getting my head around any of this.
Comments:
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For the application of skeet shooting, bird hunting, etc., I don't think you'll find the Mossberg to be the gun of choice. Not that you CAN'T do all that with the gun, it's just not the best thing to do. It's like using a knife to unscrew a bolt. Sure, it will work. It just doesn't do the job as well. The Mossberg is great for home defense, no doubt about it. I'd leave that one exactly as it is. Go for another shotgun. Besides, it gives you an excuse to go get another gun.
Full choke means that the shot pattern is as tight as possible. It's throwing up the smallest pattern. Improved and modified are more open, wider shot patterns. Full choke is useful in hitting the big birds farther out, such as duck and geese. The other two choke patterns are good for the small, fast birds. (quail and dove are what we hunt around here, primarily. Number 6 shot will probably take care of all your skeet needs.
If it were me, I'd go for a Ruger Red Label, with screw-in choke tubes. It will give you the best of all worlds. Or a Charles Daly, or a Browning Citori, or a Winchester Lightning. Beretta makes a great gun as well, just a bit pricey. I think most of the big-time skeet shooters go for the over-under configuration. I'm a fan of that myself.
Anyway, that's my two cents worth. Good luck.
Kyle
Full choke means that the shot pattern is as tight as possible. It's throwing up the smallest pattern. Improved and modified are more open, wider shot patterns. Full choke is useful in hitting the big birds farther out, such as duck and geese. The other two choke patterns are good for the small, fast birds. (quail and dove are what we hunt around here, primarily. Number 6 shot will probably take care of all your skeet needs.
If it were me, I'd go for a Ruger Red Label, with screw-in choke tubes. It will give you the best of all worlds. Or a Charles Daly, or a Browning Citori, or a Winchester Lightning. Beretta makes a great gun as well, just a bit pricey. I think most of the big-time skeet shooters go for the over-under configuration. I'm a fan of that myself.
Anyway, that's my two cents worth. Good luck.
Kyle
# posted by 
: 10:32 PM
: 10:32 PM
Kyle,
Thank you for the advice. What are we talking price wise here? The Mossberg cost me about $200, and I was unfairly taking advantage of someone who was facing fiscal difficulty. The Berettas I've seen are upwards of $2,000.
Just wondering what works, what's quality, and what doesn't take a mortgage.
Thanks,
Benjamin
Thank you for the advice. What are we talking price wise here? The Mossberg cost me about $200, and I was unfairly taking advantage of someone who was facing fiscal difficulty. The Berettas I've seen are upwards of $2,000.
Just wondering what works, what's quality, and what doesn't take a mortgage.
Thanks,
Benjamin
As the previous poster said, yuor Mossberg won't cut it for the big three shotgun games, skeet, trap, and sporting clays. Since you are a self-confessed shotgun novice, skeet is where you shoot at clay birds that come from from the sides of the field. Trap is a game where all the clays are going away from you. Sporting clays is more like hunting with clays coming at you, away from you, to the side, or on the ground. I favor trap and sporting clays over skeet.
Chokes alter how the pellets of a shotgun shell disperse from the barrel. Chokes come in three basic sizes: full, modified, and cylinder. There are gradations between them such as improved cylinder, extra full, improved modified. I will stick with the basics. Full is a tight choke that will keep the pellets together even at a long range. Modified is looser and allows the shot pattern to spread a little more meaning you get a larger diameter spread and could break a clay with a near miss. Cylinder is no choke at all and thus the pattern is very open, but is so dispersed that you might not hit the clay with enough pellets to break it at any sort of range. Modified is probably best for beginners.
With a few exceptions, pellet size and choke are independent of each other (you don't want to shoot extra large pellets out of a full--they could bunch up at the choke and spoil your whole day). Shot in sizes 8, 7 1/2 are common target sizes. Some older shotguns and chokes won't handle steel shot (mandatory for migratory bird hunting), but you will be using lead at the skeet range anyway.
As far as guns to buy, try to borrow a friend's gun first. Get a feel for the game since a true skeet gun is gonna cost. If you want to continue shooting shotgun games, a semi-auto in 12 gauge is good and won't break the bank. Over and Unders are also great and can go from $600.00 Wal-Mart specials to $75,000.00+ Purdeys.
Also, when shooting a shotgun you don't really aim at the clay. Your eye is the rear sight, so shoulder the gun exactly the same way each time. You focus on the target, unlike centerfire shooting, and sort of superimpose the front bead on where the clay will be as it flys through the air. This will be hard at first, but will soon become second nature.
Hope this helps. If you have any questions, you can reach me at denise_was_here2003-at-yahoo dot com.
Denise
Chokes alter how the pellets of a shotgun shell disperse from the barrel. Chokes come in three basic sizes: full, modified, and cylinder. There are gradations between them such as improved cylinder, extra full, improved modified. I will stick with the basics. Full is a tight choke that will keep the pellets together even at a long range. Modified is looser and allows the shot pattern to spread a little more meaning you get a larger diameter spread and could break a clay with a near miss. Cylinder is no choke at all and thus the pattern is very open, but is so dispersed that you might not hit the clay with enough pellets to break it at any sort of range. Modified is probably best for beginners.
With a few exceptions, pellet size and choke are independent of each other (you don't want to shoot extra large pellets out of a full--they could bunch up at the choke and spoil your whole day). Shot in sizes 8, 7 1/2 are common target sizes. Some older shotguns and chokes won't handle steel shot (mandatory for migratory bird hunting), but you will be using lead at the skeet range anyway.
As far as guns to buy, try to borrow a friend's gun first. Get a feel for the game since a true skeet gun is gonna cost. If you want to continue shooting shotgun games, a semi-auto in 12 gauge is good and won't break the bank. Over and Unders are also great and can go from $600.00 Wal-Mart specials to $75,000.00+ Purdeys.
Also, when shooting a shotgun you don't really aim at the clay. Your eye is the rear sight, so shoulder the gun exactly the same way each time. You focus on the target, unlike centerfire shooting, and sort of superimpose the front bead on where the clay will be as it flys through the air. This will be hard at first, but will soon become second nature.
Hope this helps. If you have any questions, you can reach me at denise_was_here2003-at-yahoo dot com.
Denise
# posted by : 6:50 AM
: 6:50 AM
I don't think you took advantage of the guy on the Mossberg. Those guns go new for about that price down here, so you probably got a pretty good deal, all things considered.
As Denise mentioned, you can pay just about whatever you want for a good over/under. An SKB might cost you around $300. Berettas will probably get you in the $1000 range, as will a new Red Label or Citori.
There are some bargains out there, you just have to know where to look. My advice is to start checkingat the local skeet ranges. You know gun people; they are swapping something just about every day.
Kyle
As Denise mentioned, you can pay just about whatever you want for a good over/under. An SKB might cost you around $300. Berettas will probably get you in the $1000 range, as will a new Red Label or Citori.
There are some bargains out there, you just have to know where to look. My advice is to start checkingat the local skeet ranges. You know gun people; they are swapping something just about every day.
Kyle
# posted by : 9:48 PM
: 9:48 PM
I don't think you took advantage of the guy on the Mossberg. Those guns go new for about that price down here, so you probably got a pretty good deal, all things considered.
As Denise mentioned, you can pay just about whatever you want for a good over/under. An SKB might cost you around $300. Berettas will probably get you in the $1000 range, as will a new Red Label or Citori.
There are some bargains out there, you just have to know where to look. My advice is to start checkingat the local skeet ranges. You know gun people; they are swapping something just about every day.
Kyle
As Denise mentioned, you can pay just about whatever you want for a good over/under. An SKB might cost you around $300. Berettas will probably get you in the $1000 range, as will a new Red Label or Citori.
There are some bargains out there, you just have to know where to look. My advice is to start checkingat the local skeet ranges. You know gun people; they are swapping something just about every day.
Kyle
# posted by : 9:49 PM
: 9:49 PM
Howdy! I ran across this post while searching for something else. If you're still looking for a shotgun (now that Boomershoot is over), drop me a line and we can discuss it.
Len
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Len
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