i have a question for all the hunters out there...

[sniksoh 0]

i just completed my hunters safety coarse today and i need to get a gun for pheasant season.i am only 15 and i am not very big so i dont think i can shoot a 12 guage...i am looking for a good deal on a 20 guage...can anyone help???

[harleyhunter 0]

My advice to you is to try as many different ones as you can before you buy. Look for gunshops in your area, as friends who already have a 20 g. to get a feel for which is best for you.

 

Good Luck!

 

-Sam

[billb 0]

Sam's advice on this is good. I'd add that if price is a consideration, you might want to check out the used guns at your local shops, and consider starting out with a single shot, which would be both relatively inexpensive and safer than a shotgun with greater shell capacity.

 

-- Bill

[chrislorne 0]

I started using a 12 guage when I was 7 (one foot back to keep my from flying) first time I tried it I ended up on my a$$ 10' behind where I was first standing, trick is to keep that butt TIGHT against your shoulder, as if you are almost pulling the gun back against you. by the time I was 13 I was out behind my grandfathers house out on a country road shooting pop cans off his fence with slugs and buckshot.

I noticed you wrote that you "don't think" you can handle a 12 guage, find someone who will let you try theirs and I think you'll find it's not so bad.

stick with a single shot or a over under.

best gun I've ever fired was a custom Browning Citori over under with choke on the bottom barrel, but that was a gun setup just for trap and skeet, and a little pricey $1200 cdn.

[colbyjack 0]

get a 12ga shoot light loads or trap loads even to hunt. the most im portant thing is make sure the gun fits you. a youth model may work better. if you get a normal model a gunsmith can cut the stock down for you. the 12 ga being heavier, and light loads will work and take away the recoil. if you get a 20 you may out grow it. but 20ga 3" nitro mag express is just as good as a 12 -chris

[Matt P. 0]

I've got a remington 870 express 20 guage, and it works great. Its a youth model, so It fits me better. I would look iinto one of them.

[Joe Hard 0]

Here is something to consider, the cost of shells 410 and 20 gauge shells are expensive while 16 and 12 are cheaper. A 12 gauge you will want to shoot away from your target in close otherwise there will be nothing left. I would recommend the 16, takes more accuracy, lighter smaller, more fun. check out Cabela's for gun/shell prices. Spread the word where you live. friends, neighbours and family. A deal will come your way. Used shot guns are usually not that expensive. All in all I would go for the gun that has the best shell prices, and you like after shooting it a few times.

[nomad 0]

I also have a Remington 20 gauge 870 express and hunt small game and birds, never had any problems with penetration or "killing" power. I think I paid around $250 if that helps.

[fly time 0]

I agree with Chris on this one, I am an avid hunter, and if I were you, I would look at some youth model 12ga, and if you are worried about recoil, buy ya a Limbsaver recoil pad, they reduce the recoil by half, this should put ya right in there, I shoot a Mossberg 12ga, and love it, they are great guns, another great shotgun is a Benellie, good luck man.

 

Dustin.

[sniksoh 0]

yeah my dad just bought a benellie 12 guage last year and he likes it but it was pretty high doller$$$

 

i am gonna try a 12 guage...my dad has a few...i am hopeing i will like that because then i wont have to buy a gun for a while...i dont even have a job yet, nor a car????(witch really sucks).

 

nathan

[fly time 0]

:hyst: I know the feeling bro, You can always cut grass!!

[sniksoh 0]

yeah thats true :hyst: :scared:

[Nebraskaflyer 0]

sniksoh,

 

When I was younger, (about 7), my dad had just started me out deer hunting with our slug guns when we lived in Georgia. At that time, I had two options. One, use my dad's twelve gauge (my knowledge at the time was that the twelve gauge was bigger, thus kicked harder) that was extremely accurate. The second, use the twenty gauge that I believed didn't kick that much (still bruised my shoulder pretty good though.) but couldn't hit a barn if I was standing in it. My choice was to go with the twenty gauge. The next morning, we get up and go hunting. About 6:30 in the morning, a huge whitetail steps out less than ten yards from out treestands. I had plenty of time to take aim. I missed and here's why. One reason was from "da buck feeeever". The second reason was that I skimped on reliability of the gun because I was too scared of recoil hurting my shoulder. I really shouldn't have been. I had a whole tree backing me up! We went home at the end of the day and I walked out to the field and put a round into my dad's twelve gauge shouldered it and pulled the trigger. It didn't kick half as much! From that day forward I have never let recoil come into my mind. Because when you're pulling the trigger and the gun fires, if you even hear the blast, you're not concentrating enough.

 

Now to the gun choices part. Where I am from, hunters have 3 guns. A rifle that they love, a muzzleloader that they love, and a shotgun they just can't live without. If you have a gun that you love, you will shoot better, your hunts will be more enjoyable, you'll have more confidence in your shots, and that means more birds in the bag.

 

Just as everyone here has been telling you, it is very important that you find a gun that fits you. Fitting of course meaning how you shoulder the gun, how you look down the barrel, your height, weight, and physical stature. Get a gun that feels smooth, is a little lightweight for long walks in the field, and shoulders naturally. By shoulders naturally, I mean when you pull it up, you're already looking out past the bead. "You're there" as soon as it's shouldered. For example, I have a nasty, cheap mossberg 835 pump gun that I use for everything. I'm famous around our shooting park for being able to outshoot and shoot faster than the people using the semiautos and overunders. Why can I do this? Because the gun fits me and I'm there as soon as I shoulder the gun (it really helps to have a smooth cycle too). Again, just as people have been saying, go out and fit a lot of guns. That's what they are on display for.

 

So, to reiterate, don't let the effects come into play too much. I've seen many a pettite female go elk hunting with 300 Win Mag and do just fine. Second, get the gun that fits you, or you will be dumbfounded as why you can't hit squat, and thus you will be sorely disappointed in your purchase.

 

So, good luck, safe shooting and safe hunting,

 

A. Spinks

[chrisfish 0]

I agree that the 870 is a great gun for the $. 12 or 20 Ga. and its a great idea to use lighter loads in the 12 if you go with that to start out. Another great gun for the $ is the Ithica Featherweight pump. in a 12 or 20 Ga. I have hunted one for years and my father hunted it for years befor me. good solid gun that can stand up to normal wear and tear and is easy to carry all day while chasing those tricky little birds on the run.

[Green Acres 0]

the 870 is the greatest firearm ever made, go ahead argue the point

 

If I were looking for a shotgun right now it would be the CZ 712, or if you want a 20 gauge, the 720.

 

It's been a few months, but the last time I looked they weighed in about 300 bucks for and autoloader(semi-automatic)

 

they are based on an old berretta design, made in turket and imported by CZ

 

on the other hand it's not listed on their website anymore, i'll be at the gun shop on tuesday and I'll find out then

 

P.S. CZ firearms have proven themselves to be an incredible value in a very well crafted gun

 

I have a couple of their rifles in both rimfire and centerfire and their pistols and can not say a single bad thing about them, this is not a paid endorsment, I buy my CZ's over the counter at full price like everybody else.

 

they are acurate, attractive and affordable

 

look 'em up at CZusa.com

 

just a few thoughts