Best Starter Shotgun

[Roadkill Bill]

Keep it simple and your "starter" shotgun will last a lifetime. You'll find more hunters and police cars with Remington 870s than any other shotgun for a good reason. They work. They keep working. It's easy to find specialty barrels for them, any Cabela's or Bass Pro catalog will have plenty of stuff. New or used, you can't go wrong. My second choice would be a Mossberg.

[BaronAguon]

That is why I was wondering about 20 guage. I read the trades and a lot of the starter stuff is 20. I have realitivly little experiance with it. I have shot more 16 and .410 than 20. I still just sold the Maverick 12 gauge I learned on, so it is true your starter will be with you. Is 20 gauge to 12 gauge as .38+p to .357? Is that the power factor comparison we are talking about? How do they compare huntin wise?

[kyredneck]

David,

In my opinion, it's really hard to beat a Remington 870. The 870 is an icon and an absolutely tried and true shotgun. It's inexpensive, it's accurate, it's easy to operate, and it's easy to tear down. It will hunt, it will shoot clays, and it won't fail. I'd go with a 28" vent rib model...modified rem choke...and while you'll probably buy more "better" shotguns over time, you'll always come back to it.

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[Roadkill Bill]

I have never owned or fired a 20, but I have heard that there are reduced loads for the 12 that are lighter than a 20 ga. Maybe someone more knowledgeable than myself can jump in here . . .

[Greg]

It doesnt matter if you are an adult or a kid, the rules apply to all. But if you've got a 12 yr old that stands 6 ft something and tips the scales past 140 then go with the 12. If the young one is small you can still get the 12 but do the kid a huge favor, take the time and spend the money to have the gun fit to the kid. I knew 6 & 7 yr olds in Al that deer hunted years back with a 12 ga and 3 in mag buckshot, but their dad took the time to fit the stock and the barrel length/weight and balance to the kid. You can always buy a replacement wood stock to cut down and have the pitch and drop adjusted for the kids. Lead can be added in the stock to change the center of gravity and the right length of barrel is easy to find. Mossberg has barrels from 18.5 to 30 inches. The short 18.5 in riot gun barrel could be threaded to accept choke tubes if necessary. A properly fitted 12 ga pump or double will hurt less on recoil than an improperly fitted 20 ga gas opperated auto that supposed to produce less felt recoil. It may seem folish to spend $200 for a gun then another $200 or more to fit it properly but do you want the kid to find hunting/shooting enjoyable or do you want him to lose enthusiam after a few shots and a black and blue shoulder?

[ghent]

For a stater pump gun I'd go with either a the Mossberg 500 or Remington 870. Both are very nice guns and each have their pros and cons. Or if you'd rather have a Semi-Auto I'd start with the Remington 1100.

[Blakeman]

I own a Remington 870 Express and feel there is no other shotgun I need, though those saigas look pretty nifty being based on an Ak and all.

[zpeck72@yahoo.com]

I think that your best choice is the Remington 870, they are nice guns and very simple, they shoot great and are fairly inexpensive, and they are also very easy to find parts for, also from my experience they shoot slugs great from the smooth bore vent rib barrell. Good luck finding th right gun.

[wildhorse192001@yahoo.com]

I am just getting started in the clay shooting world... a buddy of mine has a nice mossberg i think it was a model 88 or something. 28 in. barell, 2+1 capacity... all around just a real nice black synthetic gun... model on it was 39783... i cant find it anywhere. closest thing ive found is /the 45120, its a 535 wf.... all i need to know is do you veteran shooters think thats a good gun for me.. im an experinced shooter, just never have bought a shotgun... just need a lil advice... wanna stick with mossberg, just not sure on a model, choke, or barrel length, i do like the 5 shot capacity a lot too though, much nicer than his 3 shot... thanks much yall!

[BaronAguon]

The 535 is a fine weapon but unlike the Maverick 88 or Mossberg 500 it is chambered at 3.5". The Maverick and Mossberg have 3". For a begginer I would start at 2.75" shells and work up to 3.5". If you start rockin' 3.5" of the bat you may develop a trigger pull flinch that would be detrimental to accuracy. I would reccomend a Mossberg combo. You usually get a field shotgun and an additional barrel for a small fee. Specifically this model. http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/prod ... s_id/46907
They have others, It just depends on what you want to do with it. I wanted to have an all around field guage and a pistol grip 500. I shopped it around and the combo wins again. Others have the Field with a rifled bore, with or without rifle sights, or a scope mout lever. Or they come decked out in camo, oor blah blah blah, ect. Options galore! Most field models have 3 Accu-chokes. Improved Cylander, which I use for rifled slugs; Modified for grouse, rabbits, mid range stuff; and Full for Turkeys and waterfoule. Allthough, admitadly, a 28" is long for Toms. The Mavericks mostly have fixed Modifed, meaning non changable. But Modified is generally a good all around any way. If a 28" is to long for you Mossberg has many different lengths and styles of add on barrels. And they ARE inexpensive. So yes a 535 is a fine starter guage, just depends on what you want to do with it. And they have a few 535 combo options as well.