Which shotgun to buy??

The Fetid mind of TC Rider | 08/14/03 | TC Rider

[TC Rider]

What a disappointment. I went to our 'big' gun show and didn't see much to suit me. Lot's of low end Mossberg Persuaders, but no 590A1. In fact the only 590 I saw was the Marine version, which was very nice, but not what I wanted.

Didn't see any suitable 870s for 3 gun. I would have like to have seen a 1100 Competition Master, but again, no gots.

I did see a nice Benelli Sport II, but it was beyond my budget.

I may just have to hide my cash, save up, and wait till the next show and buy the higher price spread.

[PoorMuttly]

Thanks to your Post, brother, Muttly decided to add 20ga. Ithaca M-37 pistol-gripped, 18" barrel device to his Camper arsenal. Maybe (a Muttly "maybe" is a "definitely") more than one...if he can tolerate tapping his already-stressed Kibble Allowance. They're really small and flat...and can pump a lot of heat, should conditions warrant. The guy in Miami Vice had a 13" w/paw-not-blow-off shield at mag. cap, in a shoulder rig in his Armani suit. Muttly like.

Muttly seriously warned against Ithaca 37 many years ago...by someone who would know..that one out of a million times or so...a bottom-ejecting round flips over and strikes a waiting primer....big trouble...and Muttly has too few factory-installed paws already (4 is just not enough some times!)...but...Muttly buck odds, for new cozy friend.

[TC Rider]

I'm the guardian of my Sister's Mossberg 500 in a 20ga. I think she's forgotten about it. I've had it since her first child arrived and she went bonkers on child proofing her house.

I've considered swapping the wood for a pistol grip and a short barrel. Not what I'm looking for in a 3Gun Match piece, but would be nice for under the bed duty.

I saw ton of Norinco knockoffs at the show today, mostly crap.

[yarddog]

The last few gun shows I have been to have been disappointments too.

Nearly all the dealers are charging two or three times their cost for most of the imported surplus guns. For instance the Czech CZ 52's which can be ordered for a little over a hundred are listed at $219, the little CZ .32's which are $79 in Gun List, are $239.

They are trying to get $150 for the Mosin Nagant's which go for $49 to dealers.

There used to nearly always be a dealer or two at gun shows who would sell them at the same price as you would see in Shotgun News or even lower. I suppose they got special deals by buying in quantity.

One is better off cultivating a local dealer. Most will order for their cost plus $20, or even less.

I haven't been to one of the really big ones such as Tulsa in about 10 years but would bet there are enough dealers there that one could always find the good deals.

[logos]

I won't offer any further advice as to make, model or gauge - you've received plenty of that already, and as far as I can see, it's all been good advice at that. I will offer this piece of advice, however...

...if it don't fit, it won't hit.

Seriously, if more people would "fit" their shotguns before they buy, there would be literally thousands of happier shotgunners in the world. Before you buy any shotgun to be used either for hunting or trialing, make this simple test.

Place the flat of the butt plate in the crook of your shooting elbow, with your forearm running up along the stock. See where your trigger finger falls in relation to the trigger. If it naturally falls right on the trigger in your normal shooting position, the gun fits and it's a good buy - for you. If there is any space between the trigger and your trigger finger, the stock is too short and you will shoot high every time. If your finger doesn't quite reach the trigger, the stock is too long for you and you will shoot low every time. Regardless of the make, model, gauge or price, a shotgun has to fit its shooter to be effective.

And yes, you can train yourself to hit with a gun that is either too short or too long for you, but then if you ever accidentally buy a gun one day that does fit, you won't be able to hit with it because of the "bad habits" you've picked up shooting the "wrong" gun.

My bona fides? I've hunted waterfowl and upland game and shot skeet and trap for some 30+ years, and currently sell shotguns part-time.

On the other hand, my advice for a home defense shotgun would be totally different than all the foregoing. For that I have a Winchester 1200 that's been modified to have an 18 1/2" bbl, and a pistol grip instead of a stock.

[TC Rider]

Thanks for the great advice on 'fit'. I really do appreciate it. My bonafides are that I mostly shotgunned 30 years ago, with the exception of a few visits to a neighbor's farm for some homegrown trap.

I may well end up ordering from one of the local gunshops. My hope for the gun show was to have the opportunity to lay hands on the various models that aren't stocked locally.

[logos]

The only thing "wrong" with ordering a gun through a dealer is that you can't fit it until you already own it.

Don't get me wrong; I've done the same thing myself, more times than I'd like to admit. Still, ordering sight unseen won't hurt you (much, anyway) on a handgun or a rifle, but it's a pig-in-a-poke deal for a shotgun. Good luck!

[habs4ever]

I've love to see Poor Muttly's driver's licence.Were the ears up, or down, in the photo?

[Shooter 2.5]

You need someone with an FFL.

The local gunshop will provide an FFL to me for around 25 dollars and I do the ordering out of the Shotgun News. When it's time to pick it up, I do the paperwork at the shop and everyone it happy. I get my gun, the shop gets 25 dollars for ten minutes work and the distributer made the same deal as if the shop ordered it. Another plus is you know the gun hasn't been in the shop where it was dry fired and handled for months.

The only danger is the gun may come with scratches or the wood may not be toward your liking.

[PoorMuttly]

UP ! Muttly dislike Flash photography, too.

I hear they don't often give Driver's Licenses to animals anymore...but fortunately mine is grandfathered in from my Hollywood days with poor Mister Dastardly....after which I too was compelled to pay my debt to society at The Institute, leading to my fortuitous adoption, and subsequent typing lessons.

Last I heard he was still a guest (inmate) at the the Hollywood Home for Retired Villians, and mercilessly bilking the other "guests" with a complicated "placebo medication" scheme.