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Suggest for me a versatile shotgun

CrossFaced said:
Thanks again everyone.....

So after shooting a few at my club the A300 is the one that fit me the best and is certainly within my price range. It felt really good on my shoulder and I was pretty accurate with it.
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Good choice. The A300 with included extra buttpads makes fitting LOP nice. I will say if you are looking for barrels a slug barrel will likely not be cheap. But you can still shoot foster slugs out of the bird barrel.

I shot foster slugs out of my Sweet 16 A-5 for years with the bird barrel and killed many deer. Now at my age, a bead is just not enough, that's why I have a scope gun.
 
Mark from MA said:
Good choice. The A300 with included extra buttpads makes fitting LOP nice. I will say if you are looking for barrels a slug barrel will likely not be cheap. But you can still shoot foster slugs out of the bird barrel.

I shot foster slugs out of my Sweet 16 A-5 for years with the bird barrel and killed many deer. Now at my age, a bead is just not enough, that's why I have a scope gun.
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The old timer that mentored me in deer hunting has been using an a5 browning with the bird barrel using slugs since the 1970s. Killed truckloads of deer with it. He still does well with it. He just limits his shots to 30 yards. Obviously iron sights give you more range but never underestimate the usefullness of a bird barrel and slugs.....just have to know your range limits.
 
When tracking or shooting at a moving deer there's nothing faster than a bead. At 40 yards and in, if you know where your gun prints they are deadly.
Honestly in thick brush, it's all you need. If hunting pushed deer it's all I'd want.

I hunt in some of the open areas sometimes and have run across some longer shots where even the rifle sights would cover the deer. Plus it's mostly stand hunting for decent bucks now...so a scope lets me look at headgear, yes I know....your supposed to use binocs not point the gun at it.....whatever......I hate carrying binocs. Most shots are at non alarmed standing, feeding or walking deer.
 
Mark from MA said:
When tracking or shooting at a moving deer there's nothing faster than a bead. At 40 yards and in, if you know where your gun prints they are deadly.
Honestly in thick brush, it's all you need. If hunting pushed deer it's all I'd want.

I hunt in some of the open areas sometimes and have run across some longer shots where even the rifle sights would cover the deer. Plus it's mostly stand hunting for decent bucks now...so a scope lets me look at headgear, yes I know....your supposed to use binocs not point the gun at it.....whatever......I hate carrying binocs. Most shots are at non alarmed standing, feeding or walking deer.
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I hunt driven deer....shotgun with a red dot is a plus. As far as irons......I have heard stories at the club......"yeah I got this one at 80 yards" and I ask what set up......"iron sights on my 870 with a rifled barrel". And I laugh to myself......yeah sure buddy.....at 80 yards the front sight is covering about 3/4 of the deer.
 
Red dot is a little bit best of both worlds, probably the best multi use sight for a shotgun. Quick and more accurate than just using a bead. Back when I used one they didn't have magnified ones, that's why I put a scope on.
You can get pretty good at moving stuff with the scope. Before the season I practice with the shotgun scope at squirrels in the yard keeping the scope on them while they scurry about without lifting my head. It's not that bad once your on target.
 
I like my Mossberg 930 so far. I got the most basic one they offer. The bolt had a tiny patch of rust on it the day after it got soaked in the rain though. Cleaned right off with clp.
 
Last I checked you cannot get a rifled barrel for the A300 Outlander. You can still shoot rifles slugs out of it and they’ve killed a zillion deer just less accurate and less range than a rifled barrel slug gun with sabots. You could also go buckshot.

Otherwise for bird hunting, trap, etc. it could do a lot. Get a thick rubber band to wrap around the receiver to keep shells from pelting the guy to your right on the trap range.
 
rocket500 said:
Last I checked you cannot get a rifled barrel for the A300 Outlander. You can still shoot rifles slugs out of it and they’ve killed a zillion deer just less accurate and less range than a rifled barrel slug gun with sabots. You could also go buckshot.

Otherwise for bird hunting, trap, etc. it could do a lot. Get a thick rubber band to wrap around the receiver to keep shells from pelting the guy to your right on the trap range.
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As far as a semi auto for trap.....I just let the shells fly and I use an old auto 5 most of the time and besides "humpback" the auto 5 was also called a "shell chucker"....it tosses em hard and ive never "pelted" anybody with a spent shell. They may land at their feet and roll around once in awhile that'sabout it. I shoot alot of trap......and seen plenty of semi autos out there and never seen one throw a shell out hard enough to hit anyone.

I've had a comment from a trapazoid (i shoot trap 3-4 times a month just to stay in practice for hunting) one time that my shells were distracting him because they were landing on the grass in front of him......I just shrugged my shoulders and continued my round. He missed two before his comment and imo was looking for an excuse. Which is fairly common among trapazoids. :)
 
rocket500 said:
Last I checked you cannot get a rifled barrel for the A300 Outlander. You can still shoot rifles slugs out of it and they’ve killed a zillion deer just less accurate and less range than a rifled barrel slug gun with sabots. You could also go buckshot.

Otherwise for bird hunting, trap, etc. it could do a lot. Get a thick rubber band to wrap around the receiver to keep shells from pelting the guy to your right on the trap range.
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Didn't know they didn't make a slug barrel for that. Even if they did, it would be prohibitively expensive, and you could buy a pump rifled barrel cantilever slug gun for the same price almost.
But yeah, nothing wrong with fosters out of the bird barrel if you can see good.
 
whacko said:
As far as a semi auto for trap.....I just let the shells fly and I use an old auto 5 most of the time and besides "humpback" the auto 5 was also called a "shell chucker"....it tosses em hard and ive never "pelted" anybody with a spent shell. They may land at their feet and roll around once in awhile that'sabout it. I shoot alot of trap......and seen plenty of semi autos out there and never seen one throw a shell out hard enough to hit anyone.

I've had a comment from a trapazoid (i shoot trap 3-4 times a month just to stay in practice for hunting) one time that my shells were distracting him because they were landing on the grass in front of him......I just shrugged my shoulders and continued my round. He missed two before his comment and imo was looking for an excuse. Which is fairly common among trapazoids. :)
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Ugh.....I'm glad guys at my club aren't like that. We generally keep people like that away....we have a lot of new shooters and nobody looks down on anyone. There's been guys that shoot there, and realize we aren't serious enough for them and move on. Which is perfect, because there is a club down the road with some serious ahole trap diva's. They can stay there.

I generally shoot skeet, it s better bird hunting practice, and we only have one guy that's a bit uptight and serious, he's a good guy overall, but he shoots his rounds and gets out of there before the real fun happens. (shooting from the hip at 1 and 7, shooting one handed with the .410 or 28 gauge, and shooting the Glock 21 or 1911 with ratshot loads at station 8 overhead) and just some serious ribbing and foul language. Stuff that would drive trap diva's totally insane.......

We really don't care about score...if someone is running them, we respect that and stay quiet. Other than that its busting balls.
 
Mark from MA said:
Ugh.....I'm glad guys at my club aren't like that. We generally keep people like that away....we have a lot of new shooters and nobody looks down on anyone. There's been guys that shoot there, and realize we aren't serious enough for them and move on. Which is perfect, because there is a club down the road with some serious ahole trap diva's. They can stay there.

I generally shoot skeet, it s better bird hunting practice, and we only have one guy that's a bit uptight and serious, he's a good guy overall, but he shoots his rounds and gets out of there before the real fun happens. (shooting from the hip at 1 and 7, shooting one handed with the .410 or 28 gauge, and shooting the Glock 21 or 1911 with ratshot loads at station 8 overhead) and just some serious ribbing and foul language. Stuff that would drive trap diva's totally insane.......

We really don't care about score...if someone is running them, we respect that and stay quiet. Other than that its busting balls.
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The clubs not up tight. This comment from a trapazoid only happened that one time. I ignored him.

Most of the divas looking for excuses don't blame other people. I've heard

Reloader threw less/more powder than I'm used to

Trying a new powder

I adjusted my stock this morning

Etc......
 
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I’ve found guys get annoyed shooting trap if you’re running a semi auto without a shell catcher or a rubber band on it. You’re right that they dont usually get hit but I got enough grief that I bought an over/under just not to deal with it.
 
FNH P12 are wonderful guns and are built better than 870s imo. 18.5" barrels so you aren't probably going to want to use it for birds but I did an event at Hamilton Wenham and was able to score 16 I think, all while never having shot skeet/trap before. Super smooth actions too.
Love mine.
 
Remington 1100. Classic. Does the work for you. No idea how good current production ones are and they are pricey compared to way back when. Maybe shop for an older used one.
 
whacko said:
Mossberg 500 field deer combo and yes it will work for deer turkey clays......as well as upland birds small game or waterfoul.

I'd lay off .Remington 870 unless it's an older one......that company has issues right now.
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The issues with the Remington 870 are way over stated on line. They had a manufacturing problem in 2014-15. It has been corrected.
 
Sevenrats said:
The issues with the Remington 870 are way over stated on line. They had a manufacturing problem in 2014-15. It has been corrected.
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I know someone with a new 870 that has all kinds of problems. Won't extract.....and also ftf due to light strikes.

Also buying a new gun from a company that is settling out for millions due to safety issues on the model 700 rifle......and has filed for bankruptcy in the last year is probably not a good idea. They are all about cost cutting right now....... I'd steer clear of Remington for a bit. Your beloved Remington Corp is in trouble.
 
I’ll update my previous post:

The Mossberg 930 I bought at the end of August is awesome. I hunted through this whole season with it and it didn’t choke once. Got rained on, snowed on, leaves and sticks into the guts of it - no issues. Cycled a bunch of light birdshot I fed it.

It was 514$ out the door, so a little pricier than a standard pump, but I like that it’s semi and will do everything as well as I need it to. Came with 3 chokes too and a red fibre front sight.

I’m glad I didn’t skinflint this one.
 
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CrossFaced said:
I’m researching shotguns a bit and I’m looking for suggestions on a versatile shotgun. I’m not even sure if one exist that could work for deer, turkey and maybe some skeet or trap. I’m not in a position to buy one right now so no rush to get one for this season... but your help is appreciated.
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Any 12 gauge shotgun will do everything you listed. Figure out what action you'd like, eg; pump, semi-auto, double bbl, etc, and then find one that fits you well. You might be surprised to see how much better you shoot a gun that shoulders, points, and swings right. Trap and skeet guys are really good at knowing how shotguns should fit the shooter.
The once you buy your new gun take some time to pattern it. Having it fit you is important but knowing where it hits is crucial. There are bunches of good videos on YouTube and wherever on how to pattern your shotgun.
If you heat with wood pellets those big pieces of cardboard that come with your pallet of pellets are just about perfect for shotgun patterning targets.
 
Wickedcoolname said:
Any 12 gauge shotgun will do everything you listed. Figure out what action you'd like, eg; pump, semi-auto, double bbl, etc, and then find one that fits you well. You might be surprised to see how much better you shoot a gun that shoulders, points, and swings right. Trap and skeet guys are really good at knowing how shotguns should fit the shooter.
The once you buy your new gun take some time to pattern it. Having it fit you is important but knowing where it hits is crucial. There are bunches of good videos on YouTube and wherever on how to pattern your shotgun.
If you heat with wood pellets those big pieces of cardboard that come with your pallet of pellets are just about perfect for shotgun patterning targets.
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Good info right here.

For the most part "general purpose" and shotguns geared toward hunting will be "flat shooters"......meaning the bead will bebe t center of the pattern. Shotguns geared toward trap.....single or over unders with raised ribs.....will shoot high to aid in seeing the clay in flight better and hit a rising target like trap. My shotguns are all hunting irons and shoot very flat.......but knowing a little about where the gun patterns will help when trying a new gun at the trap range.
 
whacko said:
I know someone with a new 870 that has all kinds of problems. Won't extract.....and also ftf due to light strikes.

Also buying a new gun from a company that is settling out for millions due to safety issues on the model 700 rifle......and has filed for bankruptcy in the last year is probably not a good idea. They are all about cost cutting right now....... I'd steer clear of Remington for a bit. Your beloved Remington Corp is in trouble.
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I agree.....although, one of my buds bought a 410 gauge 1100 skeet autoloader and it had issues of extraction and feed. He sent it to repair center once, same thing, then he asked for new gun. He got one and it works fine. He said service although never fast enough, wasn't too bad, and they made good on it.

Ive recently bought a couple Remlin Levers and have been pretty pleased with them, in both fit, finish, and wood quality and they function great.

My R1911 was made well, but the recoil spring was weak from the get go....I changed it with a wolf and never once had an issue again.

I think it's hit or miss.....they are definately more lax in quality than say Browning, or Beretta, or Henry.
 
1776 said:
Get a 10g !

PTSD from Trap and Skeet shooting? I know some pretty cranky older buggers with a few loose screws and detached retina's, that were die hard Trap and Skeet shooters


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_dtC6ZOR3w
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10 ga is not allowed for Registered targets.

That said, at a local club, one guy uses a 10 ga lever gun, with BP shells [shocked] on the Trap field.

Bang......Bang....BOOM............[long pause for the smoke to clear [laugh]........Bang.....Bang. [rofl]

Not all Trapezoids are sticks in the mud!
 
MisterHappy said:
10 ga is not allowed for Registered targets.

That said, at a local club, one guy uses a 10 ga lever gun, with BP shells [shocked] on the Trap field.

Bang......Bang....BOOM............[long pause for the smoke to clear [laugh]........Bang.....Bang. [rofl]

Not all Trapezoids are sticks in the mud!
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Guy at a club I used to shoot Wednesday night trap at used to use his saiga 12. He's hit 2-3........but made some noise and had fun.
 
Most guys are OK. We kind of established our trap and skeet through the years with having a twist towards helping new shooters and having fun. Score was on the backburner. A real bummer for the elitist trappers and skeeters. They hate new shooters, and they hate loose rules.

We've had the sticks in the mud come by shoot once and move on. Which is good. There is a club down the street that has some real elitists in there. The best way to keep the elitists out is to have a high price for membership and many hours of work. Ive found elitist trap shooters to be the cheapest of the bunch and very lazy. They are probably cheap because they spend so much money on their guns.
 

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