First gun for a beginner

[Tanguero]

The last time I shot clays, over 30 years ago, I had use of a very pretty but probably wholly unsuitable Damascus barrel W Scott side-by-side game gun. I never hit much with it!

Pending grant of my SGC I am considering my first gun purchase an the more research that I do the less I am sure what I want.
Generally I am more drawn to trap or skeet than sporting, however I obviously don't have sufficient experience to really know for sure, so an all rounder seems more sense than a specialised gun.

I am a bit baffled by barrel lengths an in real world terms how much difference it is going to make to an absolute beginner.
Also unsure about chamber length, I know what it means technically, but have no idea how it will enhance or restrict my options as a beginner.

New or second hand, is another quandary. Being a lefty there are rather fewer left handed guns available second hand. In general is a better quality but s/h gun preferable to a new but cheaper gun of similar price?

Speaking of budget... Is around £750 going to get a gun that is good enough not to hamper a beginner while being resellable when it inevitably comes time to upgrade as (hopefully) expertise grows?

TL;DR "Gun recommendations for a numptie beginner, please"

 

[ips]

Welcome

ok here goes but be prepared to get very confused very soon.

30" trap gun with adj stock will imo do the job. That budget will get a good used Beretta 682 or 686 could look at old Winchester variants or better still miroku which are generally quite straight stock so ambidextrous therefore more choice in the market but rest assured you will not lose money on that type of gun for that money come the inevitable trade in. Push budget to one k if poss your choice will widen considerably.

good luck.

 

[HDAV]

Hello its  a tricky one and budget is tight but do able. 

Fit is the key, so an adjustable comb makes that easier. Get some lessons and be guided by a trusted instructor, shoot it before you buy and if not sure walk away loads of guns out there. 

Buy used for better VFM and buy a known brand, Beretta, Miroku, Browning (add WInchester). If your liking trap and skeet get multichoke. 30"(29") or 32" tubes the norm really (or fashion its down to balance and swing in combination with gun weight)

Now when you add known brand + Multichoke + adjustable comb I think = £1000+ having said that a friend got a 686 beretta adjustable comb and Multichoke for £800 a few years ago....

Close http://www.guntrader.co.uk/Guns-For-Sale/Winchester_Shotgun_Select-Sporting_For-Sale_140522163636001

Nicer IMO http://www.guntrader.co.uk/Guns-For-Sale/Browning_Shotgun_B525-Grade-1_For-Sale_141028211339890

 

[Finners]

I'm not going to confuse things, other than to say as a fellow Lefty I've tried the R/H "relatively straight" Miroku/Brownings and now I have a "proper" left handed Caesar Guerini.

So I'd be inclined to save up a little more and go for something like this one: http://www.guntrader.co.uk/Guns-For-Sale/Browning_Shotgun_B525-Grade-1_For-Sale_141010120504001  

 

[HDAV]

Ah missed the lefty bit! erm are you left eye dominant? Or just left handed?

I have both a  left handed Miroku and LH  (Cast on) Browning...........

 

[Tanguero]

Strongly left handed and slightly right eye dominant, so not ideal!

 

[ips]

Just get the best you can for the budget and get shooting after time you will have a better idea what you need but imo at this stage as long as the fit isn't miles out jobs a good un

 

[Simonix]

Just want to say, I'm a leftie, and found that shooting a RH gun isn't really a problem. Especially when you are new to the sport and your gun mount is far from perfect. I have a LH gun now, but still own and shoot RH guns for game/rough shooting ok even now.

Our mr Ed Solomons shot a RH gun for years as a leftie, and he did fine....

;-)

PS, buy a 2nd hand beretta, browning, or Miroku for the budget you have. Then in a years time, once you know what gun you really want/need, you will get your money back when you sell it!

 

[HDAV]

Strongly left handed and slightly right eye dominant, so not ideal!

Shoot right handed will make life far easier (Solid rightie with strong left dominance!) it will take 2-3 weeks to get you shooting right handed.... As you have only just started again you have nothing to loose! Will make buying a gun or guns far easier and far cheaper!

 

[Finners]

True, if you're right eyed and fairly new to the sport, best have a good go at shooting off your right shoulder. I wish I'd been told that when I started. 

 

[HDAV]

Just want to say, I'm a leftie, and found that shooting a RH gun isn't really a problem. Especially when you are new to the sport and your gun mount is far from perfect. I have a LH gun now, but still own and shoot RH guns for game/rough shooting ok even now.

DOwn to fit, if you don't need much cast then having the cast the wrong way might not be an issue but if you need the cast then having a stock cast the wrong way (particularly the the toe) can be an issue. Life shooting off the right shoulder is far easier.

 

[Tanguero]

Shoot right handed will make life far easier (Solid rightie with strong left dominance!) it will take 2-3 weeks to get you shooting right handed.... As you have only just started again you have nothing to loose! Will make buying a gun or guns far easier and far cheaper!

True, if you're right eyed and fairly new to the sport, best have a good go at shooting off your right shoulder. I wish I'd been told that when I started. 

No question of me shooting right handed I am afraid! I may not have shot clays for 30 years but I have put in plenty of years with air rifles. I could no more shoot off the right shoulder than learn to write right handed - and they tried to make me do that once at school! Not a success!

 

[Tanguero]

Should I assume that the concensus is that there is no mileage as a beginner starting further down the budget end of the market in Lanbe, Baikal, Silma territory and then working up as I gain experience. Budget isnt a particular issue, but the more I spend on lessons and shooting the more likely I am to point a cheap gun in the right direction!

Is barrel length much of an issue? How much actual difference does it make to shoot be 30" and 28"?

 

[HDAV]

No question of me shooting right handed I am afraid! I may not have shot clays for 30 years but I have put in plenty of years with air rifles. I could no more shoot off the right shoulder than learn to write right handed - and they tried to make me do that once at school! Not a success!

I said that about shooting left handed.....
But it doesn't make my life easier....

Plenty of people shoot rifles from the right shoulder shoguns from the left and vice versa it's totally different style of shooting. Lanber and bettinsoli make left handed guns perfectly serviceable but you will want to change it sooner, loose more money a d it will cost you more in the long run most people change their first gun 3-6-12 months after buying it..... Don't buy with your eyes..... Buy with your hands. I started with a budget of £500 afterall that's a perfectly reasonable budget (or so I thought) 6 months and many hundreds of miles driven looking for a lefthanded sporter that fitted me... I spent £1000 on a browning 525

 

[Skeet UK]

Should I assume that the concensus is that there is no mileage as a beginner starting further down the budget end of the market in Lanbe, Baikal, Silma territory and then working up as I gain experience. Budget isnt a particular issue, but the more I spend on lessons and shooting the more likely I am to point a cheap gun in the right direction!

Is barrel length much of an issue? How much actual difference does it make to shoot be 30" and 28"?

It's a gun, not a car.  So yes, there is no point buying anything cheaper than you can afford.  No way, should you buy any NEW gun around £800...just don't....unless you intend to keep it.

That does not mean you need to spend £3k...but £1k on a used Beretta, Browning or Miroku is your best bet...£1350 will get you a new Beretta Silver Pigeon 1 Sporter.

Ideally go for 30 inch barrels as a minimum.  If you are particularly tall, 32 may work better for you.

Sporter or Trap, not a Game Gun.

£995 Used Essex L/H http://www.guntrader.co.uk/Guns-For-Sale/Beretta_Shotgun_686-Silver-Pigeon-1_For-Sale_141029195158557

The List of  L/h Berettas http://www.guntrader.co.uk/Guns-For-Sale/results.php?&Filter[NewType][]=Shotgun&Filter[NewMechanism][]=Over%20and%20Under&Filter[Calibre][]=12%20gauge&Filter[Make][]=Beretta&Filter[Orientation][]=Left%20Handed

 

[evoracer]

Go here tell them your needs http://www.haywardsguns.co.uk they will sort you out and it's one of the only places in the S/E that I know of where you can try before committing to buy 

 

[Tanguero]

No way, should you buy any NEW gun around £800...just don't....unless you intend to keep it.

Noted! Purely out of curiosity why is that? Poor resale value? Poor build quality? Bad fit? Inaccuracy?

 

[RobertBeard]

Noted! Purely out of curiosity why is that? Poor resale value? Poor build quality? Bad fit? Inaccuracy?

Very Poor resale value!

 

[Will Hewland]

Usually a bit less reliable and harder to fix I gather. Definitely poor resale. Likely not quite the right weight or balance.

Shotguns are rarely inaccurate; unlike the people holding them.

Go with a really common brand in a common barrel length. That way you know the problem is you not the gun. So as has been said; 30" or 32" Beretta or Miroku or similar. And buy it from somebody who can see that it about fits you.