Gun shop near North London

[OrangeGrouse]

Hello Forum Members

My first post. Just getting into clay pigeon shooting and looking to purchase my first gun.  

I would be grateful for any advice on gun shops within a couple of hours drive of North London where I could see a good selection of used guns and and get ‘fitted’. Budget IRO £1000 ... considering an MK38 or 686 but if anyone has any recommendations on a suitable first gun that would great.  

Thanks in advance  

karl

 

[Fred Flintstone]

Hi Orange,

Welcome to the forum! 
In terms of a gun shop that is “a couple of hours drive from Nth London”, you are going to have quite a selection. That gives you a radius of around 100 miles or so, so there will be PLENTY to choose from!

I recently purchased a very nice example 686E from Chris Potter Guns who are in Tunbridge Wells, which is within your couple of hours drive... M25, A21. They have a great selection of guns and are really knowledgeable and friendly (and they did a great deal on it too!)

A suitable gun is one that fits you, within your budget, and that you are happy with. Both your mentions above are great guns.

Happy (fun) shooting!

 

[OrangeGrouse]

Hi Fred

Many thanks for the welcome and the advice; much appreciated. 
 

k

 

[woody]

You're fairly close to some great shooting grounds, all with Gun shops on site.  EJ Churchill, AGL, and Sporting Targets. 

 

[El Spavo]

Churchill were quite friendly when I was looking and they have quite a few s/h in the shop which they seem to be happy to allow people to test round the ground. Browning B525 should also be on your radar, especially if you've got chunkier hands.

 

[FlyingTrotter]

At that price point probably stay away from the central London places - Beretta, Purdue,  Holland and Holland, William Evans on James St etc - I live in N London - you have Sportarm at West London , William Evans at Bisley, EJ Churchill , AGL at Markeyate , Sporting Targets north of Bedford and you can just about get to Potters in Kent - loads of choice and all have websites so you can check stock ahead of any trip 

several would be able to arrange for you try before you buy 

 

[Freddypip]

Just one point. You will find that the further you go North the cheaper the gun will become. At £1,000 it maybe not be much but do look at places like Donaldsons in Milton Keynes etc. I picked up an old 686 Essential from Eastern Sporting (Chelmsford) a few years back and they were quite reasonable to deal with. The gun later needed some work doing to it but that was not their fault - it easy for me to foresee when I bought it.

 

[Spr1985]

As said above a huge amount of gun shops within your travel time,  eastern sporting at Chelmsford is worth a look as is Essex gun at Romford (area) they also have a shop at fennes shooting ground at Braintree. 

Essex shooting supplies up the a12 between Witham and Colchester 

leech’s at Hatfield peveral  I’d get on the gun sites on the internet and have a look at what’s available and where within budget and then makes some plans to travel and view  
 

most importantly enjoy the experience of getting your first....it will soon turn into many

 

[El Spavo]

Yup, I just scanned the web, guntrader, gunstar, etc. and found myself a bit of a steal as far as I'm concerned. Turned up, and exactly what I was hoping it would be. Sold!

 

[OrangeGrouse]

A big thanks to you all for those really helpful responses - will save me a great deal of wasted time. That comment about one gun becoming many gave me a good laugh .... fishing is my other distraction and it takes every ounce of self discipline to stop the rod quiver from growing! Of course good rods are a lot cheaper than good guns...
 

 

[Fred Flintstone]

Of course good rods are a lot cheaper than good guns...

but not nearly as good fun!
 

Finished your post correctly for you 

 

[OrangeGrouse]

 

[Luke_(NL)]

You mentioned just getting into shooting, which could mean several thousand cartridges in or just a few .  I consider myself a beginner, although I've missed my fair share of clays.

If you're really just starting, it's probably best to first plan a few outings to shoot a few different guns. Hopefully that'll give you a better idea of what to look for. Browning 525, Miroku Mk38, or a Beretta 686 are all pretty good choices in terms of guns, but each is pretty different to the other. Different versions of each (there are many variants of the 686 alone) will feel different too. Narrowing down what you like will help you in making choices, and once you've really narrowed down the field, have a gander online to get a feel for prices on the second hand guns of the model you like. Age and condition are a huge factor of course.

Stores will likely be more expensive than private offerings, but the upside is that proper vendors won't sell you lemons and could sort issues following purchase. I favour (my) Beretta('s), although I've been tempted by some 525/725 models. I really like their availability of parts (direct online sales to individuals) and the ease that brings in swapping out pretty much any part of the guns except for the action and barrels. It's not lego, but swapping out a bead or a wood-set isn't rocket science either. 

 

[MartynB]

 Of course good rods are a lot cheaper than good guns...
 

A nice used Miroku , Beretta or Browning  in basic grade isn’t going to cost you much more than the latest snake oil special fly rod from Orvis or Sage , and it won’t lose half its value the moment you walk out of the shop  . Now that’s a great reason for buying more than one if you need it 

 

[Martinj]

Yup, I just scanned the web, guntrader, gunstar, etc. and found myself a bit of a steal as far as I'm concerned. Turned up, and exactly what I was hoping it would be. Sold!

So . . . what was it?

 

[El Spavo]

Oh, nothing exciting, just a b525. Had it for a few years now, probably just stick with it, no need for another gun.

 

[OrangeGrouse]

barrels

Luke, thanks for your advice.
 

Had a trip out to EJ Churchill and tried a few guns. Liked the feeling of the Beretta 686 but the only used one they had in stock was fairly beaten up including  a dent to the rib, and quite a ‘loose’ action.  I’m sure it would be perfectly fine to use but ‘day you buy is day you sell etc’. 
 

Will have a good look on GT next week. 

 

[Luke_(NL)]

Luke, thanks for your advice.
 

Had a trip out to EJ Churchill and tried a few guns. Liked the feeling of the Beretta 686 but the only used one they had in stock was fairly beaten up including  a dent to the rib, and quite a ‘loose’ action.  I’m sure it would be perfectly fine to use but ‘day you buy is day you sell etc’. 
 

Will have a good look on GT next week. 

More than welcome. Learning from other people’s mistakes may save you a gun or two in the long run. As for the 686, don’t sweat it. Plenty of used Berettas in the world, mainly because they last. Find a nice one that’s been looked after and you’re grandkids may shoot it one day if you take care and pride in ownership. Enjoy the search for your perfect gun  

 

[Fred Flintstone]

Had a trip out to EJ Churchill and tried a few guns. Liked the feeling of the Beretta 686 but the only used one they had in stock was fairly beaten up including  a dent to the rib, and quite a ‘loose’ action.  I’m sure it would be perfectly fine to use but ‘day you buy is day you sell etc’. 

If it helps, and to give you a bit of a steer, the 686E I picked up recently was in very good condition, recently serviced, clean tight action, cased and full set of chokes/paperwork. It’s a 2005 model, and I got it for £1100 eventually. Hold out for the ‘right’ gun for YOU.

Of course, buying from a reputable RFD gets you some warranty too, which gives some additional piece of mind. A good RFD will stand by anything they sell, and if you’re not p/ex something, they will normally come down on the advertised price of a 2nd hand gun.

Tell us what you eventually settle on, with pics!!!