Good starter shotgun for small bird hunting and skeet shooting

Question

I'm 50 years old, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weigh 165#

What would be a good shotgun for me?

I don't want some cheap c**p as I'm thinking of small game hunting and skeet shooting.

Answer 1

410 shotgun

Answer 2

A 12 gauge is just fine. Use 2 3/4 inch shotshells. The recoil isn't a big deal as long as you stay away from the 3 inch stuff. I'm 6 foot 220 pounds and dont shoot the 3 inch cartridges......

There are a couple of different philosophys regarding shotguns....... For skeet / trap small game some prefer an over and under or side by side double barrel shotgun.....

http://www.chuckhawks.com/double_barrel....

Others prefer the semi-auto for more than 2 follow up shots....

http://www.chuckhawks.com/semiauto_shotg...

Look over the shotgun artricles here -- This may give you a better idea as to what your after....

http://www.chuckhawks.com/index2c.shotgu...

It would be helpful if you gave us an idea of what your budget is....

For inexpensive (but not cheap) over under shotguns look at these Mossbergs and Stoeger shotguns.....

http://www.mossberg.com/products/default...

http://www.stoegerindustries.com/firearm...

Answer 3

probably a 410 shotgun is perfect for beginners (or if you want to go a little bigger i would us a 28 guage, the make really doesnt matter  but i would prolly stick with a remington or mossberg or some other fairly well known name

Answer 4

My advice would be to go with a 12 ga. over under, with 29 to 30 inch barrels, if money is not a huge obstacle. over unders last longer and dont break down as much as automatics. Pumps are hard to shoot on skeet doubles. Over unders also tend to kick less than sxs and pump guns. Also, once you have a 12 ga. over under you can buy sub gauge tubes and use 20, 28 and 410 shells in it for skeet. You cannot tube autos and pumps.  Finally, I would recommend an over under because it gives you the option of having two different s***w in chokes. The s***w in chokes are great if you decide to shoot sporting clays with the same gun someday.   Browning and Beretta are a good choice in gun makers.  I recommend 12 ga. because shells for other bores are more expensive and harder to find. There is also a better variety of loads available in the mkt for the 12 ga. than other bores.  If you dont like recoil, for example, you can buy Winchester feather lite  12 ga. 2 3/4 inch shells with 7/8 oz of shot and 2 1/2 drams of powder. It kicks less than most 20 ga. shells.  

Answer 5

Try some gun shops that have a used rack, and inspect for a 12 ga pump with a variable choke in a brand name shotgun.  Do a lot of looking, there are many very good second hand guns on the market. You want both small game and skeet so you will need at least 2 different choke patterns.  A 28" to 32" barrel will give a little more range for your shots. The drawback is it's a slightly slower swing and point.  As to what would be a good brand, any of the name brands should have these characteristics.  Browning, Remington,Winchester, Mossberg, Beretta, are all well respected guns that have been in business for years.  If you go to your local gun club and ask the members, you will get more differing opinions than you need.

A 12 ga gives the advantage of power if needed, lots of ammo types, and with a low powder load in a short shell, a manageable recoil. Have fun, hope this helps.

Answer 6

I would definitely not go with a .410 or 28 gauge.  They need to be in rather skilled hands to make it worth while.  A 20-gauge would be a good choice. Like a Benelli M2.  It's a good reliable gun with light recoil.  OR if you wanna go with a 12-gauge, for reliability, Remington 870. VERY DEPENDABLE.  But a good upland and skeet gun is a Super Black Eagle 2.  Hope this helped!!! Good Luck!!!

Answer 7

12 gauge over & under, pump, semi-auto in Remington, Ithaca, Browning, Winchester Brand.* You pick the Brand and the type of action & price you want to pay.*

Answer 8

just go for the juglar, and get a 12 gauge. your not a little kid, the recoil may get ya, but you can buy a recoil pad to reduce the impact. Just stayt away from the 16 gauges, because ammo is more expensive . . . its a supply ands demand thing. Look at the Mossberg 835 utili mag it comes with two barrels and its very customizable because there is a good aftermarket. The Remington 870 is also a good gun.

Answer 9

If you're just starting out, I'd recommend a 20 gauge instead of a 410. The 410 and 28 gauge shotguns are actually considered by many to be used by more experienced shooters. The smaller shot pattern gives much less room for error, the 20 and 12 gauge shoots a wider pattern, regardless of choke used when compared to the 410 bore. For a 20 gauge for skeet/small game gun, I'd recommend a Remington 1100 tournament edition. You might want to look at a Browning Citori if you want the classic over/under gun.

Neither one of those is cheap c**p.

If you really want to dress to impress, look into a Browning superposed 20 gauge!

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIte...

Answer 10

Look at a 20 gauge, pump action.  Mossbergs are "cheap price" but not cheaply built , great guns IMHO.  You can't go wrong with a remington either, and a browning, while $$$ more is an excellent gun.  If you've never done much shotgunning, I'd recommend starting with a pump, to get the fundamentals down, them maybe move to an autoloader for you next gun.  look at a 28" barrel for those skeet.