Researching Guns

audiobliss

I'm wanting to research pistols, rifles, and, right now, mostly shotguns. What are some good websites for reading about them, and then some good online stores to get an idea for how much they cost?

Thanks!

VR3

AB with a gun??

God help us all.

engtaz

From the South remember! Ha Ha

engset

P.S. SIG-Sauer P220 .45 ACP

tonyb

Lock your doors people...........especially if you have
some JC-1 mono's sitting around.:D

audiobliss

Hahahahaha. Thanks for the great encouragement, people; this place is just awesome. :rolleyes:

Already have a SIG-Sauer .45. Well, access to it, anyway.

I went sporting clays yesterday and so am more interested in shotguns at the moment.

SLOCOOKN

I would recommend a semi auto. You will have a little more maintenance vs. a side by side or over and under. The cost will be close to each other. This will be a personal preference. The recoil on a semi-auto will be less than a pump or a double barrel.

If you do any hunting with the shotgun the third shot is always a plus.

You will find just like everything else. No one will agree on what the best gun is. It is more like buying a camera in this regard. You will need to go and hold several guns and find one that fits you best. So long as you buy from one of the major manufactures you will have a nice gun.

Winchester, Browning, Benali, Remington all make nice guns.

After you purchase your gun you should take it to a good gunsmith and have it fitted to you. This will improve your overall performance.

Good Luck,
Steve

schwarcw

What do you intend to do with it? Hunt, house protection, target shooting, stick up a few convenience stores or shoot some rotten SOB that's got under your skin? This will make a difference in what you get!

audiobliss

The latter!




J/K

Well, I'd like a shotgun for home protection...whenever I get a home...so I'd be looking for one that could aptly handle that duty. However, the more immediate use would be for skeet shooting, trap shooting, sporting clays, etc. I know I'm not going to turn into a hunter, though I wouldn't be too surprised if I try it out a time or two.

I ran across a Benelli M4 that can be either a semi-auto OR a pump action. That'd be pretty sweet.

And I haven't done any research yet, really, so I'm not 100% sure, but according to what I've heard so far, I think I want to stay away from gas-operated shotguns. I hear they're really a BEAR to clean.

SLOCOOKN

audiobliss wrote:

The latter!


And I haven't done any research yet, really, so I'm not 100% sure, but according to what I've heard so far, I think I want to stay away from gas-operated shotguns. I hear they're really a BEAR to clean.

Don't buy into the hype too much. A gas recoil is not bad to clean. The Benalli (sp) will need to be disassembled to be cleaned aswell. The time spent will be about the same. Any gun with poor maintenance will preform poorly. In -10 degree weather goose hunting I have put as many as 3 boxes of shells through a gas recoil with no problems!

audiobliss

Ok, I guess I should clarify. What I heard was that the gas-operated shotguns have ports in the barrel that direct the gas to some mechanism that uses that energy to eject the old shell and load a new one. Mixed in with that gas is all the gunk and unburned powder, and it builds up on all the parts. The person who was telling me this said that if you're just going to shoot a few shots like if you're hunting that it's not that bad, but if you're going to shoot 120+ at a time like sporting clays, then you'll have a MESS and that you have to use solvents and a wire brush to clean it all up.

Again, like I said, I don't know if that's totally true, but that's a little more detailed info on what it is I heard.

I have to admit, the Beretta Extrema2 looks VERY nice. However, I can't get to their site, so I have no idea how much it costs.

madmax

You have to disassemble and use solvents to clean up any shotgun. BTW, cleaning is part of the hobby.
madmax

audiobliss

madmax wrote:

You have to disassemble and use solvents to clean up any shotgun.

Didn't know that. Still not sure I do, but thanks for the info.

madmax wrote:

BTW, cleaning is part of the hobby.
madmax

Yes, that's a given. However, why buy gun A if it's ten times harder to clean than gun B?


It's beginning to look like they're might not be much of a difference, though, which is cool. Now I just have, like, another 486,937 guns to choose from.

polrbehr

Any chance you'll have an opportunity to shoot a few different models? How about at a local range/gun club, or with friends/family? Nothing like a little hands-on trigger time, especially if you're looking at a $400+ purchase.
From what I recall, there's a bit of difference in the recoil of different gauges and loads. Heavier weapons usually have less felt recoil, but the trade-off may be some weariness after a few hours of shooting.
And for use in the home, NEVER, NEVER use handloaded ammo, no matter what kind of gun you're talking about, for defensive purposes. That should go without saying, but it's worth repeating, IMO.
Good luck in whatever you decide to try.

audiobliss

Thanks for the advice, polrbehr.

I think I actually can manage to try out a few different shotguns, though I'm not sure exactly how many. But you're right...definitely would like to try it before putting out that much cash...and at the moment I'm looking at $1000 - $1500. :eek:

Good point about using handloaded ammo for self-defense; I never would have thought about that, and hadn't heard it before; thanks for repeating it!

Holydoc

Really it is according to what model of guns/rifles you are looking for inorder for me to recommend some good sites to read about them. Just to get you started though, here is a good general site with lots of involvement:

http://www.thehighroad.org/index.php

For beretta guns and rifles go here:

http://www.berettaforum.net/vb/index.php

For Smith&Wesson go here:

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CustomContentDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&content=11001

For Concealed Carry Information go here:

http://www.packing.org/


If you get more specific, I might be able to lead you a bit better. Good luck on your search.

audiobliss

Thank you for the links, Holydoc; I'll definitely check them out!

At the moment I don't know how to be much more specific than sporting clays and similar events.

I just discovered www.shotgunworld.com and have been reading a little bit over there.

MSALLA

Check out ithica shot guns . Very nice. Also, if your going to shoot alot of skeet, you may want to set some cash aside for stock mods. Not a must have but it makes for better shooting .
I loved my remington 870 more then any other shot gun at any price once I had the stock done.

I-SIG

audiobliss wrote:

Yes, that's a given. However, why buy gun A if it's ten times harder to clean than gun B?

Becuase with gun A I can shoot 95% but I can only shoot 80% with gun B.

If you are putting food on the table, not that big a difference. If I'm defending a life and can increase my chances of allowing that life to survive by 15% then it's a no brainer.

Wes

audiobliss

Hmm, yet another valid point. Though, I've not read any disparaging comments about the accuracy of either Benelli or Beretta shotguns. I'll research Ithaca this afternoon.

madmax

You really should find some people to take you out and let you shoot numerous guns and find the one that makes you smile. I've gone and shot whole carloads full of guns with friends and you just can't beat shooting a few rounds off with 20 different guns at the same time. It really allows you to see the difference and pick the one that gives you the most joy.

audiobliss

You're absolutely right, just like with audio; nothing like trying one out to help you make up your mind before purchasing.

The guy who took me sporting clays Friday has invited me to come over to his place sometime, look at his shotguns, and disassemble them all and compare cleaning procedures. He has a Benelli M1, M2, and a Cordova, I think, though I'm not sure on that last one. He also has a Beretta 390 and a Franchi over & under.

He also said (I think) that I could shoot at a tree to get a feel for mounting them and their different levels of kick.

While that's nowhere close to 20 different guns, that's definitely a great start in my book!

audiobliss

What?! You mean Ithaca only makes pump shotguns? I just checked out their website, and the only guns they have listed are pump shotguns.

And what else TOTALLY stinks, is I can't get www.benelliusa.com, www.berettausa.com, or www.franchiusa.com to come up on ANY of our computers at home!!! This is absolutely horrid. This is cruel. This is....not fair.

Beekyman

Check this little gem out... very cool and very fine shootin' too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43jUFeU5exw&mode=related&search=

goingganzo

eather get a porcsline glock or a desert eagle 50cal

audiobliss

Beekyman wrote:

Check this little gem out... very cool and very fine shootin' too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43jUFeU5exw&mode=related&search=

Hahahaha. I can't tell you how many times I've watched that video already! That's what I'm aspiring to!

goingganzo wrote:

eather get a porcsline glock or a desert eagle 50cal

:eek:

m00npie

MSALLA wrote:

I loved my Remington 870 more then any other shot gun at any price once I had the stock done.

+1, although I would differentiate the home defense shot gun from the Skeet shooter.

A long barrel shot gun is can be very awkward in the middle of the night. Here is rather inexpensive, effective home weapon. Be sure to invest in the SureFire light.

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/special_runs/past_special_runs/model_870_express_synthetic_pistol_grip.asp

Mossberg has a similar setup and cheaper I believe. Unless you are handy in home repair, don’t miss!

steveinaz

http://www.galleryofguns.com

Remington 870 12 gauge pump HD Express runs about $299 street price. There are "870's" and there's everybody else, period.

If you grab a 20" rifle-sighted smoothbore remchoke barrel to go on it (Wingmaster 870), you'll have a very versatile shotgun.

ben62670

Go to a gun shop. Close your eyes, bring up the gun, and see what feels natural when you open your eyes. Try this with many guns. I like the heavier barrels of doubles and over and unders. The swing feels more controlled to me.
Ben

steveinaz

goingganzo wrote:

eather get a porcsline glock or a desert eagle 50cal

Please tell me you're kidding...right? The porceline Glock is an urban legend, it never existed. Glock slides have always been made of carbon steel.

audiobliss

ben62670 wrote:

Go to a gun shop. Close your eyes, bring up the gun, and see what feels natural when you open your eyes. Try this with many guns. I like the heavier barrels of doubles and over and unders. The swing feels more controlled to me.
Ben

Good point. I need to remember to do that when I go to the store.



I'm seriously leaning towards a Benelli M2 at the moment.

goingganzo

yeah that was a joke