What is the difference between all the shotguns?
I’ll be buying a shotgun in a few months and I’m a bit confused by the current market. I’ve used shotguns before at the range, so I’m not clueless but whats the difference in, say, a turkey shotgun and a deer shotgun? Or a field shotgun and a waterfowl one? Or waterfowl and a tactical shotgun? I know that shotguns differ as far the the feel goes, some just feel right when you shoot it, but some don’t. However, whats the difference them that would make one better at shooting a turkey and another that makes it particularly good at taking down Waterfowl? My earlier understanding was that it was the load or shot that made that difference rather than the gun itself. I can understand barrels being better for some, one barrel is thicker or stronger for heavy loads while another could be lighter for light loads, but that doesn’t justify a whole different gun! Aren’t barrels changeable? How could one gun be better for different hunts?
I want to get a tactical shotgun, but I also want to have the option to hunt deer, turkey or waterfowl. Is that possible? Wouldn’t a gun that can defend your home against people also be just as useful taking down deer? Just change the shorter barrel to a longer one, right?
Thanks for the help.
Posted in used shotguns
December 25th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Well for the gun its self , you have Pump or semi auto. Some guns only accept 2 1/2 inch shells and some accept bigger shells like 3 1/2 inch. Most bigger ones will also accept the smaller 2 1/2 inch shells also. Now for the barrel. Barrels have different chokes for different shot spread. Its small variances in the diameter of the bore of the barrel to give you a tight shot spread or a loose shot spread. If you are hunting turkey you would use a tight choke, like full or even a turkey choke. It gives a tight pattern to reach out and kill a turkey. And maybe for dove you want the shot to be more spread out because they are moving. I have a Remington 870, 3 1/2 inch 12 gauge. So i can shoot 2 3/4, 3, and 3 1/2 inch shells with it. I have two barrels for it, a slug barrel and a all purpose barrel. The all purpose barrel has choke tubes that are screwed on the end of the barrel so i can change the choke tubes without changing the barrel depending on what im hunting. I use it to hunt everything but deer. When i hunt deer i just put my slug barrel on the gun which takes about 30 seconds. With this one gun i can hunt squirrels, rabbits, deer, turkey, waterfowl, and many more animals. I can also use it for trap. There is really no need for me to have another shotgun, but i have about 15 more just because i love guns.
December 25th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
It easy to swap barrels on most shotguns. I can do it in less than ten seconds on my Mossberg.
Get a rifled barrel with sights for deer and use slugs and then a longer choked one for birds. If someone is in the house, it really won;t matter which barrel is on it. A shorter barrel is better, but in a pinch, that bird barrel can use buckshot just fine.
I know guys that use the rifled barrel almost all the time, but when using it for smaller birds, you really need a choke.
December 25th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
when in need of a multi purpose shotgun due to those pesky budgets think winchester 1300 they pull a premium now due to no longer being manufactured but can still be found under $350 for home defense my pefference is a shotgun with a barrel less than 26 inches my preffered choice is 20 these lengths make moving down a hall much more simple so a 26 inch barrel with the win choke system is the way to go for home deffense buck shot and an improved cylinder choke dear rifled slug choke tube turkey super full aftermarket choke and copper plated turkey rounds water fowl steel proofed chokes and steel shot as for capacity the winchester is easy to plug and unplug with a simple dowel rod just plug it for hunting trips and unplug t and change chokes for burglars. as for tactical a good synthetic pistolgriped sholder stock adds to the look and increases the control of the shotgun with heavy shot
ps. the 1300 is desighned as a speed pump system which deadens recoil and speeds up the firing rate
December 25th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Basically it just depends on what kind of furniture you put on the shotgun. I have a Remington 870 in 12 Ga.
When I bought it, it had a wood stock, 28 inch barrel with screw in chokes. Good bird gun. I can hunt turkey, water fowl, pheasant, etc., with it.
A friend talked me into hunting deer with the shotgun, so I bought a 20 inch slug barrel. Only did that once and went back to my rifle.
I later got into IPSC three-gun matches which required a tactical type shotgun. So, I bought an extension tube to increase ammo capacity (eight rounds instead of four), put on the 20 inch barrel, changed the wood stock out to a black plastic stock. POOF I had a "tactical shotgun".
I can change the gun around to pretty much what ever I want.
Lots of aftermarket stuff for the 870.
December 25th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
There IS only one real and true do em all gun in the world.
The Remington 870.
Barrels, stocks, sights, 2", 3" even 3 1/2" magnums
Get a 12 gauge 870. Go talk to a dealer about what you will be primarily doing with it then he can get you the right "base" setup. You can buy barrels and such from there.