New to firearms. Need suggestions

[cgper]

Hi guys,
I've always had an interest in guns but have never owned one. Been to an indoor shooting range a couple of times and really enjoyed it. I plan on going to do some trap shooting to see if it's something I would enjoy and I think I will.

Anyway, my question was what would be a good beginner's shotgun for trap/sporting clays? I was looking at Remington 870 but there are so many different models of 870 that I couldn't narrow it down. express/home defense/tactical???

Any help would be appreciated. Also does anyone frequent Triple B Clays? That's where im planning on going in the near future.

Thanks

[benbangui]

well your kinda talking about 2 different shotguns. unless you want to know which one will serve both purposes best.

plane and simple:
a clay/bird gun your gonna want a longer barrel.
a home defense gun you want short compact and movable.

tactical accessories can be for either purposes though...

you can do 2 easy things... get a HD tactical shotty that has a 20+ in barrel theaded for chokes vs a 18in barrel and not threaded. that will alow you to shoot clays at distance farly well...

or find a theaded 18in HD tactical shotty but that will be kinda hard with the 870 platform...

me personally, yea, i wanted 1 shotty to do both. i found a 18 barrel that was threaded (but it wasnt a 870) and i can use it for HD and when i want to go bird hunting or clay shooting i throw a modified or full choke in it and i can do just as well as anyone else with there 26in barrels

hope that helps

[cgper]

Thanks for your response. I guess my original post might have been confusing because I'm not looking for a home defense gun. This would be purely for trap/clays/skeet. I was asking about the 870 express or 870 tactical. I'm just confuse with the many models of the 870.
So an 870 express is a good shotgun for my needs?

[BigDogatPlay]

Assuming that you are planning on shooting trap, skeet or some manner of sporting clays at an established club or range, an 870 Express with 28 inch barrel and choke tubes will get you started nicely. Many clubs will not let you shoot with the short barrel of a tactical model.

You may want to consider polishing the chamber of an 870 Express with some steel wool as they can be sticky with some makes of ammo, there are a number of threads here on that subject, but otherwise it's a proven design with millions in existence around the world.

Wait for the next sale at Big 5 and check it out. Depending on where you are located there are a number of members here who are happy to meet up with new shooters at their clubs (including myself) and get them introduced to the sport.

[Thefeeder]

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For shooting Trap/ sporting clays or any clays game a good fitting field shotgun is the way to go.

There is no one gun for everybody.....Most people just buy what is on sale and let it go at that.

BEFORE YOU BUY A SHOTGUN

Go out to Triple B and set up for one beginner lesson. You don't need to spend a ton of money for lessons.

In your first lesson

You will learn how to shoulder the shotgun, what a good fitting shotgun should look like when sighting down the barrel, basic safety, target leads....and so on.

Then shoot with some old timers at the range and learn the rest for free

You will learn much more with one lesson then 2 weeks of reading on this forum

[SofaGeorge]

For shooting Trap/ sporting clays or any clays game a good fitting field shotgun is the way to go.

There is no one gun for everybody.....Most people just buy what is on sale and let it go at that.

BEFORE YOU BUY A SHOTGUN

Go out to Triple B and set up for one beginner lesson. You don't need to spend a ton of money for lessons.

In your first lesson

You will learn how to shoulder the shotgun, what a good fitting shotgun should look like when sighting down the barrel, basic safety, target leads....and so on.

Then shoot with some old timers at the range and learn the rest for free

You will learn much more with one lesson then 2 weeks of reading on this forum

Great advice.

[j.primo]

SxS or O/U

[bjl333]

Hi guys,
I've always had an interest in guns but have never owned one. Been to an indoor shooting range a couple of times and really enjoyed it. I plan on going to do some trap shooting to see if it's something I would enjoy and I think I will.

Anyway, my question was what would be a good beginner's shotgun for trap/sporting clays? I was looking at Remington 870 but there are so many different models of 870 that I couldn't narrow it down. express/home defense/tactical???

Any help would be appreciated. Also does anyone frequent Triple B Clays? That's where im planning on going in the near future.

Thanks

Welcome to Calguns !!! Don't buy anything yet!!! I've been running some skeet clinics for beginning or advanced shooters. You can read all about the clinics by clicking into this thread >> http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=329160

Or shoot me a PM. I think you'll enjoy coming out to shoot with us. Good Luck !!!

Jordon

[cgper]

thanks everyone! I'll definitely look into the skeet clinics.
another question about triple B's, can I go alone and rent a shotgun? or do I need to bring a buddy like most of the indoor shooting ranges?

thanks in advance!

[IrishPirate]

You want THIS. For the price, if you find out you don't like it, you wont be financially damaged and i guarantee you can sell it for close to what you paid. However, if you do like shooting with it, it gives you a skeet/hunting barrel and a home defense barrel, plus the Mossberg 500 action. So really, you can't lose. The 500 is the best way to go IMHO, and this is the best deal for someone just getting into shooting (or for anyone who wants a 500 really)

[bjl333]

thanks everyone! I'll definitely look into the skeet clinics.
another question about triple B's, can I go alone and rent a shotgun? or do I need to bring a buddy like most of the indoor shooting ranges?

thanks in advance!

Give them a call 626-579-5201.

I wouldn't suggest you go at it alone. It can be very frustrating to shoot skeet if you have not tried it before.

[thomashoward]

You want THIS. For the price, if you find out you don't like it, you wont be financially damaged and i guarantee you can sell it for close to what you paid. However, if you do like shooting with it, it gives you a skeet/hunting barrel and a home defense barrel, plus the Mossberg 500 action. So really, you can't lose. The 500 is the best way to go IMHO, and this is the best deal for someone just getting into shooting (or for anyone who wants a 500 really)

+1 and a mentor to go with it. Don't get sucked into serious competition.Learn and enjoy