my first shotgun

[watson 1]

firstly i have shot 12,20 and 410's recently so nobody can say i dont have a clue. im after a cheap 12 bore. i are'nt sure either side by side or over and under? i have been recommended side by side. my budget is around the £200 mark tops.

something like this? i have been told this is just right for me

http://www.guntrader.co.uk/GunsForSale/Det...+255&Filter[NewType][]=Shotgun&Filter[NewMechanism][]=Over%20and%20Under&Filter[NewMechanism][]=Side%20by%20Side&Filter[Calibre][]=20%20gauge&Filter[Calibre][]=12%20gauge&Filter[AddrCounty][]=Cumbria&Filter[AddrCounty][]=East%20Yorkshire&Filter[AddrCounty][]=North%20Yorkshire&Filter[AddrCounty][]=Tyne%20and%20Wear

 

thanks

[Three Blades 0]

It rather depends what you want to use it for. I have both and they do very different jobs.

U/O tend to be heavier and hence are good for clays but are too heavy to carry around the fields for rough or driven shooting.

S/S tend to be lighter and good at the opposite.

That said, make sure that you try a few before you buy and make sure that they fit you. In many cases this does not even require firing any shots but simply mounting the gun and seeing if your eyes are naturally looking straight down the barrels. It is no good if the gun is pointing somewhere different to your eyes.

Plenty of cheap S/S around. Don't worry about not having an ejector if you are not shooting rapid fire.

[humperdingle 0]

You say you've been recommended side-by-side... On what basis?

 

You may find the wide sight plane of the SBS is a little off-putting if you're used to an O/U. I know I did.

 

As has been mentioned, gun-fit is the most important consideration, but i'd always recommend you fire a few shots at clays if at all possible before buying.

[jackinbox99 41]

As above. Depends what you want it for as to whether you want o/u or s/b/s. Also depends upon your personal preference. Traditionally its been said o/u for clays and sbs for field work, but most of the farmers i know use o/u for everything.

 

Price wise you should have no trouble at all finding a decent cheap gun for less than £200. Ive bought / sold several nice guns for less than that over the last few years.

 

The baikal you link to looks good, although I havent looked at any others like that so cant comment on the price. With regards to baikals themselves, I did have a baikal o/u (not s/b/s) 12 bore a few years back and have to say it was a brilliant gun. Like all baikals, the mechanism was a bit stuff and tight even after many many years of use. I found the gun shot very well, although had a little bit of kick to it compared to more expensive guns. I paid £100 for it privately, and sold it 3 years later for £150 to a dealer. Only thing i noticed with mine was that a small crack had appeared on the top of the stock where it meets the action. Whether this is a common problem for baikals i dont know. Anyhow, it didnt affect my shooting and i put litterally 10`s of thousands of shells through it over the time i had it and to be honest, wish id kept it now!

 

As the guy above says, the main thing id look at is fit. Its amazing how different guns are. I "upgraded" from the baikal to a lanber o/u, and i chose that over a browning and a beretta simply because the lanber just felt "right". It fitted perfect straight of the shelf. Of course, you can alter the other guns slightly to improve fit, but when a gun just fitted me perfect off the shelf and felt "right" i didnt see the need to mess about.

 

Id checkout the local gun shops in your area. Take what the owner says with a pinch of salt as very often they try and push you towards the gun they want you to have, rather than what you want. Dont rush into a purchase as prices vary considerably from shop to shop. I have 2 decent shops near where i live. One always charges around 20% more than the other shop on guns, but is actually cheaper on cartridges!

 

Online, checkout these forums as some good guns come up quite regularly.

 

Good luck.

[waidmann 105]

as above if you have no preferance as to sbs/ou then just try to find a gun you feel comfortable with.

baikal are sound guns and not too expensive. the best is try before you buy on clays, if in doubt on the function there is normally someone at a clay shoot who will help out with some tips.

what do you want the gun for, this may help with your choice ( semi,pump have a use too).

 

i would not atke too much notice of the wood finish but pay more attention to working parts,barrels,safety.the wood can be sorted out with an iron and some oil

 

as said above don't rush into it and shop around.

good luck.

[jackinbox99 41]

Just to add, as above bloke said, dont rule out a semi. My first shotgun was a beretta 391 semi. Ive still got it and its always the first i pick out of the cabinet now. Its a jack of all trades. Ideal for clays, game, you name it, it will do it. Its a bit out of your price range, but with the escort semi being very cheap these days, a semi might be something for you to consider....