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From: jkh@jade.BERKELEY.EDU (Jordan K. Hubbard)
Newsgroups: mod.rec.guns
Subject: Which (shot)gun to purchase
Message-ID: <1287@jade.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Tue, 16-Sep-86 20:28:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: jade.1287
Posted: Tue Sep 16 20:28:10 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Sep-86 12:27:28 EDT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 82
Approved: jkh@ucbjade
Author: MJWCU@CUNYVM.BitNet


Article: 9:22

     Not that I have anything against flashlights, (I have a Mini-Mag on
 my side at all times, and a 6-D Cell Mag at home), but on with the
 topic of guns....

     I am in the market for a shotgun, and since I have never purchased a
 gun before, I would greatly appreciate any wisdom/first-hand experience
 that anyone can offer.  (I've shot quite a few guns, from a .410 single
 barrel to an automatic AR-15, so I am not quite a novice shooter.)

     First what I want the gun for, not necessarily in order of
 importance.  Home protection, hunting (both varmint and small game),
 recreational target type shooting, and JUST BECAUSE I WANT ONE!

     Now for what I consider important, again, not necessarily in order
 of importance.

     Shotgun should:
         1) Be easy to use.  My wife will have occasion to fire it,
            both because I will drag her out and make her get used to it,
            and God forbid in the case of an emergency, she should know
            to how to load and handle it.

         2) Be moderately inexpensive, (cheap?), yet reliable. Until I
            become familiar with all the nuances involved in proper gun
            handling and care, I would prefer to possibly ruin a less
            expensive model.

         3) Be relatively easy to 'break-down' for repair and cleaning.
            The last time I had occasion to tear-down a gun was my M-16
            when I was in the service.  I'd prefer a somewhat simple
            and straight foreward model so I would be less likely to
            avoid cleaning it because of the chore involved.

      Ok, there's what I think I want, now for some questions.

         1) What choke should I get?  Or, should I get one of the newer
            models that have inter-changeable barrels? (I think my wife
            would be somewhat reluctant to fire the gun after the full-
            choke knocked her on her ass the first shot!!!  That is
            if my assumption that choke type is directly related to
            amount of kick-back.)

         2) Is a .12 guage the best gun for what I think I will be using
            it for? I have spoken to people that say I would be better
            off buying a 30-06 or similar rifle, (one of whom was a
            gun salesman showing me a $250 shotgun and a $700 30-06!!)

         3) Is a double-barrel a good idea?  I decided on it because of
            it seems more reliable. Put a shell in each barrel, close
            gun and fire.

         4) If the answer to 3) is yes, am I better off with an
            over-and-under or a side-by-side?  From what I have seen,
            the side-by-side is somewhat cheaper.  Is there any reason
            for this?

         5) There's a gun shop less than a mile from my new home.
            I was wonderng if it would be sensible to buy from
            that delear even if I could do better, price-wise, somewhere
            else.  Is there a great difference in pricing among dealers?
            Are there any pointers for dealing with gun dealers?

         6) Are there any caveats for buying a used gun?  I just bought
            a new house in what seems to be hunting country, and as
            such, used guns are as common as used pickups! Do I ask for
            a test shoot before buying?  Should I kick the stock?  Or
            is a used gun usually a 'blind purchase'?

     I plan on making the purchase in the next month, so any advice
 would be greatly appreciated.  If there are any items I have neglected,
 (and I assume there will be many), please feel free to enlighten me.

     I've asked quite a few questions here, so if people prefer, e-mail
 instead of posting, and I will summarize if there's interest.

 Thanks in advance,
 Marty Walsh
 Systems Programmer
 City University of New York
 (212) 903-3655