FR Gun Club

Radio Free NJ - Buying a First Shotgun ^ | T. Costell

[sig226]

Tom Costell is a member of Free Republic.

[sig226]

ping

[ottbmare]

Is there anything wrong with using a .410 as a small farmyard varmint gun? I’m thinking possums, etc.

[bmwcyle]

CCI Blazer 45 Auto Shotshells, 10 rds

I use this for small problems.

[tcostell]

As the author of the piece, I certainly don't think so. I don't like to start out anyone on wingshooting with a 410 because the pattern is too small, but a small bore certainly has it's uses. The trick is not to try and make it do everything. IMHO, A .410 is a special purpose gun, not a general purpose gun.

[caver]

Good article for those in the market for their first shotgun.

[Andonius_99]

Is there anything wrong with using a .410 as a small farmyard varmint gun? I’m thinking possums, etc.

My dad uses his for varmints, both the woodsy and street-sy kind. It'll do the job better than a BB gun!

[wolfcreek]

I like the *Just in case* series from Mossberg.

[Yo-Yo]

Is that a can of Vienna Sausages in the survival kit? (Or a waterproof can of ammunition...)

[Yo-Yo]

Nothing at all with using a .410 for farmyard varmit. I would suggest the .410 Snake Charmer to keep under the seat of the pickup.

But now there's also the Taurus .410/.45 Colt Judge revolver that would be easier to keep on your hip.

[Marauder]

My favorite shotgun is my Remington 870; bought it used for $95 on 9-11-2001 and a gunsmith told me the barrel was slightly bent at 18”. He cut it off, then I added a magazine extension so that it holds 6 rounds.

A cop friend of mine asked me about the legality of that many rounds capacity (Texas Fish and Wildlife law mandates a plug to limit its total load to 3 rounds) and I reminded him that it’s not a game gun. I had another species of critter in mind when I bought it.

[MileHi]

Using a .410 is akin to bow hunting. The object is to increase the level of difficulty.

BTW, the .410 is not measured like the the others. I’m sure you know but that didn’t come through clearly in your piece.

As for me, Rem 870 with a long ribbed barrel and a short iron sighted barrel, both with Rem choke.

[P8riot]

I’ve got several, but my favorite is my old 12GA Ithaca 37 Featherlight that my father bought for me as a HS graduation present in 1974.

[wolfcreek]

http://www.rrarms.com/catalog.php?prod=G52340

I think there’s room for extra goodies.

[PeteB570]

Most critters that size I can get with a long handled shovel. Less noise.

I save my Winchester 1300 Defender for critters that might try and get in the front door.

My dogs are good for an alert in both cases. If it gets on the fence or steps up off the curb the dogs go to barking.

[wolfcreek]

If you buy a shotgun that already has a short barrel, it’s legal in Texas.

You just can’t do it yourself.

[2nd Bn, 11th Mar]

FTA: “Mossberg doesn’t make a pretty gun, but they have legendary reliability, and the click-clack of the pump is often more than enough itself to drive the average intruder away.”

I have read and heard this many times, i.e., the sound from racking (sp?) a pump shotgun will drive an intruder away.

Anybody know if there’s any data or collection of anecdotal evidence to support this notion?

Thanks much and Semper Fi,

[tcostell]

Yeah ... others have commented the same thing on my blog (and you're right ... I did know that even when I was writing it) But my thought was that I could alsways explain a relatively small detail like that later. It didn't seem critical to include it especially since it's a piece written for first time gun buyers.

In my mind, Remington is really the gun by which all others are measured. (well ... you know ... for a working American guns for peasants like me... you can't compare a Remington to a Purdy but who would?) I think the new turkish guns come close enough in quality to a Remington and are priced enough less than a remington to be a good value. They are not in my opinion "the same as a remington", but I think they are worth the price all the same. That goes double in my mind, for someone who is just starting to shoot and should be looking to keep the expense ot a minimum.

[tcostell]

I doubt anyone has done a study on it but there is mountains of empircal evidence. I don't know a single gun owner who diesn't have a story about a relative driving away intruders just by chambering a round.

Anyone?

[Shooter 2.5]

and the click-clack of the pump is often more than enough itself to drive the average intruder away.

And that's where I stopped reading. The guy might know a thing about different shotguns but he doesn't know anything about staying alive. If you care to scare some intruder away then do it with your voice. The weapon should have the safety off and the front sight on the intruder's center mass. If I'm within sound range of an intruder, I'm not going to be fumbling around trying to chamber a round. It's stupid tactics and shows how little the author knows. It will get you killed.