A bewildering variety of shotguns and ammo are available, potentially making it difficult for someone to make a purchase.
Background Information on Shotguns
- Single shot shotguns are generally the least expensive; their downfall is that they only hold one shell at a time. To fire again, you have to open the breach and insert a new shell, a time consuming activity. Still, they are a functional tool for many tasks.
- Pump-action shotguns are the most common kind. They are known for their low cost (though some models can still get very expensive, they are some of the cheapest common shotguns), and reliability. After every shot you must pump the forend (place where you put your left hand) of the gun to eject the spent shell and load another from the magazine tube into the chamber.
- Auto-loader shotguns (also known as "semi-automatic") use a few different types of systems so the only operation you do to fire a round is pull the trigger. Reliability is lowered and using a variety of rounds reduces reliability even more.
- Double barrel shotguns come in two varieties: over-unders (O/U) with one barrel above another, and side-by-sides, in which the barrels are located horizontally. Some people prefer one style, some the other; neither is ultimately better, and both styles are expensive.
For a beginner, a pump action is probably a good place to start since it is very common, cheap, versatile, and reliable.
Barrel length primarily affects the handling capabilities of the shotgun. It also affects the ability to aim the shotgun accurately.
- Longer barrels swing more smoothly and are considered better for predictable targets. Shorter barrels are both easier to maneuver in restricted spaces and are quicker to point; they are considered better for combat or unpredictable birds.
- Longer barrels give you a longer distance from the end of the barrel to your eye, making eye alignment less critical. This makes them more accurate.
- There is a slight increase in muzzle velocity with longer barrels, but it's not enough to worry about. More important is the increased flash and noise when shooting a shotgun with a short barrel.
- A choke is a section at the end of the barrel which slightly constricts the diameter of the muzzle. For shot, it makes the pattern tighter, and travel further while maintaining a dense enough pattern to kill/destroy your target. There are many sizes of chokes, and a couple types of chokes which may be in a barrel.
- The size of the choke changes how wide the spread of the pellets will be. The tighter the choke, generally, the tighter the pattern. Loose patterns allow for greater aiming error, but it also means that your range is more limited.
- The two types of chokes are fixed chokes and screw-in chokes. Fixed chokes are part of the barrel design and cannot be changed or removed (without major work). The screw-in choke means the end of the barrel is threaded (inside the bore) to allow many different sizes of chokes to be easily replaced.
- Slugs and buckshot should not be shot through both tight (improved modified, full, or extra full) fixed chokes or any type of screw-in choke; you are likely to damage the gun.
- Some shotgun barrels are rifled. These are much less versatile than most shotguns, not being able to shoot birdshot, buckshot, or normal slugs, but are very accurate when shooting sabot slugs.
Generally, shotguns are able to shoot two types of ammunition: single large pellets called 'slugs', which make the shotgun act a bit like a rifle, and shells full of smaller pellets called shot, which is useful for hitting small/moving targets.
- Higher shot numbers indicate smaller size shot; #9 shot birdshot is much smaller than #4. This applies to all 'categories' of shot.
- One category of shot is birdshot, used to hunt birds or shoot targets. The most common size, #7 1/2, is about .1" in diameter.
- The other category is buckshot, generally used to hunt large critters such as coyotes or deer. In such a load, pellets as large as .38" are carefully packed into a shotgun shell.
- Shotshells are available in either high-base (AKA high-brass) or low-base loadings. The high-base shells have more powder and are thus more powerful - use them when you need something extra.
- A shotshells come in various lengths. In 12ga, for instance, common lengths are 2.75", 3", and 3.5".
- A shotgun can shoot shells shorter than its chamber (which will be marked on the barrel), but not longer.
- Longer shells have more pellets and more powder... and generate much more recoil. You'll only want to used them when you have to.
- Bore size is also a big consideration as 12-, or even 10-, gauge shotguns can be painful to shoot for some (untrained, sensitive, small, or weak) users. 16, 20, 28 gage, or .410" shotguns are available which have much less kick and thus are easier to handle for such individuals.
- Slugs are useful for hunting large animals at moderate ranges.
- Don't fire slugs through tight chokes.
- Don't shoot slugs through "overbored" barrels.
- Sabot slugs won't perform well in smooth-bore (unrifled) barrels. Use them in rifled barrels.
- "Rifled" slugs are designed to be used in smooth-bore barrels.
- The patterning board is your best friend for figuring out what ammo your shotgun likes and how various chokes work in it: simply shoot once at a piece of paper and look at the resulting pattern.
Method 1 of 2: To chose a shotgun:
1Find your dominant eye, generally the same as your dominant hand. This determines if you should purchase a left or right handed shotgun; if your right eye is dominant, buy a right-handed shotgun. Some shotguns can be used by both right and left "eyed" people.Ad
2Form a budget; depending upon how much you are willing to spend, you may be able to rule out entire types of shotguns. Generally, you should expect to spend:
- $100 USD on a break-open single shot
- $200-$500 on a pump-action shotgun
- $500-$1000 on a semi-auto shotgun
- $1000+ on a worthwhile double-barreled shotgun
3Go to a gun store with a large selection of shotguns
4Find a shotgun that fits you:
- Pick a spot on the wall
- Close your eyes
- Point the shotgun at that point on the wall
- Open your eyes
- The shotgun should have come to your shoulder easily.
- The stock should not be too short for you. Ask the shopkeeper for advice on this matter.
- You should not have to deflect your head very much from it's natural upright position to place your eye correctly over the barrel; assuming this position should be natural.
- The shotgun should be pointing at the spot on the wall when you open your eyes.
5Inspect this shotgun for damage or rust.
6If you like the shotgun, it's within your budget, it shoulders naturally, and it's mechanically sound, then you should buy the shotgun!
Method 2 of 2: To Choose Ammunition:
1Find out what gauge of shotgun you are buying ammo for. The common gauges are 10, 12, 16, 20, 28, and .410. 28 is smaller than 20 which is smaller than 16. The larger the gauge, the smaller in diameter the shell is. .410 is an odd exception, just remember it is the smallest.
2Find out if your shotgun barrel is rifled. If it is, you can only shoot slugs - preferentially "sabot slugs". If your barrel does not have grooves in it, you can shoot everything, including sabot slugs - though the slugs won't be very accurate.
3Decide what you are going to use the ammo for:
- For small animals or clay targets, buy shotshells with small shot ("birdshot", #9 up to, say #4) in them. Not only are they the cheapest shells available, but they are gentler on your shotgun and (generally) your shoulder.
- For larger small animals, such as ducks up to large geese, you should buy shotshells with somewhat larger shot, say #5 up to #2.
- For larger animals, such as coyotes or deer, it is best to use buckshot - the largest pellets available in a shotgun shell.
- Alternatively, you may choose to buy slugs for shooting large animals. Remember, sabot slugs for rifled barrels, "rifled" slugs for smooth barrels.
We could really use your help!
- Alternatively, you could buy an aftermarket stock to make the shotgun fit you. If you don't like the new stock, you can put the old one back on very easily.
- Bring a knowledgeable friend.
- A stock that doesn't quite fit can be modified so that it does, by gluing on moleskin or reshaping the wood, but this is harder than just picking a shotgun that fits in the first place.
- Respect the shopkeeper's property: ask permission to shoulder the shotgun in the store, to rack the slide/bolt, and such actions.
- Make sure you handle the shotgun safely in the store. You don't want to be unsafe or upset other people!
- Don't shoot buckshot or slugs through a tight choke.
Categories: Guns and Shooting
Recent edits by: Tilly Devine, Krystle, Goatee123
In other languages:
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 129,249 times.