What gun to buy?

Question

I have no idea where to start! I love shooting, I love different kinds of guns, but when it comes to actual brands, i'm lost.
I'm stuck between a shotgun and a rifle:
I love shooting skeet, love love love it.
But I'm not a huge fan of bird.
So I wouldn't really go bird hunting at all with it.

With a rifle,
I love target practice, I have really good aim.
I would go deer hunting with it.
But I wouldn't be able to shoot skeet.

and i love muzzle loaders, too though.
but i don't think I want one... It would get too expensive I think, buying the balls and patches and powder, and ram rods, all that stuff.
so I don't think I want to invest in that right now.

but what should I buy?
I really don't go hunting all too often, though. I went just once last year.

But in addition to what kind of gun,
what brands are the best?
I'm kind of lost. haha

to what you said, tom p, I do shoot guns a lot. I love shooting both. And they're both so much fun to me. I just can't decide which one to buy

and to keith, no, I would kill things with it. that's what HUNTING is. I just love skeet and target practice also.

alright, i really don't think that people are understanding this. I already know how to shoot a gun. I shoot guns all the time, I just haven't bought one yet. I shoot skeet a lot. I shoot rifles for target practice a lot. I shoot muzzle loaders a lot, and I already know how to take them apart and clean them really good. I just need help on BUYING one. I don't need help with shooting. I have that perfectly. dead aim already. thanks guys.

Answer 1

I think just by your question that it is a toss up between target rifle and skeet shotgun.

Try going with a friend who can lend you a gun and try them both again several times.

Make a decision based on which you thought was most fun.

Hope this helps.

EDIT:
OK, you just want advice on which to buy.... I would recommend a Remington o/u modified choke 12 ga. for skeet shooting.

I have no guess for target as I don't know the range you shoot, small bore, big bore, competitive, etc.

Good luck.

(Hunter/target/skeet shooter for 30 years)

Answer 2

Here is the platform an earlier poster referred to:

http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/encore.php

Interchangeable barrels give you everything from a .204 Ruger to 300 winchester magnum or a 45/70.

Does muzzle loading too.

But it's a single shot device, so it may not work for trap and skeet.

Combo devices are mostly compromises.

Best bet is to buy five or six rifles and shotguns for various uses.

Start off with the kind of shooting you do most often, or enjoy the most.

Answer 3

I had the same question awhile back, I ended up going with a shotgun with a second rifled barrel for shooting saboted slugs, not quite a hunting rifle, but should be more than adequate for taking deer down over 100yds with practice, and the combo was under $400 (think I saw it on wal-mart.com afterwards for closer to $300). I personally got the Mossberg 500 with a 24" rifled and 26" smoothbore in 12ga, just for reference
edit: as far as shotgun brands, you can't go wrong with remington or mossberg, (870 and 500 respectively for pumps, believe 1170 and 835/935 for semi-autos respectively) people will argue to death over which is better but they are both excellent and relatively inexpensive
edit #2: my favorite target rifle is a 17HMR, not good for hunting anything over like 20lbs but VERY accurate and much less expensive to shoot than the larger caliber guns

Answer 4

Muzzle loaders can be a bit tricky for a novice.
They need extra care for safety in loading, and
there's all that cleanup afterwards.
You sound like a target shooter exclusively.
Why not get both a used .22 for the range,
and a nice skeet gun to start you out.
If you get into skeet, you will shoot a LOT.
A 12 Ga. makes it easier, but that recoil will
get to you in the second or third round.
Try a lighter gun to start., (20 or 28 Ga.).
It'll be harder to 'smoke` birds at first but
it'll make you a better shot in the long run.

Answer 5

Heres what i think you should do. I think you should get a rifle/shotgun combo. Its like an over/under shtogun, only one barrel is a rifle. you can get them in calibers and gauges that are soemwhat close. Like a .22WMR and a .410, or a .243 or something like that and a 20 gauge, or you can get a bigger rifle, like a 308 or 30-06 and a 12 gauge.

There are also the Rifles that switch out barrels, and i know Knight makes one and Thompson Center probly does too. Those come with a shotgun barrel, a rifle barrel, and a muzzleloader barrrel. I dont know much about either types of guns, so maybe someone with some expierience with these kinds can help you or you can look em up on the internet.

Answer 6

I think the best place to start is with a good rugged .22 rifle and an in expensive shotgun. With a .22 you can get hours of fun shooting at very low cost, they are fairly cheap ( I see used marlin model 60's at pawnshops all the time for $60-$90. It boils down to what you want most, and what you'd use most. If just plinking, get the .22 if you want to start hunting game animals right away, go for a rifle, if you want to shoot trp or skeet, by all means get a good shotgun If you are on a budget (like most of us) consider a good used firearm. If you don't know what to look for in a used firearm, take someone with you who does, or ask lot's of questions. I applaud your drive to enter into hunting sports and wish you the best of luck.
Shoot safe

Answer 7

This is you of those questions that have no right answer. Most people will tell you to go buy a combo, a rifle on the top and a shotgun on the bottom. Not the coolest way to go, i would not recommend it for your situation. If i were you i would go buy a pump action shotgun(i would get a 12ga, but what ever works, just remember 28ga are for woman and vice presidents) Every manufacture makes them(Winchester, rugar, mossberg, the list goes on)- the price differences very closly represent the quality. If you go this path you can skeetshoot to your hearts content, and can always pull your choke out and taget practice w/ slugs (deer too put i dont recomend it). hope i was some help

Answer 8

Mossberg and remington both make shotguns (models 500 and 870 respectively) that I would choose as my first gun. you can shoot skeet if you can cycle fast enough, and you can get them with deals that come with a smoothbore barrel and a rifled barrel, which you can run rifled slugs through them, accurately out to 100 yards, depending on what your barrel prefers and how well you shoot.

I'm not sure about remington, but Mossberg even manufactured muzzle loader barrels that will extend your hunting season (depending on state laws of course)

hope this helps

Answer 9

Every one here can offer their own personal suggestions but that is of no use if you can't make a decision at least as to what you want yourself. There is no
"one gun fix" here so in order to do everything you have listed you are going to have to consider buying 1 or 2 or maybe 3 different firearms to cover the bases initially.You are the only one that can prioritize and decide which is the most interesting activity that YOU love to do and then go from there......Anything short of that decision is putting the cart before the horse so to speak....

Answer 10

270 winchester
any lever rifle
pump rifle
or so its not realy a gun a bow