In the Beginning Part II - Your First Gun

In Part I, we discussed how to get into the shooting sports. The necessary steps to 1. Become a lawful firearms owner, and 2. Be able to purchase a hunting license.

Now, you have your shiny new license in hand, and you have your PAL, which lets you go into any store, and buy that object of your affection.....a new, or even new to you, gun.

So you're at the local sports store, Bass Pro, Cabelas, Gun Shop, etc.....with your hard earned money, and in some cases, a weekends crash course in what guns are and how you handle them without shooting yourself, or someone else in the foot. Intimidating? You betcha.

Here is a plain talk strategy, and a bit of an advice piece, on the selection of your first gun.

1. Budget.

Let's have a frank chat about this.

Getting into hunting is not an inexpensive proposition. By the time you have both your courses done, you are likely to have spent $300+. Add the cost of hunting license, and you're upwards of $350, and you don't even have a gun yet. Before you go shopping, realize that you're likely going to want to spend money on some other hunting gear, as well as ammunition. If you are single, and independently wealthy...well that's all in your favour, but many of us have families, and spouses, who are going to make financial decisions as well. As a good rule of thumb, it's probably wise to budget $1000.00 start to finish...and that's at a bare minimum. After licensing, you'll have $650 with which to go forth and buy a gun ( or two) and some related gear. Do not neglect to factor in some of the equipment required to ensure that once you have your new firearm, you are in fact storing it legally. Soft case, and trigger lock as a minimum.





2. Need

OK. Need is a relative term. Unless you're living in the wilds, 100s of kms away from the nearest grocery store....need is a bit heavy of a term. Let's say "requirements".

As a new hunter, your first hunting experiences are going to be mixed bag. Likely you're going to be getting out on public land, or other areas, and very few new hunters start right into big game, before starting on birds, and other small game.

So, small game, birds ( as well as waterfowl), and the ability to go after larger game? That about sum it up for a "new hunter"?

3. One word: Shotgun

As sexy as centerfire rifles are, and as nice and cheap as plinking with a .22 is, if you are buying your first gun with hunting in mind, then it should without a doubt, be a shotgun. There are several options, but in my experience with new hunters, I have always recommended buying a pump action shotgun, usually packaged with several different barrels for different hunting opportunities. With the purchase of one shotgun, with a standard 26"-28" barrel with chokes, a shorter turkey barrel, and a rifled slug barrel with either sights or scope mount, there is very little you cannot hunt, at least in Eastern North America.

With a standard barrel, and removable chokes, you can shoot every variety of small game, up to and including coyote. This includes all species of birds, and waterfowl. If the option exists for only a standard barrel, and a rifled barrel, the standard barrel with full choke will certainly work just fine on turkeys. With a rifled slug barrel, your gun will be accurate out to 100M for larger game, such as deer and moose. Depending on your locale, there are also areas that have "shotgun only" seasons for deer. This will enable the new hunter to take advantage of those areas.

Mossberg 500

Both Remington, and Mossberg market their best selling pump action shotguns ( the Remington 870, and Mossberg 500) in multi-barrel combos, for just this reason. I will not debate the merits of a Mossberg over a Remington. Field and Stream Magazine did a head to head comparison a while ago, and both guns came out even. the Mossberg was given the edge, because at the end of the day, it made a better boat paddle. Both are also highly customisable. You can take either and with the amount of aftermarket accessories and goodies, you can take a simple, hunting gun, and make it into a short tactical, home defense, zombie killer, or any variation in between.

Remington 870

There are quite a few other manufacturers out there making pump action shotguns, and some are even sold packaged with different barrels. I use the Remington, and Mossberg as example only. The Remington combo with 2 barrels, and the Mossberg 500 with 3 barrels both retail for around $600CDN.

I won't get into the debate over 12 gauge vs. 20 Gauge. Both have their merits. Perhaps I'll open that up for discussion on another day.

4. Buying used

Do not be afraid to look at the purchase of a used gun. Many hunters buy these "Plain Jane" workhorses, and when they find themselves with more funds, they often sell them in order to upgrade to something a little nicer. Buy and sell pages, classifieds, etc are often a great place to find a deal on a gun.

Now, there will be many detractors on this point. There are many used guns out there that are on the market which only shoot 2 3/4" shells. During the "magnum revolution in the 1990s, there was a big push to market 3.5" shells. Ergo, many newer guns have chambers that accommodate them. As mentioned in a previous post, 2 3/4" shells are still responsible for more birds down, than 3" and 3.5" together. Do not be afraid of a decent deal on a gun with a 2 3/4" chamber. Besides that, 3.5" shells are brutal for felt recoil.

If you find you have enough money to buy more than one gun to begin with. A .22 rifle would be a welcome addition to any starting gun collection for the following reasons:

a: Ammo is cheap, this means you can shoot it a lot. Your marksmanship and ability to hit a target goes up exponentially with the amount of ammo you send down range.
b: They're fairly inexpensive, and fun to shoot. Little felt recoil means doing all that shooting wont punish you.
c: they can actually be used for some small game hunting. If / when the new hunter decides to possibly get into bigger game hunting more seriously, the little .22 will still be a valuable training tool.

The selection of a centerfire rifle is an altogether different conversation, and I'll save that article for a later date. Suffice it to say that guns are like potato chips...you don't usually stop at one.



Next: Part III - Now What?

In The Beginning Part I - Getting Started

Preamble:

Recently, I have had a few conversations with readers, who have asked for an article on getting started. As many folks getting into the world of hunting or shooting, are doing so without any mentors, it may be helpful and beneficial to author an article on how one might get started.

After very careful consideration, I have realized that this would not be just one article, but rather a series of articles. I will break them down into the following. Part I: Getting Started; Part II: Your First Gun; Part III: Now What?. Readers, please bear in mind that I am writing in terms of Canada, and Canadian context, the process may be similar where you are, but may not always be the same.

And now...onwards...


GETTING STARTED

With many people interested in the shooting sports, and hunting, there is always a point of origin.

So how do you go about it?

Well, if you're me, you grew up with a Father, Grandfather, and Uncles who hunted. You got an air rifle at age 8, a .22 rifle at age 12, and a shotgun at age 16. You then joined the Army, and "took the Queens shilling" which also meant you were allowed to play with the toys she paid for, this included many very interesting forms of weaponry, and firearms.....

This however isn't the case for many, and my experience is an exception, nowadays, where it used to be the norm for most kids growing up in a rural environment. So where does it leave that person who hears the call of nature, and wants to get out hunting? Well, lets get right into that shall we?

All right. For starters, and just for efficiency, lets make the assumption, that you are 18 or older, and have a clean criminal record. ( Underage, and criminal convictions don't preclude getting involved, but it is definitely a more difficult process).

In Canada, being able to hunt with a gun, means you need to be legally allowed to have the care and control of that firearm, even if someone else owns it. This means that you need to have your PAL or Possession - Acquisition Licence. This enables the bearer to purchase, and possess firearms and ammunition. Without it, hunting is a non-starter. This is typically done by a course, and exam, which teaches the fundamentals of firearm safety, handling, and the legalities surrounding firearms. This coupled with a Criminal Background check is basically the process for your PAL.

You also need to have completed a mandatory course of instruction in Hunters Safety. This course covers game laws, identification, hunting methods, and the various nuances of hunting game animals. Most jurisdictions in North America require some form of Hunting Education, and most will recognize courses if done in another jurisdiction.

In Ontario, as well as some other jurisdictions, you can take these courses seperately, or in some cases, certain providers will do a combined course with separate exams at the end of it. Cost in Ontario will run around $300 for both.

So where do you find these?

Well, the internet is your friend. There are many direct and indirect ways of finding these classes. Either by direct search, or finding outdoor stores and outfitters who can put you in touch with entities holding them.

Once completed, you will have a bit of a wait on your hands. Your Hunter Safety course is as simple as taking your course completion certificate into any Service Ontario Branch, and buying your outdoors card, and associated licenses. The PAL on the other hand, may take 3-4 months in order to receive it. Which means if you want to have it in time for hunting season, you should be doing the course in Late Winter, Early Spring.

Once all is in place, you're now a new hunter, and able to head into the woods.....

Next: Part II - Your First Gun

Renewal of an Old Favorite...or Dads Gun Redux

Just a quick post on this one.

I belong to a number of firearms pages, groups, and assorted other venues. Lots of times I see guns for sale, which with a little TLC, and some imagination, can be excellent producers.

Take if you will an example:

My father, being a fit, hale and healthy septuagenarian, decided that the pursuit of most things waterfowl didn't suit him anymore. Evidently getting up at o-dark-hundred, and getting out into a blind was not something he yearned for when the Summer turned to Fall.

Being a practical man, he passed along his prized waterfowling piece to me, his only son.

Now this gun, was what could be considered a premium semi-auto in its day. It was a Winchester 1500XTR in 12 gauge, with 30" barrel, and fixed full choke. My father even supplied the original receipt of purchase from Simpsons, and in 1984 the retail price was $369.99 Canadian.

This gun was kept immaculately, and my father admitted it barely had 3 boxes of shells through it.

To say this gun was beautiful, was apt. It was high gloss wood, and deep black, high gloss bluing.




Now, not exactly what you're going to see in any duck blind today, the high gloss anything seems out of place against the Max-4, Max-5, Shadowgrass Blades, Bottomland, etc to be found in abundance come duck season opener.

1st order of business. The 30" barrel precluded using the gun for anything but waterfowl hunting. The fixed full choke however needed to be opened up to accommodate steel shot. A gunsmith with a lathe will usually do this for $50. I however decided to have the barrel wall thickness micrometered to see if there was enough material to machine in threads to allow the use of chokes. Good news, there was. Of course given the amount of material available, they would have to be "thin wall" chokes, but hardly an issue. Machining a barrel for chokes will typically cost around $90, plus the cost of whatever chokes you wish to use. So I opted for Mod, Imp, and SK1 ( skeet improves anyones game). At $25 per choke, that put the total at $165 for the gunsmith work. Not a bad cost considering it now made the old girl able to function in the modern duck blind and skeet field.

The gun was chambered for 2 3/4" shells, which some newer hunters will scoff at, but the fact remains, before the Magnum revolution in the 90s, 2 3/4" shells accounted for 1000s of birds without crippling them. Never mind the fact that only a masochist truly wants to shoot 3.5" all day.

Now....appearance....

Krylon? Wrap? Leave as is and hope the ducks are blind?

Since this was dads gun, I opted for a less "permanent" solution than spray painting it, and stencilling on camo. For $40, a pre-cut wrap kit, in Mossy Oak Shadowgrass Blades was the order of the day.

After watching the youtube instructional video thoughtfully done by the manufacturer, I felt confident enough to give it a whirl.

Armed with my trusty xacto knife, heat gun, and a free 45 minute period it came off without a hitch.

Now.....the old glossy girl has been tastefully updated.

So for the guys out there perusing the gun pages, and seeing lots of blued - woody, shotguns for sale, either pump, or semi.....don't be so quick to move on....with just a bit of work, they can be just what you want with you out in the blind.

Enough reading.....go shooting.....

The Battle of the Economy Semis

There has been much debate recently ( and likely it's going to intensify as we get closer to hunting season openers), about the merits and issues surrounding the crop of budget conscious semi-auto shotguns on the market.

Well, while this conversation is much better suited for the apres-hunt, or round of skeet, with much friendly banter present, Let me weigh in with a few points for consideration, and a few models of note for review.

In the past 10-15 years, there are several manufacturers who have come on the shotgun scene, who make an exceptional product. Many of these are not made in North America, nor are they made in such noted shotgun manufacturing countries like Italy. You may very well hold a nice gun bearing the name Mossberg, or Weatherby, North American names to be sure, yet both manufactured in Turkey.

Here is a roundup of current semi-auto shotguns that fall within the "Budget" category ( Under $850CDN).

Mossberg 935

Weatherby SA-08

Stoeger M3500

Remington 11-87

Mossberg SA-20

Hatsan Escort / Legacy


Mossberg 935

Based on Mossbergs made in the USA, and already successful 930 platform, the 935 doesn't disappoint. Weighing in at a stout 7.8lbs, the weight of the gun greatly assists in mitigating felt recoil at the shoulder end.

As many expect there to be minor fit and finish issues with economy grade guns, the Mossberg has none of note. While some have made claims that the 935 has difficulty cycling lighter loads in the 2 3/4" range, most agree that proper break in and cleaning seems to eliminate any of that issue.

Coming with 3 choke tubes, with lots of aftermarket bits and pieces available, it presents decent value for the dollar. Typically being offered in black synthetic, or Camo. Average price: $690CDN



Weatherby SA-08

Weighing in at 6.5lbs, the SA-08 is one of the lighter economy semis. As mentioned previously, despite carrying the Weatherby name, this gun is actually manufactured for Weatherby by Armsan in Turkey.

Weatherby however certainly has done their homework, and has decidedly not compromised on built quality in the SA-08. The 12 gauge comes with 3 choke tubes ( Browning Invector / Winchoke type), which thread effortlessly into the 28 barrel. The 20 gauge comes with 26" barrel, and mobilchoke tubes. Also available is a 28 gauge version.

Recognizing that not all loads are created equal, Weatherby has dispensed with gas restrictors / valve systems which tend to be included with most semis to allow range of loads from 2 3/4"-3.5", instead opting to ship its shotguns with two distinct gas pistons, one for light, one for heavy. The change out of these pistons, really takes a matter of seconds, and is quite easy to do.

As far as handling and shooting goes, the lesser weight of the Weatherby is quite noticeable. It comes to shoulder easily, and swings nicely. For some, the lower weight may take some getting used to, but after a day afield, it may be a welcome change.

Being offered in several finish options - High gloss walnut and bluing on the Deluxe version, black synthetic and camo available as well. It remains one of the best values in the economy semi-auto shotgun class. Average price $620CDN ( black synthetic) to $830CDN ( Deluxe walnut).



Stoeger M3500

Stoeger, a storied gunmaker, which had fallen on hard times post WWII, became known as a "budget gun" in the 1970s and 1980s. So much so, that people almost hated showing up to shoots with one, being subject to ridicule. They didn't do much better when they marketed the M3500s predecessor the M2000. It was crude, and cycled loads horribly.

Under Beretta / Benelli, the newer M3500 was designed. Mainly around the already proven Benelli "Inertia Action", using the recoil of the shot round to cycle the action, instead of gas operation like most semis. Manufactured in Turkey, is ships with 5 choke tubes and a 28" barrel.

The M3500 proves in all ways to be the cute step-sister to it's much more expensive, sleeker family members.

The Stoeger website claims 1 1/8oz loads to be the minimum. Out of the box, with cleaning, the gun cycles everything that gets put in it. It comes with a "recoil reducer" which effectively increases its weight from just over 7lbs to over 8. Unless shooting 3.5" I don't see how this merits being installed.

Available in black synthetic, and camo synthetic models, the M3500 may just be the sleeper of the economy shotgun crowd. Average price $830CDN


Remington 11-87

One of the older guns in the round up. The 11-87 as it's name implies was introduced in 1987. It was intended to be a more budget friendly 1100, and was essentially based on the same platform.

Available in "Supermag" models, which effectively shoot 3.5", they come with an attachment known as a "barrel seal activator" which enables the gas system to cycle lighter loads. The 11-87 12 gauge in standard configuration comes with 28" barrel, and one screw in choke ( Mod). It is also available in 20 gauge, with 26" barrel, and compact ( youth) model with 21" barrel.

Weighing in at 8lbs, the 11-87 is one of the lightest felt recoil guns of the group, although a day of shooting 3.5" through any gun will result in some soreness.

The 11-87 has seemingly weathered the years with few changes, and because of this, has also escaped the recent series of recalls Remington Arms has issued for other guns it manufactures.

The 11-87 would of course be better value for the dollar if it was sold with more chokes, and perhaps had more stock options than wood or black synthetic, but it is still a viable gun. Average price $840 CDN


Mossberg SA-20

Added into this little discussion is another gun offered in a sub-gauge. The Mossberg SA-20. While bearing the Mossberg name, it is actually the sister gun to the Weatherby SA-08. Manufactured by Armsan in Turkey, the little SA-20 presents a very good case for a sub-gauge semi. Available only in 20 gauge, and offered with 26" barrel, and 5 mobilchoke tubes, the SA-20 is a gem of a gun.

The SA-20 is light, for those hunting upland, the 6lb weight, and short barrel make for a very good combination going into the field.

The smaller wrist and grip are an excellent choice for smaller statures, yet the gun is full sized. It is offered in a "Bantam" version for those that might want a shorter cast gun.

As far as value for the dollar, if you're a fan of sub gauge guns, the SA-20 presents very good value. Average price $630 CDN


Hatsan Escort / Legacy

Another offering from Turkey. The Hatsan Escort - Legacy. Offered in both 12 and 20 gauge. These gas operated guns are short on frills, but seemingly long on value.

Manufactured in a number of different configurations and finishes, a shotgunner would have difficulty not finding something that appealed to them. These guns are typically offered with 26"-28" barrels, and 5 choke tubes. The only downside is that 12 gauge models are not offered with a 3.5" chamber option.  They are offered however with a multitude of finishes including black synthetic, walnut and high gloss, Mossy Oak Shadow Grass Blades, Mossy Oak Break Up, etc. Hatsan also includes multiple spacers to adjust drop and cast to get a tailored fit for the shooter.

As they are limited to 3" chamber cycling all loads from light to heavy is not an issue, and all models do so flawlessly.

Given the relative price of the Hatsan offerings, they present very good value for the dollar, starting at as low as $449CDN and going up to around $650CDN for deluxe models, the value is there.


As the reader can see from the "Economy" shotguns presented, there are more than enough choices for the beginner shotgunner, and at some of the prices, there should be enough left over for a flat or two of ammo as well.

Enough reading.....go shooting....