Introduction to Shotgunning

I took a young man out yesterday for some basic firearms fundamentals and “Manual of arms.”  We started out with some coffee and the review of the three basic rules of firearms safety.

1 – Always treat every firearm as if it is loaded.
2 – Never point a firearm at anything you do not intend to destroy.
3 – keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.

If you were hoping for a firearms primer this probably isn’t the article for you.  This is more the story of the day and a complaint about customer service.

We gathered up five shotguns and headed out to the range.  A bolt action, an over and under, a side by side, and two pumps.  Upon arriving at the range we got setup and I asked my guest which one he would like to try first.  He picked the bolt action.  That wasn’t the best gun or one I expected him to pick, and it was probably my mistake for bring it in the first place.

He wants to duck hunt, but as a total firearms newbie I figure we would start with some light rounds.  Promotional dove loads from the 80s or 90s.  I started out by showing him how the gun operated, and then I tossed a hand thrown clay into the air and shot it.  It was not a great shot, but it broke up enough that I am sure I hit it with more than a couple pellets.  Then I set some clays standing up on the ground and tried to get him to swing onto them.  Not aim and shoot but swing and shoot.  Nearly every shot was low.  Some were a little left.  Some were a little right, and all were low.  Left and right was to be expected.  Low was a total surprise, so I tried it a couple times.  If you “aim” down the barrel it shoots low.  Interestingly when I reflex shoot like I was told you are supposed to I hit with that gun.  I have hunted with it and done quite well.  Anyway, back in the case and a change to a pump I have used many times in the past.  He started hitting the targets, but now he was just “aiming.”  That’s not really great technique, but at least he got to see the clays break up.  I figured we could work on more “advanced” basics another time.

After burning up a couple boxes of light dove loads, I handed him some heavy dove loads.  Not magnums.  Not 3 inch.  Not even basic duck loads.  Just the slightly heavier high velocity dove loads I use later in the season when you don’t get a lot of birds in close.  He fired one round, and we were done.  I expected him to notice it, but I had taken care to explain how you hold the shotgun comfortably, but firmly to your shoulder.  It looked like he was doing it correctly.  Nope.  We were done.  Okay it was a good start.

After putting my guns back in the safe we headed over to Sportsmen’s Warehouse to look at some shotguns.  I left him at the counter to get some opinions and feedback from the clerks, and I walked around looking to see if there was anything I needed.  There were some people waiting to be taken care of, so I figured it would take a little while, but I kept wandering back through the area and when I saw clerks walking away as they finished with people instead taking care of him I raised an eyebrow, but tried to mind my own business.

After 20-30 minutes (it was a long time) I wandered over to the counter to see two people not taking care of customers and the guy I had brought in still being ignored.  I walked up to the counter and one person immediately ask me if I had any questions.  “No, but that guy over there has been waiting for a while.”  They queried me a couple more times like they would much rather take care of some old fat guy with a bad haircut than the young man who had been patiently waiting for half an hour.  Then they weren’t very knowledgeable, talked down to him, and the piece de resistance.  They said a Mossberg 500 was a good “beginner” shotgun.

In my opinion the Mossberg 500 may be the best bang for your buck in pump shotguns.  There might be some that are better for a heck of a lot more money.  There might be some that will rattle less when they are fifty years old and been used hard, but they just don’t fail.  You can use one for a lifetime if you don’t abuse it and take modestly good care of it.  It is good enough to hold up to real world combat.  According to Mossberg’s resource pages, “Since 1979 Mossberg’s military 500® and 590® and 590A1™ models have been the only pump-action shotguns ever to pass all US Military Mil-Spec 3443 requirements–the heart of which is full interchangeability of parts in the field, and a 3000-round endurance test using buck shot loads.”  I personally will take a Mossberg 500 over its closest competitor, the Remington 870, any day.  I have owned both.  To be fair my favorite shooter is a Winchester 1200 (it was my first “good” shotgun), but I believe the Mossberg 500 is the best in its price range, and better than many more expensive guns.

Please note:  Remington has gone out of business and the new company using that name and producing Remington 870s has had some growing pains.  I do not know that they are the same quality they once were.  I know initial offerings were panned by some shooting sports writers.  I have only used older Remington 870s made by the real Remington Arms.  One used, and one new.  Both are still in service, but have seen relatively light use.

As we were leaving Sportsmen’s Warehouse I commented about my perceptions on service and knowledge.  I told him I wouldn’t blame him if he went somewhere else to buy his shotgun when he is ready, and I own stock in Sportsmen’s Warehouse.  I specifically said they didn’t sound like they knew much about shotguns (or even their own inventory), and he asked, “How could you tell?  They didn’t even say much.”

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I sent this article to Sportsmen’s Warehouse.  I haven’t heard anything from them yet, but I instantly started receiving SPAM from them.