Best starter shotgun

[Jamesconn]

I am going to purchase shotguns and rifles for the few people in my family who don't have guns. I already selected the mosin nagant 91/30 for the rifle, but should I get them a H&R single shot shotgun or the H&R pump action.

How do you order the extra barrels for these guns?

[Jim]

I went to Google, typed in "H&R SHOTGUN BARRELS" and THIS (http://www.hr1871.com/Support/accessoryProgram.asp) was the first listing.

[L Ross]

Personally, after getting my first Remington 870 41 years ago and having shot literally dozens of them and used them for target games, hunting big and small game, and law enforcement I think you should shop wisely for used 870's. There are great deals out there for guns and accessories.

Duke

[Four-Sixty]

I would definately agree with the 870 reccomendation. With an 870, you have all the options open to you. And, they're all made in the USA.

[codeNshoot]

Immediate family or extended ? Women and children or adolescent and above boys ?

It really just depends on the person the gun is for an its long-term intended purpose. A pump is more versatile, good for birds and home defense. A single shot is fine for anything, provided they can actually use it proficiently, but not optimal for everything.

A good used 870 of older manufacture would be a fine value.

On the other hand, I just love blasting red squirrels with a 20ga single shot. Something about that little shotgun makes it 10x more fun. I carry it sometimes when stalking deer. So much lighter than my 870, far less damaged meat, but thats due to ammo selection as well as caliber difference.

You'd also be looking at twice the price for the Remington. If it was my only shotgun, I'd go with an 870. If it was for training/plinking, as i think yours is, and you have other guns, I'd pick up a single shot, probably in 20 ga. I can't comment on the recoil for the 12 in a h&r or NEF, haven't fired one.

If it has to be a 12 ga, and you're trying to get people interested/trained, get something with more weight. All people perceive recoil differently, but my wife won't shoot my 870 in 12ga unless she had to, even with birdshot. I think its more the muzzle blast than recoil, but never the less, its the present state of things here. She will shoot that single-shot 20ga though. She's also not very interested in shooting.

I don't know if you reload and can provide a reduced load until they get more comfortable with shooting a shotgun, thats another option.

[nanuk]

A good solid Single Shot is the best to learn on.

Keeps them thinking of the FIRST shot and not rushing it.

I think Ammo Manufacturers DESIGNED the AutoLoader

[PanaDP]

A good solid Single Shot is the best to learn on.

Keeps them thinking of the FIRST shot and not rushing it.

I think Ammo Manufacturers DESIGNED the AutoLoader

I am with this line of thinking. I hunt with my family that all learned on the same break action single shot and we all make the first shot count. The people I hunt with that all had fancy autoloaders or pump shotguns to learn on take 2 or 3 times as many shots per bird. The autoloading and pump guns have their place but they're not conducive to forming good habits.

[Gtek]

Single Poke is hard to beat for first run. My first at twelve years of age, 37A I cut grass one whole summer for. I still have it today, but it lives next to a whole row of 870's. Shot about everything there is out there, I likes my 870's. Gtek

[bob208]

my first shot gun was a single barrel 16 ga. don't know who made it. but that was back in the dat when the stores would open a box of slugs and sell you as many as you could aford. infact i still keep an old stevens 12 ga. by the kitchen door in case it is needed.

[gon2shoot]

I agree with a good single for begining shooters, and it's still one of the first I grab to stroll the woods with.

[725]

For a beginer: No question H&R. Gives them repeated and easy things to do which reenforces loading, handling, shooting, unloading. Makes the uninitiated think about what's going on. Easy for the range officer/teacher to visually see if the gun is safe. Action open! Makes range instructions simple and easy for the student. I've lived with and by the 870 for many decades and I think there is no finer shotgun made. Period. I can just about operate it in my sleep. For the student shooter - shotgunner, they have to learn action bar, safety, pump action, chamber clear?/chamber loaded?, empty round in the chamber, short stroke, jam clearing, plus the shooting of the target. Besides, the H&R is an inexpensive, all-around tool that will serve a lifetime.

[adrians]

870 for sure, mine is a 28" barrel and the wifes is a 26"

[218bee]

Cant argue with a 870...still usin my dads and its taken lots of game and fired countless thousands of shells both hunting and trap shootin.
But I think a bargain is the Mossberg 500 pump. Not pretty, kind of a rattle-trap, but very strong and shoots well... the advantage of a pump over a single shot is the ability to change chokes. In my opinion makes them more versatile.
That said...my first shotgun was a 20ga single shot and I did shoot a lot of game with it.

[Jamesconn]

I was goin to get them a single shot for the exact reasons y'all said. Learn to make the first shot count.

I'd rather get mossberg than Remington just a preference. I also wanted to know how solid the H&R single shot is. I wanted to get a single shot to develop skill not just cause I'm a cheap bastard.

I will be getting the 12ga not the 20ga I will be loading for them once I get my current housing situation under control.

[Lead Fred]

The 870 is the first and last shotgun you will ever need.

Short barrel for home defense, long barrel for birds.

Just dont mall ninja the darn thing

[deepwater]

The pump does not have to be loaded to capacity with with the maximum number of shells! Just load one at a time. Or cut a dowel to the proper length and put it in the magazine to guarantee that it remains a single shot until the student is ready.

The additional weight of a pump shotgun compared to a single shot will steady the swing and follow thru, in addition to absorbing recoil with all loads.

[DIRT Farmer]

Idealy the best teaching shotgun is a simi auto. Put a plug in to block the magazine, shoot it as a single. After the shot the action is locked open for the whorld to see it is clear.

Most singles have a higher preceived recoil factor. The biggest I would go in a single is 20, prefur the 410 for beginers

[deepwater]

Good point about a plugged semi. Not only does the action remain open, but the semi-auto action further reduces recoil. I had mentioned the pump as that was the alternative to a single shot in the discussion, and may be a preferred firearm for many down the road. I use an over-under for my hunting and sport needs and a side-by-side for Cowboy Action.

The NRA teaches instructors that the 20 gauge is the preferred shotgun for beginners. Although the 410 has lower recoil, the shot string actually makes it a gun for the experienced. I know this is contrary info. to what many people learned with.

[Mumblypeg]

870 Remington. As Lead Fred said, first and last gun. I have at least three(last time I counted). If you want a single shot... just load one at a time... Trust me, I've carried them in all situational conditions and for all reasons.

[boltons75]

My daughter's first deer gun is an H&R 20 ga slug hunter. One of the most accurate slug guns I've shot. And you can't beat their quality for there price.

Always carry, never tell.

[geargnasher]

I think it's interesting that people still think the 20-gauge "kicks" less than a 12. Unless you're talking steel loads, or 3" turkey shells, apples-for-apples he 12 isn't that bad, and ammo is much more widely available, not to mention cheap. A 100-rnd carton of field/skeet loads at Walmart are an excellent training tool.

My first shotgun was a Model 37 .410 that I still hunt with on occasion, but with a plastic butt plate and 3" shells, it was a bit intimidating for an 8-yr-old and might be for a small woman as well. Most 12-gauge pumps weigh a bit more and have at least a passable recoil-reducing buttpad that makes them more "shootable".

The H&R should be fine, get a 12-gauge and put some lead in the stock.

Gear

[flounderman]

nothing wrong with an 870. you can probably get a mossberg 500, used, for a better price. plus side for the 500 is that after market parts are cheaper. the high standard made pumps were good guns, but extra parts are rare. same for some of the other guns made in the past. I would check some pawn shops and look at price, without a specific brand in mind. don't be afraid to make a low offer in a pawn shop. never pay asking price. if you are looking for smaller people, as in women and kids, I would look for shorter barrels, rather than longer, and wood stocks. you can shorten the stock and with the short barrel, still have more balance than if you cut the stock on a long barrel. you don't want a shotgun with too long a stock. save the cut off piece and you can always put it back, later. the single shot guns will probably have more felt recoil and you don't want a lot of recoil for starting shooters.

[725]

As to your question about how the H&R's are built and are they durable. Whoa! They are built like a tank. Very few parts internally and everything is heavy duty. The only thing plastic on it, that I can think of, is the trigger guard. And even that is substantial. I bet you can find new H&R's in the $100 range and used just south of that.

[kenyerian]

If you go with the single shot make sure you use light loads. Recoil can be much more severe in the light single shots than in a heavier pump. The quickest way to make a new shooter loose interest is to let them shoot a gun that hurts.

[Jamesconn]

Thanks guys ill probably get them a pump and put a plug.
I might ge a H&R pump for myself too.
I've heard you can't put chokes in mossbergs would the H&R make a better hunting gun? I was gonna get the mossberg 590A1 for home defense and plinkin I was gonna use it to hunt but if the H&R serves that purpose better ill go and get that one first.

[DIRT Farmer]

I went with the old theory of using a minium of a 20 for teachng for a long time, that a 410 was an experts gun. I bought a youth 20 simi auto fot my two oldest grand kids to learn on. My granddaughter had a hard time with the 20, and wanted to shoot the 410 Browing citori. The gun was per what I had been tought to long and heavy for her, but shee doubled her score on the skeet stations we were shooting.
The most inportant thing is kids having fun and not getting beat around with recoil. My 12 ga target loads are all 7/8 oz now because due to an old shoulder injury anything more hurts in a long string of shooting.

[Lonegun1894]

I have 1 870, and several Mossbergs and H&Rs. The 870, while I know it is a great gun, is just not as comfortable to me due to having used Mossbergs and H&Rs all my life, so I am prejudiced, and will stay out of that argument for that reason. Having said that, the H&Rs are great hunting guns, but most of them come with fixed chokes, which actually surprized me with how well they handle the vast majority of my hunting. They are also available with screw in chokes if you dont mind paying a bit more for it, which I have not done due to being comfortable with the fixed chokes mine have. As to the Mossbergs, if you buy new, or even most of the used ones I have seen in the last few years, with the exception of the 18.5" model 500 or the 20" 590s, they almost always have screw in chokes. My 590 does not, but I dont want it choked for my purposes. I also have two 18" 500s, one is cylinderbore with post/ghost ring sights, the other just has the bead as standard. The one with the bead, I sent off to a gunsmith and had threaded to accept chokes. I know it cost extra to get to this point, but I have less than $100 in that barrel between the threading and the chokes themselves, and I wanted to see what kind of patterns it would be capable of. Other than feeling somewhat stubby if compared to a standard hunting shotgun, it is great. And most people are shocked when they realize the patterns it gives me with the modified choke in it, and then their jaws drop when they see the full choke patterns, because unless you take a close look at the muzzle and realize it is threaded, it just looks like a beater mossberg with a 18" defensive barrel. After a bit of testing and playing I've done, I trust it out to 50yds on turkey, maybe a bit more, and then can swap out chokes for the improved cylinder and have it as handy as any other shotgun for around the house in case it gets put into defensive use. The only downside is that it doesn't swing as well as a full lenght hunting shotgun on birds/clays/etc.

[lylejb]

I own a hr single shot 12 ga, bought it as a "truck gun", something inexpensive to throw in the truck for the occasional grouse or squirel.

I wouldn't buy another. The recoil is noticably much worse than my 12 ga pump, even with trap loads.

A few shots hunting is fine, but to stand and shoot a box of shells is more beating than many (especially new/ younger shooters ) would care to take.

Yesterday, I was at a gun show. one table had a used 870 express 12ga, in good condition for $199. Buy something like that and you have a shotgun, that will do anything you want, for the rest of your life.

[Fishman]

Both of my kids had difficulties lowering the hammer safely on a loaded chamber. If they cocked the gun in preparation to shoot and then didn't fire for some reason, they were stuck with a dangerous situation. To lower the hammer, one must pull the trigger and that activates the transfer bar. If the hammer slips from their thumb, BANG

Now, I know someone may jump on me for saying this, but it's a fact that young kids don't all have a lot of strength in their thumb. I had an H&R for my first gun and had no problems. Not so with my kids. So the daughter got a youth 20 gauge 870 and the son got a youth Baikal over and under 28 gauge. They were very safe and loved using them.

Moral of the story is try before you buy.

[44deerslayer]

rem 870 best shotgun ever for small game ,deer ,home defense