Gun Nuts - is a gun show worth it?

[DEMIAN1970]

Is there a gun show in our area this weekend? I'd be happy to go with you to help you find something.
I picked up a Mossberg 500 last year at the Eastman show in Marietta.
Let me know, there are a few deals at those shows, you just have to do a little digging.
*Edit* I just looked, the next nearby one is the 23rd & 24th in Marietta again.

[obxFZ6]

buying a 12 gauge for home defense is like buying a liter bike for the track-overkill.

there is nothing wrong with a 20 guage. and ammo is cheaper and will do less damage to your house during premature home invasions.

[Teej]

Originally Posted by obxFZ6

buying a 12 gauge for home defense is like buying a liter bike for the track-overkill.

Ahh, not true at all.

While I agree completley with:

there is nothing wrong with a 20 guage.

and I might even argue that there are damn few more appropriate HD setups than a 20ga tactical, youth stock (smaller - easier to maneuver esp. for the wife) loaded with "managed recoil" #1 buck.

I disagree with 12ga being "overkill" and that 20ga:

will do less damage to your house during premature home invasions.

Because...you can buy "managed recoil" rounds in 12ga that are effectively the same as 20ga rounds.

An essentially equivalent load will be easier to shoot from the 12ga as well - because the gun is heavier. Less recoil to the shooter. Easier for the wife if she has to use it.

I would agree that loading up 3.5" magnum shells in a 12ga would be overkill for HD...but if you stick to the 2 3/4 managed recoil loads, I think it's superior to the 20ga. Probably a cheaper gun, too.

(Note: In shotgun terms, "magnum" and "managed recoil" refer mostly to the amount of lead per round, not so much the velocity. a 2 3/4 shell in 00 buck might have ~ 9 pellets. a big (3.5 inch) magnum is probably going to be shooting 15 or so. And it'll probably hurt like hell.

A managed recoil will probably shoot 7...much like a 20ga.

[obxFZ6]

Originally Posted by Teej

Ahh, not true at all.

While I agree completley with:



and I might even argue that there are damn few more appropriate HD setups than a 20ga tactical, youth stock (smaller - easier to maneuver esp. for the wife) loaded with "managed recoil" #1 buck.

I disagree with 12ga being "overkill" and that 20ga:


Because...you can buy "managed recoil" rounds in 12ga that are effectively the same as 20ga rounds.

An essentially equivalent load will be easier to shoot from the 12ga as well - because the gun is heavier. Less recoil to the shooter. Easier for the wife if she has to use it.

I would agree that loading up 3.5" magnum shells in a 12ga would be overkill for HD...but if you stick to the 2 3/4 managed recoil loads, I think it's superior to the 20ga. Probably a cheaper gun, too.

(Note: In shotgun terms, "magnum" and "managed recoil" refer mostly to the amount of lead per round, not so much the velocity. a 2 3/4 shell in 00 buck might have ~ 9 pellets. a big (3.5 inch) magnum is probably going to be shooting 15 or so. And it'll probably hurt like hell.

A managed recoil will probably shoot 7...much like a 20ga.

Well put. I stand corrected, and in some instances I stand agreeable.

[emw]

OP, consider the Maverick 88. It's basically a Mossberg 500 and many of the parts are interchangeable. You can buy one brand new for $179. I think this would be the ideal shotgun for your needs.

[MrR2009]

If you want the meanest *Clack Clack* get a winchester model 1912. cant go wrong with a Browning design. Not to mention there dirt cheap at a pawn shop. And for basic uses a expensive shotgun isn't going to be any better than a cheapo, because unlike rifles a shotgun doesn't need to be dead on accurate, it just needs to cycle shells.

[MeinGlänzendMotorrad]

Actually, at short range, you still have to be pretty damn accurate.

[Teej]

Yeah. At 3-4 yards, your pattern isn't gonna spread to more than a couple of inches. And you really wouldn't want it to. If it's wide enough to make aiming "unnecessary" then you WILL be putting rounds into the walls. Useless and dangerous.

Shot placement is still key.

He's right though in that you don't need a shotgun that has 200 yard accuracy.

[ctandc]

Originally Posted by emw

OP, consider the Maverick 88. It's basically a Mossberg 500 and many of the parts are interchangeable. You can buy one brand new for $179. I think this would be the ideal shotgun for your needs.

+1

I nabbed one last year at Wallyworld for like $160......all Mossy 500 parts interchange.

[bzbatl]

That would have been great, but all the local K-Marts and Wal-Marts have stopped carrying rifles and shottys. I can get a nice bb gun or a airsoft Mossberg replica.

Good lookin out coolatula - I'll look into the youth models. I'm going to head to one of the local gun shops that's next to a shooting range this weekend. I've read some reviews online that they're quite reputable.

Teej - I've had more than one cop agree (I'm sure they'd never admit to it in court, though!) that if you shoot someone in your house, make sure they're dead. Quite a few reasons for that, when you think about it. On the bad side, a legal lottery family member can try to sue for wrongful death or some other BS.

[f2benny]

Racking a round gives up your position and reduces your total shot capacity

[bzbatl]

DEMIAN - I might head to that one with ya. Hit me up if you're going as it gets closer - my gigs have been hell lately (end of summer pool parties, weddings, and such).

That's the one my buddy says is the "only one worth going to".

I'll check out the Wally that's out in Gainesville this weekend when I head up there. Surely the 'necks out there gotta still have guns.

[bzbatl]

Originally Posted by f2benny

Racking a round gives up your position and reduces your total shot capacity

Again, the hope is to NOT have to use it. If I give up my position, that's fine. The intruder *should* be bleeding already from the dog, and the cops *should* already be on the way.

The sound of the shotgun loading *should* scare them away. But if it doesn't - it doesn't matter to me that he knows where I am. He'll have a dozen or so pellets in his ass in a couple seconds.

[bzbatl]

Originally Posted by ctandc

+1

I nabbed one last year at Wallyworld for like $160......all Mossy 500 parts interchange.

M500 parts fit with the Mav88?

[MrR2009]

Originally Posted by Teej

Yeah. At 3-4 yards, your pattern isn't gonna spread to more than a couple of inches. And you really wouldn't want it to. If it's wide enough to make aiming "unnecessary" then you WILL be putting rounds into the walls. Useless and dangerous.

Shot placement is still key.

He's right though in that you don't need a shotgun that has 200 yard accuracy.

Well if you cant hit a person at 3-4 yards with a shot gun your going to be way more of a danger than the burglar lol