I better steer clear of Whitby then,,,,,  Upgraded to an ex demo, 7 mth old, Rimini Red/Ebony Napoli Auto HSE on 28th Jan 2011, added roof rails, mudflaps and side strips.
Gone - A great 57 Plate, Auto SE, Bought Feb 2009, Roof Rails and Mudflaps added on purchase. Blue colour, anything but drug dealer black.....

A beretta or browning will hold their price, look at
http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ for advice and guntrader.co.uk for secondhand guns.

as for SGC, fill ni the form and when asked where are you gong to use it, say any local clays clubs you wish to use, if you have permission to shoot over farmers land (lucky you) all the better but not required.

M.

cheers

i'm still planning but I think my dad and brother will definatley be getting their forms sent off this week

So, I suppose i can just pop along with them, if they get their certs, until i decide on what to do/get

Obviously I am tottally new to this, clay pigeon seems straight forward in how to start going to a club, but how does one go on about ducks/pheasant shoots and so on, (in time when i have managed to hit a clay or a 1000?) as i like to give that side of it a go too in time

I presume, joining a club or a forum? pay loads of money (how much?) to go along etc Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Been doing a fair bit of reading up on this, my dads got his gun and we are heading off tomorrow to do some clays

I have completed my SGC form and will be posted next week, thought best to do it now as they are talking of making the fee £200

I am looking towards a cheaper gun to start with, maybe a Lanber Sporting Deluxe, about £800, but I think for a bit more a Second hand Berrata or something would be wiser choice, but then I think a S/H Lanber I saw for £400 or maybe a new betonsolli (though it didnt feel as nice as the new lanber) would be a good start, not too much money and then upgrade it in a year or 2

Choices choices choices and then fit fit fit  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

buy the best you can afford , browning or berretta, get it fitted and off you go
you can get a silver pidgeon berretta for about£1250 new and it will hold its value for years.

the benefit is that you get used to your gun and if you change it starts all over again.

i have just changed from a browning which i bought s/h a couple of years ago to a new silver pidgeon it has taken me ages to get used to it, TO DARE IS TO DO

spot the birdie !!

if you want to go pheasant shooting you need real deep pockets or suck up to a few farmers like i do and get invited !!

a typical 250 bird day will cost between £400- £600 lunch included

Click image to enlarge

I was told the 686 silver pigeon 1 was a great starter gun and will hold it's money, from memory £1200, but worth £1000+ if I was to trade up in years to come, were the Lanber would drop Fromm £800 to £400 trade £550+ private after 12 months

That's what got me thinking get a s/h Lanber or something £400 and get a feel for the sport and then save and buy a better gun, the Lanber might only be £200 trade in but it's also cheaper than hiring a gun over x years if I needed too

I also think getting a new £800 gun I might as well wait, save and get a better branded one, wether new or s/h that will hold its value better Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

I'd always go second hand now although it has to be MINT!!!
www.kelbrookshootingschool.co.uk has some good guns. www.guntrader.co.uk for prices comparisons

Doesn't matter what you go for, it wont make you shhot any straighter!

The chap at my local gunsmith said the same

He Wins a comp and they all ask what cartridge or gun he was using, like it's going to make a blind bit of difference  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Yes, even if it's a bit of crap, if you are comfortable with it, thats all that counts, especially with Shotguns.

That said, I had a .270 non descript rifle and it never fired a bad shot, unlike a .243, which I never got used to!

Wow! I did not know there were so many fellow shooters here.

I hold both FAC and SGC and as far as shotguns go my first one as a novice was (I still own it) a Miroku MK70 O/U sporter. I paid £700 for it second hand, and it was a mint gun bought from a firearms dealer who is also a friend (reduced the price from £800). I use this shotgun for clays, driven, pigeon, and up to last year I was using it for wildfowling too. I then came to my senses and bought a S/S zambala so I can now get it dirty and salty and not worry too much.

Make sure the gun fits you, i.e, you can see the pin at the end of the barrel when you mount the gun. S/S have more kick, O/U are more versatile. I personally do not like semi autos or pump action.

Maybe we should organise a clay shoot after all...

Also, when buying a shotgun, shop around and negotiate. I always found Kelbrook overpriced and the people there very weird, especially the boss and his son. Maybe an exception is John Hall who was my CPSA instructor, but I met him in Blackpool gun club and not Kelbrook. If you live in the north west I recommend http://www.malmoguns.com/ and http://www.fawcettsonline.com/categories/Guns/Shotguns/ as they are both very knowledgeable and friendly, and they will not only guide you through the whole process of buying a gun, they will talk to you about safety etc.

Any questions just pm me!

Oh, and I would strongly advise you against any type of shotgun like Hatsan Escort, Yildiz, Baikal and the like. False economy. If you want something economical buy something Italian like Benelli. Otherwise you cannot go wrong with a Browning, Bereta, Miroku and other established manufacturers. Oh, one last thing. Beware of grey imports....

I've recently purchased a Yildiz 410 for my 7 year old son, it's as well made as any
machine made Browning/Miroku or Beretta and it has much, much better wood.

It looks like the Turks keep the best walnut for themselves.

Benelli make semi-autos and pumps for our market and are not at the
cheap end.