I am a very indecisive individual, which drives my OH insane, I will try something on, check out every store in town and tend to buy one of the first things I saw because I like to feel that I have made a well informed choice, well buying a shotgun is no exception. With my shotgun licence issued months ago I was ready to buy but decisions, decisions…
With little experience of clay shooting or knowledge of the shotguns on the market it is an even more difficult decision to make as unlike buying a pair of shoes, a shotgun can be a big investment. Therefore, I sought the advice of my instructor, gun sales people and friends and that just added to the confusion, some suggested a 20 gauge/bore and others a 12 gauge/bore.
Traditionally young guns and lady guns used a 20g as they tended to be a lighter gun, however, it seems views are changing and manufacturers are now making lighter 12g guns to meet the needs of the market. Since I started shooting my instructor has had me using a 20g Winchester and fitted it to me as best he can, as like a good suit, a gun needs to be a good fit too. A year ago, to me a gun was a gun but now I know there are so many variables to a good gun fit…
Apparently I have a long neck which may be considered elegant but when it comes to gun fit it can be a bit of an issue as the majority of guns on the market don’t accommodate for long necks, however, there are some that do with their Monte Carlo stocks, alternatively I can use a comb raiser. So with this is mind I arranged to try out a 12g Browning Liberty Light and loved it but with a price tag of over £2,000 I wanted to shop around.
With Little Miss on summer holidays my shooting lessons were rather far and few between and it wasn’t until the autumn that I seriously started looking into buying a gun again. After a Bun Club event I had a peek in the gun room and was shown the Beretta Vittoria 693, it was a bit more expensive but it ticked all of the boxes. Unlike the Browning it doesn’t have an aluminium action frame, which the salesmen said although not as light as the Browning it would be more durable in the long run, and so my heart was set on the Berreta…I told you I’m a a nightmare when it comes to shopping!
At my last lesson I was excited (and nervous) to tell my instructor that I had decided to bite the bullet and invest in the Berreta Vittoria 12g (even though he recommended a 20g), but before I had the chance he told me the lady that had just finished her lesson with the 20g Winchester I use had recently bought a brand new 20g Kofs Sceptre for £500 and was loving it.
That throws a spanner in the works, I don’t want to offend my instructor by going against his advice on buying a 20g, however, I don’t want to lose money on buying a 20g and then a few months later potentially trade it in for a 12g. I thought I had found the gun I wanted and then another option has been thrown into the mix, so I think I will sleep on it before I get the debit card out…
Categories: Country Life, Outdoor Life, shooting
Tanoshimi 