Christmas came early for me this year as I bit the bullet and finally made a decision on a shotgun and my OH kindly treated me to it as a Christmas gift.
As you know I’ve been dilly-dallying for months on investing in a shotgun because I am indecisive and didn’t know whether to get a 12 gauge or a 20 gauge. Well after much research and on the advice of those I trust and respect I opted for a 20 gauge. I was tempted to go for a 12g just to break the traditional expectation that women should shoot with a 20g but decided at this stage a 20g would be a great first gun.
When I first started shooting I was aware it wasn’t going to be a cheap sport to do, however, seeing as my OH encouraged me to try it from the outset he only has himself to blame when I do splurge on something shooting related. I also had no idea how many manufacturers there are out there and how the price of guns can vary, but like anything you can go for the bespoke luxury items or the more affordable off the shelf product.
After my instructor mentioned Kofs shotguns and how reasonably priced they are I called up Wiltshire Rod & Gun to see if they stocked them and the owner said they have been selling well and had just had a delivery of a 20 gauge 28″, it seems it was meant to be. So off we went and out came the debit card, however, at £495 for a brand new gun, compared to over £2,000 for the likes of a Beretta or Browning, it wasn’t going to break the bank.
Like any mechanical item we tend to personify them, so here is my new baby, a Kofs 20 gauge Sceptre…
When I was last at Wiltshire Rod & Gun we discussed that I needed a gun with a Monte Carlo stock or alternatively would have to pay to get the gun fitted due to my long neck, but when I called up about the Kofs the store owner said they had quite a high stock. Being the expert that he is it turns out he was right and I only needed a sticky Berreta comb raiser to make the gun work for me, so happy days that saved £250 I was expecting to have to pay out for a gun fitting.
Like most people I like nice things and for the price of the gun I wasn’t expecting to have a pretty gun like my fellow lady guns but was pleasantly surprised as Kofs haven’t missed out on aesthetics, the wood grain is nice and I love the engravings.
I was also happy to find out that the Sceptre has a manual safety which is what I am used to, so I don’t need to worry about those “doh!” moments…locking onto a clay, squeezing the trigger and realising I hadn’t taken of the safety. The gun also has a selector for setting which barrel fires first for those that have a preference.
Right, I had better sign off and text my instructor to book a lesson, so I can give my new gun a shot (pun intended)!
Categories: Country Life, Outdoor Life, shooting
Tanoshimi 