Which to get first?

[ian g]

I'm thinkin which to get first. I cannot possibly buy both at the same time! Help me decide!

(Edited by ian g at 5:37 am on May 14, 2002)

[Patrick Sweeney]

Why not both?  Economics or domestic?  Since you can latch onto a suitable shotgun almost at will, I'd say save your money and get the rifle as soon as you can swing the cost.

On the other hand, you're more likely to be able to practice regularly with the shotgun (stand up the poppers and start whacking) so maybe you would want to get that first.

Does your club evenly divide 3-gun matches between rifle and shotgun?  If not, you might want to start with the one where you'd get the most match time.

Have I sufficiently muddied the waters?  You're welcome.

[DogmaDog]

I'm no pro, but I'd say that the logistics involved with rifle shooting are far more formidable than with shotgunning.  

-You need a long range for a rifle, and most indoor ranges won't allow you to shoot them through their backstops

-You need to reload for rifles to achieve maximum accuracy, or buy expensive match ammo.  With SGs it doesn't matter so much

-A good rifle is more expensive than a good shotgun, probably by a factor of about 2.

So you'll probably get more live-fire trigger time with a shotgun, especially until you've worked out the logistics of a rifle.  And if live-fire trigger time is what makes you happy (why else would you be here?  ), then get the shotgun first.

As discussed on another thread, rifle marksmanship seems to be disappearing as a mastered discipline.  Buying a .22 target rifle and shooting small targets at shorter ranges can go a long way in developing marksmanship...but .22s cost money too!

Semper Fi,

DogmaDog

[warpspeed]

Ian,

here is my 2 pennies.

If $ are an issue, buy one gun then the next is their stock or factory configuartion and practice as is.  Then have modifications as you can afford.

Since the political climate can change and result in more restrictive laws, I would say buy an AR-15 ASAP. I live in CA and wish I had. There are plenty of preban magazines available now, and since they are not making any more, it would be less expensive now than in the future.

[pjb]

I went through the same crisis, which to get first!

I ended up trading a 20ga. Browning Superposed O/U for a Bushmaster.  The shop did a blue book retail to retail trade.  Needless to say he made out like a bandit-and it did not bother me in the least.  I do not hunt anymore, the gun was collecting dust.  So a trade was ok.  No cash changed hands.--However,

If I had to spend cash, I would buy off one of the auctions or at a gun show.  Seems to me you can get a stock AR for about $600-700.

I paid cash for my Benelli and all the extra goodies-it came to <$900.  

With Walmart selling shotgun shells for $3 a box-I shoot my Benelli a lot more than my AR.  I also went cheap on the extra sights for my AR (A3 Removable Handle), a cheap Tasco Red Dot ($30) good to about 200 meters and a KMart Bushnell 3-9 for $49.  

Needless to say, time is the major issue now-finding it to shot, then which to practice.

PS: my shooting buddy just shot my Benelli at a shotgun stage after an IDPA match.  He is buying one this week.  

As mentioned in the other post-it seems a lot easier to find the time and place to shoot the shotgun.

BTW: Benelli Field 21" barrel, five chokes, DMW tube and collar.  You can shoot skeet, trap, sporting clays, action shotgun, and 3gun.  Very versatile weapon.

Good Luck deciding.

[Rich Bagoly]

Not to be confrontational, but the word from Voigt is that there is nothing in 3-gun rifle that you can't do with factory ammo.

If you want to load something special, more power to you.

[ian g]

Thanks for all the replies! I'm thinking of getting the rifle first. It's a little cheaper here in our place (Philippines). A Colt M16A3 is about $700 and a Colt M4A1 is $900. (full-auto weapons are allowed)

[DogmaDog]

Rich,

Yeah, I guess you're right.  I was sorta thinking highpower competition, where you need a 1 minute gun or smaller to run with the big dogs.

Also, the point about shifting political winds was a good one (though don't know how the climate is in the Philippines).  

Anyway, have fun with your new gun, when you get it.

Semper Fi,

DogmaDog

P.S.  Pjb, is that a Benelli M1 field gun, or some other model?  Sounds like a fun gun to have.

[pjb]

You got it!

I looked and talked to everyone I could.  I almost went with the Benelli 18.5 with rifle sights.  But the extension can only be 1 inch past the barrel so that would limit the rounds you can hold.  It was a bit of a pickle.

I ended up calling Beven about his gun.  He prefered the vent rib, which I do also since I shoot skeet for 20yrs.  So I looked at the auctions for a M1 S90 21 field with plastic stock.  

Found one cheaper than the Benelli Tactical, which if you know the Phoenix area is pretty damn cheap.

Oh yeah, it has a fiber optic for the front sight.

[kellyn]

I would get a rifle first.  That way you can learn the fundamentals  of marksmanship first and then apply those fundamentals directly to your shotgun shooting.  Starting out with the shotgun will give you bad habits that you'll need to break once you get a rifle.

Shooting a rifle will MAKE you buckle down and learn trigger control, positions, breathing, sight alignment, etc.  When shooting a shotgun you can get away with some (not much but some) sloppiness.