How to Choose Your First Shotgun
Whether it’s self-defense, hunting or sports shooting, choosing your first firearm involves dozens of hard decisions. The wide selection of options can be overwhelming, but determining your needs and overall budget will narrow down those options to something easy to use, doesn’t involve steep learning curves or extensive training and improves your marksman skills.
Firearms are generally classified into handguns, rifles and shotguns. These can be further divided into style, caliber sizes, action type and barrel length among other differences. More relevant though is how each type of firearm is used and its intended purpose. Shotguns and handguns are more effective at closer ranges, while rifles are for distant targets. The overall range does affect how much you spend, but not the main or only factor in your decision-making. With that said, shotguns are generally cheaper and easier to use than both smaller pistols and more capable rifles, and are considered by many as the go-to first firearm.
Shotguns vs. Rifles: Key Differences
If home defense is the main reason for buying a firearm, then the choice boils down to a shotgun or rifle. Shotguns have shorter barrels, smoother bores and fire pellets or single shells. They also come in different gauges and as break-action, pump-action or semi-automatic types. Besides being effective in personal and home defense, these firearms are also good for small-game hunting and competitive shooting.
Rifles have longer barrels with grooved (or rifled) bores and fire a single bullet. They’re more effective at ranges up to 800 yards, and generally more precise. With that said, rifles involve steeper learning curves, have more recoil and require more strength. While the shorter range of shotguns does limit hunting uses, the fact that they scatter multiple projectiles in a single shot and are generally easier to use in high-stress shooting conditions makes them less distracting and a more popular choice for most newbies.
Finding the Right Shotgun
Action is how the shotgun loads, locks, fires and ejects shells or cartridges and is one of the first factors to consider when buying. There are three types of shotguns according to action type – break-action, pump-action and semi-automatic.
Break-Action
Break-action shotguns are one of the older designs. They operate by opening a hinge at the end of the barrel (the breech) to install a cartridge. This is then closed to fire the shot, and opened to expel the spent shell and repeat the process. Most break-action shotguns are of the over/under or side-by-side barrel type, but there are also single-barrel types. The loading and reloading process does take time and muscle memory to become second nature, meaning the guns are targeted more towards experienced marksmen, usually for hunting and competitive shooting.
Pump-Action
Pump-action guns compare favorably to break-action types in that they can hold multiple rounds. Shells are loaded manually by a “pumping” or sliding action back and forth. With the shot fired, shooters pump the action once more to expel the shell and load another round. The simple design, general reliability, and ease of use make these firearms a popular choice for numerous uses. They’re often the first firearm for most hunters, have proven effective in law enforcement, and with multiple rounds and higher firepower than break-action guns, a decent choice for home defense.
Semi-Automatic
Semi-automatics have self-loading mechanisms that use the force from the previous shot to automatically eject the spent case, and load a new round. With quicker firing, the shooter only needs to pull the trigger. The high firing rate, easy target tracking, improved precision, and reduced recoil in gas-operated types make this the ideal hunting shotgun. However, the higher price, more complex design and higher cleaning and maintenance needs mean this isn’t the recommended firearm for beginners.
Ammunition, Gauges and Other Considerations
Generally, there are three types of ammunition to consider when using a shotgun. Birshot refers to smaller pellets made of iron, steel or non-toxic alloys, used in hunting birds and smaller game. Buckshot uses larger pellets and is the preferred ammunition in home defense. And slugs are essentially larger bullets loaded in a single shell. They’re popular in hunting large game, as well as law enforcement for their higher penetration and increased accuracy at larger distances of up to 100 yards.
Gauge is the diameter of the bore or the inside of the barrel. !2 gauge guns have a bore diameter of .729 inches and are the most common type. 20 gauge and .410 bore are other common bore sizes. These, and the length of the chamber (where the munition is loaded) determine the size and length of the shells and shots that can be used.
For newcomers, consider shotguns that are comfortable, balance well in the hands with the right weight, have the recoil you can handle, and most importantly do what they need to. Pump and break-action guns are easy to master, cheap to buy and need little maintenance. And they cover most bases before shooters move onto more expensive, but also more accurate semi-automatics. This is where accessories like chokes for improved range and precision and slings, cases and hunting backpacks for simplified transportation should be the items otems on your shopping list.
