Question About Buying a Shotgun

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commandercob
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Question About Buying a Shotgun

Post by commandercob »

I have a new fangled interest, and its for a shotgun. I've never owned a shotgun, and I really don't understand some of the components.

My interest is in a NEF Pardner Pump, which I believe is an exact copy of the Remington 870 Express ('cept it's made in China).

Here are my questions. I don't really know what a choke is, except that it has something to do with the pattern. The shotgun I'm looking at has "Choke Screw-in Modified Length 48-1/8". Now, I can't even begin to understand what that means, but I'm guessing it would satisfy my basic need to shoot clay targets. My next question is about shooting slugs. Does this require me to buy a new barrel, do I need to modify the choke, or do I really need to do anything? I would like to shoot slugs downrange, and I don't care if I get 5" patterns at 100 yards (It's probably more accurate than I can shoot anyways).

So those are my big questions, I'm sure there is more but that's all I can remember now. Thanks again.
barnett3006
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Question About Buying a Shotgun

Post by barnett3006 »

while I can't speak about the NEF pump shotgun, I can say that the Remmy 870 is a very nice and reliable shotgun.

your choke is a restricter in the muzzle that squeezes down the size of the shot "cluster" before it leaves the barrel. This has an overall effect of the size/density of the pattern at a given distance. The standard distance to pattern a shotgun at is (i think) 40 yards.

Screw-in chokes are nice because it is easy to setup your shotgun for different tasks as there are a whole slew of chokes out there ranging from (in order from biggest pattern to tightest); open, skeet 1, skeet 2, cylinder, improved cylinder, modified, improved modified, full, extra full, super full, turkey full (i might have missed a few).

for shooting clays the modified choke is probably as tight as you want to go unless you want to really challenge yourself or to some Tom Knapp style trickshots.

You don't need another barrel to shoot slugs, most shotshell makers make a rifled slug...this kind of slug has slanted groves around the outside diameter to give it some spin and help stabilize it. There are also slugs that have a combination of the slanted groves and a plastic "fin" to stabilize it both the rotational force and with drag.

Of course you could get a rifled barrel for shooting non-rifled slugs, but then there are also slug chokes for shooting non-rifled slugs in a regular smooth-bore shotgun barrel.

BTW, a 5" group at 100 yards with a rifled slug out of a smooth-bore shotgun is a very, very good group, IMO. 8-)

ETA: All of the different chokes I mentioned might not be available for your shotgun, at least from the manufacture. A lot of foreign made shotguns are made to accept readily available choke tubes, for instance your NEF might actually be made to accept Remington tubes but it was supplied with some crap knock-off tubes. One thing that I would definitely do, if I where to buy the NEF, is to see if it will accept a brand name tube. If it did then I would trash the crap tubes that came with it, good choke tubes don't cost that much anyways. :)
Last edited by barnett3006 on May 11th, 2008, 11:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
volfandan
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Question About Buying a Shotgun

Post by volfandan »

barnett3006 said it perfectly. The only thing that I would add is be sure and DO NOT shoot slugs in any choke that is tighter than improved cylinder. If you do, you'll blow the end of the barrel off! :(
barnett3006
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Question About Buying a Shotgun

Post by barnett3006 »

WHEW! Good Catch Volfandan!
commandercob
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Question About Buying a Shotgun

Post by commandercob »

Fantastic information guys, thanks so much. After you guys got me started, I spent some time researching a little deeper on the interwebs. Many people like these NEF shotguns, some like them more than their Remington 870 Express counterparts. Based on only forum reviews, which is all I could find, this seems like a good buy to me. Most parts appear to be interchangeable, but not all. I've decided I want to handle one, so today I'm off to Gander Mountain for a little point-and-pretend.

Volfandan,
Thanks for the heads up on blowing myself up. I looked around at the difference between rifled slugs and sabot slugs, and I guess I can shoot both, although a smoothbore is best suited for rifled slugs (?).

My next question is how to tell the dimensions of the slugs, and whether they will pass safely through my choke, or do I just remove my choke all together.
doyle
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Question About Buying a Shotgun

Post by doyle »

Do not shoot slugs in a barrel with the tube removed. It will screw up the threads. Just use your improved cylinder choke. I diagree with the aforementioned statement about blowing up your barrel with anything tighter than an IC. Many modified owners shoot slugs quite successfully (including your's truely). Even with a full choke, you won't blow anything up although you will probably damage your choke and/or barrel.

Don't worry about "dimensions". Simply get a couple of different brands of rifled slugs in either 2 3/4" or 3" (or some of each) and see which you particular gun likes best. Some guns tend to like the 3" better while some like 2 3/4". Stick with whichever shoots best in your gun and don't worry about it being either heavier or lighter than what the next guy shoots.
garry
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Question About Buying a Shotgun

Post by garry »

I tried shooting a slug thru a barrel with the C-LECT type choke removed ...once. It looked like those cartoon guns where they stick their finger in the barrel and it blows open the four sections at the end of the barrel. Yep , dumb idea. Lived to learn. It was actually pretty comical looking with the four sections sticking 90 degrees outward! hehe i bent them back with vise grips and screwed the adjustment sleeve back down and shot a bunch of high brass thru it and it worked okay . i don't have that one any more tho. Shoulda seen it. heehee G
carguy
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Question About Buying a Shotgun

Post by carguy »

Commander...not to sound like a jerk and diminish the info given by others but check with a couple of different sales clerks or at a gun shop about shooting slugs. I've always seen separte "slug barrels" for every shotgun I've handled that shoots slugs...believe me that isn't alot but I'd check it out carefully first.

As far as NEF...nice gun but like anything else you get what you pay for. I didn't want to spend the cash on a new 870 last year for my son and ended picking up a used shotgun instead. To each his own. I shoot trap with an Over/Under that has a modified choke for the first barrel and a full choke for the second. The modified allows a fairly open pattern for the closest target (flying away from you) and a more condensed, closed pattern for the 2nd as it will be much further away by the time you shoot at it and the more pellets in the pattern the better chance of hitting it. That is all the choke if for...controlling the density of the pattern of pellets. Modified should be fine to learn with and enjoy. My Sunday morning trap sessions is one of my "good weather" events that my son and I look forward to weekly.
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