Shotguns for under £350!

Shotguns for under £350
One of the really attractive aspects of rough shooting is that few other shooters take much notice of what gun you use, so there is little to be gained from spending money for posing value when it is only results, modest as they may be, and safe shooting that count.

At the moment it is a buyer?s market for anyone who wants something functional and simply constructed but effective in the right hands.

So, for this exercise, we are looking at a price limit of £350 for a double gun on the assumption that our rough shooter is still a bit of a traditionalist, even though for this sport others might favour an auto or even a pump action.

Prices are broadly divided between side-by-sides and over-unders, single- and double-trigger models, ejectors and non-ejectors, and imported guns and older, home-grown products.

It may seem obvious, but the gun also needs to qualify as a game or field model and I make this point because it is not unknown for shooters new to the sport to buy unsuitable competition models in the mistaken belief that all shotguns are the same.

The other thing to avoid buying is an imported gun bearing a name few people have ever heard of.

That can mean a non-existent spares situation and the need to have a gunsmith make parts, which may not be practical, given the modest value of the gun.

CHECK THE CONDITION
With all guns, condition is most important, but at the economy end of the price range it can make all the difference when you?re deciding whether a repair is worthwhile or whether it would be better to scrap the gun.

A gunsmith may be needed to gauge the barrel bores for proof size and to check the wall thickness, but the potential purchaser can carry out some simple, basic checks to get an idea of the gun?s integrity.

1. Visual check for general condition. Damage that indicates careless handling may indicate a disregard for even the most basic maintenance, while worn chequering may mean more handling than actual shooting. Visible lubricating oil in the head of the stock and fore-end is not a good thing, as it weakens the wood.

2. When you?ve detached the fore-end, the barrels should still be tight on the action. Hold the grip of the stock with one hand and, with the thumb and forefinger of the other hand on either side of the action, shake it gently from side to side. You will feel, if not hear, any looseness.

3. With the barrels off the gun, they can be viewed from both ends for bulges and dents by looking down the lines of reflected light. By looking down the muzzles, you can often see pits that are hardly visible from the breech end.

4. Hanging the barrels by the hook from a finger and tapping them with a knuckle will tell you if the ribs are secure. If the barrels ring, they are OK. If it is a dull or rattling sound, the ribs are loose and there could be unseen corrosion between the barrels.

Remember, it is illegal to sell a gun that is out of proof. The offence is committed by the seller, not the purchaser.

THE ENGLISH OPTION
Even at the top end of our price range, we will, realistically, be confined to a side-by-side, double-trigger, non-ejector gun.