Mike chooses three secondhand shotguns on the market priced from £450 up to £1,050 to help you make your next gun purchase a bargain. Hatsan Escort Xtreme Max Target Price: £450 It takes a manufacturer with extreme self confidence to advertise a 12-bore semi-auto shotgun as able to cycle loads all the way from 24…
Buying guns second-hand
Three secondhand high-grade guns
If you’re in the market for a high-grade gun but don’t want to pay the full price, the secondhand market has plenty of prestige brands. Here Mike chooses three secondhand high-grade guns from Beretta, Perazzi and Purdey. And with prices starting from just under £2,000, maybe your next gun purchase can…
Second-hand Webley Patriot
All you need to know about a secondhand Webley Patriot, including how this high-powered air rifle with impressive pellet strike shaped shooting
The gun you shouldn’t have sold
Most of us, I’m sure, will have experienced that sinking feeling at some time or other — the one when we realise that we should never have sold that gun. A rifle or shotgun is rarely just a tool — it becomes a treasured possession. But, for whatever reason, be it monetary necessity or the lure of a…
Three top secondhand Sporters
Here’s Mike’s selection of secondhand Sporters that offer great value for money. Baikal O/U Located 600 miles east of Moscow, Izhevsk’s main factory produces pistols and rifles, several variations on the AK assault rifle theme, air guns – and the Baikal shotgun. The Baikal dates to the Cold War, and was once humorously said to be…
Secondhand aluminium guns
Mike George picks out his recommendations for secondhand aluminium guns. Bettinsoli Crypto Lite Bettinsoli are well respected as makers of entry-level guns, and a new Crypto Lite (now known as the Crypto Extra Lux Lite) comes in at just over £1,200. The gun pictured is last year’s model, weighing 6lb 5oz. The gun achieves…
Three value-for-money second-hand European shotguns
Lincoln Premier 28-bore When Sporting Gun first reviewed this gun in 2004, we gave it high praise because it was a bargain-priced gun built on a proper 28-bore action. Over the years we have seen 20-bores built on 12-bore actions, and rather more 28-bores and .410s built on 20-bore actions. As…
What’s best? Buying a new gun or opting for second-hand?
Lewis Potter looks at the variables to consider if it's better to buy a secondhand gun or a new one
Guns for pigeon shooting for under £500
If you’re gameshooting then you’ve got to be aware of etiquette. You have to dress the right way and say the right things. And be a safe Shot of course. Pigeon shooting is different – although you obviously still need to be a safe Shot. What you wear is dependent…
So you can’t afford an English side-by-side shotgun?
English shotguns: Here, we go on a mission to find an English shotgun, in excellent condition, at a reasonable price.
Three good value over-and-under Sporters to buy secondhand
Lanber Sporter – target price £500 All guns eventually go out of production, but the saddest loss of recent years has been the Spanish-built Lanber. The basic design goes back to the early 1970s and the gun had been for sale in small numbers in the UK, but it wasn’t until…
Second-hand FIAS .308 stalking rifle
This good-looking FIAS .308 stalking rifle, with its sporter barrel and smooth action, is a real bargain, says Bruce Potts
Second-hand Tikka M65A
The ultra-smooth bolt action and accuracy of the Tikka M65A belies its potential as a sniper rifle
Shotguns for children under £3,000
We pick out the best shotguns for children priced £3,000 or under
Which rifle is best? The CZ 455, an Anschutz or a Sako Quad?
Which rifle is best? I am considering purchasing either a CZ 455 16in barrel rifle, an Anschutz 18in barrel rifle or a Sako Quad, but I would appreciate some guidance. The new CZ 455 is said to have some bullet feed problems. Also, is this rifle’s quality compromised by its…
Second-hand Guns – Guns for the common man
Robin Marshall-Ball puts the case for the side-by-side, a piece of England's past that has stood the test of time and is again finding favour in the field