I'm in Wharton. There's a gun shop in the next town over called The Silver Bullet that I was going to go check out tonight. I feel like I might get more of a straight answer in dedicated gun shop than a chain type place.

 

The guy seemed like he knew what he was talking about, but when he kinda steered me away from one gun in favor of a combo, I got a little hesitant.

I'm in Wharton. There's a gun shop in the next town over called The Silver Bullet that I was going to go check out tonight. I feel like I might get more of a straight answer in dedicated gun shop than a chain type place.

 

The guy seemed like he knew what he was talking about, but when he kinda steered me away from one gun in favor of a combo, I got a little hesitant.

 

Combo deals are nice just because you pretty much get the 2nd barrel for much less than if you purchase it separately. Don't rule out the Mossberg 500s. It's preference really but both guns are comparable in build quality, durability and reliability.

Before I went to the store, I actually was really heavily leaning toward Mossberg. I liked the idea that the equivalent models to the Remington had a larger capacity, and I always liked the Mossberg look a bit more (Vanity is a sin, I know).

 

However, the Remington felt like it was more solid (that's the best word I can think of) and in a bunch of reviews, most people seem to lean toward Remington.

 

Also, the few stores I've been to seem to have much fewer Mossbergs than Remingtons, so shopping is also harder.

If you're going to shoot skeet (as opposed to single trap), a pump may not be the best choice. At least 2 of the stations throw fast doubles from opposite directions, and you'll probably lose the second bird in the time it takes to pump and resettle the gun on your cheek. Most of the skeet shooters shoot 20ga. O/U, and semis are just starting to get in, but throwing an empty husk 4 feet into the guy next to you is bad etiquette.

Get the 870 you want and buy the barrels that you want. It's not a bad idea, no idea what that guy was talking about.

 

There are combo deals. Swapping barrels takes about 30 seconds.

 

You should check out Meltzers in Garfield. At least that's a gunshop where the guys will give you some of their time and are pretty nice too.

 

What town are you in?

 

I NEVER trust what anyone who is selling me something says about ANYTHING.

 

He easily could have just wanted to sell you 2 guns instead of 1.

Honestly, I'm not worried about skeet that much. I've only done it a few times and it was with a pump and I had fun.

 

However this hits on my flip-flopping between shotgun and rifle. I feel like it's easier to go target shooting than skeet shooting, and since I'm not doing it ofter it would probably be easier to get out and shoot the rifle when I do have the time.

Remington vs Mossberg largely comes down to personal preference. It's almost like Chevy vs. Ford or Canon vs. Nikon. I originally thought I wanted an 870P, but then decided that the crossbolt safety would be a nuisance shooting left handed, and went with a 590A1 instead. Both are built well, but the 870s do feel a little tighter and rattle a little less. That said, to me, Mossbergs feel like they could take more of a beating. Like I said, it's largely personal preference.

 

No idea why that guy told you it was a bad idea to swap out barrels. Maybe the magazine tube on the "tactical" 870s makes swapping out the barrel more difficult? Strange...

 

Dick's is ok if you've done your research and know ahead of time what you want to buy. They almost always carry both the Remington and Mossberg combo deals. The guys that work there are generally annoying to deal with and make the gun buying process take longer than it needs to.

However this hits on my flip-flopping between shotgun and rifle. I feel like it's easier to go target shooting than skeet shooting, and since I'm not doing it ofter it would probably be easier to get out and shoot the rifle when I do have the time.

Clearly the answer is to buy both a shotgun and a rifle

Clearly the answer is to buy both a shotgun and a rifle

 

In good time. Currently the funds don't allow that. As is I'm getting either a shotgun or rifle now, and hopefully a pistol in the next month.

 

I am going to ask another question that shows my ignorance: What is the difference between the 590 and 500?

I could type it all out, but someone already did it for me

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mossberg_5 ... odel_590A1

 

In a nutshell the 500 has a different magazine tube than a 590.

Hey, I got used to it now.... so last time, I cracked it open very very slowly and it is not bad. =)