[NA] Semi-auto shotguns

I have an old Remington 870 pump and a selection of barrels; cheap and effective for deer, turkey, and any type of vermin. As others have mentioned, a semi-auto isn't really necessary, and you can get all kinds of 12-ga loads. I'm not a huge person, and can shoot a couple of boxes at a stint, no worries; pull that butt against your shoulder hard. Not unpleasant to shoot (unlike my Raging Bull .454).
 
Albany Tom said:
Probably people are thinking that if you miss the first shot, while the target isn't moving, the chances of making the second short, with the target moving, are approaching zero. But you'll figure that part out on your own. Sometimes woodchucks sit around waiting for you to take a second shot, but I wouldn't bet on a skunk doing that. For skunks, I'd look for traps or bait, but that's just me.
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Yeah, better to invest in making the first shot, whether that be the right tools, training, or practice.
 
Clip4 said:
If you use the proper pesticide you will get rid of the grubs in your yard the skunks are attracted to.
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that didnt work, but yes when it gets dry out, they want the grubs in my irrigated grass each fall

trapping in a havahart resulted in catching all the local raccoons. when trapped, they spent hours digging at the bottom of the cage, destroying the grass….exactly what I was trying to prevent!

Thanks for the thoughts.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
trapping
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FYI: There's always the use of lethal body grip/conibear traps. However, the traps don't know the difference between skunks and the family pet. So need to take precautions. But its a lot cheaper and more convenient that shooting them. Twice a year I would thin the local vermin (raccoons, possums, skunks) at a friends ranch. Would have preferred to save the possums as they kept the snake population down but they liked the same baits.
 
If you're limited to smoothbore, a 20ga w/full choke, or even a .410 would work just fine at that distance.
 
Having done a good bit of trapping. From my experience I suggest a 22 long rifle with a scope for skunks. Shoot them behind the shoulder in the lungs not in the head. If you shoot them with a 12 gauge they will spray. If you shoot them in the lungs, 9 times out of 10 they won't spray. Since they are not in a trap they will likely wander off and die they are pretty tough critters.
 
Albany Tom said:
So, you're probably going to hate this answer, but I think I'd put a red dot on a 22 target pistol, and use that. 100' isn't too far for that, and it would give you an excuse to get some shooting practice in.

If you're all set on a shotgun, I'd go 12 gauge, 1100 or 11-87, and 2-3/4" shells. I'm not a shotgun shooter either, on a couple of times, but know that the Remingtons are reliable and point well. As Half Fast and others point out, light loads in a 12 are probably less felt recoil the equivalent loads in a 20. And in my mind there's no reason for 3+" 12, unless you're hunting geese or something else high flying and large. It's a good point that you don't want to wound it, but I think that's WAY more likely to happen from poor shot placement than lack of power from the round.

Final thought....re-reading my last note and thinking about the miss problem, if you have a lot of land, maybe go .223 at keep a nice healthy 100+ yard distance from you. 22 rifle would probably be fine for that, too, at 100.
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Same here. That would be my answer. A decent .22 semi auto with a good scope is what I would go with in that scenario. Target practice is key. I own a shotgun, great for birds, not a shotgun guy here. Hell, I almost want to head to his place with my scoped Marlin 49.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Same here. That would be my answer. A decent .22 semi auto with a good scope is what I would go with in that scenario. Target practice is key. I own a shotgun, great for birds, not a shotgun guy here. Hell, I almost want to head to his place with my scoped Marlin 49.
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And a good light like a Surefire X300. Might check out some of the light info on www.Trex-Arms.com. They give good info on anything they sell.
 
Look into the Saiga 12 if you can find one. AK-based 12-gauge shotgun. Not much recoil at all, with the benefit of a 12-gauge spread.
 
MK brand
Anything known about them?
Low cost, but is the quality there?

MK10 or MK-10
Derya Arms (Turkey)
Composite, 4140 steel barrel, aluminum receiver
12ga 5-shot
What is “gas-operated”? Need a gas cartridge to run the reloading?
Online reviews not dissuading
 
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Hold on. It's a POS.
mag seating problems, failed cartridge discharges (jambs)


 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Ok I thought I explained this.
In the middle of the night, I am not a good shot.
It has something to do with blurry vision at 2am, please don't tell my AME.
I should put a lamp on the gun too because it is damn hard to hold a flashlite on the buggers (it's pitch black outside at 2am here)

So, yeah I will take a shot that I don't have completely pegged and once I miss, it takes too long to pump or slide a new cartridge, the bastard is gone! They are wily, and they learn. It got to where they would scatter upon hearing me rack the slide which I do as quietly as possible!

So a semiauto is a requirement of this search.
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Some thoughts;

1) Go with a 12 gauge - you can shoot loads that mirror 20 gauge loads if recoil bothers you but "in the heat of the moment" I doubt you'll feel the recoil.

2) Don't buy a "tactical" shotgun. They are good for one thing only where if you buy a conventional shotgun then it will be good for clay shooting, bird shooting or, if you must, slugs for deer.

3) If you need more than three shots then you've gone into the area of "Low percent" shots reengage later or reload.

4) Consider spending money for decent ammo - like a turkey load and a full choke if you're going to shoot beyond 30 yrds.

With all these in mind consider picking up a Benelli or Beretta gas operated semi-auto
 
Pugs said:
With all these in mind consider picking up a Benelli or Beretta gas operated semi-auto
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I loved my beretta 1201FP, it was fun to shoot. Too bad it was lost in the boating accident.
 
When shooting skunks, be forewarned. Skunks shoot back. Plan accordingly...

Skunks will eat bugs and other dirt crawling things. When I was growing up we had a mamma skunk bear her kits in our barn for 4 or 5 years. Never had a problem with them.
 
I don't think there's a purpose for a pistol grip shotgun, unless you're making a movie.
For the skunk, when I've had friends with skunk problems, they fixed it by removing the food source they're looking for, and removing any building that they could move in under.
 
Skunks can be driven away and kept away with human ****. We are a predator to them. Reapply weekly or more.
The most neighbor friendly next to a pellet gun.

Albany Tom said:
I don't think there's a purpose for a pistol grip shotgun, unless you're making a movie.
For the skunk, when I've had friends with skunk problems, they fixed it by removing the food source they're looking for, and removing any building that they could move in under.
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Duck hunting. Great control wading in the marsh. Plus it lets you show off one handed shots when close to a limit early in the day.
 
Thanks!
To answer some thoughts;
-the borrowed shotgun worked great last year. Skunks cannot and did never shoot back, as far away as I was from them
-I cannot remove the source of food (grubs in my awesome lawn) because I like my lawn and don't want to remove it. The grub killer did nothing. And, it's more chemicals. Traps resulted in catching raccoons which, when caught for a few hours, dig ferociously through the wire bottom....making a huge hole in the lawn (reminder; that's exactly what I am trying to avoid)
-human poop? um..yeaahh. They might smell it but how are humans not going to? Besides I'd have to go on a strict Mexican diet for 2 months and eat 10x what I eat now, in order to generate enough to cover the 500' perimeter! Plus there are enough ppl around who would object to me dropping my pants outside (no way I'm transporting it from the bathroom through the house). Fun idea though, thanks!
 
I’ll be odd guy out here and suggest a .25 or larger PCP air rifle with suppressor and a night scope. Quiet and with some practice, accurate to 100 yards.
 
Guessing you don't want to have to drill out gas ports in an effort to improve cycling reliability. Google saiga 12 jam.
I agree with pugs above.
 
I think I want to watch Caddyshack this weekend.
 
Albany Tom said:
The shotgun restriction I understand. It's the straight vs bottleneck rifle cartridge I find baffling. Maybe in flat country it may make some sense, but here it's hilly. You miss something on the crest of a hill, firing uphill, and that round is going to travel a long way.
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In Iowa 10+ years ago, they had a two-week doe only season in January for the southern tier of counties that they actually allowed rifle (I think it was the only season they allowed rifle in Iowa). I killed two within 5 minutes of each other with a 6.5x55 Swede. Now I hear that they have changed the season to be smooth-shouldered cartridges only. My guess is that some barns or houses were getting 'peppered' from mile(s) away with smallish caliber high velocity rounds by people that weren't used to hunting with long-range rifles. Not saying it can't happen with a 45-70, but you're going to have to be shooting that thing like a Howitzer to get it into grandma's kitchen window a mile away.
 
Can't remember who makes it, but I've seen a .22/20ga over/under that would be just about perfect for this scenario. .22 for daytime shots and 20ga for sleepy night-time shots.
 
CJones said:
Can't remember who makes it, but I've seen a .22/20ga over/under that would be just about perfect for this scenario. .22 for daytime shots and 20ga for sleepy night-time shots.
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H&R used to make a .22+.410 combo, and I think some other combinations as well. They were bought out by Remington a few years ago, but used combos might be found.
 
Half Fast said:
H&R used to make a .22+.410 combo, and I think some other combinations as well. They were bought out by Remington a few years ago, but used combos might be found.
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Sounds a lot like the USAF M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon......22 Hornet over a .410.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I need direction on purchasing one.
I have minimal firearm experience.
I have a decent collection of pistols which I shoot a couple of times a year, and borrowed a 20ga slide last year for this mission;
Skunk mitigation in yard (they tear the living crap out of it despite electric fence, other aversion tactics). I can usually get within 100’ of the target.
Texas laws.

Friend says 12ga is overkill and will hurt the shoulder. So, 20ga?

i find that I am not my usual 20:15 at 3:00am so I need multiple discharges to complete the task. 4 rounds might not be adequate - don’t some have a “plug that can be removed” to increase chamber capacity? How to tell if they do, and what the new capacity is?

https://www.guns.com/used-guns/certified-used/all
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Winchester SX3 best semi auto 12 gauge I've ever fired. Recoil is just a bit more than a .22 rifle.
 
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