So I have a 30-40 yr old Remington 870 with a 30in barrel on borrow from my father in law. I have shot skeet, trap, & sporting clays a few times (shot 23/25 my second round of trap!) and I absolutely love it. I was thinking of buying a true sporting gun for my new hobby. The problem is I don't really know the fundamentals of shotguns and what I should be thinking about on my possible new purchase.
My questions are:
Choke
-I understand choke can increase/decrease the spread of a shotgun and so can the length of a barrel, what is a good setup for skeet? for trap? for sporting clays?
-it seems that trap shooters prefer longer barrels and skeet/sporting shooters prefer shorter barrels - what is a good all around length if I want to shoot all types?
-Why wouldn't I just want to have as open choke and shortest barrel possible to increase spread the most and hit the most clays?
Shot
-Is there any reason I wouldn't want to use the highest number shot I can find for a reasonable price as to increase the 'cloud' of shot I shoot?
-12 gauge is cheaper and more common, but is there anything wrong with 20 gauge if I want to spare my shoulder a bit AND make the firearm more friendly to the women/kids in my life?
Type
-what are the pros and cons of an O/U vs a semi-auto shotgun?
-what is the difference between a gas operated and blowback semi-auto?
Sorry if these are dumb questions, I didn't grow up with firearms so I am learning as much as I can from friends and INGO. Thanks for your help.
My questions are:
Choke
-I understand choke can increase/decrease the spread of a shotgun and so can the length of a barrel, what is a good setup for skeet? for trap? for sporting clays?
-it seems that trap shooters prefer longer barrels and skeet/sporting shooters prefer shorter barrels - what is a good all around length if I want to shoot all types?
-Why wouldn't I just want to have as open choke and shortest barrel possible to increase spread the most and hit the most clays?
Shot
-Is there any reason I wouldn't want to use the highest number shot I can find for a reasonable price as to increase the 'cloud' of shot I shoot?
-12 gauge is cheaper and more common, but is there anything wrong with 20 gauge if I want to spare my shoulder a bit AND make the firearm more friendly to the women/kids in my life?
Type
-what are the pros and cons of an O/U vs a semi-auto shotgun?
-what is the difference between a gas operated and blowback semi-auto?
Sorry if these are dumb questions, I didn't grow up with firearms so I am learning as much as I can from friends and INGO. Thanks for your help.