Shotguns

There's something about shotguns that brings out the worst in otherwise knowledgeable people. A vast majority of shooters don't even know how to get and keep barrels clean and shiny. Even fewer have any idea about shotgun sights and their use. Still, solving these and other problems are intimidating to the novice, yet there is nothing to most of the jobs after overcoming the initial mystique of these jobs. The easiest are removing slight surface rust from barrels and polishing shotgun bores. Installing sights that will really help the shooter also fall into the easy job category. We will cover these here in enough depth for you to take on any of these jobs comfortably.

The 50th Anniversary Citori shotgun is a collaboration between manufacturer Browning and retailer Cabela's.

NSSF's Dave Miles takes a look at the popular and rapidly growing sport of three-gun shooting with Tom Fuller of Bushnell during the AR15.com/Rockcastle 3-gun Pro AM held at Rockcastle Shooting Center at Park Mamoth Resort in Park City, KY.

(GunReports.com) -– Mossberg has introduced the 500 Thunder Ranch Shotgun, a 12-gauge shotgun designed in conjunction with personal defense instructor Clint Smith.

To qualify for a Franchi shotgun rebate of $100 or $200, shooters must purchase a new Franchi I-12 or Renaissance shotgun from an Authorized Franchi Dealer between January 18 and November 30, 2011.

Advanced Technology International, aka ATI, a manufacturer of gun stocks and firearm accessories, has developed the New Triton adaptor System, allowing shooters to easily mount stocks with no special tools, only an allen or torque wrench.

Watch as Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA shows how to safety handle a gun on the sporting clays field. The proper use of eye and ear protection is covered as well as using the correct ammunition. Safe gun handling is emphasized with specific examples unique to the sporting clays field.

Both the side-by-side hammer guns and the pump-action hammer guns of old left a distinct mark in history and are now resurfacing in the form of replicas finding favor at shooting competitions across the country. The popularity of the simple and easy-to-handle shotguns is also growing among people interested in home-defense firearms.For a trip back to the past, Gun Tests selected a side-by-side to see if there is any advantage or downside—other than the number of shots—to an Old West style shotgun. The test shotgun was a Cimarron T.T.N. Model 1878 Coach Gun 12 Gauge Side-by-Side carrying a price tag of $480 in the new gun rack at Dury’s Gun Shop in San Antonio.

Dropping a dove without retrieving it is both poor form and wasteful. If the friendly neighborhood game warden is in the area, such unsportsmanlike conduct might also get you cited for "waste of game."

When you have managed to knock a bird out of the sky with a well-placed pattern of shot, watch the bird fall all the way to the ground and keep your eye on that spot.

Focus on any identifiable landmark - a clump of tall grass, a bush, a telephone pole or fence post that is in direct line with the fallen bird and immediately walk to that spot.

Don't take your eyes off the spot. Don't shoot another bird and don't look down to load your shotgun. Retrieving that bird is your first and only mission.

Unlike crossing birds where swing through and shooting well in front of the doves is necessary, an incomer requires a touch of finesse.

(GunReports.com) -- Watch as Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA, demonstrates the basic safety and operational features of pump, semi-automatic and break-open shotguns.

The Gun Tests staff tested the Benelli Super Black Eagle II No. 10016, $1515. The 12-gauge gun featured a back-bored (.735-inch interior diameters compared to the 12-gauge nominal .729) barrel, stepped ventilated ribs, three-shot magazine, cross-bolt safety and a smooth, crisp trigger.It came with classy plastic case befitting a 4-digit retail shotgun, with molded impressions to fit the various gun parts, choke tubes and wrenches.

(GunReports.com) -- New GunReports.com Videos: 1: In this video from the NRA Annual Meetings in Pittsburgh, Kevin Winkle of GunReports.com interviews Angela Leslie, assistant marketing manager of long guns for Beretta. She details features on the A400 Explor, a new 3.5 inch semiauto shotgun. 2: In this video from the NRA Annual Meetings in Pittsburgh, Kevin Winkle of GunReports.com interviews Colt Marketing Manager Michael Guerra on the rebirth of the Colt Mustang PocketLite, not made since the 1990s. 3: Kevin Winkle of GunReports.com interviews Phil Schrier, senior curator of the National Firearms Museum at the NRA Annual Meeting.