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The single shot shotguns?

Henry's new shotguns
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Re: The single shot shotguns?

Post by ScottCard » Wed Apr 17, 2019 9:05 am

I picked up 20 gauge single shot youth model for my wife. She wants to try turkey hunting next year and this seemed to be a great option. She is small in stature so it fits her well and is simple to operate.

Fit and finish is nice and I like that it takes Rem chokes since I have a bunch lying around for an old LT-20. She has begun to shoot and so far so good. Recoil with turkey loads got her attention pretty quickly but she is improving.

I have shot it a few times and I like it other than the stock being way to short for me. I’d give it two thumbs up.
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Re: The single shot shotguns?

Post by ESquared » Wed Apr 17, 2019 1:19 pm

Thanks, Scott! Seems like I have about half the posts in this thread, with all my yapping about nobody owning one! The 20 ga. is the one I keep drifting back to, as it seems like a fine choice for turkey and trap. Every one I've ever seen in person has great looking furniture, and the mechanics are very solid, at least based on my 223.
Standard REM choke tubes is a plus, too.
It's one of those things...
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Re: The single shot shotguns?

Post by ScottCard » Wed Apr 17, 2019 2:13 pm

Esquared-

The 20 gauge is a very versatile choice but I wouldn’t recommend it for trap unless you’re a seasoned trap shooter and you know what you’re getting into. My son shot trap on a school team for 5 years. He started off with a 20 gauge but we quickly learned that puts you at a disadvantage. Trap is not fun if you don’t break targets frequently so a greater margin of error is your best friend. If you’ll be new to trap I’d recommend going with the 12 gauge and use the reduced recoil loads.

Plus, that gives you a reason to buy the 12 and 20. :) Set up the 12 for trap (maybe add an adjustable buttplate) and use the 20 for everything else. FYI, Trap can become very addicting...and lead to buying nicer and nicer and more expensive guns.

FYI part 2, my son ended up with a Remington 1100 Synthetic for trap after trying Berettas and Browning’s.
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ESquared
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Re: The single shot shotguns?

Post by ESquared » Wed Apr 17, 2019 4:13 pm

Thanks for that guidance, Scott! Obviously way out over my skis on shotguns, so I appreciate the advice. Yes, I'd rather break targets than watch them crack up on the ground. My only experience with a 12 ga was a Winchester auto that was absolutely punishing, and I know nothing of reduced coil loads (clearly), so more research is in order, huh?
Heck maybe a Henry SS 12 ga. and figure it out from there?
Google is my friend...
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Re: The single shot shotguns?

Post by ESquared » Wed Apr 17, 2019 4:39 pm

I may have overstated my complete lack of knowledge about shotguns above, as I grew up shooting a single shot 16 ga. "out on the farm," shooting clay pigeons out of a hand-held thrower (so I have no idea what the distances were). I had an opportunity to pick up a used H&R "Topper" 16 ga. over the summer, but have yet to shoot it.
Trap sounds like fun, and we have a good outdoor trap range close by, so my research continues on the Henry SS lineup.
Scott (above) favors 12 ga. for trap, but, again, I have no basis for comparison other than I was pretty decent for a kid with that 16 ga.
Then, it took me about 3 minutes to find this piece by Chuck Hawks, whom I've read on various long-gun topics.
Any other words of wisdom from you shotgunners out there?

https://www.chuckhawks.com/drive_20_gauge.htm
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Re: The single shot shotguns?

Post by ScottCard » Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:18 pm

I would recommend you check out trapshooter.com and spend some time on the forums there as there is lots of great formation.

Another thing to mention, trap guns usually have longer barrels for the extra weight to swing more smoothly to the target. A shorter barrel (and hence lighter) can result in whipping the barrel past your target. Most “trap” folks will say 28” minimum for barrel with 30-32” being the norm. Like a 30” barrel and have an old Browning Citori.

Of course, if you’re just looking to have some fun, the 20 gauge SS will get you started. But, if you have the resources, I’d recommend getting the 20 gauge SS for hunting and field work, then look to pick up a used trap gun...something like a Browning BT99 or an old Remington 1100 Trap model. If you research trap guns you will find out soon you can spend as much for a trap gun as a car or house (check out Krieghoff or high end Berettas if you think I’m kidding). That said, there are many used options out there in the 500-1000 range.
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Re: The single shot shotguns?

Post by ESquared » Thu Apr 18, 2019 6:47 am

Great info again, Scott, thanks. I'll check out trapshooter.com (although maybe at my own peril), but I'll soon find myself over my depth, I'm afraid. I'm passingly familiar with how high "up" is in the shotgun world, and it's amazing, huh?
Of course, like most newbies, I'd like something I can use for both hunting and trap, knowing that it's all just "fun" for my purposes.
This could end up being a real rabbit hole for me...
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Re: The single shot shotguns?

Post by Yornoc3 » Sun Apr 28, 2019 5:13 pm

At the Rice Creek Gun Fair, I had the chance to handle a steel frame 20 ga. I was sorting through the boxes to see if there was a Brass Frame .410 in the pile, but no joy. I did notice a couple things, however. First, when shouldering the steel frame 20 ga., I found it had a little too much drop at the comb for me. It wasn't by much, but I would wonder about wing shooting with it. There were some Brass frame 12 ga. guns in the pile, but I didn't want to open a box to look at a gun I wasn't interested in (now I wish I would have :roll: ), so I tried a brass frame 45-70, which was out for display. I believe the brass frame/straight hand stock rifles have been reported to have more drop than the steel frame versions, and it sure seemed like it to me. So, if Henry is using the same stock fit to the shotguns, and there's no reason to think they don't, they might have too much drop to properly fit some of us as a shotgun should for wing shooting or clays. For sure I'll want to try one for fit before I buy one. So I bought a Frontier .22 lr instead ;) .
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