Bolt action shotgun fans?

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  • Last Post 06 December 2016
tturner53 posted this 12 April 2016

I have certain weaknesses. Maybe character flaws. I buy old bolt action shotguns. Can't say why. They usually are a disappointment. But, when they run right, they're great. Maybe it's just because I prefer bolt action rifles. The latest prize is an old JC Higgins 583.2 12 ga. I don't even hunt birds! Oh well. Anybody else like or use these dinosaurs?  If this one works a-ok I'm going to make it a two barrel combo. Cut the donor barrel to 18 1/2". Boom, a camp gun. Then I can cast up all kinds of interesting things to shoot in it.

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Ed Harris posted this 12 April 2016

A buddy of mine liked to keep a few old bolt action shotguns around the house as “decoys” so that any quick smash and grab burglars would take those and run, instead of tearing the house apart looking for the Winchesters and Colts.

He kept one in the window rack of the pickup for the same reason. Fellow is retired LE and I asked him how he came to this conclusion, and he said that in interviewing experienced thieves, the consensus was, “I don't steal junk..."

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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6pt-sika posted this 12 April 2016

Sure I have a pair ! The first I bought new in 1998 it's a Savage 210F 12 gauge rifled barrel . And the second I got a few years ago when they first hit the market . It's also a Savage model 220 and is a 20 gauge rifled shotgun . Killed Sika deer with them both matter of fact that's what they were exclusively purchased for ! I also had a Browning A-Bolt 12 gauge fully rifled gun . Bought it NIB at a local shop for a good bit less then it was worth . Hunted it a couple years and someone offered me double what I paid so down the road it went . To be honest it shot no better then the Savage 210F I had at the time and still have today !

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 12 April 2016

the sleeper is the mossberg 1950's era bolt shotguns...

they had a changeable choke and for me they pointed better than any other shotgun i have had before or since ...

i had a jc higgins bolt 20 gauge that fed brass shells just fine ...my best barn pigeon gun.... a very well made, reliable gun .

i traded it for my lifetime remmy 870 ....sigh... farewell, little rosebud ...

ken

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tturner53 posted this 13 April 2016

Thanks a lot! That's tempting but now my fun budget is shot for this month. Ed's right, most are junk by now. The old ones, I mean. I read about a counter-burglar strategy similar to your friends'. It was called “feed the rat". The dummy leaves with an armful of old crappy junk guns thinking he's got collector stuff. Like a common glass fronted gun cabinet in plain sight full of junk.

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2coldhere posted this 18 April 2016

I inherited a Sears 16 gage bolt shotgun from my father. Even though he quit using it years before he passed, if he saw a sale on shells he would still buy them. Now I've got the gun and 10 boxes of lead duck loads. Seems to have a 10 lb. trigger and you could never trust the safety to really be on. Might take it to a skeet range and shoot all singles with it.

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tturner53 posted this 18 April 2016

That Sears 16 ga is probably a JC Higgins. Store brand name. You're right about not trusting the safety. When they get worn out they seem prone to accidental discharges. Be real sure about where it's pointed!

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R. Dupraz posted this 18 April 2016

Mossberg 183K-A 410 with adjustable choke

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John Alexander posted this 18 April 2016

My first gun was a Western Field (Montgomery Ward) 410.  Dad thought the limited range was better for a ten year old than a rifle.  It worked Ok but after having to beat the occasional squirrel to death  which I hated, I worked hard to get a rifle in a couple of years.  Sort of unjustly soured me on that type of gun. John

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Shadowdog posted this 05 December 2016

I wish I had bought one of the Mauser '98 16ga. bolt guns when they were plentiful.  I did own a Marlin 12 gauge in the 70's for a time.  I think I swapped it to my cousin for something.

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TheMrNotSoFamous posted this 06 December 2016

I've got a 1950's Mossberg 183 D .410 shotgun that serves me very well indeed for rabbits, squirrels and turkey for the last 15 yrs. or so. It's a joy to carry because of it's light weight and favorable balance. Shoots everything I put in it with accuracy and nice tight patterns(using screw on full choke). Money wise it's probably not worth a whole lot, but in my opinion it's a first class working gun.

Owning a firearm doesn't make you armed anymore than owning a guitar makes you a musician...words of Jeff Cooper

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