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Adding chokes to Ruger Red Label
nomaven
Member Posts: 2 ✭✭
I am looking to buy my first shotgun and have my eye on a used Ruger 20ga O/U. Price is $750. I have no idea how old it is.
Problem is, it is choked for skeet and I probably want to shoot skeet and trap.
Question is, would I be hurting the resale value by having it threaded for chokes?
Thanks in advance.
Nomoven
Problem is, it is choked for skeet and I probably want to shoot skeet and trap.
Question is, would I be hurting the resale value by having it threaded for chokes?
Thanks in advance.
Nomoven
Comments
However, why a 20 ga.? You can get light loads for 12ga (easier if you reload)if recoil is an issue, and the 12 ga. is really what you want as an all-around-gun for clays if you only have one gun. 20 ga. is about the same recoil, has worse patterns (debateable item with some), is about the same cost if you are buying ammo, and has less resale value.
Some will say if it's your first shotgun buy a 20 ga., in my experience go to a 12 right off. Just my opinion.
Best of luck.
If so, then the next question I have is about the overall quality and condition of the gun. Early blued frames often came with exceptional wood and finish. These guns are beginning to be appreciated by those not necessarily into shooting. So... Is the gun a mere shooter, or does it have potential as a collector's item?
20 ga. vs. 12 ga. ... Lots of differing opinions. The 20 will have a longer shot string for the same weight load. What isn't always understood is that patterning against a stationary target is all but useless as the real test is on a moving target and this changes everything.
My experience has been that if the gun in question fits properly and you happen to be on, then choke and bore size will be of little importance. If you're trying to get a couple of pellets into a clay on what otherwise would be a miss, then you need all the help you can muster.
In conclusion; If the gun is a mere shooter, then choke it as best suites your needs if that's your wish. On a more personal level, I'd make sure that the fit was perfect and practice until you were certain of a fair score with the chokes presently in place. That being done, then fitting with tubes may be in order.
This same concept of starting with a marginal gun is present in many forms of shooting, and there are two thoughts. One is: To be a good shooter you need the best equipment you can afford, the proper type equipment "fitted" to you, practice and more practice, proper instruction, and a little luck also helps. The second: Trial by fire and if you survive and change all the bad habits you formed by listening to all the different shooters, improper or marginal guns, you will learn to get results for all the wrong reasons.
I'm old and have done both methods. Take the easy way, proper equipment (12 ga.), fitted (cannot say this enough), get an instructional disc or take a few lessons, and practice.
Sorry for the length of this reply, but this is a more important decision then you may think at this point, unless money, frustration level, and time are no object. I became a AA skeet shooter with bad equipment and no training 40 years ago, and some of these bad habits have effected pistol, shotgun, and rifle shooting to this day. I listen to some instructor friends of mine (everything they say seems to work)now and wish I had learned these things 40 years ago.
Just shoot and be happy. And you'll be happy if you hit more targets.
I have shot skeet for about 15 years- competition and lots of practice. I have only know one person that shot a Ruger shotgun for a couple of years and then he traded it off. I have been to lots of tournaments around this part of the country and I just don't see Rugers on the fields! The most common complaint I heard was that they just had too much recoil!! Seems that the stocks are too straight or something and that they are generally pretty light in weight.
My advice would be like some of the others here: Buy a used gun that fits you and that already has the choke tubes installed. Most of the "beginner" shooters in my part of the world, start with Remington 1100 or 1187's and then move on to a Browning or Beretta O/U with guage tubes and choke tubes. The sky is the limit after that!
I guess your decision has to do a lot with just how much shooting you see for yourself, in the future?
I have owned 2 Ruger Red Labels--20 and 12 guages. Didn't shoot them but a few rounds.
I sure don't mean to hurt anyones feelings about the Ruger shotguns and I know that it is a personal matter--much like the long running debate--Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge vs Toyota etc.
Anyway, seem to be rambling on, so I will stop. Good luck to you as you make a choice. Please know that most of us didn't get it right the first time either!!!
The Red Label happened to be the gun that fit me. I was pleased that it was a domestic versus the Citori or others, but it all came down to fit.
If you purchase a gun that fits, then you'll have much less to worry about when it comes to putting shot on target. Chokes will help, but they're NOT the real answer. The real answer is placing your shot string on target, not adjusting the string so that a few pellets will hit.
So... Don't pay too much attention to name on the gun. Make sure the gun is pleasing to your eyes and fits comfortably. Go out and enjoy!
Get one that FITS..Too much crap in "which choke do I need".Shoot quick and true..Only way to improve your success..Good luck..modoc
Whatever you decide, stay away from Winchester o/u's ! ( a little "bait" for
)!
A real shotgunner would be using a Winchester SxS... a.k.a. a Model 21[:0][^]