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Originally Posted by elkhunter11
I never posted that a person needed to have a shotgun fitted, in order to shoot it well. Unless you are very tall or short, or of an abnormal build, you don't have to get a shotgun fitted to have a shotgun that fits you fairly well. With so many shotguns available, that vary in fit, you can simply shoulder a variety of shotguns , and see which shotguns fit you best. You may not find a perfect fit, but some will fit much better than others, so why not buy the shotgun that fits you best? Yes people have been killing birds with shotguns for many years, and many people have used shotguns that fit poorly, because that is all that they had available, but if you have the choice, why wouldn't you choose the best fitting gun you can, and give yourself the best odds of shooting to your potential? Whether you shoot clays or birds, a better fitting shotgun is an advantage, and only a fool would purposely deny himself that advantage.
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I have to agree with all that.
Maybe I should explain my thinking.
I think it's a mistake to give new hunters the impression that one NEEDS a ultra magnum or a perfectly fitting shotgun to have any success in hunting.
Whether that impression is intentional or not I don't think matters.
There certainly is a place for flat shooting rifles and properly fitted shotguns.
But in my experience beginners seldom have the cash or the knowledge to achieve such ideals or even benefit from them.
When I answer a post I keep in mind what it was like for myself when I was learning to hunt and shoot and temper my answers accordingly.
I started out with no access to experts and only second hand firearms that would be inadequate in many peoples minds these days, but they did the job then and still can today.
There is nothing wrong with hunting with an ultra magnum, if that is what one likes, and for sure proper fit and patterning a shotgun can take ones shooting to the next level.
But first one has to learn to aim and to hunt.
I firmly believe it does the future of hunting a disservice to give anyone the impression that hunting or shooting is more complicated or more costly then it actually is.
The reality is, a hard kicking gun promotes poor shooting techniques in new hunters and the budget shotgun can bring down birds as surely as the best super magnum auto. They may not do it as good as the high priced hard kicking offerings, but they are easier to learn with and a whole lot easier on the budget.
If you were to reread my first post you may notice that my focus was on his reason for upgrading. In so doing I offered that if upgrading was his goal that was fine but if improving his hit average was the goal then upgrading may not be the best alternative.
Given the budget he suggested I guessed that he wasn't drowning in cash thus a lower priced gun might be a better option.
You answered my post by suggesting that my hunting partners were poor shots and of course that suggests that I am an even worse shot.
You followed that by saying this;
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If you want to improve your shooting, make sure your gun fits,
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I think that leaves the wrong impression. As I said, in my experience improper lead is most often the reason beginners miss.
Therefor I think learning where to aim is more important then fit or pattern.
Once you have that figured out then it's time to look at getting a shotgun that fits well or have someone fit your gun for you.
But that's just my opinion gleaned from many years of trial and error.
Take it for what it is. Just my opinion.