Shotguns

At the 2013 SHOT Show, Gun Tests staffers found a lot of new shotgun products. If some strike your fancy, please let the staff know in the comments below or send your wish list to GunTestsEditor@me.com. If you see more on other websites, just include a link in your comment so the staff can follow up.

I noticed the bolt on the old shotgun was closed when it was being taken out of its case, so I asked the owner to open it. When he touched the bolt, the striker released. I was mighty relieved that he had remembered to unload the piece before bringing it into my shop. Another person standing at the end of the counter, which happened to be at the shotgun's muzzle end, was even more relieved than I was.

When there isn’t a scope mount made to fit the shotgun you’re working on, don’t worry about it. Just use a blank to make your own.

A lathe is preferable for choke work, but hard tools are an option if you don't have access to the bigger machine. Here are some tips.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, joined a chorus of skeptics who questioned President Barack Obama's recent comments about his hobby of skeet shooting.

Benelli’s super-lightweight shotguns, the Ultralight line, are touted as being the lightest semi-automatic shotguns in production. Because a lighter gun does not always leave a shooter happy after a long day in the field or an afternoon shooting sporting clays, there are good reasons why shooters would prefer a heavier classic model, such as a favorite of many shooters, the Remington Model 1100. The Model 1100 was first manufactured in 1963, and with more than 50 years of production under its belt, it has earned seniority over newcomers like the Ultralight. But, because age is just a number and the new challenges the old every day, Gun Tests’ shooters wanted to see for themselves which gun they would buy. So, for a test in the February 2013 issue, Winkle’s Great Guns supplied a Benelli Ultralight Model No. 10802 12 Gauge, $1649; and Remington Model 1100 Sporting No. 25315, $1211, for this showdown. Here’s what Gun Tests found.

A good polishing job can save a gun from the junk heap, but a bad job can send it there. Here's how the professional does it.

A fired 12-gauge shotgun shell unleashes a column of shot from a shotgun barrel at about 1,200 feet per second – too fast for the human eye to see the pellets in flight. This can make it extremely difficult to master the correct lead on flying clay targets or game birds. What if that changed? What if it was possible to track the flight of the shot string? Thanks to Winchester Ammunition, it’s happening in 2013.

Benelli's super-lightweight shotguns, the Ultralight line, are touted as being the lightest semi-automatic shotguns in production. Because a lighter gun does not always leave a shooter happy after a long day in the field or an afternoon shooting sporting clays, there are good reasons why shooters would prefer a heavier classic model, such as a favorite of many shooters, the Remington Model 1100. The Model 1100 was first manufactured in 1963, and with more than 50 years of production under its belt, it has earned seniority over newcomers like the Ultralight. But, because age is just a number and the new challenges the old every day, our shooters wanted to see for themselves which gun they would buy. Toward that end, we got a Benelli Ultralight Model No. 10802 12 Gauge, $1649; and Remington Model 1100 Sporting No. 25315, $1211, for this showdown.

There are groups that undermine and manipulate systems across America to end hunting, trapping and fishing. These same “less-than-honest” groups also often then exploit wildlife and conservation issues in the name of raising dollars for their devious causes. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance has identified a dozen organizations that have taken efforts in the past year to prevent you from hunting or trapping:

There will always be a need to identify chamberings of firearms that have been inherited or bought at yard sales. The lure of buying for bottom dollar and discovering a real jewel is ingrained in most of us, so a little thing like no chambering marks on a rifle or handgun is no deterrent to a gun fancier.

USA Shooting’s National Shotgun Coach Todd Graves (Hamilton, Ga.) has assigned eight highly-respected coaches to assist and participate in the formation of USA Shooting’s re-structured Shotgun program.