paulireland wrote: »

Is there really such a thing as left and right hand stocks.As you can see I am new to this

Yes, they are bent slightly off the centreline of the gun so your eye lines up with the barrel rib. I think Ardee sports are the importers of Browning and Miroku here. You could ring them.

paulireland wrote: »

Many thanks for the info.I am in Wicklow so Kerry is a log way away

Hilltop in Newtownmountkennedy might be worth a call. He has had Miroku for sale and can probably get one in. Pat is also a good man to advise on gun fit.

They are functionally the same gun, the g5 has better graded wood and engraving, but mechanically they are the same. Depends on what you want to do with the gun, hit targets or look at it.

paulireland wrote: »

Well said
My thinking is this.I am right handed but have to shoot left handed(dont ask)
So if I get a standard gun and a made to measure stock its easier to sell with the standard stock if I change guns
Hope that makes sense

You can get them from the factory in left handed - not just the cast of the stock but also the direction of opening of the top lever.

When it comes time to sell - if ever, I think that a true left handed gun would hold its price better because of the scarcity value.

However, if you'e naturally right handed but left master eye the fit of the gun is even more important than normally. You need to consider what barrel length will work best for you - if your 5'6" you will struggle with a 32" gun and would probably be better getting a 28". Similarly with stock length - if your short and plump rather than skinny and gangly you will be better suited with different stock lengths, cast and drop.

Most people can learn to shoot reasonably well at clays with an ill-fitting gun when they can mount the gun and position their head and eye to look correctly along the barrel. However, this won't work with FITASC clay or game shooting where you just mount and shoot and the fit has to be reasonable.

You are always going to shoot better with a gun that is fitted to you especially if you have to shoot of the "wrong" shoulder. However if you are of average height and build a factory stock in left hand is going to be reasonably OK.

In summary, If you can afford it get the gun fitted for you with somebody that knows what they are doing and has a proper try gun to get the measurements correct it's the way to go.

...and the best of luck.

paulireland wrote: »

Thanks rosahane
Sounds like solid advice
I had a gun permit years ago and shot a .22 so using my left shoulder and trigger with my left hand is fine for me even though I am right handed
I have heard that as I had a permit before(1970s) it will help in getting a new permit now
Good to know the lever is for left hand.I didnt know that
Thanks for the advice

Problem is though using a rifle and a shotgun are apples and oranges. You can get a crossover stock made, so you can shoot from your right hand side and use your left eye.

Since you're in Wicklow head up to Hilltop when it re-opens and have a look at the clay layouts. You can see the difference between the Compact sporting and Ball trap layouts and see the different type of guns. He will have trap and sporting clay guns that you can look at to see the difference. You can even shoot when you're there.

paulireland wrote: »

Good info-thanks guys.
Just a thought-if I get a cheap and cheerful gun to get my cert I can always upgrade to a Miroku.Reason I say this is that should I be refused(cant think why I would) I could get my money refunded from the dealer.If I spend 2K+ on a Miroku he will want the full amount up front if it has to be ordered in
Any thoughts
Cheers as ever
Paul

If you have all your ducks in a row, home security, club membership or land permissions, and you are not someone with a serious criminal record or history of mental illnesses, you won't be refused.

paulireland wrote: »

Good info-thanks guys.
Just a thought-if I get a cheap and cheerful gun to get my cert I can always upgrade to a Miroku.Reason I say this is that should I be refused(cant think why I would) I could get my money refunded from the dealer.If I spend 2K+ on a Miroku he will want the full amount up front if it has to be ordered in
Any thoughts
Cheers as ever
Paul

Paul,
If you want to shoot properly, you need to get a left handed gun or at the very least one that has a stock that can be adjusted to suit a lefty.

You will struggle to find a reasonably priced left hand O/U, if you can find one at all. However, Browning stocks from the factory are generally straight while Beretta stocks have a cast. So, a stock Browning mightn't be too bad.

Better again is the Browning Cynnergy Black Ice with a composite stock which has a selection of left, right, and straight Combs and a couple of recoil pad butt plate options to adjust the length. Fit the left hand comb and you have a slightly left handed gun with an annoying top lever .

However, a decent second one of those is going to be at between €1200 - €1900 secondhand and the same price as the Miroku new. Given that, they will hold their value and a few are usually on sale so trying one out is a possibility.

Like I said, when you can, do a trawl of the dealers and see what takes your fancy. If possible try to shoot a selection of different guns. People in clubs are usually happy to let somebody try a few shot with their guns.

paulireland wrote: »

Thanks for that.I didn't realize the trap gun had a fixed aim point.
Am also trying to get my head around chokes

Don’t wreck your head over chokes and all that craic.

If by “fixed aim point” you understand non adjustable sights that would be the case for most if not all sporting shotguns from a century old side by side game gun to a new trap gun.

A shotgun in most cases has a rib on top of the barrel and a bead at the muzzle that assists you with pointing the gun towards your target. Some guns require you to point the gun slightly under or over your target to have an optimal impact of the shot pattern and others require you to be exactly on the target.

On top of that different brands and weights and shot sizes in cartridges will pattern slightly to substantially differently.

The only way to conclusively figure out what a particular gun does in your hands is to check it out on a fixed target that allows you to see the spread of pellets at a fixed distance. The likes of a square meter sheet of cardboard ( a television box or the likes ) at 20 meter with a nice big dot in the middle to point at for example does the job nicely.

If you really want to be particular about it you could make a patterning plate.

paulireland wrote: »

Thanks again guys
Reason for all my questions is that with the lockdown I cant talk to people in gunshops or the local firearms officer at the Garda station so I am winging it a bit
Cheers
Paul

I think a good few shops are working with online deliveries so the lads will be in the shops to take any calls.Look on Facebook and from the ones I look at they are open for calls.