Finally got to shoot the new tamer 20 yesterday. I scavenged a bunch of water bottles and soda cans from the trash at work for some targets! I stepped back 20 paces and loaded a #6 - 2 3/4" federal game load and lined up on the first bottle. I pulled the trigger and the bottle exploded! First thing I noticed was how much this little gun KICKS! With those shells I would compare it to firing 3" slugs out of my 12 gauge mossburg 500. Maybe not as much "shove" as the 12ga but it has a sharp recoil that seems to make it feel the same. One things for sure - the tamer 20 is not for anyone wanting to get away from 12ga recoil! Next thing I noticed was that I had a shell in my hand and I didn't have one when I pulled the trigger! After a bit of confusion I figured out that it had come out of the shellholder under the recoil and I had somehow managed to subconsciously catch it. I guess I didn't have the little rubber tensioners tight enough to hold them in. So after I get everything figured out I pop the gun open and.......nothing! The shell just sits right there. Mocking me! Lucky I had a rod and knocked it out easily. I fired a few more rounds and they all popped out easily. Then, about 6 shells later, another sticks. I figured out that I can put the rounds that stuck back in the gun and they stick again. Not quite sure what that means. 1 in every 6-7 did it.
Anyway, now too the accuracy! As I shot I figured out that the first bottle was a fluke. The gun shoots high so if I aim like I'm used to I tend to either miss or only put a few pellets on target. But after a bit I got used to placing the bead at just below the intended bottle. They explode every time! I used to squirrel hunt with an old single shot winchester 410 that was the same way. I actually like it doing that way because I can clearly see what the squirrel is doing as I aim instead of having a bead in the way. Works out well.
After I destroyed a good majority of the targets, I pulled out a few slugs. Just regular federal 2 3/4" rifled slugs. At thirty paces the gun will shoot minute of bottle no problem. 3 slugs, 3 bottles sent flying! Again I was placing the bead just below the bottle.
I ended up regretting the next thing I did. I had a box of 3" magnum buckshot I bought just to test the recoil. I loaded one and aimed at my last remaining bottle. I pulled the trigger and man that gun rocked me. Again not much shove like a 12ga, but its like a sharp punch that really hurts. More like a high power rifle then a shotgun recoil. Both my shoulder and my hand hurt afterwards. I don't want to shoot one again! I would have no trouble doing it if there was a reason (I handle the 3 1/2" 12ga turkey shells) but I really don't see why I would ever need 3"s in this gun.
When I got home I looked in the mirror and I have bruises in the pattern of the bumps on the butt of the gun! Guess that's the sign of a good range day right? After I got done looking at the bruises I got on here and then successfully completed the bb trick on my ejector. The ejector is noticeably louder and does seem to kick dummy rounds further. Hopefully that will fix the fail to eject problems. I'll let you guys know if it does.
I'm going to do a real good paper pattern test with the gun at some point. (Just no 3" shells!) Should be interesting to see what I can get it to do.
