Let’s get it straight here, a shotGUN, is not a rifle, even if it has a rifled barrel.

The original question was "Buying my first rifle...looking for advice"

Am I wrong?

Anyway, for your first I would suggest a nice little brunette…err I mean .22 LR and go out an plink at some inanimate object (paper target) that will not ricochet, (sue for child support)

This is my Rifle, this is my Gun...

Blitz

The Mossberg 535 mentioned in the OP is a pump shotgun.

OK Russ,

You are correct, I guess I was going by the title of his post. Boy, do I have egg on my face. Anyway I have a Mossberg (590) and I love it dearly, it sleeps very close to me.

Blitz

A Ruger 10/22 and a Remington 870. Tough combo to beat.

Ha ha. wherever the guy is and whatever he is doing now I can assure you that he is got one evil grin on his face reading this.

I asked taurus the same question when I first wanted to get my first non-military firearm. The recomendation I got from him for a first general purpose firearm was the Mossberg 500 deer/waterfoul combo for these reasons:
1.cheap
2.ultra reliable
3. easy operation and maintance
4.great for a variety of tasks from home defence, bird hunting, small game hunting, large game hunting and recreation.
5. large selection of different types of ammo to taylor to individual needs.
6. very easy to customize. and
7.which I didnt know at the time it is a very easy cartridge to reload your own ammo for.(I think he uses a lee load all 2 ? which is a shotshell reloader that retails for about 60 bucks) he loaded me 100 shells in about 1 hour ten minutes once. this is something I want to start as well when he gets home to show me how.
I took the lads advice and got a 500 combo and I love it. it aint fancy, but it damn well works when you need it to. he also talked very highly of the rem 870 as well. I can vouch for this old girl as we are issued these for urban combat. great little shotguns but more on the pricey side.

I have been to the guys house an have seen his collection. all I can say is holy crap. this guy likes guns. To name a few shotguns that I remember he had the rem 870, mossberg 500,535,835, and 935 semi auto, as well as a super black eagle 2 and a couple of double barrels. including a very old 8 ga which only God knows where he got that one from. Despite it all he will always hit the field with the same tried, tested and proven guns. the ruger 10/22, the mossberg 500 and a good old scratched up .30-06. The guy is a bigger gun nut than most guys I have met and he reloads and shoots and hunts constantly so I will take his advice a well as anyone elses. when a guy owns all those shotguns but sticks to one to take to the field it must be for a good reason. unless a rifle is needed for specific reason he will have the 500 stuck to his hand like glue. but. to each their own.

I was on msn with the dude last night and he expects to be home in a couple of months. They only sent him as a replacement until a new guy can be trained up. When he gets back give the guy a call hacksaw. I tell you he will be more than happy to take you out to the range to give some guns a test drive. I will go as well, and make a day of it. We always go to the mundare range. a membership is only 25 bucks a year and gives you acces to a private fish pond as well. a warning though. if you hang with this guy he will turn you into a gun freak in no time. the bas>>>d made me one. welcome to the world of a new addition friend.

Good point. I don't think your wrong. But that's not all there is to it.

Technically, as I understand the term, any firearm that has a rifled barrel is a rifle. Colloquially the term rifle has been applied to any long-arm. If that isn't close enough it might be remembered that most Remington 870 have a removable choke inserts and it is possible to use a rifled choke. Does this make it a rifle, a demi-rifle or just a rough stand-in for a rifle.

Of course a shotgun is not so much historically different than a musket. Many of the early muskets were loaded with multi-part loads. Early rifles were sometimes loaded with double slugs. Does that make them shotguns?

I suspect that while armament experts and historians use tightly defined terms things aren't always quite so simple in actual practice.

I realize recommending a shotgun to a guy requesting feedback on a rifle purchase misses the mark on some counts. But the part about "buying my first" seemed more important. And IMHO a quality 12ga pump shotgun is a very good choice for a first long-arm.

Certainly no firearms battery is complete without at least one shotgun. No other arm is quite as capable, adaptable or all around useful as a shotgun. The shotgun can do it all well. If not perfectly. If I had to select one firearm without knowing anything about what I was going to face I would go with a shotgun, a mix of shells and a couple of choke tubes.

Paul810 makes a good point also. A mix of a good .22LR and shotgun make a capable combination. But if I couldn't afford the money, bulk or complication of having two guns I would go with just the shotgun.

Another consideration is that shotguns don't draw attention. People are more familiar with and comfortable around shotguns. Irony being that in terms of effectivness and deadly effect at moderate ranges, on anything from squirrels to grizzly bears, a 12ga beats most normal long-arms.

Partly my bad.

Chalk it up to being a gun noob and the lack of space to write 'rifle and shotgun' in the title.

Thanks for the offer BMT! I would love to try before I buy. I'll definitely check out that range. I doubt I'll get my PAL much before he returns anyhow.

Everyone needs a good shotgun. Just don't make the mistake (in my opinion) of putting a pistol grip on it (unless you are talking a full stock with pistol grip), with those things you can only point, not aim, and aiming, 'specially with slugs, is IMPORTANT...

I agree with OBG, The worst thing you could do to a shotgun is put a pistol grip(only)on one. The shoulder stock with the pistol grip incorporated into it would not take away from the "multi-purpose" of the shotgun.
As far as Mossbergs go. The reason I prefer the remington over it is because the Mossberg has a alloy reciever housing and some alloy parts in it. Where as the 870 is all steel. However I think I remember hearing that Mossberg was switching to an all steel reciever or just recently did. In which case the 500 series Mossbergs would be just as durable as the 870's.... IMO

Well, I actually just put some money down on a used 870 Wingmaster ($150- wow!). Was kind of feeling like I jumped the gun, even though I waited, b/c it's not capable with it's barrel of getting a choke. But... thanks everyone for making me feel better about this purchase!

I can vouch for the 10/22 as well. Only had mine a year, but I (and more importantly, my gf) love it. Fun, cheap to shoot, tons of after-market goodies, and pretty rugged.

As for my rifles, I have a few WW2-vintage things. Fun to shoot, maybe to hunt with. So... being you're in Canada (IIRC), I'd maybe peruse some of the weapons made by countries similar in latitude. Russian guns, Swedish, etc. Probably not as "sexy" as Winchester, Remington... but probably better suited to your environment.

For example, if I were a hunter, I'd probably take my Russian M44. Short carbine, big round (cheap if surplus), bolt action that holds 5 rounds, and easy to operate with gloves. I'd probably buy a new stock for it though, as the standard issue is pretty much a straight stick.

Best advice though, is shoot before you buy, and research the options for what your intended purpose is. Fun at the range would be the 10/22. Home defense, a shotgun. Long distance hunting(ie, 100+ yards), a large caliber centerfire. Concealed through a rough neighborhood would be a pistol of some variety.