thats right, don"t matter what you shot at"em if you don"t hitt"em, it don"t matter. I"d look for the gun, new or used that fits you best and is in your price range. I got a new remington 870 last year with the synthetic stock, boy I like this gun, easy to clean. If you scratch it up it does"nt bother you so much ya know. I can shoot 3.5 in. but 2.75 is enough I think, but the 3.5 is nice for coyotes.