[FRIZ]

I am getting interested in Trap/Skid/Sporting Clay. Therefore I would like to buy a “beginners shotgun”. I am leaning towards a Remington 870 as I already have one for Home Defense. My question is:

Is The 870 a good choice for a “beginners shotgun”?

If yes, which 870 should I get as a “beginners shotgun”?
http://www.remington.com/firearms/shotguns/870.htm

What lengths of barrel to accommodate all three Trap/Skid/Sporting Clay?

Where is the cheapest place to buy the shotgun you are recommending?

Thank you for your recommendation.
Regards,
FRIZ

[SDC]

Sure, the 870 is a great all-around choice for just about any shotgunning, but you'll see that people who start to take any of the clay games seriously are eventually going to go with either an O/U or a specialized single-shot (useful for trap only). For barrel lengths, 28" (with interchangeable chokes) is a good choice for all of these games. As for price, sorry I can't help you there :confused:

[bamf]

Well since you already have an 870 for HD, the most economical thing to do is just get a new barrel. If you have a PG only shotgun then I'd also pick up a boyd's stock and off you go.

A 28in barrel with screw in chokes would be good for all clays games.

[Dave McCracken]

The 870 makes a great beginner's shotgun. The big points here are fit, comfort and versatility, and the 870 has versatility in spades.

Fit is crucial, but not that hard to achieve. See the 101 threads for more info. Comfort ties in with fit.

A longer barrel for your present 870 with Remchokes would be helpful. Short barrels can be made to work but it'll be easier to learn the games and shooting with a more weight forward barrel.

And, lots of people move on to other shotguns after working with something like an 870 for a starter shotgun. A specific tool for a given game will work better than an all arounder. However, there's much fun to be had with an 870, light loads, a few lessons, and scads of clay targets. ALL the clay games are great.

Use an IC or Skeet tube for Skeet, Modified or Full for trap, and whatever applies for Sporting presentations.

Remington makes Remchoke barrel fro the 870 in several lengths. Probably a 28 or 30" barrel would help the most.

HTH...