Shot my "riot gun" in Sporting clays - and WON!!!!

[kotengu]

A few guys from work invited me to shoot some sporting clays with them the other day, and never having done so (only shot skeet a trap once or twice), I thought it'd be neat to try.

I show up with my 18" 870, complete with sidesaddle, sling, and ghost ring sights and catch some major ribbing. They all but insisted I borrow or rent an automatic because I just "won't be able to keep up with the pump" and that "short little barrel just won't reach out there."

What they didn't see under the hood was the polished action, lengthened forcing cone, and set of screw in chokes, along with enough pump time from 3-gun that the thing all but pumps itself.

I didn't do very well at all (42/100), but it was enough to beat all three of them

The only thing that really hindered me at all was the ghost ring sights (and my lack of skill on leading the target and swinging through smoothely). I think I really like the variety in SC, and think I'll definitely have to do that again........

 

[Arc-Lite]

... what name brand chokes are you using? Arc-Lite

 

[kotengu]

I had to have Tru-choke Thinwall threads put in because of my barrel OD - I think my chokes are all Colonials.

 

[Arc-Lite]

Kotengu...thank you...will look into the chokes your using.... I am doing an 870 build right now, and have been researching chokes... currently, will use the choke that came with the short barrel...old lyman model but will upgrade to one of the customs for buck. Arc-Lite

 

[Dave McCracken]

(Picture your kindly old grey haired Mod grinnin' like a possum eatin' hot roadkill)....

Congrats amd Mazeltov. A couple things....

42/100 first time out at SC is VERY good.

Your stubby barrel was not nearly the handicap it could have been.

The reasons?

3 reasons. Practice, practice, and of course, practice....

Truchokes, both the Thinwall and the .795" X 44 TPI version, are available from makers like Carlson and Colonial. Both of those make quality stuff at reasonable prices.

You may want to pick up a used 870 sans GRs for more SC. Like I keep saying, 870s do not breed but they do multiply. Enjoy.....

 

[kudu]

Well done kotengu,

A good pump gunner with experience under their belt can keep up easilly with most auto users.

Just think what a dedicated target gun would do to help your scores. Think of it as another excuse to get another gun.

 

[jefnvk]

I thought you were gonna say you went shooting SC with one of those Enfield bolt action riot guns

 

[MrMurphy]

I shot a skeet course side by side with a kid about 15.

Kid shot skeet two rounds a day every weekend since he was 10. Kid had a custom-fitted $15,000 Krieghoff Over/under and routinely shot 23 or 24 of 25.


I had an 18.5" 870, no choke. I shot 21 of 25, he shot 22.


Needless to say, he was a bit pissed. It was the seventh or eighth time I'd EVER shot skeet. And with a $14,700 cheaper gun and no choke, with 10 inches less barrel.

 

[kudu]

MrMurphy, I was going to say something about people using super expensive guns and accesories as crutches, but I won't.

It still comes down to the shooter, and how gifted they are with natural talent. You can make up for a lot with practice, but not all of it.

 

[MrMurphy]

Well the kid DID need some ego deflation. "Look at my $15,000 gun!" and everybody goes "oooooooh".

So I tell him, "Kid, my camera I use at work is $20,000, the battery is $250, the tripod is $14,000 and the live truck I drive is $250,000.. nice gun, but it doesn't impress me".

After I nearly matched him with much less gun, he couldn't believe it. As I told him, I've been shooting longer than he's been alive. Get over it.

 

[22luvr]

I had a similar experience...

It's fun to show your stuff, even if it is not quite the most appropriate firearm for the task!

I went and shot some clays with my cheapo $149 Wal-Mart Mossberg 590. I'd ordered the 18" barrel from Mossberg online and had no problem hitting clays with it. Even did some 5-station with it.

Only challenge was the clays that were speeding away from me. I had to get them quick or they were out of range.

I'd NEVER shot clays before and I got seriously hooked.

Yup, you can have fun on a budget.

 

[BozemanMT]

"Budget" and "Clays" do not belong in the same post together.

congrats, nice work beating the buddies with the tactical shottie.

 

[JShirley]

Heh.

Denny Hanson couldn't hit anything (clays) until he was given an evil black shotgun. Me, I was makin' do with a Beretta o/u.

John

 

[sm]

Yeah, but Denny is OLD now!

I can say that because Denny , I will catch up to your age in 5 months. Paybacks for that comment ought to be good.



kotengu
That is a good score, be proud of it. A longer bbl means less perceived lead, smooths swing and aids in follow through. Obviolusly your gun fits well and you know it well. Like the man said - Hell you get to a point where you can hit them with a stick.

Something about using a Police issued model 37 with a short tube at 5 stand resulted in a fellow literally tossing his Krieghoff downrange. I was "stacking" shells and "shucking and shooting" them doubles. RO and others read the guy the riot act and insisted on a verbal apology to me and the others, least he be banned - he still went on probation.

Typical me, I dropped the 'wabbits', I shot a 57 / 60 using old paper Peter's shells. Sure had fun though.

Hated having to give the gun back to the owner though...

 

[dfaugh]

MrMurphy, you made my day

as it brought back a memory of when I was 15 years old. I had bought an old 20 gauge Mossberg field-grade pump, only my second gun...Loved shooting, spent all my spare money on ammo (Yes, I had a job at 15, 2 part-time ones actually)...So almost every weekend I made my dad take me to the gunshop, to ogle all the stuff I couldn't afford, but most importantly to practice...Used to shoot 100 rounds at trap every time(usually 98-99% hits, Dad taught me good!). But we didn't go often in the winter, and I hadn't shot so much when we went one springtime. So, I missed the first, hit the second, missed the third, hit the fourth, missed the 5th...So some guy that had been watching, was standing there with a brand new Benelli O/U trap gun, that he wanted to try, before he bought it. He stepped over and asked if I minded if he shot the ones I missed...Of course I said OK....I then hit 89 straight, while that guy mounted the gun every time, but he was W-A-Y to slow as I used to dust them about 25' out of the trap. When I finally did miss one...He missed it too...I then hit the rest of the 100 clays we had....Was proud of my Dad as he never said a thing, didn't even crack a smile...until we got in the car, where he laughed out loud, one of the handfull of times I ever say him laugh like that...I just grinned all the way home. And for a few days after, as well...

 

[9mmMike]

dfaugh, that's a real nice story. Thanks for sharing it.

kotengu, we have pumpgun clay shoots in PA every once it awhile and they are always a hoot.

Mike

 

[Denny Hansen]

I've never won a shotgun match, but I did manage to place third at a local sporting clays event with a 12-inch NFA 870.

Oh yeah, John and Steve: Bite me!

Denny

 

[sm]

psst... Denny , I think you lubed the shotgun with the Geritol and ingested the ATF this morning - it is the other way around.

Now I would have like to have seen that 12" NFA 870 in action. I bet that turned some heads.

 

[kotengu]

I've had some requests for pics of the abovementioned 870 - like I said, it's nothing special looking. I just made the mentioned modifications, and refinished it with Gunkote over fresh parkerizing.

 

[9mmMike]

That's a good looking "combat" 870. What is that rear thing? A sight? I've never seen the like. Did you make yourself?
Mike

 

[kotengu]

Thank you, sir -

That rear thing is a windage-adjustable ghost ring sight I milled from a block of steel. It is very loosely patterned after the CQB portion of the AR-15 rear sight. The front sight is loosely patterened after the HK MP-5 front sight, with a beefed up ring, and the elevation is permanently set for the loads I use.

I had been shooting aperture sights for awhile and really liked the speed at which you can line up two concentric circles (especially if they're pretty big), and let fly if you see your target pretty much anywhere in the front circle. It also has a front post though for more "precision" work.