Budget over-under?

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Rittmeister

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My first and so far only shotgun is a Mossberg 590a1. I like the ergos and location of the controls, and the idea was to pick up a general-purpose, reliable 12-guage, which it has proven to be so far.

I have done a decent amount of informal clay pigeon shooting with it and enjoyed myself a lot. I want to emphasize that this is not competition - this is a few guys with hand-held and spring-loaded clay throwers having a good time.

I am now interested in at least considering a more proper gun for clays, preferably an over-under. The 20" barrel on the Mossberg is great at short range but has no reach, so I'd like to find something with 28" barrels and perhaps modified choke.

I was introduced to clays 20 years ago by a scoutmaster of mine; he had a Browning OU of some kind but I don't know the model. What I liked most about his gun was the ejectors; they popped the empties right over your shoulder when you opened the action. I've since fired a couple guns that didn't eject at all, so you had to pull the shells out every time.

So - what brand/model of OU might I be able to get into for $7-800? Or is that just an unreasonable price? Doesn't have to be new - I'm a big believer in the used market.

Any suggestions gratefully received.
 
With a $700-$800 budget I'd be looking at a used Remington 1100 or 1187 for what you want to do. You can get a usable O/U for around $1,000 or maybe a little less. But for the same money you'll get more shotgun for the money with a decent semi-auto.

You might also consider a pump action with a longer sporting barrel. I'm thinking $800 will get you a brand new 870 Wingmaster. Or for a lot less a Mossberg 500 set up as a sporting gun. That would make sense since you have a 590 as a fighting shotgun. All controls would be the same, just with a longer barrel and nicer looking.
 
I would consider another pump, but not too interested in a semi-auto.

I wish Mossberg made a "sporting" barrel for the 590a1, but no such luck. It might be amusing to see if a 28" barrel for a 500 could be gunsmith'd to fit the 590, but it'd likely be cost-prohibitive.

Anyway - I know there are off-brand OUs available for $5-600 but nothing even used for under $1000 in a more well-known brand?
 
An old friend of mine shoots clay and did the same search last year. He can easily afford a nice OU but instead went with a lower priced Turkish model. According to him it does what he wants and is performing reliably and holding up well with no issues.
 
I found a used Beretta Black Onyx at Cabela's for right at $1000 around Christmas. It's the fairly well-regarded 686 action, but not as dressed up as the Silver Pigeon models.

Might look around for something like that while saving up a bit more. I think for O/U's you'd do really well to start with a used Browning or Beretta. There are plenty around.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=550175680#PIC

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=549827030

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=550860978#PIC

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=549923873#PIC

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=550284996#PIC

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=550552268#PIC
 
Don't knock Turkey and Russia's finest. I have been knocking around a Baikal O/U in both the field and on the trap range for 3 years putting something like 1000 shells a year through it. Its a 20 gauge rather than a 12, but it is still as tight as it was when I took it out of the box. Goes bang every time I pull the trigger (from -20F to 100F at altitudes up to 8,000 feet), lets me make all the mistakes I want in trap, and at a fraction of the cost of the fancier guns.
 
My 2 cents..

20" inch bbl will burn all the powder and get the same range/velocity
as any length.

The question for you is:
Do you need the extra weight?
Do you need a longer sight radius?

If "no" is the answer there is absolutly no gain in a longer bbl..

If something else is your fancy.. By all means, go get what you are comfortable with
and spend the budget. Don't short yourself with doubt. Go for what you want/like
and can afford.
 
I have a Turkish Huglu, kind of an offbeat model with extractors, double triggers, 3" chambers and 32" barrels choked full/full. It's been flawless so far. I intend to get choke tubes installed, but I'm not in a hurry because the patterns with my 1 oz. pet load will drop doves at unreasonable ranges.
 
Mossberg distributes an o/u from Turkey called the Maverick Hunter. It has fixed IC and modified chokes, 28" barrels, plastic stock and forend, and the tang safety just like the 500/590's do.

I think because the controls are similar, the safety does not automatically engage when you open the action, and the cost for a brand new one is about $500, you'll enjoy it.

Otherwise, Stoeger has several offerings for o/u's. They have wood stocks and interchangeable choke tubes. Price is similar to the Mav Hunter.
 
If you live near an Academy sports you might want to check out an Yildiz SPZ ME. Has ejectors... Spelled 'ejektor' and has a 5 year warranty.
They seem fine to me and I've got ~600 through an A4 elegant with no issues. I'm doubtful they could take a steady rounded SC every week, year on end, but for the 1st 5 years what do you have to loose?
One downside is that they have 7075 alloy receivers. They are light! To that end I'm doubtful that I could take a steady round of SC every week with one.
 
Last edited:
Played with a few.

Have to admit that I am a O/U snob. At one time I had 7 including 2 Winchester 101 20s, a Ruger Red Label and a Verona 501 two barrel set. Now I have a FFL so I have had my hands on several O/Us.

The ATI Cavalry and the CZ Redheads look and feel decent. How they will stand up to a few thousand rounds remains to be seen. I currently have a 20 ga, ATI that looks like it is put together well, but I haven't shot it enough to know if I really like it. I had a CZ Redhead 28 ga. that was a lot of fun. Shot a lot of skeet and doves with it. It held up well. Neither come close to my old Beretta BL-3 though. Berettas have their own feel.
 
Cz sells some nice shotguns. The o/u redhead is nice. I just bought a cz 612 trap gun for 475.00 and it is awesome. These guns are made in Turkey by Huglu and my shotgun is a clone of the remington 870. The gun has chrome lined barrel, three chokes. Excellent walnut stocks, ported barrel , rib and two beads front bead is white and extremely well built and finished.
 
Big7 said:
My 2 cents..

20" inch bbl will burn all the powder and get the same range/velocity
as any length.

The question for you is:
Do you need the extra weight?
Do you need a longer sight radius?

If "no" is the answer there is absolutly no gain in a longer bbl..
Click to expand...

The barrel length on an O/U shotgun isn't really about burning up all the powder/getting velocity. It's about handling. Longer barrels swing better and allow the shooter to stay on target. Short barrels are often too light and the shooter either overswings the target (and misses) or without the weight of long barrels out front doesn't keep swinging the gun through the target after firing and misses behind it. The right barrel length is important for balance and "pointability". Obviously this varies for everyone but 26-32 inches, depending on use, is pretty standard
 
I thought barrel length also affected the pattern size/shot spread at a given distance? Or is that more affected by choke than barrel length?
 
I bought a used Winchester 101 for just under $1K, very clean, excellent gun and my clays scores immediately went up (the gun fits me). I also used to have a used Ithaca/SKB O/U and it was also a good gun. I'd recommend the SKB if you can find one on your budget.
 
My dad had a stoeger o/u 12 gauge. It wasn't that great. He ended up trading it towards a used weatherby orion/skb. The orion is sweet.
 
Rittmeister said:
I thought barrel length also affected the pattern size/shot spread at a given distance? Or is that more affected by choke than barrel length?
Click to expand...
While there can be some difference in patterning between very long and very short barrels, in general pattern/spread is determined by the choke and load used.

Screw in chokes are obviously a great advantage to be able to change patterns based on what/where you're shooting and your preferred loads.

I'm a proponent of handling a variety of guns before buying one so you can find what you like and what fits you best. I highly suggest you read up on proper shotgun fit so you know what you're looking for. You can pay a lot of money to a professional stock fitter, but I find that different brands have different fit. Since I know Beretta dimensions work well for me, I just buy Berettas and don't worry about it because I'm not good enough to tell the difference between close enough and a perfect fit. If you wind up competing for serious prize money, that may be a different story.

Just for reference - I'm 5'10" and I prefer Berettas with 26"-28" barrels because I can swing them smoothly enough and the gun doesn't feel muzzle heavy. I have a friend who is 6'3" and he likes Brownings with 30" barrels. Personal preference as to what fits you.
 
Rittmeister

I also like Beretta (and Franchi), O/U shotguns with 26" or 28" barrels. The balance and handling with those particular guns is a perfect match for my height and body dimensions. I would try as many different shotguns out that I could find (I would stick with name brand manufacturers like Browning, Beretta, and Franchi), and then look for a used version that would be more in your price range.
 
Found a 1964 Superposed Lightning three years ago for $850. Have seen quite a few O/Us for under a grand, including some Daleys and older Citoris. Keep your eyes open. Passed up a 101 for $850 just last year. Can't keep em all.
 
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