roughly 400 o/u

I checked my CDNN catalog. They have a Traditions Fausti for $449, a Lanber 2087 Hunter for $500, a Tristar at $349 and a Remington SPR for $359.99. That is the best that I can come with in the new stuff. I could be happy with the Fausti or Lanber.

It seems you have already made up your mind and will not listen to good advice, so you may hear some things from a few - but for any volume, you will be spending your money unwisely and would really be better serves with some form of used semi shotgun...........even then, for quality, you will still need to save up your money....(hint - read my sig line)

For a gun in that price range you can also look at the stoeger line of o/u's. MSRP for inside your price range and could pick one up for around 350 most likely

Take a look at this Stoeger. Shotguns are about fit... if you can find something used that fits, buy it. I liked the Stoeger I linked in this response and I own a couple of Brownings. I was not far from buying it at one point. I think for the price it offers some real value. I fit pretty well too.

If you have a local Academy sporting goods store you should be able to get your hands on one of the Stoeger guns there.

One word...LANBER.

Lanber is the only word at that price range (and then only from CDNN). Most guns for this money will break down soon if used frequently, and I will assume that a strict budget implies that you don't want to buy yet another gun any time soon. Those Lanbers are good guns, and a steal for the clearance price in question.

Actually, the Marrochi (I think) Citori-like NRA guns from Charles Daly might be worth a look, but CD is out of business, so the warranty isn't worth the paper it's printed on. The Lanbers are still fully covered AFAIK.

I use a Stoeger Condor O/U in 410, and can say it is a solid value. I've had no problems with it, and I shoot a lot of clay targets using my reloads. If they made a 28 Ga in the O/U, I would buy it in a heartbeat, but they don't.
IMO, for a $300+ shotgun in the standard version, the fit and finish is quite good and it's made in Brazil.



NCsmitty

Don't. It's simply not possible to build a quality double gun for $500. Stoeger, Baikal/Spartan, Mossberg Silver Reserve and Stoeger are not quality guns. Period.

You might be able to get something decent that's remaindered for that price like the Lanber.

Your money would be FAR better spent on a good pump that will last until you've saved enough to buy a good double.

NC, if someone can afford to shoot a .410 with factory rounds, or can afford to buy a reloading setup along with the gun to bring the per-round price down, then he probably wouldn't have a hard limit of $450.

From limited observation, it does seem to me that subgauge low-budget O/Us have fewer issues with wear and breakage (less recoil?), but 28 and .410 rounds are expensive.

If you do go with the stoeger i would get the 12 ga over the 20. I believe they use the same receiver for both so the 20 ga can be a bit clunky

I simply meant that it is not realistic for me to spend more than 500 absolute max on a gun at this point. if you have any suggestions of autoloaders in that range that would work too.

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Then you need to ask yourself: How many times do you want to buy this gun? Once for your lifetime, or multiple times because it keeps breaking? Anyone who shoots more than once in a blue moon will spend more on ammo, targets, hunting trips, etc. than on the gun - (read my sig line and buy it once)

Can I ask why you really want an o/u instead of an auto ?

As far as autos go, you can find a used Beretta 390 around your price range, usually a black syn stock hunting version. And as auto's go, you'd be hard pressed to beat the 390 or 391 Beretta. And for the money, you would be way ahead of the game. A 390 Beretta will outlast just about any bargin priced o/u.

Something like this >>> http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=187461948

Lanber if you want new.

You would be better off trying to find an old second hand Miroku or something like that.

I see nice used stuff in your price range.

Some of them look a bit worn or rough, but tight and functional, more carried than shot.

Semper, You asked, so here is my answer. Get a used Beretta 391 or any quality gas operated semi-auto. You will not be disappointed. A beautiful
o/u will kick your brains out, ask me how I know. If you are going to shoot any clays such as trap, skeet or sporting clays, ask the guys who shoot alot, better still go watch them, they shoot gas operated semi's. My 2 cents.

If you are going to shoot any clays such as trap, skeet or sporting clays, ask the guys who shoot alot, better still go watch them, they shoot gas operated semi's.

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Actually, no, they don't. Most of them shoot relatively higher-end O/Us or break-action Trap singles. But they shoot heavy ones, not light field/game guns.

However, nice semiautos do handle and shoot very well, they tend to have less felt recoil all else being equal, and there's no reason not to shoot one.

Actually, most of the top shooters in every clays game shoot o/u's. There are a LOT of auto shooters out there, but by and large, o/u's rule the upper ranks in skeet, trap, sporting clays and FITASC. Todd Bender and Olympic Gold Metal winner Vincent Hancock, both skeet champs shoot o/u's. George Digweed the multi time world champ in sporting and FITASC shoots an o/u. And just about all the other sporting champs shoot o/u's. Brandon Powell, Will Finnell, Bill McGuire, Gibben Miles and the list goes on and on.

The thing is, their guns FIT them. I know what you are talking about when you say they kick .... if you shoot one that does not fit you, it will kick like a mule. And the truth is, the lower priced o/u's are the worst about kicking because they are made to fit the masses. Recoil is directly linked to gun fit. The better the fit, the less felt recoil.

I agree with you in that a good gas gun is a better choice when looking for a good usable shotgun in the $400 to $600 price range.

I myself shoot an auto 90% of the time, it's an old Winchester Super X model 1. I own 2 Browning o/u's and I shoot one of them on sub ga events such as the recent NWTF shoot in Ga. The reason I shoot the auto is that I shoot it well and it works for me..... Sure it would be nice to shoot a super fancey gold inlaid o/u, but the X's on my score card are worth more to me than how nice a gun im holding. And one of my Browning o/u's is super nice with gold inlay.

As I said, I agree about the semi-auto being a good choice, and the Beretta 390 or 391 is tops. A Remington 1100 or 11-87 is also a fine choice.

I started out with an o/u because the skeet club I was shooting at required you to pick up your hulls. Shooting the o/u made it a lot easier to keep track of them without having to pick them up. Also I reloaded and it was nice not having dirt and grass on them from being on the ground.

Sorry to be so long winded, I just have gone through all the scenarios in the past 20 years and hope some of this helps someone else.

A Remington 1100 or 11-87 is also a fine choice.

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I sure wouldn't go that far. They can work, but a fine choice? As someone who never once fired, then finally sold, my 1100 after I had bought my first 390, I really don't think so.

A Wal-Mart 390 is about the best gun for the money, right now, NIB. Add a buttpad, and you're good to go. It's not pretty, but it works well, has a good trigger and a shim-adjustable stock, and when the guys with Krieghoffs are running for the clubhouse in the rain, you can just keep on shooting and laugh.

YMMV

semper fidelis, you lay down a hard line with an unreasonable demand and expect a reasonable answer?
you can get a good shotgun for skeet and field use within your price range, but you cannot get a good quality O/U within it. You CAN get a good semi-auto that fits your needs if you are willing to consider the realities and the advice given above.

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and when the guys with Krieghoffs are running for the clubhouse in the rain, you can just keep on shooting and laugh

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SOOO true, I know several K-gun and P-gun shooters who have a 391 just for shooting on rainy days.

If you shop real hard you might find an older weatherby japanese in that range I know I have. Very good guns. And if your really lucky you may find a hard used browning in that range. I have seen cosmeticlly roached brownings well under 1k still lock up tight. Just need some love or shoot as is and don't worry about going in the drink on your duck hunt or scraping some brush on your upland hunt

checking out your local range is a great idea, you never know when someone has just gotten tired, old, injured and does not want to shoot anymore. Many still would not feel comfortable listing the gun online (shipping) and don't want to just give them to the pawn store. So they post them on a billboard for cheap and let them go.