Advice on Browning shotgun

[Hotshot10]

I shoot trap and skeet along with some upland birds.

I am considering buying a Browning XT (12 gauge, 30" barrel), which is designed more as a trap gun. I'm a little concerned that the high vent rib and the barrel length may make it unsuitable for skeet and upland birds. Is it versatile enough to use for all three, or should I be looking more another type of over/under?

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

 

[Virginian]

A real trap gun is the least versatile gun to get in my opinion. Now I know some people will say they shoot their trap gun great at everything and yada yada yada, but for 95% of people it is not a good choice for anything else. I have a friend who swore by his trap gun, and he did okay with it at skeet, I admit, but boy when he hit the sporting clays course it ate him alive. I felt for him, but I still couldn't resist an "I told you so". I shoot trap okay ( 23-25) with my duck gun or my skeet/clays/field gun, but I am not a serious trap shooter and i don't have the desire to crank off 300 rounds at it. A skeet or clays or field gun will do fine for just about everything with changeable chokes, although personally I like a 26" barrel just for skeet, a 28" does okay.

 

[Shurshot]

I have a Citori XT Trap Combo and used to shoot a lot of trap with it. I added a recoil reducer to it, and have only shot sheet with it once and didn't do too bad with it but to carry it hunting, no way! It is a specialty gun and not too practical to hunt with IMO.

 

[Old Unc']

fear not my friend. I bought a new Browning 12ga Lightning Sporting Clays back around 98. It has the high-rib on top of 30" barrels. Hands down, my favorite shotgun, and I have a few in my collection. I use it for everything and have found the high-rib to be a real plus. Don't have to bury my face deep into the stock, head is more upright and much more comfortable.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[rcmodel]

A trap gun would not be a wise choice if Skeet & Quail are in the mix.

A 30" barrel would be a monster in the brush, and the high comb and such designed for trap shooting will have you shooting over close range birds.

Trap guns are intentionally stocked to shoot high in order to easier hit clays as they are raising up out of the trap at 30 - 40 yards.

The other thing is weight.
The Browning XT Trap gun weighs almost 9 pounds in order to better soak up recoil in the trap range. It will get mighty darn heavy on those all day upland bird hunts.

The XS Skeet gun would make a most excellent quail gun however.
http://www.browning.com/products/ca..._id=013&type_id=065&value=008B&cattype=013065

rc

 

[Hotshot10]

Thanks for the advice.

I went to the range this weekend and tried both. I struggled hitting anything with the XT (12 clays, although we had 20 mile-per-hour winds), so I tried the XS. It felt a whole lot more natural and I broke 22 clays on the trap field. Now I just need to talk my wife into letting me spend slightly more.