Beretta O/U will an adjustable stock allow me to shoot trap as well?

[4fingermick]

I have a field Silver Pidgeon, just about the base grade. Nice light engraving, etc but crap wood, almost looks like plastic. I'm a rifle shooter first and pistol shooter second and don't really want to buy a dedicated trap gun. I'm not going to get involved in the competition heavily, just shoot a few rounds of skeet or trap most Fridays and the occasional Sunday match, mainly to improve my hunting and cowboy action shooting skills.

Would having an adjustable stock allow me to make the best of both worlds? I suppose a new stock would not be much a cheaper than a budget Trap/Skeet gun and I wouldn't have to wait for the smith to fiddle around and fix the gun Mick.

 

[BozemanMT]

You should never change your fit on your shotgun once it's set up to fit you. the only difference between a trap gun and a sporting clays gun is minor and is really about having a high rib so the target appears to be above the gun.
on a sporting clays gun the target will probably fall below the gun in trap (since the target is rising and you need to shoot in front of it)

Fit doesn't change between games.

Keep the one, shoot it.

 

[45auto]

If you are shooting some trap, just to improve your hunting, then I'd also just use what you have.

If you get the "bug", then buy a trap gun later on to make it easier and improve your scores consistently. Your field gun, if it has 26", 28" barrels, light gun, probably is not suited for a lot of trap anyway and you will waste your money on adjustable stocks, etc.

 

[Dave McCracken]

There's more to it than an adjustable stock...

Good field guns like your Beretta run 7 lbs or less. Good trap guns start at 8 and go up. Some way up.One top ATA legend uses one that comes in at 12 lbs.

A couple hundred shells a day through a behemoth like that will not pound the snot out. From a 7 lb field gun you will,even with good form and fit.

Unless you're dying to wow them at Sparta, shoot your Beretta with a properly fitted stock. Rich Cole Gunworks up in ME is doing fitting for Berettas and may have some wood close enough to your dimensions.

Wenig does, too. They sell semi inletted blanks in their New American stock style you can whittle to rightness.

Or, just shoot the thing and have fun with more misses. Shotgunning's flexible, you take it as far as you want to....

 

[PJR]

Shoot what you have the way you have it.

There was a time when I had two main target guns. A flat shooting o/u for skeet and sporting and a specialized trap gun. When my trap gun had to go in for a factory refurb I spent most of a season using one gun for all the sports.

Initially my trap scores dropped but they came back in a few weeks. What I also noted however was that ALL my scores got better and were more consistent. When my trap gun did come back my trap scores didn't get better but my other scores sagged.

Eventually I sold the two guns and bought one, higher quality, o/u for all the games. I believe the only reason to have a dedicated trap gun is if you are going to shoot trap and nothing but trap. If however you are going to shoot multiple games a good sporting clays/skeet configuration is suitable for all of them.

 

[4fingermick]

I shot five rounds of skeet today, it went ok, I didn't particularly as I have not shot skeet for years. Blowing the cobwebs away.

My shoulder is bruised as the gun is bog standard and has a hard plastic Beretta butt pad (more like a butt plate ).

The barrels are 30" actually longer than most of the guys at the club, that surprised me.

The idea of getting a stock made to fit me sounds like a good once only expense which will last me my days (58yr old, I think I will be flat out wearing out this one).

The Beretta distributor here fits stocks, I must get on to them.

Thanks for your help.

I'm thinking of getting a limb saver pad and a second bead, what do you think?

 

[PJR]

In North America the trend is toward longer barrels for skeet. Where 26" was generally the minimum now 28" is the shortest you'll see on an o/u and 30" and even 32" at not unusual.

I'd put a recoil pad on that gun but wouldn't bother with the mid bead. If you gun fits you don't really need it.