Best shotgun for Clay shooting

[fishblade2]

I just love shooting clay targets. I am getting better and before long will be shooting multiply clays in the air. I need a better shotgun and I was wondering what to look for. What are some of the best clay shooting shotguns that they make. Also what type of choke should I look for? Lastly is the type of choke or something that allows some of the clay shooters to load up to 12 shotshells in their gun? I am leaning towards a benelli supervinci but that seems more like a hunting gun. Don't know if it could be made into an awesome clay shooter or if it would be worth it..

 

[oneounceload]

Chokes deal with muzzle constriction and patterns.

Some of the "best" shotguns are Perazzi, Kreighoff and Beretta

Clay games are typically no more than two birds in the air, so the ability to load 12 is not part of that equation.

If you are trying to emulate Tom Knapp, that is something different

 

[Peter M. Eick]

What game are you interested in?

My limited understanding is that a Skeet gun is not really the same beast as a Sporting Clays gun.

As a wannabe sporting clays shooter, I use a Cynergy over/under with LM and IC chokes. I am currently loading (actually just took a break from the press) 1 1/8 #8's with clays and have found that to be a good general load.

The guys that win in my area are almost all shooting over/unders, normally the high ticket ones from Europe and rarely semi-auto's from what I can tell. Pumps are down right rare, but I started on one.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Choke is a constriction near te muzzle that helps create the pattern at the target. Most choke, more constriction. Most newer shotguns have screw in tubes of varying chokes so they can be optimized for a given target.

Don't expect to load 12 shells on most ranges,limit's 2 for almost all shooting there.

Clay shooting can get in your blood worse that Hep C, but it's not unhealthy, except for your wallet.

A polite,well spoken novice on most ranges will get lots of advice, some of it good, and a few shotguns to try.

In the stickie threads up top, Competition Shotguns 101 has some input.

 

[hopper810]

Sounds like a budding trick shooter- Tom Knapp wanna be

 

[fishblade2]

What's wrong with wanting to be like Tom Knapp? Everyone starts somewhere. Okay well first question is what should I be looking into for the chokes and what is the difference in a skeet gun and a sporting clay gun? and yes I want one for shooting at my house because I have room to throw up several clay targets and shoot them. So still what shotguns would be best for that activity?

I will post a list below of future shotguns I would like to own and tell me if any would fit well into one of the three categories above (sporting clay gun, skeet gun, and shooting 12 shells):

Benelli Supervinci
Benelli Supernova
Remington 870

Right now this is my list to get and I also am trying to figure out which one if any of them to place certain chokes on them to better shoot different types of shot. I know a choke most of the time that shoots lead shot can shoot bismuth shot and definitely buckshot with no damage to the shotgun but I want one to shoot steel shot and I'm not sure if there is a choke that is designed specifically so that it would shoot better of if a choke that shot lead and steel would work just fine. Also I want one to shoot slugs. I though previously on the slugs that if you got a proper choke this would result in the gun not being harmed as much but I'm not so sure about that anymore. Some people have told me that it damages the shotgun period and if that is the case I will buy a separate one to shoot just slugs. Thanks for all the help and advice guys!

 

[Dave McCracken]

fish, there's answers to all your questions in the 101 Library threads up top here.

 

[oneounceload]

The last thing you'll want is any type of pump - go with the semi choices - at hand-thrown distances - Cylinder or Skeet would be max for choke

 

[W.E.G.]

Browning Citori

28" barrels

 

[1KPerDay]

Guys... read his post. He wants to be able to break 10 hand thrown clays at a time.

Try that with a Browning Citori, Perazzi, or Krieghoff. Shooting the box of clays doesn't count.

Fishy, there's not a particular choke that will make it easy to break a dozen clays in the air. I imagine the trick shooters use more open chokes because they're not shooting longer distances. Cylinder bore, skeet, maybe Improved Cylinder.

But I'm not a trick shooter so I can't say for sure... that's just my best guess. They may be so accurate they use modified chokes.

But that's really the last/least of your concerns at this point. With any good semi-auto shotgun (and you are going to want a semi auto for fast work), you can practice a good long while, years maybe, before you get good enough to need more than 5 shots at a time. If/when you do, buy a nordic components or choate magazine tube extension (that's what you're thinking of when you say you want a "type of choke or something that allows some of the clay shooters to load up to 12 shotshells in their gun") as long as you like. I doubt you'll ever get good enough to need more than 8 or 9 shots in the gun, but you never know.

You might just be the next Tom Knapp or Patrick Flannigan.

Generally speaking the 'inertia' driven guns like the Benelli M1/M2 are most favored by "fast" shooters, from what I can tell. But Flannigan's Winchester SX3 is gas operated I believe and is dang fast also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dsku5nScBf8

I suspect the majority of respondents to your post are weary of yet another "what's the best shotgun for ______" thread and are trying to be helpful to an obviously uninformed and inexperienced poster.

Good luck, but the bottom line IMO is practice. You might actually find a standard, cheap, 5-shot Remington 870 would work for a long time before you got good enough to need an auto with a mag tube extension.

 

[RNB65]

Browning Citori or Beretta AL391. Anything else is either inferior or obscenely expensive.

 

[dprice3844444]

they still make the browning superposed?

 

[1KPerDay]

*facepalm*

 

[oneounceload]

they still make the browning superposed?

There are still Belgian Brownings made - they are expensive

 

[fishblade2]

okay well my last question is on the line of reloading shells for the shotguns serving this purpose. I know that when reloading there is a chance that a shot could be back and jam the barrel resulting in the next shot blowing up the gun. I know it's a risk to reload for shotguns, as anything else, but if I take extreme care with reloading and make sure everything is the way it should be would it still be recommended to shoot reloaded shells out of these shotguns? The reason it concerns me is even with like 2 clay target in the air you pull the trigger quickly to get them each and if there was a jam it could be bad.. Should I just not shoot them out of those shotguns when they begin to get tears in them and then I should be fine? just wanted to check.

 

[fishblade2]

oh and what is your advice on the Mossberg 930 SPX and the Winchester Spx or the winchester sx3?

 

[RNB65]

Reloaded shells are perfectly safe in an O/U shotgun. Shooting reloaded shells through an autoloading shotgun is a bit more risky due to the extra stress placed on the hull by the loading mechanism. A worn shell can be ripped apart by the cycling action and cause all sort of problems. I'm sure there are lots of people who shoot reloads through their autoloaders, but I'm not one of them. I only use factory ammo in my autoloader and save the reloaded shells for my O/U.

You need to forget about reloading and learn how to shoot first. Find a clay shooting range and take lessons and shoot with others to gain experience and knowledge. The bulk packs at Wal Mart will be plenty fine for you until you get well past the beginner stage.

 

[DaleCooper51]

Regardless if it is a reloaded shell or a factory shell, if the shot does not sound right, just stop. Do not pull the trigger a second time for the second shot. Clear the gun and make sure it is safe. Safety should be the primary concern.

I only shoot reloads out of my guns and rarely have a problem shell. I second the above advice and get some trigger time with a shotgun first. You have enough to grasp already. There is no need to further complicate things. If you do plan on reloading, I would buy the Remington bulk pack and save the hulls. The Remington Unibody hulls reload very well and last for quite a number of reloads. After you are more comfortable, then start looking into reloading equipment.

 

[fishblade2]

oh sorry if I sounded like a complete beginner. I have several shotguns already but they are sawed off. I have one remington 12 gauge semi auto that I skeet shoot some with. I am able to pick 2-3 clay targets out of the sky on average. So I have some experience with them and I also have reloading equipment already. I just wanted advice from people who have more experience on how reloads would function in a semi auto shotgun being shot multiple times really quickly. Like when you have a bad shot (haven't had one yet) is it a complete different sounds so in the moment of shooting the clays pigeons you would notice and stop?

 

[1KPerDay]

oh sorry if I sounded like a complete beginner. I have several shotguns already but they are sawed off.

All right, I'm outta here...

 

[fishblade2]

well everything I've said has come out wrong. I do own a browning 20 gauge normal and remington 12 gauge. I've shot them since I was like 10 (i'm 20 now). I'm not saying i'm experienced in trap shooting though, that's why i'm asking you people but all I get is stupid people taking everything I type so literal. I just want advice. Thank you to some who have tried to help.

 

[fishblade2]

for those still willing to help can someone please tell me the difference, if there is one, between a Skeet gun and a Sporting Clays gun?

 

[Dave McCracken]

Fish, relax. You're among friends.

Sporting shotguns are 12 gauge, except for some special sub guage events at bigger shoots.

Skeet guns are oft 12 gauge, but have a set of barrel inserts so one can shoot 20 and 28 gauge and 410 bore.

Actually, lots of us use one or the other at all the games. Trap guns are a little different.

Up in the floating threads is a set of them called the Shotgun 101 Library. You can find answers there better than about anyplace.

HTH....

 

[Old Unc']

among friends!?!