michael1231231
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Whats the Best Trap Shotgun For $400 to $500???
Best Trap ShotGun
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TomADC
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Anything you can shoot well for the money, I'd say a pump 12ga 30" barrel, screw in chokes. Maybe a good clean Remington 870 trap gun.
I used a Mossberg trap gun with the above specs, I'm very shot 50 straight but a few 25's for sure but then I'm a skeet shooter by choice.
My trap gun
I used a Mossberg trap gun with the above specs, I'm very shot 50 straight but a few 25's for sure but then I'm a skeet shooter by choice.
My trap gun
michael1231231
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At are ShotGun Club we use Berettas and i was thinking about a Mossberg
oletymer
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Mossberg no longer makes a trap gun. The closest to your price range new are 870 Classic Trap and Browning BPS Trap. You can find them used for what you want to spend.
snooperman
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Fit for function
To shoot trap well, you need a shotgun that will fit YOU more than you need a specific gun per se. That said, any pump gun or semiauto will do. By "FIT" I am referring to the length of pull, cast-off, sight allignment to swing , and cheek placement. These guns can be modified to fit you by someone in the trap game. A $3000.00 shotgun that does not fit will break less clays than a $500.00 gun that fits you well. My 2 cents
To shoot trap well, you need a shotgun that will fit YOU more than you need a specific gun per se. That said, any pump gun or semiauto will do. By "FIT" I am referring to the length of pull, cast-off, sight allignment to swing , and cheek placement. These guns can be modified to fit you by someone in the trap game. A $3000.00 shotgun that does not fit will break less clays than a $500.00 gun that fits you well. My 2 cents
Yeah, I have shot some of my best Trap with a 28" 870 Express, and some of my worst with a BT-99.
I also found that shooting nothing but Trap develops and reinforces some really bad habits if you want to hunt birds. Mixed with Skeet, it probably won't.
Wobble is fun, though.
kentucky_smith
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For proper trap shooting, find yourself a used 870 or 1100 Classic Trap, BPS trap or Beretta 390 Super Trap.
Or you could build your own. Find one of those with a 30" full choke or tubed and either cut for adjustable comb or put a Monte Carlo stock on it.
The goal is to shoot a high pattern, like 70% of the pattern above the end of the barrel at 20 yards. For most people, when you shoulder it, you should see a lot of rib.
Or you could build your own. Find one of those with a 30" full choke or tubed and either cut for adjustable comb or put a Monte Carlo stock on it.
The goal is to shoot a high pattern, like 70% of the pattern above the end of the barrel at 20 yards. For most people, when you shoulder it, you should see a lot of rib.
michael1231231
Member
thanks i am thinking about a Beretta 390 Super Trap!
Recoil
Well, I've shot pumps my whole life. I bow to no man in my respect for the Rem 870 or Mossberg 500. They are, however, pump guns. That means you -- shooter -- suck up a lot of recoil. One round of trap is OK, two is probably OK, but past that and my shoulder starts to hurt. If you're a big tough guy, that may not be an issue. If you're not, you may want to do what I'm doing: look for a semi-auto.
Right now, I'm leaning towards a Beretta 390 because the fit seems good. The Rem 11-87 is also in the mix.
Well, I've shot pumps my whole life. I bow to no man in my respect for the Rem 870 or Mossberg 500. They are, however, pump guns. That means you -- shooter -- suck up a lot of recoil. One round of trap is OK, two is probably OK, but past that and my shoulder starts to hurt. If you're a big tough guy, that may not be an issue. If you're not, you may want to do what I'm doing: look for a semi-auto.
Right now, I'm leaning towards a Beretta 390 because the fit seems good. The Rem 11-87 is also in the mix.
I really like my Browning BPS. The back bored barrel and the factory chokes pattern better than anything I could get for my Rem 870 even using Briley chokes.
The BPS is also a reasonably priced very well built shotgun by any quality standard.
"soaking up pump recoil" is more a matter of learning how to properly manage shotgun recoil. I see many shooters who never learned how to manage recoil no matter how well they shoot clay targets. Their stance and gun mount is wrong and they blame the gun.
Target loads have minimal recoil anyway once you get used to them and pump guns can shoot the lightest loads without a problem.
The BPS is also a reasonably priced very well built shotgun by any quality standard.
"soaking up pump recoil" is more a matter of learning how to properly manage shotgun recoil. I see many shooters who never learned how to manage recoil no matter how well they shoot clay targets. Their stance and gun mount is wrong and they blame the gun.
Target loads have minimal recoil anyway once you get used to them and pump guns can shoot the lightest loads without a problem.
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oneounceload
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Which is why gun FIT is so important - if it fits, the mount and stance will follow.
Stance and mount are crucial. Mine are OK. Not perfect, but pretty good. As far as recoil goes, it would be hard to improve in this area. A lighter recoiling gun is the only answer for me personally if I want to shoot more than two rounds.
In fairness, part of the problem is breaking in my own shoulder. While no one's shoulder gets calluses, the shoulder does toughen up a bit if you shoot frequently, as I learned when I had time to shoot frequently. Alas, those days are gone for the foreseeable future.
In fairness, part of the problem is breaking in my own shoulder. While no one's shoulder gets calluses, the shoulder does toughen up a bit if you shoot frequently, as I learned when I had time to shoot frequently. Alas, those days are gone for the foreseeable future.
Al LaVodka
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Earned national-level honors shooting a Mossberg 500. ONLY changes I eventually made were going from a solid barrel with fixed modified choke to a vent-rib barrel with an improved-modified choke screwed in and I had a tiny sight bead added mid rib. Never failed.
Today, I have recently transitioned from a beautiful, traditional, high-grade single-barrel break-action Charles Daly Miroku-made trap gun to a nickel-steel/laminated wood Browning BT-99 (Miroku made) Special Model single shot. This probably cost ten times what my Mossberg did. I'm as good and the gun is probably too.
As for stance -- the comments on this have largely been utter nonsense. Your stance is to break birds, not be comfortable, recoil or otherwise.
Al
Today, I have recently transitioned from a beautiful, traditional, high-grade single-barrel break-action Charles Daly Miroku-made trap gun to a nickel-steel/laminated wood Browning BT-99 (Miroku made) Special Model single shot. This probably cost ten times what my Mossberg did. I'm as good and the gun is probably too.
As for stance -- the comments on this have largely been utter nonsense. Your stance is to break birds, not be comfortable, recoil or otherwise.
Al
oletymer
Member
Al you post is utter nonsense. National level honors ??? Gun fit and a stance that works for the shooter is very important. The other comments were good ones.
Stance is obviously important. People put their feet in different places, which is fine to a point. What matters most is your ability to position your torso comfortably towards the target, point the gun, and lean into the shot. Otherwise, the gun controls you.
oneounceload
member
The HEAVIEST gun with the LIGHTEST loads equals the least actual recoil. Use a gas-operated semi, and the FELT recoil is also lessened. Beretta has their UGB-25, a break-open gas gun designed for clay targets - not cheap, but the recoil is negligible.
winchester '97
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My personal choice would be a model 12 winchester with a vent rib, or my all time favorite a winchester 1897. The mossberg 500 trap with an invector extended tube improved-modified would be a great choice if it fits you, they can be had for 400 or so if you do some looking. The best beginner gun for the money i would have to say would be the NEF topper trap. dont listen to people that hate of it because of who makes it, the gun is light, balances well, and the choke it comes with will reduce your targets to dust. It does really need a good recoil pad though, i put a simple pachmayr gel pad slip on on it and shoot 200 bird competitions with no complaint. my best series ever was with the NEF, 196 in a row, with a few 99 out of a hundreds with it as well. Dont listen to gun snobs, it has the important features of the bt 99 for about 360.00 or so in central ohio.
oneounceload
member
Balances well?? Not really....and LIGHT is exactly what you DON'T want in a trap gun. Quality American trap guns start about 8.5# and go to almost 10#. Absorbs recoil, smooths the swing, and will result in better scores over a longer time period.
When you get 100,000 rounds through that gun without a hitch, please let me know. IF you get 1,000, that would be amazing. Trap guns are built for hundreds of thousands of rounds and to work every time.
Gordon
Member
My old Remington 3200 Trap with it's 30" heavy barrels works real well with the bottom barrel loaded for singles, MUCH better than a BT 99 I had , or a Model 12 Trap I had.
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