first time shooting clays - good starter shotgun?

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So for Anothernewb's OP.

It seems like the general thought of this thread is to pass on the purchase of a low priced O/U.

Find a used, but not used up O/U or go with a field gun for a while?

Swanee.
 
First time I shot clays was in 1991. I got 33 out of 100. I managed to get up into the low 60s then they changed the course. Didn't see that coming; should have but didn't.

For a about a year, I used a 12GA Remington 1187 and then bought a Browning Citori O/U; it's a great gun. Easy to shoot and I stayed in the mid 60s for a long time. I don't think I ever got a rabbit.

Shoot the gun you're comfortable with and shoot well. That's what matters.
 
SwaneeSR, In reference to that new A5, you got me thinking about one for myself :). I went back to the Browning site, and I saw way down in the details, the softest shooting round that Browning suggests for reliable operation in that gun is a 1 oz. field load.

That might be a problem if you use the lighter 1 oz and 7/8 oz target loads.
 
Talked to a semi-local GS at a gun show this weekend. I can go up there and bring some clays and some shells and I can shoot a variety of used guns they have on hand
 
Im in the same boat as OP ,, Got a 535 Mossberg "Turkey" special. with adjustable stock, fiber-sights, and "turkey" choke... I have only shot crows with a shotgun, and I have a surprise trip coming up in a couple weeks.
I do not have much time to get ready, and certainly not enough to buy a new gun and get it fitted to me, so what would y'all suggest for shells ?
I think this factory choke is really tight, and not sure what it will do with #6 or #71/2 bird loads... The barrel is only like 20" ..... :uhoh:
 
What are you going to do be doing on this trip?

If it is for turkey or deer, (using it like a rifle) then it should do fine. If you are going to be shooting clays, you might want to invest in an IC choke and use 7.5 or 8s. If you shp at Walmart, do NOT get the Winchester Universals - about the worst ammo ever made. The 4 pack of Federals is a lot better and about the same price. If you shop at the big box sporting stores like Gander, etc., get some Remington Gun Clubs or RIOs
 
Will be hunting some of South Dakota's finest prairie pigeons..
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I was thinking I would tape over the back 2 fiber optic sights, and just use the front green optic as a bead,, ??
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In theory, my mind says to use at least 1-3/8oz of #6 or even 7-1/2 and try to push it out there 1300 fps +... Not sure though, have not shotgunned anything except crows, and they came in directly overhead, so that was easy
 
When I lived in ND decades ago, 1oz #4 worked for me on pheasants; don't waste your time using the sights, your eyes should be focused on the bird as your hands guide the muzzle to where it needs to be. If you put the bead on the bird and fire, you will be putting the shot where the bird WAS.........not where it is going..... ;)

Go hit the local trap club or skeet clubs for some practice.
 
My 590A1 shoots clays just as well as my 28" 500 with a wood stock and ribbed barrel. I usually use the 500 just because it looks "sportier" and I don't feel like having to unload my 590A1 which is a home defense gun. If you're hitting 1/3 with a 18.5" barrel, most likely you'll still be hitting 1/3 with more expensive gun or a 32" barrel.

Kinda like how my Colt Series 80 shoots steel plates just as well as an Ed Brown :neener:
 
If you're hitting 1/3 with a 18.5" barrel, most likely you'll still be hitting 1/3 with more expensive gun or a 32" barrel.
Click to expand...

And I'll totally disagree with that. Barrel length has everything to do with swing dynamics which is what upland birds and clay shooting is all about. Short barrels start swinging fast, and stop swinging even faster; has to do with the moment of inertia. If those short barrels were so great for that, why do target guns come with 30+" barrels and now more and more upland guns do as well?
 
Since you have a 870 police gun, you can start looking for a 870 Wingmaster trap gun. They shoot very well and function smoothly. Generally they have 30 inch barrels and full chokes unless you find the late model that takes choke tubes.
Just as oneounceload has said the longer barrel swings better, but also the stocks are cut differently.
One other thing the trap gun will be a bit heavier and recoil will be less.
 
Oneounceload, I didn't say there isn't a difference. However I think you're over exaggerating those differences. Since you're so keen on splitting hairs, I'll just say that I think it's more the shooter than the gun.
 
You always work better with the proper tools.

Remember the old hand miter box's, always a rough cut even with a sharp saw.
Now with the motorized saws and carbide blades the cuts are sharp and smooth.

Trap shooting is the same.
 
However I think you're over exaggerating those differences. Since you're so keen on splitting hairs, I'll just say that I think it's more the shooter than the gun.
Click to expand...

Look at the folks who shoot targets; it isn't exaggeration as those folks look for any possible advantage. Yes, the shooter has to do his part, but the proper tools DO make the difference.

For grins and giggles, none of this matters; for being a tad more serious, then it really does. It isn't splitting hairs if you want to succeed pursuing excellence. A properly balanced, well fit gun makes the difference between first and the all the rest.
 
then comes a young man with a mossberg plain barrel mod choked 500 and shoots in the low to mid 40,s at sporting clays, i love to shoot with him as he has the so called pro,s pulling their hair out. when he comes into the club house looking for a squad to go out with, i sign up as its fun to watch the others who don,t know him give him the looks when he drags that mossberg out. i,m still looking for a forty,but i,m not sure i,ll live long enough. the course is a very hard one for me, most shots are very quick and fast. i guess thats why i like it so much, trap has been my game. eastbank.
 
And for every one of those folks, I never see the at the tournaments. The sporting "pros" shoot what they do because they get paid to shoot a brand gun (that has been fitted to them), while the rest shoot either a semi or O/U.
 
any one who can shoot in the 40,s with a pump gun at sporting clays inspires me to try and do better .i have never seen any one shoot that good with a pump gun at any sporting clays event and it is not a fluke, by the way he is a truck driver. i know its a combo of shooter and shotgun that makes a good shot, but he amazes me. eastbank.
 
And again, that is good, but if it is 50 birds, that seems more like practice or a fun shoot. Registered target shoots are a lot tougher and even if a good shot, a pump is a hindrance - (which is why those at the top of the various games do not use one)
 
went to that semi local GS last night. They had several different ones there.

One of which I liked a lot - it was a browning citori "light" model. generally in good shape, bluing was great, but the stock was dinged in a few places pretty good. I have no idea about shotguns to judge wear on them, however. They had it for $750. I don't know if that's a good deal or not either.

liked it, but it was a very light gun - so light I sort of wondered about recoil. wasn't time enough to shoot it though.
 
For trap singles, a pump gun is fine. If you're going to do doubles, skeet, or sporting clays, get a semi-auto: Remington (1100) or Beretta (390, 3901, A300). Wait on the O/U until you're ready to spend big bucks on a legacy gun.
 
In the 1930s, the early days of Skeet shooting, the pump shotgun was the shotgun of choice.

Over time, that shifted to the semi-auto and over/under shotguns.

There is no reason that one cannot shoot a pump gun in any of the clays games, but be aware that things get very busy when cycling the action for doubles. Lots of things can go wrong here resulting in missed targets.

Hammer059 said:
Oneounceload, I didn't say there isn't a difference. However I think you're over exaggerating those differences. Since you're so keen on splitting hairs, I'll just say that I think it's more the shooter than the gun.
Click to expand...

Yes, it takes a good shooter, but splitting hairs on equipment is what makes the difference between winning a tournament and not making the cut. When I was shooting Skeet competitively, to win, you first had to make the shoot off. To make the shoot off, you had to shoot a perfect round, usually a 100 straight. I'm sure this has not changed since I stopped shooting competitively.

So, if some feature of the equipment improves the chance of running a perfect round, the top shooters will take advantage of it.

A similar thought process would apply to Sporting Clays and Trap although the some of the equipment features would be different.
 
I started shooting Trap last year and I use my old 870 express with a 28" barrel it is ok for single trap but doubles not so good. I will be purchasing a new Shotgun and I have not decided yet on a O/U or a semi I like the Remington's Model 1100 Competition Synthetic a nice shooter and will not break the bank. I would not buy a cheap O/U the ones I have seen don't last If you go with a Semi get a shell defector it will make life more enjoyable for the shooter next to you.
 
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