General Shotgun Characteristics

[ripcurlksm]

What makes a shotgun good for shooting trap?

What makes a shotgun good for hunting?

What makes a shotgun good for shooting skeet?

Why do people choose a double barrel or over/under (2 shot) shotgun over a pump?

 

[Userzero]

Good question

I'd be interested to know as well.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Your friend, The Search Feature, is waiting.....

 

[ArmedBear]

Where are you, ripcurl?

 

[ripcurlksm]

San Clemente


Search through what? The two pages of this forum? I dont see any titles that address this.


Respectfully,

 

[Oldnamvet]

Shooting trap and skeet, lots of shot in a large diameter circle vs. a rifle or pistol single bullet.

Hunting, same reason when hunting feathered targets. Wing shooting with a rifle or pistol is not productive or safe.

Nice big piece of lead at moderate velocities for big game at shorter ranges.

Why the different ones? Same reason as we like different brands of cars.

 

[gaweidert]

I have shot sporting clays with both semi-auto and pump action shotguns. I don't see a real difference. Pump has harder recoil, but is more fun to me. I miss just as many with either. I wanted one of those neat O/U thingys, but I see too many people have trouble with them. Lots of misfires.

My first shotgun was a used Beretta AL390 that I got for $300. Love it. Then I got a Remington 870 for HD and decided to take it shooting just to get practice with it. Now both me and my son like it for sporting clays. I have also taken my Winchester 1300 Camp Defender out to shoot clays too. No snubs from the guys with the high price guns. In fact many want to try the 870. It is just a good basic gun that you can get new A Wal-Mart for about $230.

Get a gun you are comfortable with. One guy brought a Saiga 12 guage. A few guy kidded him about it, but he hit just about everything he shot at and that is the name of the game.

 

[Gordon]

Trap I like my old Remington 3200 Trap because:
The thing has a 30" barrel (rather have a 32")that swing well, one is a loose modified and a regular full choke and the barells hit where the sights are aligned at 30 yards.Yes I had the barrels and chokes "adjusted" 20 years ago.
The rib is real high, which works well for me on a trap gun.
The thing is a good 8.5 pounds and I took off the weird old adj. pads I used to run and had it fit(by shimming and bending?) to me with real top of the line trap pad.- it FITs now with a regular med shirt and vest. Surprise, I don't notice recoil and the barrells don't "jump" when it fires.
The unusual sliding lockup on the 3200 is just as tight as new after 10,000+ rounds (which is really not many). The down side is it is not a 'shallow action' and you have to drop the barrels down quite a bit to load.
The trigger pulls are light and consistent.
I LIKE the big old cannon!

Here's a link to see what mine looks like with the adj. pad.

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=60404337

 

[Juna]

The search function people are speaking of is in the green bar near the top of this window entitled 'Search' with a downward arrow next to it. Click on the arrow, then click 'Advanced Search'. This will search all the archives.

In particular, search for threads started by Dave McCracken including the word '101' in the title, as he is a wealth of knowledge on shotguns. His '101' series of posts will probably answer any general shotgun questions you may have. They are outstanding posts, and he's put a great deal of time into typing them for all of us. You might want to thank him.

P.S. Thanks again, Dave!

 

[RNB65]

>What makes a shotgun good for shooting trap?

Heavy to absorb recoil. Built like a tank to be able to withstand firing hundreds of rounds per week for many years without breaking. Most folks prefer long barrels (32-34") and a raised rib to improve sighting on targets that are always going away from you.

>What makes a shotgun good for hunting?

Lightweight to make it easier to carry in the field and for quick handling.

>What makes a shotgun good for shooting skeet?

Same as for trap except most people prefer short barrels (26-28") and low rib. Sighting plane isn't as critical in skeet since it's a short range game with shots that are always the same at every station.

>Why do people choose a double barrel or over/under (2 shot) shotgun over a pump?

Should be obvious -- don't need to pump the action to shoot the second shot. All your focus is on the targets.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Thanks, Juna, for both the directions and the endorsement.

Rip, the Archives here contain info of great value, most contributed by folks with centuries of accumulated experience. Read and learn.

 

[The Deer Hunter]

Personal preference is the only real difference, as long as you have a decent length barrel (26"-30") and changeable chokes, you can cover just about all the bases from hunting to trap to skeet.

Some people say you need to "reach" out and touch those far shots with a 36" barrel but I seem to do just as good as anyone with a $13,000 O/U with a 32" ported barrel and adjustable comb with my 26" Benelli M1 S90(semi auto).

 

[WNTFW]

A double barrel is good for skeet & trap for several reasons not yet mentioned.
Shell (spent) are easy to keep, especially with extractors vs ejectors.
Easy to inspect barrels for cleanliness, obstructions, etc.
Easy to clean bore from breech.
Guns breaks down nicely to store.
Different guages available on same gun.
Down side is usually the price!
Good premise for a post.
WNTFW

 

[ripcurlksm]

Is it true that some over unders misfire? How?

Hey John, sorry, I know how to search just fine Its just I didnt realize there was an archived section of the forums. I saw two pages and looked through them all. Also I will be sure to check out the 101 search.

Thanks for posting fellas - I LOVE IT


Respectfully,

 

[ripcurlksm]

...just checked out the archives good stuff John + I got me a new signature now... Nice writeup thanks for your time.

Respectfully,

 

[WNTFW]

Doubles have shorter actions, the gun is overall shorter & many claim it swings better. OU vs SS is sight picture issue.

Regarding 'BIG MONEY' shotguns, which I'll probably never be able to afford, there are diminishing returns. How much more than adequate does a shotgun have to be? It makes sense that a trap/skeet gun is more specialized. I'd own them if I could afford one, though. My brother had a Winchester 101 for a week or two (before trading it) that was more interesting than a pump or semi-auto which I own.

WNTFW