Help from the skeet/trap/sporting clay community

[jleyring]

Yea… another which gun post. I need some help from the regular skeet/trap/sporting clays people here. I have been searching for the past few weeks and looking at different options. I cant find one that fits my wants and needs. Everyone in other forums just says get the browning or berettas but I cant afford it. As you can see from the voting you know it is about O/U’s. Most of the shooting I do is Trap/Skeet. It is has the most fun to cost ratio for me. Well I am relatively new to my area here and a friend told me about a sporting clays place that holds leagues Monday-Thursday, I plan to get out there as much as possible.

Now the question comes in about O/Us. First off I am not new to shotguns. I mostly do bird hunting and own a pump, semi auto 3.5 waterfowl gun, and even a single shot turkey gun. I figured the next step would be the O/U. It will primarily be a trap/skeep/ sporting clays gun. I am a young married college student on a tight budget so I began looking at the lower cost models. With my research I found the 3 I put down. CZ, Stoeger and Franchi.

I do work part time for a major sporting goods company and can get a good discount (30-40% off MSRP) on these 3. Which would be the best suited for a guy that will shoot probably 1000-2500 shots a year through it. I want something that will last for a good number of years then when I get older and out of college can afford the Brownings or the Berettas and get more serious and do more competition based shoots. I generally lean towards the CZ or Franchi but I am not against the stoeger if it gets high praise.

I would love opinions on auto ejectors, ported barrels, adjustable combs and other things. Maybe a 20 gauge even? Not wanting to spend over $700 (I know small, but remember the discount). Please feel free to put more on the list of others im not thinking of. Thank you for the help.
jleyring

 

[MtnCreek]

I am a young married college student on a tight budget so I began looking at the lower cost models.

Not wanting to spend over $700

IMHO, look for a used 391. Not what you're looking for, but you're married and a college student, so I assume you're used to not always getting what you want.

 

[oneounceload]

I voted OTHER - you really do not want one of those choices if you are going to be getting into target shooting. You want a gun that will last and, unfortunately, in the O/U dept., your previous folks mentioning the Browning or Beretta were spot on. Even USED is going to be tough with a budget of $700. I bought a Browning Gti WAY back over 20 years ago when they were being discontinued for the then new 325. With a wholesale price on that discontinued model, it was still $1000 - back then. Now, after all those years and approximately 300,000, I had some springs and pins replaced at 90,000 - and that was it. I now am shooting a Beretta gas gun because to ME, it feels softer to my aging shoulder.

Understand something - in this grand scheme of things, the price of the gun is nothing - ammo and targets will put a hurt a lot more on your wallet.
With a budget of $700 (and here's hoping you have target and ammo money figured separately, the used semi as mentioned above will be your best bet. I say used, because NEW Berettas and similar are going closer to $2000 now. A used 1100 is also one to consider. For trap, you'll want the T&S shell catcher so you don't piss off your neighbor to the right with flinging empties.

For both those games, you'll be looking more for a 30" barrel; the Beretta comes with shims for stock adjustment.

Do NOT waste money having barrels ported. If the gun already comes with them - so be it, but they offer nothing for the expense, noise and cleaning PITA they create.

NO to the 20 - clay target games, unless specifically set up for the sub-gauges, are a 12 gauge game - besides you have a greater choice of ammo (from light to heavy), and it is more readily available at this time

An adjustable comb is nice IF you need it to make the gun fit - if you are of average build and height, you most likely won't. If you're 4'-6" or 6'-10", that's another story and you better have money set aside for a gun fitting by a pro.

FIT is everything when it comes to success with a target shotgun; reliability is a very close second, for in a tournament, a gun malfunction is only forgiven so many times before it becomes "lost bird", and a gun that breaks completely in a tournament is a nice tomato stake

Go to your local trap/skeet club and try to borrow/rent/shoot as many guns as you can to see which ones come to closest to fitting you - the pattern board and your scores will tell you that. "Feel" inside a store without putting shot to target or paper means nothing. If you can bring the gun up to your shoulder with your eyes closed, and then once opened be looking at the spot you previously focused on, you're close. If you are seeing a lot of rib, you will be shooting over the target every time.

Weight is your friend along with barrel length - they both aid in swing dynamics and the weight helps mitigate recoil - both actual and perceived, so a heavy gun - 8#+ is what you are looking for. Most brands' field guns are cheaper than the target versions - they are lighter (more recoil) and do not have certain features that are helpful on target versions.

Good luck take your time; realize this is just the first gun you will be buying in your quest for "The One"; also realize that cheap is not always the way to go with something that should be getting used - a LOT.

 

[Virginian]

I would have voted none of the above had it been available. A good repeater beats a cheap O/U every time. No one in the know is impressed by a cheap O/U either. A good used Remington 1100 or a Beretta 3** will shoot every bit as good as you could want. Way back when I was a poor married college student I had one gun for everything, an 1100. A lot of other shotguns have come and gone. That 1100 is still my go to 12 gauge clay target gun.

 

[Armored farmer]

Cheap o/u's are a p.i.t.a.
I love my Mossberg Silver Reserve 28ga. but it has had problems.
I suggest used higher quality also. They're out there.

 

[guyfromohio]

I'm looking at a beautiful used Beretta A303 for $400. I'd go used higher-end before new middle-of-the-road. That being said, CZ before Stoeger.

 

[jleyring]

I appreciate the feedback. I defiantly want an O/U. So I guess I might need to save up longer and get the beretta or browning. I will just go used first. I don't love used guns much always seem to get a lemon but it will be less likely with a higher end model. Off to cabelas gun library to find one. What models?

 

[Armored farmer]

If you are serious about shooting clay games, hang out at the clubs and decide what you want. Put the word out as to what you're looking for. The guys in those circles are into those guns too. Someone will have an idea about where you can find what you are looking for. There are lots of guns bought/sold face to face at the range.
Back in the day, there would be a half dozen trap guns ion the rack out front with a piece of paper rolled up in the barrel with the price and name of the seller. They don't do that anymore.

 

[HexHead]

Get the Franchi. It is Benelli's O/U shotgun. The outer box they come in is a Benelli box, the Franchi box/case is inside. Franchis are made in the Benelli factory in Italy. It is easily the best of the options you listed. The ones with the "case hardened" receivers are really nice looking and handle well.

 

[oneounceload]

Off to cabelas gun library to find one. What models?

The ones that FIT. As mentioned, go to your local club and see who has what for sale. That way you KNOW who owned it prior, and you should be able to shoot it before buying to make sure it is the one you want. Besides, if that person is a member in good standing at your local club, odds are he won't screw you on price or condition as his rep will suffer.

 

[loose noose]

Exactly what one ounce load just stated, especially if you plan on shooting the target games exclusively.

 

[Panzerschwein]

I worked the trap lines at the ATA world shooting center in Sparta, Illinois for 2 summers when I was a boy. Worked in the trap houses many a time, reloading those dusty clay birds in the rotating machine inside. One time the arms of the machine came back and grabed me as I was carelessly leaning back, so not only was a clay pidgeon thrown downrange but the thing ripped the vest clean off my back and sent it into the mechanism. But that's another story...

I recommend you go to a trap event and try some of these guns, and more importantly ask some of the shooter there what is a good starting gun for not a whole lot of cash. Choosing a trap/skeet gun is a very personal thing and what might work for one won't be so hot for another.

All in all, I say good luck to you my friend!

 

[SAGEEN]

I voted other I like browning....just my favorate

 

[John3921]

Berettas and Brownings fit totally different. Brownings (other than the Cynergy and the new 725) have a high receiver profile and much deeper forearms. Berettas are a lower profile receiver. Handle them both. Most dedicated guns these days have adjustable combs and adjustable butt pads so you can dial in fit.

I like the Berettas as they fit me better than Brownings. In the Beretta you are looking for a 680 series gun. The 686 guns are more entry level - plainer wood, lesser engraving, etc - but the guts of the thing are the same as the competition (682) guns. It isn't cheap to do, but a worn Beretta can be rebuilt. I know of a 682 with an estimated 750,000 rounds through it.

You see the 682 Silver receiver and sometimes a 682 Gold for under $2k. It isn't too hard to find 686's closer to the $1k mark. Gold E's will run closer to $3k.

Stick with 12 gauge, look for 30" bbls. Check places like Joel Etchen guns, Hi-Grade shooters in PA, Pacific Sporting Arms, Southwest Shooters Supply for used guns.

 

[oneounceload]

The thing to watch with the Berettas (and Brownings as well), is that you want a TARGET gun, not a field version. While the receivers are different, the stock dimensions are as well; thus the old adage that if one fits you, odds are the other one won't. Beretta also has the 692 out now as well as the DT-11, but that will be WAY out of your budget at this time. Go into this thinking that this is just the beginning and that if you really desire to continue shooting clays, even competitively, you will be looking for another gun down the road.

 

[gpb]

Forget the cheap Over/Under. Buy a good used Remington 870 WINGMASTER.

 

[MtnCreek]

Remington 870 WINGMASTER.

Shooting Sporting Clays a while back there was a station where the first bird moved really low to the ground and away and would then crest over the hill where you couldn't see it anymore. Just about midways through it's flight, a bird would come screaming out of your right peripheral, crossing in front and smack into a tree on your left. I lucked up on the second pair and was able to hit both birds. The second shot was a hard swing and pulled the trigger (hail Mary shot... ). That was with an auto. If anyone shoots at foxhall you probably know the station I'm talking about.

 

[john wall]

Depending on your physique, either a Browning or Beretta. A good used one is reasonable.

Wider than normal shoulders, bigger build, go Browning.

Slim build, slim face? Try the Beretta.

I prefer my Blaser Luxus. More money than you probably care to spend for your first O/U.

This from 50+ years of shooting Skeet, Trap, Sporting, and Intl' games. Two time Silver Medalist. Member of National Coach Development Staff and Level II Shooting Coach.

I have a passing knowledge of the game.

 

[kudu]

Save up, get a solid quality gun that will last several hundred thousand rounds +. I got to fondle/handle both the Beretta DT11 and the 692 at the NRA convention last week. While I shoot the older version of the 682 Supersport, still barely broke in with only a couple hundred thousand rounds through it, I have to say I would love to have a DT11, very comparable to a Kriegoff, but so is the price tag.

I am primarily a skeet shooter, so a tube set was a must for me, you don't want to spend the money to have all-gauge tubes installed in a cheap shotgun that will wear out long before the tubes do. If you are just going for sporting clays gun find a quality auto in the Beretta line or Remington, they will work well for trap as well with some adjustment to stocks or shooting technique.