Inexpensive O/U 12 gauge trap gun suggestions

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Falconeer

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Greetings folks!
I may have the opportunity to start shooting trap again. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for an inexpensive ($500 or so) over & under 12 gauge trap gun. Names, sources, any and all info would be most helpful. Used guns found in that price range are also acceptable. Thanks in advance!
 
Lanbeer. Right at $500.
CZ (not sure of the name of the O/U, woodcock maybe?) probably closer to $700 but decent.
$500 is a tough range for O/U, what's out there is imported and is hit or miss.
Going up to $800 to $900 gets you a used Browning or a Beretta which will last much longer.
But the wife has a Lanbeer and it has an easy 5000 (yes, thousand) rounds through it since late june, never a malfunction. It's not super pretty, the lockwork isnt' as good, but it shoots fine.
 
Buy a Trap gun

If you gonna shoot trap buy a trap gun. None are cheap either. The Remington 870 Classic Trap is about the least expensive route. About $650.00 new. Go to a few trap shoots and look at the racks, as people always bringing guns there selling and will let you shot them. Before you lay down the cash make sure it fits you also or your in for more $$. Dust em.

BT100
 
CDNN had a bunch earlier
i see ads in shotgun news and gunlist
ask your local dealer what they would charge. Should be right at about 500 or so.
 
WillBrayJr said:
The Mossberg Silver Reserve. It's at the $500.00 mark, looks great plus you know it's a great gun because it's a Mossberg.
Click to expand...

While Mossberg's reliability in pump shotguns is almost unmatched, I would be weary of purchasing the Silver Reserve. From what I can tell, they are basically a "Khan" type shotgun with Mossberg's name on them. I've also read of several claims of soft metal on the block where the firing pins were wearing grooves into it.

I would probably look at DeHaan because he seems to really stand behind his guns. For $500 though, you'll be hard pressed to find a really nice O/U that will take a lot of pounding. For the occasional hunter though, it might be just what the Dr. ordered.
 
Stoeger

You also might want to look at the Stoeger Condor Competition. It has an adjustable comb, a wide top rib and can be had for around $550. (I paid $520 for mine to use as my backup/doubles gun.) The LOP out of the box was fine for me. Also note that some folks have had issues with some of the triggers in this gun. I do not. YMMV
 
BozemanMT said:
CDNN had a bunch earlier
i see ads in shotgun news and gunlist
ask your local dealer what they would charge. Should be right at about 500 or so.
Click to expand...



Is the correct spelling of the "Lanbeer" Lanber?
 
>>The Remington 870 Classic Trap is about the least expensive route.<<

But you'd soon tire of racking that slide. ;)
 
BozemanMT said:
yeah probably
stupid spell check, why doesn't it know what i'm thinking?:banghead:
Click to expand...

Heh, its OK. I found several Lanbers for right around $500. Looks like a really nice gun!

I had been thinking about the Remington Spartan 310, but this gun for just a little bit more has a lot more features. Auto Ejectors too. And, a 5 year warranty on parts.
 
RUT said:
>>The Remington 870 Classic Trap is about the least expensive route.<<

But you'd soon tire of racking that slide. ;)
Click to expand...

???

Pumps make great trap guns, since you only get to load one at a time anyway, and they balance like more expensive single-barrels. They also don't make enemies by spitting shells at your neighbor's new Perazzi, and it's easy for the paranoid RSO to see when the action's open.:)

I shoot doubles with mine occasionally, but I won't tell anyone they should. My score can be right there with the O/U guys shooting doubles. It's good practice for hunting.

An 870 is probably the most reliable heavy-use gun you will get for the money -- whether you're talking about police, hunting, trap, or any other version. The CT model is a winning trap gun.

Lanbers (Basque Spanish guns) are real nice. I haven't seen any for $500, but the ones I've seen are really good-looking guns, with fully-engraved receivers, nice wood and nice polished blue.

I know people like their Mossberg Silver Reserves, and they are real nice even not considering the price. However, the guns haven't been around long enough to prove themselves longevity-wise.

CZ's are made by Huglu in Turkey, BTW. Turkish guns can be quite good.

I haven't been too impressed with Stoegers, but competition is fierce nowadays, so the new ones might be better than what I saw a year ago.

For cheap, there's always the Spartan (Baikal). Ugly, but built like a Russian AK, by the people who make the Russian AK. They always go bang.

If you can find a used SKB for that money, and it's in good working order, buy that.
 
Falconeer,
If your heart is set on an O/U then I have no good recommendations, but. . .

The shotgun here with the most rounds of Trap to its credit started life as a field grade 870. I bought it used for about $200 and replaced the stock with a Wenig New American Style. It took a bit of excess wood removal and sanding (cheap labor) and then I had to have someone competent cut the stock for LOP and add a Pachmyer Decelerator, but the stock is great. I refitted my 870TB with a Remington Trap stock and the Wenig New American is better IMVHO. Total cost was less than $500 and I have a gun that fits me perfectly. YMMV
 
riverdog said:
Falconeer,
If your heart is set on an O/U then I have no good recommendations, but. . .

The shotgun here with the most rounds of Trap to its credit started life as a field grade 870. I bought it used for about $200 and replaced the stock with a Wenig New American Style. It took a bit of excess wood removal and sanding (cheap labor) and then I had to have someone competent cut the stock for LOP and add a Pachmyer Decelerator, but the stock is great. I refitted my 870TB with a Remington Trap stock and the Wenig New American is better IMVHO. Total cost was less than $500 and I have a gun that fits me perfectly. YMMV
Click to expand...

Drool...

Time to get an old Wingmaster at the gun show and build my OWN "Classic Trap"! Those are some beautiful stocks.

And to Falconeer---

Assuming you're shooting standard American trap, meaning singles, you can get a REALLY NICE trap gun based on the 870 for your money, or you can get a dubious O/U. If you get the 870, you will still have and use it in 30 years if you want to. I shoot with a guy who has a whole collection, one from 1950, the first year they were made. It still shoots like new and looks pretty good, too. He shoots very well with them.

I see too many guys at the range with $5000+ guns and middling scores. If I get competitive, it's about my score, not how pretty or expensive my gun is, if you get my drift.:)
 
ArmedBear said:
Drool...
If I get competitive, it's about my score, not how pretty or expensive my gun is, if you get my drift.:)
Click to expand...

Who let Armed Bear in?
Goodness, everyone knows it's all about how pretty they are.
Geez. :rolleyes: :p
 
Been shooting 870s since the Rocky Mountains were gullies. My 870TB is showing every indication that it will outlast me by several decades no matter how cleanly I live. Close to 20K rounds through it in the last 5 years.

Frankenstein, my overpublicized parts 870, has someplace over 10K rounds behind it with me, following some parts of it working at the Md Pen for a decade or more.

The downside of using an 870? None....

Caveat, 870s do multiply. The six here (so far) cost less than a mid grade O/U.
 
Some great info! I'll check out links and such later this evening.

I've been away from trap for a long time. I've shot occasionally since I was a kid and my parents shot but what I've seen on the ranges have been over/unders. I certainly wouldn't mind an 870 (my father has one), but my impression was the o/u guns generally made better trap guns. The best trap gun I ever had the chance to handle/shoot was a Beretta o/u which seemed laser designated. :p

Thinking about it I imagine $500 would go a lot farther on an 870 than a o/u, though the DeHaan U1 (want extractors - let's hear it for reloads!) seems a good buy, though higher than my price range.
 
When I'm done taking a shot with the 870, I just slide my trigger hand up, slowly rack the slide, and easily grab the shell as it comes out. Or I rack it quickly, and catch the shell farther away from the gun, if I'm feeling cocky.:p

Like with an extractor, the shells need never hit the ground. Another thing I like about using a pump. And a reason not to get a Browning or Ithaca pump gun no matter how nice they are.

No matter how many guns you get in the future, you can and probably will really want to keep your 870. This cannot be safely said of a cheap double.

Of course, fit is king.
 
Falconeer. I have been looking for a good trap gun for a couble of weeks. Wal-mart has the Rem1100 classic trap for $706 and the 870 classic trap for $618. Both of these guns have 30in barrel with vent rib twin bead sights and three choke tubes. Most of the cheap O/U do not have 30 in barrels. Some of the guys at my club have O/U's plus single barrel trap guns but they cost well over $1000 used . I also was thinking about picking up a used 870 rem and replacing with a hastings barrel which cost $237 and a good recoil pad.
 
Thanks much for all the great input, folks! I have this topic book marked. I grew up shooting my father's 870 trap, so I'm very familiar the feel of that shotgun. :) I'm in full on research mode now, but what it looks like it's going to come down to is either an 870 (I KNOW that fits nicely), or look for deals guns shows/local shops. A new shop just opened which carries some fantastic shotguns, but they're well out of my price range (they have some wonderful Berettas in the $2000-$4000 range :p). I think I'm going to need to hold them in order to determine 'fit'. However, all the info has given me some names and models to keep an eye out for! :)
 
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