Need help for a Sporting Clay's Gun

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thunder173

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Okay all,..I need some help here.

First,... I am not a sporting clays shooter. My daughter wants to give my SIL a bunch of Cabela's gift cards for Christmas to go toward a Sporting Clays gun for him to go pick out. (I knew I raised that kid right!!!)......

Anyways,..my problem is that she has asked me to help him find a good one. I know my guns,...but I know from squat about guns for sporting clays.

Will be working with about $ 1,200 bucks according to her. I know the Beretta's and Brownings are at least as much and more,..and figure they would be well worth the price.

But what about CZ's and Lanber's,..I see they are a little lower on the food chain,..but not down in the Mossberg and Stoeger neighborhood.My question....are they any good.

Would be interested in hearing some opinions here,...both pro AND con.....

Fire away,......I need some pointer's mach quickie.........
 
If it was me I'd get either a Browning Citori, a Beretta 686, a Weatherby Orion, or a Winchester mod 101 with 30 inch barrels and interchangeable choke tubes. That would make the ideal all around Trap/Skeet/Sporting Clays gun.
 
IF this is a gun strictly for lots of sporting clays shooting, a field gun can become an issue with recoil due to their typically pound or more lighter weight than the target version. USED "B" guns might be found in that range, and Cabela's stores typically have a good selection.

You might also consider the SKB target guns.

In any event, a new or used semi from Beretta or Benelli for targets is also worthy of consideration.

It might be wise to go to your local gun club (trap/skeet type) and borrow or rent any and all available for him to actually try on targets. Brownings fit different than Berettas and they are different than Winchester. Usually, if one fits, the others do not, and fit takes more than just shouldering the gun in the store a few times.

In short, for 1200, you want to do it right the first time and get what is not only in the budget, but will fit him and he will like to shoot.
 
If you are open to considering a semi-automatic then the gun I'd suggest is a Beretta 391 Sporting.
 
Good suggestions,....keep them coming,..but the answer to the question of the CZ or Lanber,...only one response,...on the Lanber,...basis for that recommendation? Others against it??

I would be more prone to going the semi-auto route first myself........though the thought of a decent O/U is intriguing
 
I think the member called "Oneounceload" said it best. Quote: "I would rather buy once, cry once, and shoot for the rest of my life, than constantly having something in the shop, or something I need to upgrade from every two years.- You would be better off buying the better gun in the beginning." If you don't have enough money right now to purchase a good over/under like a Beretta, Browning, Remington, etc. then save your money a little bit longer till you do.
 
remington 11-87
Click to expand...
+1 this is a great starter gun -that he can shoot for a while and be happy. If he ends up taking to it like a duck to water. He can trade in and upgrade to what he likes. It's silly to go out and drop $2,000 or more when the guy doesn't even really shoot sporting clays yet. He may shoot for 6 months and never do it again. Get the 11-87 and he'll have money left over for plenty of shells and he can upgrade to what he really needs and likes later if desired.
 
Where the CZ/Lanber comes from......CZ shotguns are made by Huglu in Turkey......even though they have state of the art CNC gear, their overall quality is spotty at best - you MIGHT get a good one, you more likely will not.....they are getting better, but they are not there yet. That is NOT a slam on ALL Turkish shotguns, as UTAS who made S&W and Kimber SxS did a whale of a great job for the money.

Lanber is a decent Italian gun for the money, but it is, like the CZ, a field gun. Except for Browning who makes their 12 gauge field guns too heavy and they weigh what their target guns do, most companies make their field guns about a pound lighter - great for toting in the field, a little harsh when shooting a lot of clays

Try before you buy, buy it once.it doesn't have to cost a few months house payment.....buy quality, and even if you upgrade, you'll get most of your money back later
 
First,...let me thank all who have responded. A couple of you caught the point. I am NOT buying this for myself. I am looking for valid info to help advise a 30 year old. Some of you have given good advise,..and some of you have tried to do so,...but missed the point. Again,..I thank you all for your input.

The young man makes good money,.....enough that he can buy whatever he wants I guess,...(but it hasn't gone to his head),...as a Son In Law,..he's a for sure keeper. But he doesn't know that much about guns in general,..so my daughter has asked me to assist him in picking out a good gun for this,.... as versus him going on the cheap and buying junk.

He has not shot clays more than a few times,..so who knows whether or not he'll stick with this for the long haul. He does however enjoy it,...and has few if any hobbies that let him get out and literally blow off steam. Just trying to steer him in the right direction here.

Again,...thanx one and all for your input.

All have a great and Merry Christmas!!
 
You could also consider a Ruger Red Label O/U. You could find a gently used one for $1200 without too much trouble, and they offer a "sporting clays" model with a 30" barrel, double bead sight, and screw in chokes. I acquired one a few months ago, and have been very happy with it. Ruger customer service (if you ever need it) is legendary, although I'll admit I've never needed it for any of the 4 Ruger rifles and shotguns I own.

It is a bit heavier than the Browning, but that does help with the recoil. I use mine for skeet, trap, and sporting clays - I just change the choke tubes, and it came with 5. Can't complain about it at all, although I'd like to blame something for not hitting a 25...
 
Hamish - I am glad YOUR Ruger experience has been positive......mine wasn't, but it was some years ago with their vaunted 28 gauge gun that was a total POS.....and the service, while fast, was unable to fix the problem

IMO, Ruger has quality issues like Huglu from Turkey - some are good, some are not.......not worth the 1200 investment for a "maybe".....JMO
 
If he shows up at the sporting clay club with the Remington 11-87 nobody will laugh at him and he will enjoy himself. If that was me 5 years ago I would think my fil is the man for hooking me up with a decent gun. Go shooting with him and ya'll have a merry Christmas too.
 
Remington's 1187 and most current Remington products have quality control issues. Now a 20 yo 1100 or 1187 would be okay just not their current production.

I have Browning Maxus and Beretta 391 Urika that I use for Sporting Clays and Sporting Beer Cans. Yeah a buddy of mine rigged up a thrower for beer cans. Maxus is a little light for shooting a couple hundred clays.

I would stay away from Ruger, Lanber, and CZ because of QC issues.

I would buy a 930 over a Ruger, Lanber, CZ and Remington.

In your daughter's price range I would go semiauto because at $1200 new you just aren't in the price range of a quality O/U for clays ie Beretta WOS, and Browning O/U's. Benelli also makes a decent clay gun but they are a little more expensive. You cant go wrong with a 391 and if down the road he decides he wants an O/U they hold their value. Browning and Beretta have shims to alter fit. However if she can find a current Winchester 101 that would be the exception to my statement. 30" barrels.

Also you want at least a 28" barrel.

You daughter can then buy him some quality chokes from Trulock for V day and his bday.
 
Thanx again all. As I said,...I am not a sporting clays shooter of any kind.

I was invited to go one time a couple years ago,..and I showed up with my old Mossberg 500 with a 28 inch vent rib and a poly choke that I have had for many many years,..it was rather embarrassing ,... as some of those guys had guns that cost more than my truck.

However,...I did maybe 15 or 16 out of 25 the first round,.... and then ran 23 out of 25 the second round. The old boy I was there with asked me where I learned to rack that Mossberg 12 so fast as to get doubles, in that I had said I never shot at clays before. I answered him quite truthfully,..I don't shoot clays,..but I do hunt a lot......

I never shot clays since. The only shotguns I own are field guns,...and are mostly Mossberg pumps,.... I also have a single shot break down 20 gauge that gets used a lot, and an old bolt action single shot 410 I have had since I was a pup. I recently picked up a couple of newer o/u combo guns that I am still getting used to.

Buying a gun of this type and in this price range is a bit foreign to an old farm kid turned soldier like me. The young man this gun is for grew up dirt poor as well,..and has done well,...and like I said,..as a Son In Law,...he's a keeper.
 
In that price range I'd say you have 2 "best choices". In an over under I'd choose a Citori that was made for sporting clays. The Citori is an absolute workhorse and has been for decades. You can't go wrong with a Citori.

In a semi-automatic I'd go with the Beretta 390/391 gas auto. They are also extremely durable and last much longer than the Remington autos. Benelli's are great guns but are recoil operated and hence have more recoil.

Take some time and buy a good used one....most guns aren't used enough to matter.
 
Its not as "easy" as going to the store and picking one up, but if there is a shooting club near you, there are normally a lot of people very willing to help, and there is usually a board for posting used guns. Most guys will even let you shoot a round with it to see if you like it. Most guns have some adjustment to them, but its still possible to spend a lot of money on a gun that just never feels quite right. But, its hard to get gift cards for a used gun at the club :) I said above I love my Citori GTI for clays/skeet/trap, but others I shoot trap with love their insanely long barrelled BT-99s. Stay with a good brand and let him find the one that fits him. It might be an O/U, it might be an auto, but he'll know when he shoulders it.
 
I would get a Beretta O/U with 30" barrels. No need for ported barrels - they just make the gun harder to clean. A Browning Citori would work well too, but I have a preference to the Beretta.

If it really is a first gun, I would recommend a used Beretta or Browning. Use it a while and get a chance to shoot other guns at the range/club. Eventually, you are going to want to upgrade or try something else, and the B guns hold the best resale value. You may find the upgrading/trying something else can become a habit.

If you buy a new Lanber, Stoeger, etc. You will lose 1/2 the price min if you try to sell it. I am not saying these are bad guns, but be prepared to take a shellacking if you want to sell. If you find a cheap used gun - I say go for it. A used $200-250 Stoeger Condor will work well enough and get you on the line. From there you can figure out what you really want.

Nothing wrong with some of the semi autos out there either.
 
I got into Sporting Clays about 7 years ago. The gun of choice is Browning O/U. I looked around for a used one but never really found anything.

I agree with the buy once, cry once statement. The gunsmith of the shop I frequented gave me a list of guns that would work, most autos. But, no matter what anyone says the game is made for O/U guns in my opinion.

About 6 years ago I found a nice Ruger Red Label O/U that I bought. No complaints. It's heavier then a Browning but works for me. I'm one of the few that like this gun and I'm not a Ruger fan.

Best advice I can give is buy right the first time. I would still rather have a Browning but my Ruger works and I find myself shooting less in this game. I have no doubt the Ruger will last my lifetime.
 
There's a reason why you see so many people using over/unders for sporting clay games. Many of the relays require engaging a far target and fast moving close target like a "running rabbit" clay pigeon rolling on the ground at the same. An over/under is suited to this because you can have have one barrel choked with a modified or full choke for the far targets and the other barrel can be choked with a skeet or improved cylinder choke for the close targets. If you're using a single barreled semi your only option is to use a modified or IC choke and hope for the best.
 
I would suggest an o/u for sporting clays too. Besides the advantage of having two chokes, the shooter doesn't have to pick up his empty hulls if he plans to reload.
 
I agree with all the comments about over/unders. The problem here is that there is a limit of $1,200 on the purchase. In that price range if buying a new gun you either get a marginal over/under or one of the very best semi-automatics on the market.
 
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