Shotgun Recommendation for Clay Pigeon Shooting

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Another barrel for that Wingmaster would be a great & inexpensive way to get the job done, at least for now. I shoot trap with my 870 Wingmaster and the original 28-inch modified barrel (no vent rib). I do as well or better than many shooters using guns costing $K's more..
 
I do decent with a basic Beretta A300 Outlander in sporting clays. A $700 semi auto with just a single bead site. They do make a clay shooting version for a little bit more. Looks like it has dual bead sites and a 30" barrel. I do wanna upgrade to the A400 Xcel. I missed recently on a traded in but unused A400 Multitarget for under $1900. They run about $3k usually. Regret not putting it in layaway just for how cheap it was
 
Thomasss said:
Pumps are cheap, but effective and most can shoot while pumping and holding down the trigger.
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Not any of them made with a disconnector, which is more of them than not, and no current models I can think of that do, except possibly Chinese Model 97's.


Charlie Martinez said:
Another barrel for that Wingmaster would be a great & inexpensive way to get the job done, at least for now. I shoot trap with my 870 Wingmaster and the original 28-inch modified barrel (no vent rib). I do as well or better than many shooters using guns costing $K's more..
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at 16 yards, not 27. ;)
Modified works well for 16-about 22 yards.
 
$1500 is going to go farther for a semiautomatic than it will for an O/U. There are many good semiautomatics for that price: Beretta, Benelli, Browning.

On the other hand, you can find (or could a few years ago) good used Beretta and Browning O/U (Benelli makes an O/U, but it is aesthetically displeasing) at that price point, sometimes lower. My suggestion here would be to shoot a few rounds with one if possible. If you shoot an O/U for a few rounds, you may be hooked. They handle quite nicely and are easy to swing.

If you're not hooked after shooting the O/U, then you know you favor the semiautomatic.

However, I am going to go by what you said here:

giggitygiggity said:
I want to get a shotgun mainly for the intent of shooting clay pigeons for fun with friends. ... I just shoot informally.
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Given what you said there, you can easily buy a new 28" vent rib barrel for that Wingmaster (which is a very nice pump-action shotgun) and use that instead. Spending the other $1300 on shells and finding a decent mentor is going to make you a better shooter than the shotguns I mentioned.

I'm not trying to steer you away from a semiautomatic or an O/U if that's what you really want (I have a pair of Browning O/Us that I wouldn't sell for the world), but you may be better served going another route. Just something to consider.
 
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I shoot between 2500 & 3000 rounds per year on sporting clays. I break between 80% and 90% consistently. I shoot 870’s (12, 16, & 20 gauge) or a skeet model 1100. If you only want to be that good, or slightly better, either of those guns is hard to beat. A new barrel on the 870 will help you. As an aside, I can buy 4 1100’s or 10 used 870’s for the cost of a B gun O/U. So you could become good with what you have and shop for the next one.

Either of those are good for 250,000 rounds and there are examples that have shot 1,000,000 rounds. No one on any gun forum I have seen has boasted of even 50,000 rounds from a Turkish gun, including Weatherby. When people boast about 3000 rounds - that’s like boasting you have 3000 miles with no problems on your new car.
 
As a few others have stated, the most important aspect is to make sure the gun fits you. I went from being a sorrowful clay shooter to being pretty good simply by finding a gun that fit me well. It makes for a much more enjoyable day out.
 
Scribner said:
No one on any gun forum I have seen has boasted of even 50,000 rounds from a Turkish gun, including Weatherby.
When people boast about 3000 rounds - that’s like boasting you have 3000 miles with no problems on your new car.
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Snob..... :neener:

The Turkish Viper [under attack here :cool:] gets you into the game with a classically-fitted/multi-functional
auto shotgun -- for 600 bucks.

The OP then gets not only to evaluate whether he wants to spend THOUSANDS for a follow-on Clays toy...
...but also gets to keep a shotgun for field use from quail to dove to ducks to geese to deer....while the snooty
$15,000 Kreighoff sits in the closet.
<snort:evil: >



.
 
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MEHavey said:
Snob..... :neener:

The Turkish Viper [under attack here :cool:] gets you into the game with a classically-fitted/multi-functional
auto shotgun -- for 600 bucks.

The OP then gets not only to evaluate whether he wants to spend THOUSANDS for a follow-on Clays toy...
...but also gets to keep a shotgun for field use from quail to dove to ducks to geese to deer....while the snooty
$15,000 Kreighoff sits in the closet.
<snort:evil: >



.
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He’s into the game. A new barrel for the 870 will get him well into the game and well above 50,000 rounds. A Turkish semi is a $600 premium on the o/u he will eventually purchase when he gets sick of its misfires, jams, or it eventually fails him…The Turks can make a good field gun. They have yet to make a reliable, high volume target gun.
 
I recommend the gun that fits you the best off the rack.
Select a target, mount the gun and point it (unloaded of course) at the target
Lower the gun to the ready position and close your eyes
The mount the gun again.
Open your eyes---is/are the bead(s) squarely on the target?
Do this several times until you find a gun that fits like a charm
That's the gun I'd want.
 
MEHavey said:
I was being facetious....
Just try and find an 870 skeet barrel these days........ :cuss:
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Picked up a 870 skeet barrel last spring NOS for $150 (score!)and it works great for sporting clays. Looking to use it this fall bird hunting. As far as Turkish guns go, my sons SXP has been great in the field but at sporting clays its the guys with TriStars that have problems.
 
Where do the TriStar problems seem to focusing ?
Can anyone point the OP to a skeet barrel now ?
 
MEHavey said:
Where do the TriStar problems seem to focusing ?
Can anyone point the OP to a skeet barrel now ?
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Lite strikes on the primers. Last season it happened on 3 guns, one other had a poor safety function that was sent in and fixed. I see skeet barrels on line now and then (gunbroker & ebay) but not often and pricey.
 
Light strikes on the primers.
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Had that happen on my 1100/410 this last Spring til springs replaced..
(really a downer when it happens since you can't hide your inherent flinch)
:fire:



Self-report: < Light-Strike Tristar > does reveal a firing pin issue on older guns,
The Viper G2 seems to address that. But as Winchester, S&W and other have
found, reputation once lost is a hard road to regain
 
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John Joseph said:
I recommend the gun that fits you the best off the rack.
Select a target, mount the gun and point it (unloaded of course) at the target
Lower the gun to the ready position and close your eyes
The mount the gun again.
Open your eyes---is/are the bead(s) squarely on the target?
Do this several times until you find a gun that fits like a charm
That's the gun I'd want.
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Fit is very important. I find that Remington and Mossberg fit me better but My best gun is a Berretta 686. My son shoots a 11-87 for trap and does very well with it. It is soft shooting and reliable. 870's and 1100's have probably broke more clays than all others combined.
 
I sold a Beretta A400 and bought a FAIR Carerra ($1500) and so far this gun is a sleeper. Should be good for 500,000 rounds according to reviews. Not fancy but a solid action. It is a competition gun but would take to the field with out hesitation. I previously owned a Stoeger Condor (truck and mule gun) and a 686 Onyx as well as the A400. This gun seems almost as solid as the 686. Shoots just as well and noticiably less recoil. Grandson has a Silver Pidgeon and this gun will give it a run for it's money. The Beretta is stronger than this action but both have replaceable wear parts.
 
I use a 1978 Winchester 101 with Winchokes and it smokes the clays if I do my part, and they do not kick much with the right load in for clays.
 

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I had one exactly like that which I picked up for $400, needing firing pins. I put the pins in for $40, and went out and shot a round of Trap with it. Felt like going 10 rounds with Tyson, though it didn't bite my ear off. I relegated it to pheasant duty, where it performed admirably until I got an offer of $800, and sold it.
 
the brand new in 2021 , A300 Ultima , has the step up rib , fiber optic sight , larger bolt handle and release ,mid bead as well , reciever is milled to make loading easier , all for under $ 800 bucks , I liked it so much , just bought another one , and on the hunt for another for the kids for Xmas gifts . and it sure is a pleasant gun to shoot with that kick off stock , even in 12 guage . I believe its the best bang for the buck in a semi auto ...
I have a CZ 1012 thats really nice ,quite fond of it ergonomically but the recoil is noticable , plus does not have all the little things I mentioned above , and its at the same price point . My A400 extreme plus is a beast , its the ultimate , but I find myself shooting the ultima more ....
 
When you start out, use what you know. Modify it to suit the game, Skeet takes ye shortest barrel, trap next longer and clays the longest. But, the 870 you have can be modified by stocks and barrels to fit every occasion, if you are used to it. It is a dance with who you brought deal. First you learn to shoot your gun.
I had the real pleasure of shooting two rounds of sporting clays one weekend with the 5x Michigan state, sporting clays champion. He was a whole day’s entertainment by himself. He shot an old, well worn 32” Remington 12ga., 870. It is not the gun, it is the shooter and his experience with that gun that makes the difference.
You will see this tall lanky guy with an old worn 870, do not say a word, was the admonition that met me when I arrived at the range that morning.
 
Love my 1100s.
Barrel with choke tubes for the 870 would cheap, easy fix.
Doesn't take a $15k gun to have fun and be competitive.
Spend a few $ hundred on a good gun and the rest on ammo.
 
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