Had dinner with a friend who asked me to recommend a shotgun for him to shoot trap/skeet/ sporting clays with. He is wanting to learn to shoot clay pigeons with his son who lettered on the trap team in his high school. The son shoots a CZ, but dad says his son has little knowledge about other guns and has no suggestions for his dad. I've shot some trap/skeet/sporting clays for fun, but just shoot whatever I have and have never had a dedicated clay pigeon gun. My friend is prepared to spend $1000-$1500. Can you make some suggestions? I will appreciate all thoughtful responses.
Trap/sporting clays shotgun??
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Barnfixer
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I’ve been shooting with my son for a while, or should I say getting my butt kicked by my son. He shoots a BT-99 for trap and I picked up a nice used citori ($900) for sporting clays that he uses. I’m in the market for a over/under for sporting clays. If I can’t find another used citori I’ll probably pick up a new one ($1800). Brownings fit me nice but would like to check out a beretta silver pigeon. Your friend will have to shoulder a few guns to see what feels good. The guys I shoot with mostly shoot over/unders and a few with autos. To me the overs/unders look like the ticket for sporting clays, no bending over to pick up empty’s. Choke tubes are a must for our local corse. For now I’m using a field model 870 with a skeet barrel, it works but it’s a challenge.
entropy
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Browning or Beretta Single (Trap) or O/U (Trap, Skeet, Or Sporting Clays) new is preferred, used if necessary. BT-99 (Singles and Handicap Trap) Citori CX (if to be used for all three) Beretta ( 682/686/687/690 series) for all three.
The CZ O/U's are a good choice also, as your son has already proven:
https://cz-usa.com/product-category/shotguns/?orderby=price-desc
Do not be tempted by Stoger O/U's, or Tri-Star, they do not have the longevity to take on thousands and thousands of shells the clays shooter can dish out on a clays gun.
whughett
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In the day I used a Remington 1100. The stock had a roll over comb and an adjustable butt plate. 30 inch high rib barrel with REM choke. In my case though it’s was a triple duty gun with an upland game barrel and a slug barrel. A shell catcher on the trap field allowed me to recover the fired shell. Never shot skeet and I don’t think sporting clays was even around.
My youngest now has the gun.
My youngest now has the gun.
George P
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So, is he going to focus on trap, skeet or sporting? For that price range a used Japanese SKB might be obtainable and MAYBE a used basic Browning or Beretta; otherwise, a very decent semi gas gun would also be in the mix for consideration, especially if he wants new.
ChanceMcCall
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The amount to spend will dictate the final choice. There are few lower priced new guns and very few used guns selling for less than a thousand dollars that will hold up to the demands of regular trap shooting let alone actually shoot where they need to.
In that price range, a Remington 1100 especially their trap competition gun would be my first choice if you can find one. That said, both my wife and I shoot over and under guns. I shoot a 1966 Winchester 101 and my wife shoots a Syren - a shotgun line made for women.
In that price range, a Remington 1100 especially their trap competition gun would be my first choice if you can find one. That said, both my wife and I shoot over and under guns. I shoot a 1966 Winchester 101 and my wife shoots a Syren - a shotgun line made for women.
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George P
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A good Browning or Beretta will definitely hold up, even if used. One of my Brownings has over 350,000 rounds and still going strong - although it is coming up for a other minor rebuild - last one was ~$100
TSchwab25
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350,000 ROUNDS theres no way
ColtPythonElite
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Why not?
entropy
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I shoot 5000 a year. George shoots way more than I do. I know some trapshooters that shoot 20,000 registered targets a year. That means in competitions or leagues that are ATA sanctioned. That also means they shoot 2-5 rounds of unregistered Trap for every registered round of 25. (50-125 targets) (practices, shooting at non-ATA clubs, meat shoots, etc. Maybe even a round of Sporting Clays now and then.)
There are shooters that have recorded over one million registered targets in ATA shoots.
Now you see why we warn those getting into clays games away from Stoegers and Tri-Stars.
ColtPythonElite
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Most of the serious clay shooters I know shoot 12 to 15k rounds a year....Just recently, I met a 350k registered bird shooter.
George P
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I averaged over 25000/year for well over a decade and I have been shooting for 35 years - my 20 has almost 50K, my Beretta gas gun another 25,000 (but I have only owned that one about 8 years)
I have easily shot over 500K in total. Ask a serious trap shooter (which I am NOT) and 350K is less than a decade
George P
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Exactly, and why it pays to buy the best gun possible because it needs to go the distance. Kim Rhode - US 6 times Olympic medalist, shoots a MINIMUM of 250 rounds per day 6 days a week. Her first Perazzi had over 1 million rounds through it before it was stolen (and subsequently returned). She now shoots a Beretta (because they wrote her and a lot of others a BIG check to do so)
Point is serious clay target shooters will easily shoot 5-10 rounds of whatever game they prefer for practice for every round of registered tournament targets. I shot 300 a week ago on the weekend at a tournament in MS, shoot 500 more before my last tournament in GA yesterday and will shoot ~1000 before my next major tournament at the end of April
When I was shooting skeet heavily in the1990's I was shooting about 500 birds a week, about 26,000 shells a year mixture of 12 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge and .410. Did about 5 years like that before marriage and kids came along. Cut it down to about 6-8 thousand a year through the next 10 -15 years and now its down to about 2000 a year. I know guys that shot twice what I did.
A Browning Citori or a Beretta 686 make good entry level over/under shot guns for the clay games.
My competition skeet gun is a skeet grade 28" Citori from the mid-1980's with sub gauge tubes fitted. It does not have near the round count as George P's Citori but mine is still going strong.
My competition skeet gun is a skeet grade 28" Citori from the mid-1980's with sub gauge tubes fitted. It does not have near the round count as George P's Citori but mine is still going strong.
Unfortunately the Citori and Beretta 686 exceed my friend's stated budget limit of $1500. I think the best I've found that meets his criteria is a Weatherby Orion Sporting 12ga. MSRP is $1099. Know anything about them??
DocRock
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Look for a Miroku made Charles Daly. Same gun as the Citori. Prices are creeping up but they still sell for less than a Browning. Hard to find the 28", very hard to find the 30", but they are out there. Kodensa made Winchester 101's are still out there at available prices too, but the the stock geometry is a little weird on them and they don't fit everybody.
entropy
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And they kick like the dickens for clays games. I had a 101 I picked up cheap because it needed work. I shot exactly one round of Trap with it, and one of Sporting Clays, and it was my pheasant gun for a while after that. Got offered twice what I had into it, so I went back to shooting pheasants with the 870 I had then.
The Orion is a good gun to get into the game with, as long as you realize you'll be replacing it. (my advice would be to keep it as a pheasant gun, they are a very good one) I recommend finding a Japanese made Weatherby, though, over a Turkish one.
For a gun you won't be replacing, in O/U's, The 'B' guns (Browning, Beretta) are your best value. For SBT's, a BT-99 is, though I admit I have a soft spot for Ljutics and Ithacas.
The Orion is a good gun to get into the game with, as long as you realize you'll be replacing it. (my advice would be to keep it as a pheasant gun, they are a very good one) I recommend finding a Japanese made Weatherby, though, over a Turkish one.
For a gun you won't be replacing, in O/U's, The 'B' guns (Browning, Beretta) are your best value. For SBT's, a BT-99 is, though I admit I have a soft spot for Ljutics and Ithacas.
ColtPythonElite
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A used Citori can be had for$1500
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