Utility style shotgun on the clay range?

[George P]

Calling your shotgun a "utility styled shotgun" is almost as absurd as calling your AR an "assault styled rifle"' Think about it. Why not just call it a shotgun.

I'd take that name over the childish "shottie", "Winnie", "Mossy" monikers. But they are all simply shotguns; some have very specific uses, some do not. Some can make themselves out to be "jacks of all trades" but, IME, those guns may be able to do a variety of things, but they do nothing really well. That said, if one's budget is limited and one or two guns have to be able to cover a wide variety of activities, some modicum of success can be possible.

 

[Ernie Bass]

I think I have enjoyed the cheaper Utility guns just as much as some the guns sitting in my safe that cost 3 times the price. Unless you are shooting some serious competition or putting thousands of rounds in trap and skeet each week, of which I would don't, then Utility guns can be the best value. A Lot of nice Dove, Turkey and Deer guns out there for a very reasonable cost. I wish I had learned this years ago, I would have saved a whole lot of money.
The good part is, I have been parting with many of the expensive guns and bringing in case for ammo. And shotgun ammo is not cheap. Especially for Buckshot of which I am so fond of shooting.

 

[whatnickname]

I enjoy shooting pumps and semi-automatics with shorter barrels whether hunting or target shooting. I don't think it puts me at much disadvantage on skeet and clays compared to longer-barreled shotguns.

Here are my 18.25" 1954 Auto 5 and 20" 1952 Model 37, both with screw-in Sporting Clays chokes.

View attachment 930647

Those are really cool looking. I would be glad to have both of them!

 

[Drail]

Yup. Really nice pair there.

 

[George P]

I think I have enjoyed the cheaper Utility guns just as much as some the guns sitting in my safe that cost 3 times the price. Unless you are shooting some serious competition or putting thousands of rounds in trap and skeet each week, of which I would don't, then Utility guns can be the best value. A Lot of nice Dove, Turkey and Deer guns out there for a very reasonable cost. I wish I had learned this years ago, I would have saved a whole lot of money.
The good part is, I have been parting with many of the expensive guns and bringing in case for ammo. And shotgun ammo is not cheap. Especially for Buckshot of which I am so fond of shooting.

Absolutely true a utility gun can be a good value - for ME, that would mean a Remington 870 with a few barrels.
As to buckshot, learn to reload using a MEC Jr.; you can reload those for a lot less than $1/+ per round.

I do shoot competition - where I was today until about 3; I shot 2 separate 100 bird sporting events in 100 degree heat (and my wife thinks I am crazy). I was mostly happy with my Brownings but I came into a good deal on a Beretta DT-11, LH, plus a spare trigger group. BTW, the spare trigger group is a $900 extra just for it. Still tweaking the fit. One thing about those two brands - if one fits well, typically the other doesn't. Unlike Mossberg and Remington - both of them are usually close enough to not make a difference, so get the one you like the features of. I have never hunted deer with a shotgun - my shotgun hunting is upland for quail, chukar or pheasant.

 

[kudu]

I came into a good deal on a Beretta DT-11, LH, plus a spare trigger group.

Oohh, nice utility shotgun. I'd love to have an upgrade to my 682 Supersport, but no more than I have been shooting these last few years it probably won't happen. I have 3 daughters in college at the same time, that tends to take care of any excess play money. Maybe when they are out and on their own I will get to shooting a bit more. Even now I can still give just about anyone a run for their money on skeet and sporting, considering I only shoot about 3 cases of shells a year right now.

 

[George P]

I shot a flat today by itself, and will do so again next weekend at a different club

 

[kudu]

I shot a flat today by itself, and will do so again next weekend at a different club

Yea, I used to do that too when I was young and single and had disposable income. I did on average 40K rounds a year for about 5-6 years of all gauges combined, mostly skeet. Got a little burned out and then got married and then had kids......

 

[George P]

Yea, I used to do that too when I was young and single and had disposable income. I did on average 40K rounds a year for about 5-6 years of all gauges combined, mostly skeet. Got a little burned out and then got married and then had kids......

I didn't start until after I had kids........when I think about target and ammo costs. and then what might have been, my investment portfolio would be double what it is now

 

[entropy]

I just got back into Trap after a 35 year hiatus with 3 of it in the Army, the rest getting married and raising kids. Now that I have a few more bucks, and the kids are out of the house, I bought a couple serious competition guns (Trap), and dusted off the old MEC 600 Jr. I learned to load on at 9. I shoot a flat a week at my club, and occasionally visit others about once a month.
I shot the first year of getting back into it with an 870 Tactical Magnum with a 28" Express RemChoke barrel on it, shooting AA Hadicaps and Nitro 27's. 4 boxes and I was done. Both my trap guns have recoil reducers on them, it really makes a difference; I don't notice recoil, and shoot more as a result.

George P is spot on about one or the other on fit with Beretta and Browning. I can shoot both, but I like Berettas as field guns, (20 ga. 686 Onyx is still on my list for a pheasant gun) and Brownings for trap guns, (BT-99's) although my guns are a Ljutic Mono-Gun and an 1100 Competition Synthetic. The 1100 was heavy to carry in the field last year, I am buying a 1937 Ithaca 16 ga. SxS for pheasant.

I tried a DT-10 at a demo shoot with the Beretta rep; Nice guns!

 

[Armorer 101]

I have been a pleasure clays shooter for some time, do not care for trap or skeet very much. I can and do shoot them when the guys just have to go that way. Anyway, went to our regular range one day and met a guy, a tourist, down from Michigan with a very long barreled old 12ga 870, well worn, with no changeable chokes. We did our normal draw of score cards for the shooter number, he was 6 and I was 7 so I was right behind him, on deck, at every station. This was a water fowl type set with station #1 having very long, falling pairs to shoot, if you waited, bang-bang, both birds broken about 2 ft above the ground out about 75 yards. He had timed the second shot to match the height of the first. I looked around at the other guys they started laughing, meet the 5 time, in a row, MI state clays champion. Yeah, that 870 will work. He missed 1 bird, for a 99, fooling around with trick shots.

 

[eastbank]

rudy etchen used a rem 870 and did super with it. he shot 100 straight doubles and some years later did it again with the same rem 870. i shot my first 25-25 at trap with a borrowed rem 870 trap in the late 60,s

 

[George P]

rudy etchen used a rem 870 and did super with it. he shot 100 straight doubles and some years later did it again with the same rem 870. i shot my first 25-25 at trap with a borrowed rem 870 trap in the late 60,s

Except an 870 Trap isn't quite a "Utility" gun

 

[entropy]

Well, there has been a bit of thread drift, and you and I are both a bit guilty in that respect.....

 

[George P]

So let's bring it back around full circle;
I do not take my utility shotgun to the clay courses I shoot at; I DO take it to the club where I shoot metallic and use a private range section (all lanes are bermed from each other). Most of the clubs I frequent do not allow short-barreled shotguns; some also prohibit "tactical" shotguns, even if they are a long barreled 3 gun version. Most clubs expect a minimum of 25" barrels - these are trap/skeet/sporting clay locations- and they have concerns about certain things.

(How's that?)

 

[Demi-human]

I am not a good shotgunner. Rabbit hunting and goofing off is there primary employment, so they see little use. I own an Over/Under. Not especially good at clay with it either.

I also own this.

I have taken it to one round of clays with the boys. I didn’t get laughed at by my gun, I think it was the Hawaiian shirt and bright yellow shorts. Someone asked if I’m color blind...

I turned the gas off so it didn’t spit shells, I plucked them out and put them in my pouch like the rest of the target guys.

I also turned in my best score ever! 14!

Man, it must be cool to break all of them!
I haven’t been back since to see if it was the shirt or the shotgun...

Not especially short, super utilitarian.

 

[dh1633pm]

My first time out was with a Remington 870 Express with a slug barrel. Gotta shoot with what ya got. Two on the team last night had Mossberg 500 Pumps. They did ok for non pro's. Never been much of a shotgunner my whole life. I have three. We have Corporate Challenge Sporting Clays once a month at a local range. I go when I am not traveling for work. I didn't go a single time last year due to travel. I went last night and used my Condor. I got it to try out the over/under thing without spending fortune. It worked. I didn't. Missing was the name of the game for me. Started out strong and as they got harder I got worse. No worries, next month if I am not on a travel schedule I will be right back at it. Two on our team had Benelli's, two others Mossbergs, one an 1100, and me with the Condor.