Winchester 1300 18.5 in barrel for trap

[Mauser lover]

I will probably be using an 18.5 inch barrel with no choke to shoot some trap and maybe some skeet(ish) clays, are there any other people out there that have used that barrel and choke combination and had any success with it? This is not going to be a normal thing, just probably once a year or less with this gun, so any advice?

 

[natman]

There will be two challenges. An 18" barrel is awfully short for any sort of wingshooting, just not long enough for a smooth swing.

The second is choke. The cylinder choke will be a bit open for skeet and way too open for trap.

 

[Mauser lover]

Do not worry, I don't have a smooth swing anyway, and is there any hope for me at all (regarding too open)?

 

[NateH]

I had a 1300 that I cut down to 18.5 or so. I shot in the high teens, low 20's occasionally. About the same that I do with a 26 inch barrel. This is skeet by the way, never shot trap.

 

[reckless carolinian]

Also, it's going to be loud. And should you go to a formal range, your short barrel may not be welcome.

 

[Mauser lover]

NateH, this is a factory 18.5 inch barrel, I didn't cut it down; and I have no idea how the scoring system works at all, could you please educate me on that?
reckless carolinian, It is not a formal range so I won't worry about that, and the person that I am going to be shooting it with is very strict about ear protection (he always overdoes it).

 

[oneounceload]

Not the ideal length for either game as your swing dynamics will be in the toilet. Some clubs DO restrict short barrels due to excessive muzzle blast - check your club first.

Cylinder choke is fine for skeet as targets average 21 yards

Trap from the 16 can also be done, although a little tighter is typically recommended. That said, I have used my 1100 28 gauge with a skeet choke to score a 24 from the 16. After that, I stopped pressing my luck on the trap field and went back to my self-mutilation on the sporting clays fields

Point is it CAN be done - but it is not the best combo. Since you are talking a once a year thing, go have fun (assuming the club has no issue with the short barrel)

If you decide you want to shoot trap more competitively, a nice BT-99 single barrel will do the job for your lifetime, and that of your kids and grandkids

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

Before I got a "Trap Barrel" for my 1100, I used a 20 gauge 18.5 cylinder bore 870 and had trouble breaking clays. I'm still fairly new to shooting trap but when I switched off to someone's 20 gauge Mossberg 500 with a "Trap Barrel", I was hitting clays much more consistently.

But now that I have my 1100 setup for trap, I do much much better than I did with the 20 gauges. Just find a used barrel for your shotgun, I got mine for 70 bucks.

Also, it's going to be loud. And should you go to a formal range, your short barrel may not be welcome.

I haven't noticed any considerable change in loudness.

 

[Mauser lover]

oneounceload, I have no swing dynamics to throw in the toilet, and I don't have a club to check, you said "Trap from the 16 can also be done", what does that mean? You said that you "scored 24 from the 16" what does that mean, I am really new to shotguns and shotgun competitions and really know nothing about these things.

FIVETWOSEVEN, I really don't want to get anything for this gun, considering that I will be using someone else's gun, who will hopefully be teaching me to shoot more shotguns in the future. I was thinking of getting a single shot H&R to shoot more if I decide that I like it, and considering that I can get a H&R for the same price as a different barrel for a gun that is not mine......

 

[Dave McCracken]

The "16" 1 oz os talking about is the 16 yard line, shooting points for trap singles and doubles are shot from there. 16 yards to the trap house.

Handicap trap is shot from 17 to 27 yards, depending on your standing.

Also, the little H&R sngles gladden many a shotgunner's heart, including mine. However, they do kick enough that most folks do not enjoy shooting high round count events with them, like skeet and trap.

A US made pump like a Maverick, Mossberg or Remington will cost a few hundred and last longer than we will. Not ideal for clays, but doable and versatile as a SAK.

 

[Mauser lover]

I will (hopefully) be getting the 20 gauge version, so recoil shouldn't be too unbearably bad, and I have shot one before so I understand the recoil; I didn't shoot it much, but I have shot one.

Thanks for the "16 yard" clarification, what is the scoring method, is it your number of hits to the number of total clays, or is it something else, if it is your number of hits to the number of total targets, how many targets are there, is it out of 25 or 30 or 50 or something like that?

 

[oneounceload]

A round of trap or skeet or 5-stand is 25 targets - total hits is your final score

A word of caution in a 20 - do not assume it will have less recoil - in many cases, it actually has more due to the gun being lighter.

Shoot the heaviest gun you can with the lightest loads in a gun that fits - you'll have a pleasant time and no soreness or damage

 

[Mauser lover]

oneounceload, the H&R "Pardner" 20 gauge is the same (or almost the same) as the H&R "Pardner" 12 gauge. Thanks for telling me about the scoring. Sounds like you did pretty well with your little 28 gauge.

 

[Rem-brent-browning]

Mauser Lover, Im assuming you are a Newbie to shotgunning, and to the shooting games as well. The advice I give you will be the best I can offer and it is given to provide you with the best start possible.Before you get too involved, take some professional shooting lessons and practice. Read forums like this one and take the advice with a grain of salt.

 

[oneounceload]

Sounds like you did pretty well with your little 28 gauge.

Not at all - it was just one of those days when all the stars were aligned for me.........couldn't do it again if I wanted - sold the gun........

point is - don't assume the 12 or the 20m is the best - go shoot as many types as you can - most folks will let you try their guns. Shoot the cheap single shots to the 15K O/U guns and everything in between - start developing a list of what feels right, what you are successful with, and what does not.

Read forums like this one and take the advice with a grain of salt.

maybe yes, maybe no - lots of good info here as well as not

 

[NateH]

NateH, this is a factory 18.5 inch barrel, I didn't cut it down

just saying that I've done it with the same length, it's certainly doable.

 

[Mauser lover]

oneounceload, oh no, you said something else that I don't understand, what is 20m? Anyway, I really do not want to shoot any $15,000 gun, simply because I don't want to like it, because once I shoot it I will want to buy one, and once I buy one, they will come out with a better one, and I will get a chance to shoot that one, and I will want to buy that one............ I wouldn't be opposed to trying out a more mid range auto; maybe a Browning or even better a nice Benelli, because they won't be too nice to use for real.

Rem-brent-browning, YES!!!, I am a complete newbie to the world of shotgunning, and yes I need all of the help that I can get. Any pointers?

 

[Fishslayer]

hehe... the only shotgun I own is a 1300 Defender. I've often wondered about trying it out on trap shooting. I might just try it now...

 

[Mauser lover]

I think that it is the same one that I will be using, I think. Anyway, I will see tomorrow if it works.

 

[Rem-brent-browning]

Locate a 26" or 28"bbl with screw chokes to fit your 1300 Winchester. This will give you more versatility while you learn the ropes.Get some professional coaching. This will help you get started without learning bad habits. Let us know how you are advancing.

 

[eastbank]

i took my 22 inch win 1300 turkey shotgun with a .640 chock tube and a eotect on it to the trap range just for sh*ts and giggles and shot a 19 the first time out. i am going to try it again this wednesday. eastbank.

 

[Mauser lover]

The short barrel worked absolutely perfectly for what we were doing, we had a clay pigeon thrower in the back of a truck, with it angled as far up as it would go (took the back legs off) and the shooters were standing kind of beside the truck. I realize that it isn't exactly 16 yards away from the thrower, but still the gun worked perfectly. I really didn't notice that it was swinging absolutely horribly, but I didn't miss very many, and sometimes I was able to pump a second shot into the gun and get the bird that the other shooter had already missed. After about 40 shots of 1 1/8 ounce 7 1/2 shot I probably had about 33 hits, and I couldn't imagine that I hit less than about 29 birds (we didn't keep an exact count). In essence, I did a whole lot better than I thought that I would.

Rem-brent-browning, It's not my gun, so I will not be getting a barrel for it.

 

[Crowcifier666]

I've got a sears model 300 (aka win. 1400) 20 ga auto with the same size barrel as you. I've been taking it to the skeet range and having a blast with it. I was a bit skeptical as you were, as I've only been three times, but had no problems getting those clays.

 

[Mauser lover]

The only other time that I had shot clay pigeons was with a Winchester 1400 (I think that was the model number) in 12 gauge. But that one was a long barrel and probably a full choke. I had trouble with it loading the third shell, it would load the second one just fine, but the third always jammed some way or another. Have you had any problems like that?