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For an entry level trap gun, the first thing to look for within your range is if the gun properly fits you. "No fit, no hit." Even though it's not an O/U I'd recommend a Remington 1100, although any well-fitting 12 gauge will work great for singles. You can find plenty of < $800 O/U Shotguns of decent quality at many gun shows, just have to look around. Good luck!
Starting out the gate with an O/U in shotgun sports is unnecessary overkill IMO. Everyone wants to show up on Sunday morning looking like they're pros.
Go with an auto loader, 1100 or 11/87. Versitile gun that is fine for skeet and trap. If you find you really like it, you're out a couple hundred bucks that you can easily recoup on resale (if you don't end up keeping it anyways). Then you can pick up a nice O/U worthy of your degree of interest in the sport when you get good enough to warrant it.
Dicks Sporting Goods has a Franchi Diamond O/U for like $699
Starting out the gate with an O/U in shotgun sports is unnecessary overkill IMO. Everyone wants to show up on Sunday morning looking like they're pros.
Go with an auto loader, 1100 or 11/87. Versitile gun that is fine for skeet and trap. If you find you really like it, you're out a couple hundred bucks that you can easily recoup on resale (if you don't end up keeping it anyways). Then you can pick up a nice O/U worthy of your degree of interest in the sport when you get good enough to warrant it.
Cheap O/U's are cheap for a reason, they have poor barrel regulation, the barrels fail to fire to the same point of aim. I've tested a dozen Franchi's, Mossburg Silver Reserves and their ilk and most of them suck as part of my coaching responsibilities for my youth trap team. They look ok, but the top barrel will shoot high and left and the bottom one to a different spot. I offered to buy a silver reserve off the board if it passed the test it and it failed. Shoot low recoil slugs from a bench rest from the top and bottom barrel (open chokes!) and see where they land. Chances are you will be sorely disappointed.
$800 will buy a new Remington 870 trap or save up for a used Browning or Beretta O/U for $1500. Cheap O/U's suck, you might get lucky that the turk soldering the barrels together is having a good day, odd are your wont.
Find youself a good used Browning Citori or Beretta 686 and it'll serve you well. It will cost a little more (maybe ~1000 if you look around) but will last you longer than any of the crap cheaply made trash O/Us.
I agree.
As much as I personally love O/U's, they're not really entry level guns, and not as versatile as say an 870 or 1100.
I shot trap and skeet for years with an 870 before moving up to an O/U.
Unless you're shooting doubles, which is rare, there's no clear advantage to an O/U for trap.
In fact, shooting standard rounds of trap (one shot per turn) leads to uneven wear in an O/U unless you keep switching the barrel selector. You may fire the bottom barrel 25 times in a round and not fire the top barrel at all.
Skeet however is a different story, because you always fire pairs of shots from stations 1-8, so it's normal to load two shells in the gun.
Any gun that fits you will work
My kid hammers them with an 870. Or an 1100. Or pretty much any damn gun he picks up.
Go to your local trap range. Tell the Trapezods that you want to Drink the Orange Kool-Aid. You'll likely get a bunch of advice, and offers to "try this". If you ahve to have an O/U, then, you'll end up with one. Personally, I'd keep an open mind - an auto or pump might "feel right".
Don't buy a "Name" or a "Model"....try, try, try them on.