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Shotguns for Sporting Clays

An 1100 or 11-87 is fine if you're just starting off and want to spend under $500. In the $2k and under market I'd recommend a Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I. There's a bunch of mid-range ~$1000 stuff out there. Ultimately, find a gun that fits you without a lot of modifications and you'll be fine.
 
Too late to jump in here?? Depends how you want to shoot sporting clays, do you want to mess around a couple of times a year or shoot 15-20 rounds a weekend and strive to be sucessful. Cause I keep saying it, gun fit is so important. Sporting clays is not the same game as trap and skeet just because you shoot a clay target. SC's is the closest to a hunting situation than the other games, you theoreticly start with a low gun when you call. You buy the best you can afford. If your wife gets pissed when you spend 90 bucks on a Mosin, well, you're not going to have a couple grand budget to get a decent O/U. I feel the O/U is the way to go but that's my choice. I also like mechanical triggers on my over and unders, one less thing to go wrong in case of a light first strike. But you might shoot an 1100 well and opt for that. Because you see a guy having good luck with a pump gun it doesn't mean that's the gun for you. And when he goes out to play with the big boys, and girls, he's not going to win...period. One thing that's going to happen is he's going to be fatigued shuckin all those hulls out[grin]. And to finish here for a while, the reason people who want to compete in trap/skeet/sporting and be serious competitors buy the high end guns is for fit/weight/balance, the big 3. My Krieghoff tubed skeet gun has Briley tubes. the weight of the gun when the 20, 28, and 410 tubes are in is almost identical so swing thru and balance are pretty much the same shot after shot. It also has an adjustable comb and can be adjusted for length of pull. I'm not saying go out and buy a $10K shotgun, but find one that's right for you and fine tune it a bit. Ask the guys at the club to try their stuff, I've never met anyone who'd refuse you. When you pick up "your" gun, you're going to know it.
 
Well I definitely need to get out and try more models. Are there any upcoming events for trap or sporting clays in the MA or RI area where people would be comfortable showing different models? Also, is there anywhere that has a class of sorts on shooting techniques for sporting clays, trap or skeet?
 
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Tgilman said:
Well I definitely need to get out and try more models. Are there any upcoming events for trap or sporting clays in the MA or RI area where people would be comfortable showing different models? Also, is there anywhere that has a class of sorts on shooting techniques for sporting clays, trap or skeet?
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The Minuteman Classic is a large skeet tournament held in Burlington in two weeks - but the guns that vendors might have there may be outside your budget. Still worth checking out as large skeet tournaments usually attract a few dealers.
 
They have a 50 year history of shotgun making and are very well known in Europe and Australia. Beautiful guns for not a lot of money. Read the online reviews, people love them. Its a good investment for someone looking to get into the game without going broke.
 
50 years is nothing. The Bryco/Jennings/Raven Arms designs have been around that long as well.

Buy once, cry once.
 
But once, cry once, thats my motto also, especially after getting the CZ from their Custom Shop. The Lanbers are quite nice for the money. I Was trying to provide a link from Shotgunworld, but their server is down.
 
Have any of you seen anything about mossberg 500 mk 2's? a semi auto 500 seems pretty good to me... but i cant seem to find a mention of it anywhere... any help?
 
Not the best shotguns for sporting clays. I don't recommend a mossburg for much of anything. I would buy a Remington vs mossburg.
 
Hmm that's a tough one....I really have not seen much of the newer stuff. I would think its a crap shoot with any of lower priced stuff....my personal experience with the pre 2000 stuff has me at Remington.
 
You can't go wrong with a 28" over/under with removable choke tubes. You will need skeet, Improved cylinder, light modified and possibly modified chokes.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner
 
bluebanana said:
You can't go wrong with a 28" over/under with removable choke tubes. You will need skeet, Improved cylinder, light modified and possibly modified chokes.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner
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You can go wrong if you buy a shitty one. If you buy a Beretta or Browning, you won't get your full purchase price back if you decide in a few years that you don't like the game, but they'll still hold their value much much better than the cheap Eastern European imports.
 
vellnueve said:
You can go wrong if you buy a shitty one. If you buy a Beretta or Browning, you won't get your full purchase price back if you decide in a few years that you don't like the game, but they'll still hold their value much much better than the cheap Eastern European imports.
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However, if you buy a used "B" gun in good shape you'll retain almost all of the purchase price if you decide you don't like it. If you can't or don't wanna spend in the $800. range, you could buy a brand new Baikal sporting for less than $600. They're built like a tank and will last until you either decide to upgrade or call it quits. Don't get me wrong, they're not lookers, but they get the job done reliably. http://www.ussginc.com/pdfs/USSG_2011Catalog_p17.pdf And you'll likely only recover a third of the cost if you decide to sell. This is why many choose to spend a little more for a nice used "B" gun.
 
Benelli Super Black Eagle II, Super Vinci/Vinci, Remington makes some good semis too. I love my SBEII, it shoots great and the recoil is very manageable.
 
If your looking for 800 or less for a over under try to find a miroku made shotgun.
The John daley miroku manufacture are, well where hidden jems. There's also other Japan built guns that are very good. Don't be fooled by older models either. The Browning gti branded Browning citori can be found less than field models.
 
BulletHead said:
Why are o/u preferred for clay shooting? I have a 24" barrel Benelli M1, would that be ok?
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1. The are simple and rugged, and the good ones last a lifetime

2. We are fat and lazy and don't want to have to bend over to pick up spent shells



You can break clays with anything, but that 24" barrel is a wee short by most peoples standards
 
icyclefar said:
1. The are simple and rugged, and the good ones last a lifetime

2. We are fat and lazy and don't want to have to bend over to pick up spent shells



You can break clays with anything, but that 24" barrel is a wee short by most peoples standards
Click to expand...

But whats the advantage of a 26" or 28" barrell? accuracy?
 
If you are shooting Trap, a really short barrel may not pattern properly even with a full choke.

Less of an issue shooting Skeet

More of an issue shooting Sporting Clay's

Longer barrels, and heavier guns, swing better (i.e. smoother)

Having said that ............

You can break them with anything

BUT

A gun built for the sport, and one that fits you properly, will break more clays hands down.
 
The "fits you properly" is more important than the "built for the sport" part, IMO.

It's a shotgun. if it throws a decent pattern at 35-40 yards, you'll do fine (Yes, Skeet and SC generally has closer targets, but if you have choke tubes, you can easily adjust), IF THE GUN FITS YOU.

When you shoot a rifle, you line up the sights with the target, and apply slow, steady pressure to the trigger until the shot is fired. If you do that with a shottie, it's called a miss.

Don't over-think it. SCs are the closest to "real" hunting - different presentations, yardages, and stances - find a field gun (double, auto, pump) that fits you, and you'll do fine.

I tell new Trap shooters: Shoot what you have. When one bird out of 100 really makes a difference - then get a specialized gun.

And, when one bird of 100 makes a difference....you'll be confident enough in your own abilities and capabilities to make your own choice.
 
Google Niel Winston patterning a shotgun. Good info. Also out there but I keep loosening good links??? Is the army marksmanship unit shotgun fit guide.
 
icyclefar said:
If you are shooting Trap, a really short barrel may not pattern properly even with a full choke.

Less of an issue shooting Skeet

More of an issue shooting Sporting Clay's

Longer barrels, and heavier guns, swing better (i.e. smoother)

Having said that ............

You can break them with anything

BUT

A gun built for the sport, and one that fits you properly, will break more clays hands down.
Click to expand...

I'd also add that a longer gun weighs more, and means less felt recoil. Not a big deal when hunting, but meaningful after you've shot a couple hundred times in an evening.
 
Anyone else use different chokes in their o/u? I use IC and M chokes in my Beretta SIlver Pigeon and find it helps. Maybe is a placebo thing?
 

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