Skeet Shotgun Recommendations

[Burbs]

My wife is very interested in trying this sport out. She is 5'0 and I'm not sure which gauge I should start her out with. I'm thinking 20, but wanted some advice. I've also got to be conscious about the weight of the gun. Any ideas?

Another note, I used to have a Mossberg Silver Reserve, but come to find out, since I'm a lefty, it really wasn't the right gun for me. A gunsmith at my club told me he could bend the barrel, but would have cost more than the gun did. As you can imagine, I became very frustrated and it's been over a year since I've shot. I'm hoping that my wife gets into it with me, which will give me an excuse to shoot. Any recommendations on a lefty shotgun? Which gauge? We are mainly focusing on skeet and trap. I truly appreciate the advice of any veterans. This time, I'm going to be sure that I spend my money wisely, even if it cost a bit more than before. The key for me is getting the right gun.

Sorry to be a pain in the ass, this is my last question I swear, but where would you recommend I go and buy these shotguns? (I'm located in North Attleboro) I'll pay more for good customer service and someone who will really be of great assistance.


Thanks,

Chris

 

[Len-2A Training]

Hmm, see this thread. Apparently there are some good options with Remington lefty models and some that eject out the bottom (thus usable by righties or lefties).

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=84760

Found the above by using "lefty shotguns" in Google. Probably more info there if you want to do more searching.

HIGHLY recommend Four Seasons for customer service (second to none), once you figure out what you want.

Sorry I can't help you with weight or gauge recommendations.

And welcome to the forum and realize that we are here to help each other, so if nobody asks questions the forum might just die out!

 

[BCarlton]

I don't shoot a lot of clays and usually only with my wife and friends. We have a Beretta 686 Onyx o/u in 20ga that is very nice and easy to shoot. It's the only clay gun I've ever shot, but I really like it. Also, the controls are ambidextrous. She shoot left, I'm a righty, no problem.

 

[icyclefar]

Here's a bit of info from another thread:

http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=27285

Alot of Browning pump guns are bottom eject, so they won't care if you are right or left handed. I have a pretty slick Browning BPS 20 GA, if your interested send me a PM

Make certain that you have determined correct "eye dominance" before you invest in a lefty gun. I am left handed, however I am right eye dominant. When shooting a long arm, I shoulder it as a righty.

 

[Burbs]

Here's a bit of info from another thread:

http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=27285

Alot of Browning pump guns are bottom eject, so they won't care if you are right or left handed. I have a pretty slick Browning BPS 20 GA, if your interested send me a PM

Make certain that you have determined correct "eye dominance" before you invest in a lefty gun. I am left handed, however I am right eye dominant. When shooting a long arm, I shoulder it as a righty.

That's my current problem. I'm dominant in my right eye, but I shoot lefty with rifle. I'm now thinking that I'm going to have start shooting right handed. That's should be fun!

 

[C-pher]

Not saying much... But I work at Bass Pro. We have A LOT of Skeet Shotguns...over unders, autoloaders, side by side, pump..

And we have two guy that work behind the gun counter that were profesional trap/skeet shooters. They know a CRAPLOAD about fitting shooters, adjusting left/right eye, what to use for age, size, and the like.

Even if you don't buy there...it might be worth talking to them, and getting to hold many shotguns to see how they feel.

 

[Burbs]

Not saying much... But I work at Bass Pro. We have A LOT of Skeet Shotguns...over unders, autoloaders, side by side, pump..

And we have two guy that work behind the gun counter that were profesional trap/skeet shooters. They know a CRAPLOAD about fitting shooters, adjusting left/right eye, what to use for age, size, and the like.

Even if you don't buy there...it might be worth talking to them, and getting to hold many shotguns to see how they feel.

Thank you for telling me that. My wife and I were in there on Sunday and it was amazing. I didn't want to talk with the gun experts because it seemed that the guns were more geared toward hunting, than skeet. What brands do you carry?

I also noticed your located in North Attleboro like me. Do you belong to any ranges around here?

 

[Dick]

Get her a 20 gauge O/U. She'll give up very little by dropping down to the 20, and the recoil will be much less than the 12. Going all the way to 28 gauge is nice for nearly eliminating recoil, but makes it too difficult for a new shooter to break birds.

Except for very high-end shotguns, which are usually made with a bit of "cast-off" in the stock, O/Us are equally usable by both righties and lefties. I don't understand why you might have had problems with an O/U previously being a lefty (and I really don't understand about the barrel bending "fix"), unless you're referring to the cross-dominance issue, which is a real problem because the rear sight on a shotgun is essentially your dominant eye. The conventional wisdom is to shoot from the side that has the dominant eye, but it will take a while to get used to and it's going to feel very strange at first if you're accustomed to shooting long guns lefty.

My first choice would be a Citori, but that may be more $ than you want to spend, unless you can find a good used one, which will always be worth what you pay for it. You might also look out for a nice used Charles Daly, from the period when they were being made by Miroku, the current maker of Citoris - I have Miroku Dalys in all 4 skeet gauges and they're great guns for short money. Don't go longer than 28" tubes, and remember that the chokes can be opened up by a gunsmith if you find an otherwise perfect specimen that has field chokes.

More important than all that, however, is how the gun fits your wife. Length of pull can be changed easily, but the critical "drop at comb" measurement is more difficult. Best thing is to take her somewhere she can try a number of guns - not necessarily shooting them, but trying them for fit, not unlike trying on clothes.

You can take a drive to KTP and try a lot of shotguns, both new and used, but I'm not sure that the staff know much about fitting a gun (they might, I'm just not sure). I think you'd do better visiting an active skeet club and talking with the "regulars" - they'll probably let you wife try their guns under real shooting conditions.

 

[C-pher]

Thank you for telling me that. My wife and I were in there on Sunday and it was amazing. I didn't want to talk with the gun experts because it seemed that the guns were more geared toward hunting, than skeet. What brands do you carry?

I also noticed your located in North Attleboro like me. Do you belong to any ranges around here?

Browning, Benelli, Winchester, Remington, Charles Daly, H&R, Savage, and I know that there's a few more, but they are escaping me. Look for Rob, he walks with a cane. But that man knows more about skeet shotguns than anyone I've talked with. He used to shoot, "World" I think? I try to listen to him when he's talking to active competition shooters when they are in the store.

Oh, and I shoot at Mansfield. But I'm not a shotgun shooter.

Well, to me trap shooting was getting my 1100 out in the back yard and tying a string to my ankle to a thrower and shooting them on my own.

 

[icyclefar]

That's my current problem. I'm dominant in my right eye, but I shoot lefty with rifle. I'm now thinking that I'm going to have start shooting right handed. That's should be fun!

Absolutely! If you want the best odds of success, you will need to shoot right handed.

I don't entirely agree with dropping down to 20 GA because of recoil though. One of the most popular clays guns out there is the Beretta 391 series. The 391's are semi auto and have almost no felt recoil (in 12 GA), in addition, they come standard with a shim system which allows you to adjust cast on/off, and drop. The 391 offers a lot of versatility for an "off the shelf" gun. They even offer "RL" versions (reduced length), and a true "youth" model that is even shorter.

I've got my 12 year old son shooting a Beretta 391 in 12 GA, it has less felt recoil than almost every 20 GA I've shot and on his best days he hits 20 plus birds.

I think the biggest attraction for 20 GA has more to do with "2nd shots". Gun for gun, the 20's will recoil less, which will allow you to get back on target quicker for your 2nd shot.

 

[firtree]

Thank you for telling me that. My wife and I were in there on Sunday and it was amazing. I didn't want to talk with the gun experts because it seemed that the guns were more geared toward hunting, than skeet. What brands do you carry?

I also noticed your located in North Attleboro like me. Do you belong to any ranges around here?

I belong to Independant on Mirimichi (near the soon-to-be Lowes in Plainville.
It is a very active skeet club. I also second the Citori. A solid gun that is
ubiquitous at my club. They hold value well, have some heft which
really cuts down on recoil, and are reliable. You can get a stock
bent by a professional for a few hundred dollars. If my wife took a
liking to skeet I would set her up with good gear that she
could keep or would be easy to sell (Browning Citori or Beretta O/U) .
Good luck.

F

 

[jshooter]

Be careful in thinking an OU is neutral cast. Look at it and shoulder it to see. Most guns are but alot tend to be lightly cast for a righty since most people shoot righty. Also 20 gauge recoil is surely less than a 12 but the frame of a sub gauge gun is lighter making felt recoil almost the same. I shoot sporting clays alot, some years 15,000 rounds a year, and while I mostly shoot old M12 Winchesters I do shoot Beretta 390's in both 12 and 20. I can't say enough about the 390. They are adjustable for cast and drop, shoot soft and keep functioning through all of my neglect (I usually clean the 12 Ga before duck season and thats about it). The 391's are great guns as well but a little more pricy, again another great shotgun. If you want to go the OU route a Browning Citori is an awesome gun. For a novice shooter I would stay away from pump guns for awhile, its just one more thing to thing about and learn and be preoccupied with when you should be concentrating on leads, hold points, foot position, etc. My 2 cents.

 

[M1911]

I'm dominant in my right eye, but I shoot lefty with rifle. I'm now thinking that I'm going to have start shooting right handed.

I second the recommendation that you should start shooting right handed, particularly for shotgun.