thinking of getting into clays, i need a gun

[BigJimP]

Fit is the most important thing -- not cost of the gun.

But there aren't many less expensive guns that will give you 100,000 trouble free targets either. But having said that, I shot Trap for years with a Browning BPS 12ga pump. The gun fit me really well ( with some stock modifications ) but internally, it had to be rebuilt at about 45,000 targets ...( trigger, firing pin, bolt, forend slides... - as I recall ). Now I was shooting about 12 rounds of Trap or 300 targets a week - 15,000 targets a year ..... and it was real obvious, despite the fact that it is still a good solid gun -- it wasn't meant to hold up to a fairly routine target shooting schedule.

Today's better quality Target Guns - like a Browning Citori XS Skeet - will hold up easily to 250,000 targets / maybe 500,000 without a problem ....

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=008B&cat_id=013&type_id=066

The question is what kind of usage do you expect / or how many targets do you expect to shoot a year / over 10 yrs / over 20 yrs .... Some guys choose to buy a gun that will last 2 or 3 generations at 15,000 targets a year / some choose to shoot a gun until it gives them problems - throw it out and buy another one ... I have an acquaintance that shoots a Beretta 391 semi-auto 12ga / about 20,000 targets a year - he shoots it 2 yrs / retires it and buys a new one ( and he rarely cleans it / and abuses the daylights out of it ... so when its done / it is done ...). But he told me the other day, he's finally considering an O/U ... a Browning 625 Citori ....

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=008B&cat_id=013&type_id=355

I like nice things / and take really good care of them ... so I buy higher end/medium priced shotguns, like the XS Skeet model above, because I enjoy them / like to shoot them. To me the XS Skeet Citori / is a perfect gun for upland birds, Skeet and Sporting Clays .... but everybody should buy what they like and can afford. You don't need a $ 3,000 shotgun to shoot Clay targets / but I like them ...

my primary guns ( all XS Skeet models / a 12, 20, 28ga and .410 ) - all basically the same, with 30" barrels .... I shoot them a lot / like them a lot.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=54166&stc=1&d=1259022971

 

[oneounceload]

BigJim is giving you good advice - wile Jim loves those parallel comb/trap-style guns, others like different ones.....BUT in any event, the Browning is a proven design that won't break the bank, will run for a looooong time, and do the job.

Doesn't need to be expensive just reliable

Correct - but it DOES have to be reliable to be reliable....and cheap doesn't cut it - ESPECIALLY for a target gun that might see 20,000 targets a year

 

[zippy13]

Oops… I thought we'd get 2002gti into skeet with just a new 1300 barrel. Now folks are talking about spending $3+K on a new Citori. Personally, in the same price range I'd opt for a Beretta -- some folks like Fords and others Chevys.

The problem I see with either a Citori or Beratta, is that it already presents options that a shooter new to skeet won't have the experience to evaluate. A quick look at the Citori catalog and we see some of the following choices:

High stock or low stock -- adjustable or fixed -- palm swell or not.
Schnabel forearm or semi-beavertail
Low, medium or high rib -- square or tapered -- standard or HiViz front sight
Standard or light weight barrel profile -- 26, 28, 30 or 32" long -- ported or not
Standard or extended chokes​

I'm playing devil's advocate: Why worry about a gun that will shoot 20,000 targets a year if it's the wrong gun? (How can you choose between a semi-beavertail and Schnabel forearm if you haven't tried a pointer skeet grip?) If you guessed wrong with your initial selection, then you'll probably want to dump the gun before it has a chance to wear out. I suggest tuning it down a notch and start your skeet shooting with a more generic, and less costly, target gun. If you really get into skeet, then you'll soon trade up. And, if you don't you won't have shot enough to wear it out.

Have you looked into a sleeve/collar/spacer to permit using a standard barrel on the long mag tube 1300? Have your smith make a sleeve that will fit over the mag tube and take up the space. It would be about 4 inches long x 1.005 ID x 1.25 OD, any gunsmith or machinist could make one.

 

[RoscoeC]

This is an interesting thread for me, because I am in mid evolution. I started shooting with an 870 a couple of years ago. It made my left elbow hurt like the dickens, so I got a good deal on a Beretta 390 with 30" barrel and it has been flawless. However, I now find myself exploring the over/under route. I am leaning toward the Beretta 686.

I shoot with a couple of guys and we are pretty evenly split. One of us prefers trap, one of us prefers skeet, and we all enjoy sporting clays. We rotate around and accommodate each other, so what I end up with will have to serve on all disciplines as my trusty 390 does now.

This is a fun problem to have. I have to shoot lots of different shotguns at different games... Oh well, I'll just have to try to get through it as best I can.

 

[zippy13]

RoscoeC
The Beretta 686 White Onyx Sporting is a great choice for a first target O/U. Nothing fancy but a good work horse gun at about 2/3 the price of the other Berettas and Browning sporting O/Us.

The sporting model ($200 more) differs from the Field White Onyx primarily with the new Optima overbored barrels and their corresponding chokes. The field model uses the tighter bore (typical with Italian guns) barrel with the Mobilechoke system. There are those who say the large bore Optima system hits the targets harder and has less recoil.

As mentioned time after time, the nicest gun in world is worthless if it doesn't fit you. Try before you buy.

 

[JerseyDrez]

Any Wingmaster/870/500/88 will do the job with a field barrel.

I use mine and it works great.

 

[crashm1]

Another newbie

I started shooting trap 3 months ago with a Mossberg 500 that's older than I am, within a couple weeks I decided to upgrade as the 500 doesn't fit me very well. After doing a bunch of research I chose to buy a used Browning Citori Trap from the late seventies. It was cheap (875.00), has a Monte Carlo stock, 32" barrels and fixed chokes and the best part is it fits me almost perfectly. It's tons easier to shoot well then the Mossberg was and the POI is about 70/30 which works perfect for trap shooting. I had a couple other options but the Citori fit me best right off and I keep hearing that the gun has to shoot where you look without fiddling around so that was what I focused on in my search. I will probably add a adjustable comb over the winter to dial in the last little bit but it is already light years ahead of the Mossy.
The Mossberg is getting a second chance with my wife who is trying out trap also. I am using a book by Rollin Oswald to fit the gun to her. We have the comb just about right with cardboard and tape next will be figuring out how much toe she needs and then I will try my hand at making the changes permanent with bondo and such before getting her a fancy gun. That way we will both get to learn some new skills. I probably should have done that for myself but hey, I needed a new gun.

 

[BigJimP]

Well said crashm1 ....

JerseyDrez - yes, any gun with a decent length barrel on it will work / but not if it doesn't fit you. Shotguns do not come in one size fits all ....