Shotgun suggestions for skeet/trap.....

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Droff

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I currently have an 870 12 ga that I use for very sporadic skeet/trap/sporting clay shooting. By sporadic I mean once or twice every couple years. I just went through the OKCGC orientation so I plan on shooting birds much more often, not serious competition kind of stuff but at least be able to shoot well if I do enter a competition. I can shoot well with my 870, but it's not the best choice for this type of thing. I'll be keeping the 870, bought it used nearly 30 years ago, first gun ever.

I'm open to over/unders, side by sides or semi-autos, not a brand snob by any means and I can go with a 12 or 20 ga. I won't be hunting with it either.
Price range is under $500 - 750, or less.
Thanks.
 

Droff

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Never heard of that brand but a little research and it sounds pretty decent, other than maybe needing a recoil pad. Good looking too.
 

aa5b

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I love my Yildiz. Great value for the price point. I have not had any issues with it after many upland hunting trips. Some of the stocks have beautiful wood that you would not expect on a $400 dollar gun.
 

Droff

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New or used, doesn't matter, just good condition and a good shotgun.

Academy has the Yildiz at $430 (if they are in stock). So far I haven't found much in the way of a negative for the gun other than a hard recoil, but that might be the 12 ga model.
 

ProBusiness

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how much more often to you plan to shoot. twice per week, twice per month, once per month?

main thing with either skeet or trap is the question does the gun fit you. you can have success when hunting with a gun that does not fit you. You will not have a lot of success shooting skeet or trap if the gun does not fit you. go to range and ask around and find a guy that is either a NSSA Instructor licensed or ask around to find someone that can help you decide if the gun fits you.

Buying another gun that does NOT fit you regardless of cost, quality, wood is the wrong direction. You might as well stick with the 870 (if it fits you). By the way, does your 870 have screw in chokes?

I have had students come out with a gun that does not fit them, then adjust that gun or give them another one that does fit them, and they immediately start breaking birds. remember just a little bit if adjustment at the stock/receiver area can mean feet difference at 22 yards.

When you look at the guns that serious skeet /trap shooters use, and see the adjustable comb, jones adjuster on the recoil pad, possibly weights on the barrel, these are not for show but aid the shooter to be a better shot.

Going from a 870 pump to a o/u or semi-auto, you will probably pick up a couple of birds per 50 on the second bird of a double since you do not have to pump which can reposition the gun on your cheek.

I would caution you against a less expensive o/u for skeet trap shooting if you shoot very much. I know for a fact that the mossbergs, Yildiz, etc. $500 $600 o/u do not hold up. if you are talking about 50, 100, 125 birds once or twice per week, and they just break. I know several guys that had these guns in the shop three times and they still do not work. so add the initial cost of the gun plus two or three trips to the gunsmith and you might as well pay for a more expensive gun.

for an o/u i would recommend a min $1100 browning or beretta (used). you can shoot them a lot without any problems and get your money back. not so with the less costly o/u.

if you want to spend $500 - $700 you cannot beat a remington 1100 or 1187 or good browning, or other such semi-autos. they are quality guns and you can put 1000 and 1000 of rounds thru them. also the semi-auto will absorb recoil that an o/u will not.

go out and look at registered shoots and see what they are shooting. browning, beretta - o/u. semi-auto = remington 1100, 1197, beretta 390, 391 and newer models and a lot of kreighoff which start at $8000 or so.

barrel length if very important. old school, 26 inches, new shooters 30 or 32 inch barrels.

TRAP - there are usually good 1100, 1187 used TRAP guns out there. and that is about all they are good for. cannot hunt with them and maybe a sporting clays gun, maybe. true trap guns are build to shoot 6 inches high at 36 yards. this is the purpose of the high comp and high rib. field guns are not build to do this and will shoot a 50/50 patten at 36 yards which means if you do not adjust your point of impact, you will be shooting low at 36 yards. You can shoot skeet and trap with a field gun. it is hard to shoot skeet with a true trap gun.
 

Droff

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ProBusiness, that's a lot of information to chew on, with a lot of things to consider. One thing I will say, I don't foresee me being anything close to a serious skeet/trap shooter anytime in the near future, as in out on the range every weekend, who knows down the road, but right now I don't have time for that or really the desire. I plan on shooting when I can and being competent enough when I shoot that I don't draw any excessive stares or finger pointing. My guess is my son and wife will also be shooting whatever shotgun I go with, both have shot my 870, as well as an 1100 (me too).

My 870 has no chokes, not sure if the 1100 did or did not at the time. Most of my very limited skeet shooting experience has been with an 1100 and that was years ago, my folks were caretakers on a private club that had a skeet range and we visited once a year (North Carolina). Some members there had guns in the $5K range but were also doctors, lawyers, business owners, etc.

I have little to no experience with trap, never really shot a round of it. I plan on having a good time when I go out shooting with either my friends or my family. If I get into a shooting competition at the range and break 35-40/50, come in last but had a good time, it's not going to break my heart. I might be wrong but I think the more you shoot, the better you get, regardless of equipment but at some point, you're equipment will limit your progress. I'm not sure I'll ever get to that point or at least to the point that it will bother me. My guess at best is I'll average a round or two once a month, maybe a couple hundred rounds a month if my wife wants to shoot as well.

I like 1100's, no problem with them at all, my oldest has a semi-auto, I'm just not sure if it's a Beretta or Browning. I've shot it and like it but he lives in BA so I can't get a hold of it often enough to borrow. I'm not sure how to look for a shotgun that "fits" me, any pointers other than holding them in my hand and shooting if possible? I just didn't think it was that big of a deal, it's a shotgun.

I know some are better than others and I know more of the major names used for skeet/trap, but like you state, they're more money - which typically results in a better gun in the long run.

Thanks for all the info, more to think about.
 

ProBusiness

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If your ever in tulsa and have time give me a call. We can go to the range and I will show you what to look for regarding 'fit'. yes, correct fit for skeet and trap is a major component. without it your are not shooting where you are looking.

a skeet choke pattern at 21 yards from a 12 gauge is about 30 inches, from a 20 about 26 inches. draw a circle about 28 inches in diameter and then draw line to cut it in half and see what size of pattern you have to break a clay bird. not much. if your fit is close but off, you could be easily be loosing 1/2 a pattern. or another way of saying it is half of your pattern will always be high, low, left or right of the bird because of improper fit.

My advice would be to guarantee you are shooting skeet with a skeet choke in your shotgun. it is just darn hard with a tighter choke.
 

doctorjj

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There is a large number of people whose direct experience with a Yildiz would contradict what ProBusiness is saying. The gun breaking after a few weeks of 25-50 birds a week is completely inaccurate.

The Yildiz is an excellent, what I would call, medium duty gun, for the money. It's not a Krieghoff that will fire 500,000 rounds and be worth more then that it was the day you bought it. But you mentioned a budget and it wasn't $8,000+.

There are many, many people who have had experiences like this:
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=104&t=258940
 

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