I've gone and fallen in love with classy over unders.

Well - OP needs to clarify his needs. "Trap" often gets mentioned in place of throwing clays in a field.... If he is hung up on the glossy finish, then Browning is the way to go. If he upped his budget by a couple of hundred bucks, he could get a nice low mileage Citori Lightning with all mod cons...
 
Beretta Silver Pigeon, costs a bit more but would give you a lifetime of trouble free service. I'd get the sporting model as you're likely to shoot a lot more clays than birds.
 
Gunoholic said:
Friend of mine does the skeet/trap thing and has a Baikal 12 gauge O/U.
A decent looking gun but not beautiful.
He likes it better than some if the "high end" shotguns he's shot and uses it all the time.
He owns a car dealership and a dry cleaning business so it's not as if he couldn't afford the high end stuff if he wanted it.
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I guess he just doesn't know what a quality gun points like or carrys like. As they say, ignorance is bliss.
 
Yildiz (Turkish) makes some beautiful looking guns and a 12 ga @ Prophet River is going for around $800 bucks. I'm sure with your budget you could get something very beautiful.

0114313A__82574.1409758505.1280.1280.jpg


http://store.prophetriver.com/yildiz-spzm-12ga-328-d/

Good Luck!
 
I can't speak for the Yildiz but, speaking in general of budget priced guns, be aware of fancy engraving. It has long been a practice of gun companies turning out lower end guns to adorne the outside with fancy machine done engraving to attract buyers. It is what's on the inside that counts. Maybe the Yildiz is a fine gun. That can be answered by those who own them.
 
O/U's in the sub 800$ range might break birds but they don't have anywhere near the quality and finish of guns like the Citori and Pigeons. Classy to me, comes from build quality, peformance and finish.

1300$ will get you into an older Citori or such, and will bust birds just fine. Inexpensive O/Us just aren't as pleasurable to shoot as finer guns..some so bad I just wouldn't enjoy the sport.

In the 800$ O/U for clays reqlm id suggest a semi...can get a much nicer gun for the money.
 
smally21 said:
O/U's in the sub 800$ range might break birds but they don't have anywhere near the quality and finish of guns like the Citori and Pigeons. Classy to me, comes from build quality, peformance and finish.

1300$ will get you into an older Citori or such, and will bust birds just fine. Inexpensive O/Us just aren't as pleasurable to shoot as finer guns..some so bad I just wouldn't enjoy the sport.

In the 800$ O/U for clays reqlm id suggest a semi...can get a much nicer gun for the money.
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I agree. If you are going to put many rounds through the gun, which you have to if you shoot much, an under $800 gun won't cut it.

You don't want your gun in the gunsmiths. In Canada, that can be a 6 month wait for some.

That Yildiz loks like the stock was made of poplar, not like the nice wood you'll find on a B gun.

When you go to sell a cheap gun, you won't get much for it unless you sell it to a newbie.
 
What about an older browning superposed? Sometimes you can find a nice one with the right fixed chokes for $1300 or under. I did ... And it came with a nice hartman case. I like fixed chokes and i think the superposed are very classy. They tend to hold there value as well. That wont happen with the newer cheap o/u's.
 
winchester12 said:
What about an older browning superposed? Sometimes you can find a nice one with the right fixed chokes for $1300 or under. I did ... And it came with a nice hartman case. I like fixed chokes and i think the superposed are very classy. They tend to hold there value as well. That wont happen with the newer cheap o/u's.
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Similar experience for me. Mine is a 1938 model with 30" barrels which works well for a big guy like me. Unfortunately mine didn't come with a case but considering the condition of the gun I wasn't going to argue.
 
I would try and get some help with a purchase from the guys at your local trap&skeet range. There are a lot of things to consider when buying an O/U, fit is definitely the most critical, and trust me as a first time buyer you it's possible to overlook that when you see something shiny on the store rack. An ideal trap gun has a high rib and a parallel comb. It is best to get a gun with an adjustable comb, but remember that if the stock is too long the hardware for the comb can prevent you from cutting it down. You can have an adjustable comb or butt plate added by a gunsmith/fitter later, but if you start off with a gun that doesn't fit it's very easy to develop bad habits.

As someone said, definitely keep an eye on The Gun Dealer used guns page, I would expand that to add Prophet River and Ellwood Epps as well.

I would say as a first time buyer it would be best to get someone (not the salesman) to check the fit of your gun before you buy it. The longer you shoot these guns the better idea you will have of what you want in one. I shoot skeet primarily, went from a remington versa max to a Browning Citori 725 Skeet and a Cynergy 20 ga sporting, and finally to a Kolar Max Skeet because i needed subgauge tubes and the brownings although they were nice guns they didn't fit that well at all which promoted bad shooting form.
 
I'd say.... Wait. Save up some more cash while you do more research.
I can almost guarantee that if you spend 1300.00 now, you will be selling at a loss a year from now to upgrade again.
You know the old saying.... Buy once, cry once.
Youll be much happier down the road.
My .02 worth
 
popcan said:
I'd say.... Wait. Save up some more cash while you do more research.
I can almost guarantee that if you spend 1300.00 now, you will be selling at a loss a year from now to upgrade again.
You know the old saying.... Buy once, cry once.
Youll be much happier down the road.
My .02 worth
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Paid 750 for my SKB not that long ago. Three seasons of extensive use so far in the hunting fields.

Zero complaints here.
 
Brutus said:
Paid 750 for my SKB not that long ago. Three seasons of extensive use so far in the hunting fields.

Zero complaints here.
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Good for you!

my advice is worth what you paid for it.
Im just basing my reply on what I think the OP is ultimately looking for.


he wants to hunt and play clay games. And be classy doing it.
 
For a 20g I'd look at a Franchi Veloce. Also in your price range, but a SxS, is the Beretta 409. You can often find them at very reasonable prices.
 
SKB's are pretty good guns for the money though and if a person is looking for a gun without spending too much, it would be one to consider. BUT, a person really has to decide on the volume of shooting that will be done.
 
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