Advice on First Gun Purchase For Skeet and Trap

R

Roadglide2021

New member
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Location
Newmarket
Fellow members,

I just recently acquired my Restricted and Non-Restricted PAL license and am now trying to figure what kind of shot gun I should purchase along with gear. I have no previous experience owning or shooting any firearms before so everything is brand new to me.
I am planning on joining a club and get some instruction primarily shooting Skeet and Trap with no real interest on hunting. I would appreciate any recommendations as to what sort of gun I should be looking for (12 gauge). Keeping in the $1000-1500 range would it better to go with a semi-automatic or a over under?
Also a reasonably priced gun recommendation that should I enjoy shooting as much as I think I will, I would not grow out of too quickly. Lastly regarding gear, what is a good pair of shooting glasses and shooting vests. As a owner of a Harley Davidson and paying $30 for HD oil filters has prepared me for the costly world of shooting sports and all those pretty guns.
Thank you all in advance......let the games begin!!
 
Personally I would find something reasonably priced/cheap and spend your time and money on targets and ammo. After you've shot a few dozen rounds you will start getting a better feel of what you like and what fits. Most clubs will have good folks that will let you try their guns and get a feel for a bunch of different ones. To me this is when you sell your cheap initial purchase and buy something that works for you. But really there is no wrong way to get a shotgun and start breaking targets, there are expensive ways and more expensive ways...
 
Skeet guns and trap guns are two different animals. Kind of like cricket bats and baseball bats. They both hit a ball but.... You need a full choke to Imp Mod for trap and Skeet chokes for skeet. Trap guns are set up to shoot high on a fast rising target. Skeet guns shoot flatter for a greater variation of target presentations. You can go a long way with a bunch of different chiokes in an inexpensive Turkish gun (hack*cough) just don't expect to sell it for what you paid for it. Used Brownings and Berettas are available in the 2000.00 range and would probably be a better investment. Most sporting clay guns could be made to work. Absolutely spend your money on ammo and range time. The shotgun is the cheapest part of the game.
 
Buy a good semi auto benelli or beretta win sx 2,3,4 or a browning be sure it has adjustable shims . That takes care of your fitting issue
As for shooting trap and skeet with the same gun it’s possible if you are shooting 16 yard ata trap a flat shooting gun is fine you will be breaking the target at 32-36 yards
And of coarse the gun will have changeable chokes . Until you get about 3000-5000 targets under your belt it’s a learning curve and you eont know the difference when it comes to a specific gun for a specific game . You have a lot to learn before you get all caught up in the I need this to shoot better . You will miss more targets to improper stance and where to look for the target than u will by not haveing the correct gun
16 yard AA 25 yard handicap A class doubles just saying oh one more thing do not worry about going to the patterning board most top class shooters have never fired a shot at a pattern board
 
Last edited:
Since you are in the big smoke, finding a club that is accepting members is going to be a challenge. I dont think I would shell out any coin on a shotgun before getting accepted by a club. As far as shotguns are concerned, if you get reasonably serious about shooting clays, you will end up spending substantially more than your current budget, likely on an over/under such as a Beretta or Browning. By that time, you will likely have enough experience to know what gun is best suited to you.
In the meantime, a Turkish O/U such as a Churchill or Huglu, or a semi such as a Winchester SX series or Beretta 390 series would suffice.
 
Blah blah blah I’m sure a lot of this advice is a bit hard to translate into action. Here’s some that’s easy to understand and has real value. It’s about recoil.

You won’t be hunting, just shooting at the range, so buy a heavy gun or a semi that soaks up the recoil.

Recoil is a function of three factors. Weight of the gun. Weight of the stuff coming out the barrel. Speed that stuff is coming out the barrel.

The lighter the gun the more you feel recoil. The heavier the load and the faster the load is going, the more you feel recoil. A semi adds a bit of a twist because the auto reloading process absorbs some of the recoil force.
 
Stay away from Turkish anything they will not stand up to any amount of shooting clay shooting sports is about volume even on a causal basis it’s still about volume .
If you get into competing then the factor is really high . On a fun level going to a club once a week 100 rounds that’s 400-500 rounds a month 2000-2500 rounds 5 months the odds of a Turkish anything not failing in 2500 rounds are slim .
 
Good point on recoil it is the enemy of a clay target shooter and on that note 7/8 oz and 1 oz loads at 1145 or less are your friend if you hit them they will break Ata handicap from the 22 yard line and further require 1 1/8 oz 1200 FPS ammo
 
Make sure you get a heavy gun, less recoil. I've tried a lot of different shotguns, and reducing recoil is the number one objective.

I used to get bruises, and it would ache for a week, until my recent purchase, and I can shoot 300rds a day, won't feel a thing.

I think you need to up your budget to $3000. The real cost is in ammo and clay, I spend easily $200 a weekend on those.
 
I found with shotguns the way it feels when you pick it up has a big impact. Would suggest going to visit gunstores and just holding everything that looks interesting. My favourite is still the one that, when I picked it up, went wow, this fits and balances for me perfectly.
 
Thank you Members

I have read a couple good reviews regarding the Winchester SX4 Field Shotgun and am planning on shooting a friend of mine's next week. He also recommend trying out a Remington 1100 Competition which he also has.

I am leaning towards the Winchester based on price point, but will try both.

Will keep you all posted, and thankyou again for the advice.
 
I don't have any really nice shotguns, but I have been shooting beginner level trap at the annual December turkey shoot for about 30 years, most of the years. I have mainly used pump guns because that is what we had. I won a Benelli nova in a raffle years back and there is something about the fit for me that is so much closer than any of the other guns I shot, I immediately shot better. Fit and able to survive a lot of rounds are the only really important thing I think. I'd love to get custom fitted for a nice target shotgun, but that's probably not going to happen. Try as many guns as you possibly can and when you find one that feels good, buy one of them. You will be able to learn with it for a long time before it limits you.
 
Forget the vest and glasses for now, add those after you start hitting targets. As for guns, I'd have two. Grab a used BT99 for trap. I'd start with shooting trap first and after you get decent at that, get a skeet gun. If you aren't a jerk, the people at the club will likely let you borrow or try out their guns to see what fits you well. Personally, being a Browning guy, I think my auto 5's are perfect for both but I shoot trap with an old used BT99 and do well enough with it.
 
Follow the guidelines offered by Canvasback, Struff55 and BDFT and you will do just fine...you can branch out from there as you progress and you will do both as you gain experience and knowledge as the clay games and gun collecting are very addictive!
 
870 wingmaster will do both reasonably well. Can get a 26" and 30" barrel or just a 28" with choke tubes. You don't need a trap gun to shoot trap, but shooting skeet with a trap gun can be a pita.

Shoot for awhile and then decide what way you want to go. And you won't lose money on a wingmaster.
 
Last edited:
What about a Browning Maxus II Hunter series? A friend recommended the following Semi’s
1. Remington 1100 Competition
2. Browning Maxus or Maxus II
3. Beretta A400 varieties
4. Winchester SX3 or SX4
 
Shotguns can be expected to shoot very mild 2 3/4 in target loads to 3 or 3 1/2 inch full house loads. This can be problematic for semi auto shotguns as the energy available for cycling the shells varies substantially. Years ago, semis were available with different barrels to accommodate different loads and chokes. Then semis became available with compensating gas systems that could (theoretically) cope with different loads, and removable chokes to suit.
Of the guns you mentioned, the Remington 1100 does not have this compensating gas system. Being a competition gun, it would likely be designed for 2 3/4 inch loads only. Best to look into this further before you decide, particularly if you decide to pick up hunting at some point.
Of the others, its time to hit the gun stores and handle them - surfing the net can only tell you so much.
 
Roadglide2021 said:
What about a Browning Maxus II Hunter series? A friend recommended the following Semi’s
1. Remington 1100 Competition
2. Browning Maxus or Maxus II
3. Beretta A400 varieties
4. Winchester SX3 or SX4
Click to expand...

The Remington 1100 Competition is a nice gun for trap but hard to find these days. There are members on here that will tell you it's junk but there are quite a few out there shooting it. The Beretta A400 series are very light guns but that's just me and I only shot one once. The Multitarget is very popular but not cheap. The SX3 and 4 are more hunting guns. I don't think they make any competition guns. They will work for trap or skeet with the appropriate chokes but not really purpose built. Can't comment on the Brownings but all of those guns are well built quality guns.
 
I told a guy to put a rubber band on his semi today because his empties were hitting my feet. He was confused.

Your best bet is TITSC in Innisfil or Uxbridge Clays in Uxbridge
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom