In the market for o/u 12 GA shotgun preferably that can be used for both skeet and trap. I was thinking of getting 30”, using IC and CL choke for skeet and IM and FC for trap. Will that work or should I go for 32”? Just trying to see if I can avoid purchasing two separate shotguns, one for skeet and one for trap. Feel free to share your barrel length & chokes !
O/U shotgun recommendation
- Thread starter Zedshawnh
- Start date
That depends on the gun, and the shooter, my Blaser F-3 with 32" barrels swings quicker than my Citori shotguns with 30" barrels. A larger shooter may find a 32" gun that swings quickly enough for skeet, while a smaller person may prefer a shotgun with shorter barrels.
- Location
- South Southern Ontario
30" is a good all around length but as been stated before fit is more important. Find something that feels good when you swing it and has multi chokes. Skeet i use a 30" with IC over Skeet and trap singles Mod. And doubles Mod over Light Mod. Also 30"
Let use know what you decide on always interested in what people choose and why.
Good luck, and hey two guns are always an option LOL.
Let use know what you decide on always interested in what people choose and why.
Good luck, and hey two guns are always an option LOL.
for the clay sports the shotgun has to fit you for you to shoot properly. barrel lengths and chokes are a distant second.
Skeet and Trap use shotguns with different stocks and chokes... One gun will not work well. In trap shooting the bird is basically always rising and trap stocks hold your head up so the gun has a built in lead. You do not have to raise the muzzle over the bird (losing the sight picture) the gun shoots maybe a foot high. Trap chokes are usually modified or full for 40 yards or more ... Skeet guns do not need to shoot high and the chokes are very open, designed for a target about 21 yards away.
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Licensed to kill
CGN Regular
- Location
- Peace Country Alberta
Hmmmm, not a dilemma I have ever experienced. Im usually trying to figure out how I can justify ADDING more guns to the lot. Trying to “avoid” the “need” (which if I am honest is actually a want) for another gun never occurred to me. To be fair, it STILL doesn’t occur to me.
The commenters above me already touched on the main points. I actually shoot a 30" O/U for trap, skeet, and sporting clays, and I love it. I agree, the chokes you suggested should work fine. It might vary a teeny bit on the shooter and the gun - for example, I run Modified for trap, and Skeet + Skeet for .... skeet, but they're all pretty similar to what you mentioned. I've tried 32" for skeet, works fine too. Last year I shot a round of sporting clays with chokes that I felt were too tight, so this year I think I'm going to try Skeet and IC. Really comes down to fit, swing, and personal preference. If you're breaking clays, it doesn't really matter. I just won't recommend 26" for trap and 34" for skeet 
but can't go wrong with 30" IMO. I shoot a Beretta 694 btw. I can't see any reason why a setup like that would hinder you from hitting 24s and 25s. Practice and destroy those clays!!!
but can't go wrong with 30" IMO. I shoot a Beretta 694 btw. I can't see any reason why a setup like that would hinder you from hitting 24s and 25s. Practice and destroy those clays!!!
Falconflyer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
30 inch barrels with changeable choke tubes will work for trap and skeet very well. That will also work for sporting clays and 5 stand should you decide to try those games as well. I would recommend a sporting clays target gun as opposed to a field gun, trap gun or skeet gun as the sporting gun can be used for all of these purposes.
Field and sporting rifles are the same thing, but field and sporting clays shotguns are very different. A field shotgun will be lighter, as it is carried a lot, and shot much less frequently., while a sporting clays shotgun will be heavier, so it swings smoother, and absorbs recoil better, since it is carried less, and shot a lot more. The sporting clays shotgun generally has longer barrels than the field shotgun.
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Falconflyer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Stubblejumper nailed it. Essentially a sporting gun is made with high volume shooting in mind whereas a field gun is not.
I just had my first outing with a buyuk huglu hb100 dt pro ou combo gun today. I got the 32" model. While it's not cg or beretta it has all the features I wanted to play with. I found I quite like it. Spent some time setting up the length of pull and pitch and toe angles as well as the comb height and the rib adjustments. Today on the patterning board the ou set shoots perfectly 50/50 nice and flat whereas the unsingle shoots a nice 60/40. Supplied chokes patterned slightly tighter than the average for designation which is fine by me.
The cost was reasonably good at just over 2 grand to the door. The only issue is the add said removable trigger which it does not drop out unless you buy the higher end model with the glove grip stock
I bought the dt pro not the dlx pro
Anyway I like the gun. A combo set like this allows you to set up the ribs for both trap and skeet while only having 1 gun
Tenda has them in stock. My buddy has the dlx model which is why I knew the stock didn't fit my hands whereas the dt pro has a more traditional adjustable stock
Time will tell how it holds up but linberta has a solid reputation for both pump and semi auto guns
Tenda also carrys the catma 505 combo which I have no experience with but nearly bought
Of lower quality is the canuck combo and then there's the Tristar combo which looks similar but likely another step down.
The cost was reasonably good at just over 2 grand to the door. The only issue is the add said removable trigger which it does not drop out unless you buy the higher end model with the glove grip stock
I bought the dt pro not the dlx pro
Anyway I like the gun. A combo set like this allows you to set up the ribs for both trap and skeet while only having 1 gun
Tenda has them in stock. My buddy has the dlx model which is why I knew the stock didn't fit my hands whereas the dt pro has a more traditional adjustable stock
Time will tell how it holds up but linberta has a solid reputation for both pump and semi auto guns
Tenda also carrys the catma 505 combo which I have no experience with but nearly bought
Of lower quality is the canuck combo and then there's the Tristar combo which looks similar but likely another step down.
These days, any option that provides a reliable , yet affordable shotgun , will help to get new shooters into the sport. The cost of clays and shotshells these days, makes the sport expensive for many people, let alone needing to come up with $3-4k for a good starter clays gun. The earlier ,low quality shotguns, have soured many shooters opinions against any Turkish shotguns, so hopefully the newer options turn out to be much more reliable.
- Location
- South Southern Ontario
One member at the skeet range i go to shoots a Huglu and says it's great and no problems, I'm not sure how long he's had it but shot twice a week all last summer.
I have a Catma 505 and also no issues except I have to make longer posts for the comb to get it to shoot the POI I want other than that no problems. Hope you have good luck with you Huglu.
I have 3 huglu sxs and 1 huglu ou. This new buyuk is not made it the huglu factory but it is made in huglu
I also have an akus ou that's Turkish made for Dickinson arms. It was also made for Kimber and sw. Fit and finish on it is absolutely stunning. It also has true bone and charcoal case color hardening
Turkey has come along way recently and there are turk manufactures that can make great guns. Buy from a reputable dealer who carry brands that are 40 to 100 years old and you'll likely not have an issue
I also have 6 berettas so I'm not just a Turkish fan boy
We all have a budget whether big or small. Shooting is an ever increasingly expensive sport
I choose to cheap out buying this buyuk but it has everything I wanted minus the drop out trigger which the add said it had. A dt11 with the same features would have likely costed $16 000 more. That's the difference between my wife saying nice gun vs saying here's the number to my divorce lawyer
Whatever you choose choose it for what you want and don't let some old guy at a club talk down to you about it
There are brands that are better but you have to start somewhere. The more you shoot and hang out with other shooters your tastes and needs will change
I also have an akus ou that's Turkish made for Dickinson arms. It was also made for Kimber and sw. Fit and finish on it is absolutely stunning. It also has true bone and charcoal case color hardening
Turkey has come along way recently and there are turk manufactures that can make great guns. Buy from a reputable dealer who carry brands that are 40 to 100 years old and you'll likely not have an issue
I also have 6 berettas so I'm not just a Turkish fan boy
We all have a budget whether big or small. Shooting is an ever increasingly expensive sport
I choose to cheap out buying this buyuk but it has everything I wanted minus the drop out trigger which the add said it had. A dt11 with the same features would have likely costed $16 000 more. That's the difference between my wife saying nice gun vs saying here's the number to my divorce lawyer
Whatever you choose choose it for what you want and don't let some old guy at a club talk down to you about it
There are brands that are better but you have to start somewhere. The more you shoot and hang out with other shooters your tastes and needs will change
Have several Turkish guns and can honestly say only one was not up to anyone's expectations. Huglu 301 single shot 28g which I believe was a modified car jack handle. That being said my Weatherby Orion , CZ bobwhite G2 project upland special ,Tri star Raptor and Weatherby SA 08 28g have all been good to great. Have had issues with many B guns so nothing is perfect.
I love my 3x beretta a400 xplors I have the 12 the 20 and the 28. They function flawlessly but the finish is a joke for a $2500 gun. The wood burning gives it a unique look and only the 28ga has any actual figure. The wood grain on all 3 is full of untreated open pores. But again they work great. My old a303 beretta has a fantastic finish
Helping a friend to choose a new shotgun for sporting clays, the Citori composite is the best deal that I could find. For $2500, it has an adjustable comb, and a Citori will last hundreds of thousands of rounds if properly maintained. While some people don't like plastic stocks on an O/U, it is about $1000 cheaper that a Citori CX with adjustable comb. To be honest, I can pick up my old SX-3, and shoot pretty much the same scores at skeet as with my F-3 or K-20, but I really don't like picking up hulls, and I like shooting the 28 gauge and 410 for skeet.
