Good trap and skeet O/U?

jewman22

jewman22

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Burford Ontario
sorry if this question has already been asked, but what is a good trap and skeet over/under 12ga shotgun.

I will be using it in both games so I am asking what a good choice would be and what barrel length to get.

I currently use a 28'' winchester sxp pump. Only cause I am new to shotguns and a pump was the best option to start with, and at $450, cant beat that.

Never going to hunt with it so it's gotta be purdy.
Looking to spend $2000 or less.
 
In your price range you could pick up a brand new low-range Beretta or Browning O/U, or possible a mid-range used gun. I bought a Beretta 686 Sporting earlier this year for around that price (from a CGN'r but never fired) and have no complaints, great gun.

I would probably get something with a 30" barrel, would do well for trap and sporting clays, and you can still shoot skeet with it.

I would go to a shop near you and pick up a couple Browning's and Beretta's and see what fits you best, or what you like the feel of the most.

In your case, the more chokes you can get the better (since you are shooting multi-discipline).
 
The one thing I've learned for sure, is that it is extremely important that the gun fit you properly! I used to shoot mid-ranged score consistently, I picked up my buddies O/U that he was selling and my scores instantly jumped into the 20s. Then once I tried to shoot my gun again, it felt so clumsy and cumbersome.

Long story short, I have a nice O/U shotgun that I shoot very well because it fits me like a glove.
 
flywader said:
In your price range you could pick up a brand new low-range Beretta or Browning O/U, or possible a mid-range used gun. I bought a Beretta 686 Sporting earlier this year for around that price (from a CGN'r but never fired) and have no complaints, great gun.

I would probably get something with a 30" barrel, would do well for trap and sporting clays, and you can still shoot skeet with it.

I would go to a shop near you and pick up a couple Browning's and Beretta's and see what fits you best, or what you like the feel of the most.

In your case, the more chokes you can get the better (since you are shooting multi-discipline).
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the problem with that is that there is only one gun shop within reasonable driving access to me and they dont tend to keep that price range in stock
i find that they have all the pumps, all the auto loaders and alot of rifles, not much for 2k shotguns.
 
jewman22 said:
the problem with that is that there is only one gun shop within reasonable driving access to me and they dont tend to keep that price range in stock
i find that they have all the pumps, all the auto loaders and alot of rifles, not much for 2k shotguns.
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It may be to your advantage to identify a window and take the time to drive to reasonably closer distances such as SAIL (Burlington), Le baron (GTA) etc for example....they will usually have specimens of the B guns (at least field models) that one could inspect.

Gagnons (Oshawa) carry B guns as well and there is another SAIL store close to them.

If you are in the area, BassPro (Vaughan), usually a bulls**t store, sometimes may have both brands in inventory, however, there is another SAIL in the immediate vicinity that will usually have both at competitive prices.

Personally, I don't care much for establishments such as Gobles, Shooters Choice around your area, however, they will likely have Brownings/Berettas in inventory. Their prices won't be competitive though.

Further west of you, Lake Huron Rod & Gun also has good inventory with competitive prices.

The best store, IMO, for all types of firearms related purchases will be Ellwood Epps (in Orillia) and their vast inventory is constantly kept updated.

Anyway, best to call any shop to determine availability prior to a trip. Best of luck in your quest.
 
Although not the "best" gun for the job, on a budget, I bought a Citori hunter and had an adjustable com and butt plate installed. Got the gun on sale so total cost for the gun and the stock work was about 1700. But if you can find a used sporting model, even better. Its my opinion that factory dementions of a shotgun dont fit anyone, so comb and butt adjustments are a must. (again, thats my opinion).

What club do you shoot at btw?
 
X2 with Flywader's advice. I shot both trap and skeet with an old Citori Trap for a number of years and managed to get to the mid 20's with it in both disciplines. It had 30 inch barrels, like Flywader suggested, and worked just fine. Historically, preferred skeet guns were shorter, but I think the trend has been toward longer barrels. The one thing that occurred to me about using one gun is that my old trap gun shot high, which many trap shooters prefer for trap. It wasn't radically high, e.g. 60/40 to 70/30 depending on various things and didn't bother me. But I have been told that some prefer their skeet guns to shoot evenly like my present one does. Perhaps one might want the opportunity to adjust for the difference in how high the gun shoots when using a single gun.
 
Shoot what you have for the time being. Try different guns. Most shooters will let you shoot their guns, me included, if they are approached properly. Most likely, your best bet is a used Beretta or Browning O/U. You need to make sure they are in good condition as you can easily dump $400 - $800 into repairing a worn O/U. As stated previously, adjustable combs and butt plates can be added or changed to make the gun fit better. Gun fit is the key, once you have the basics. Different brands have different handling characteristics and usually, one will stand out over the others. BTW, this won't be your last clay target gun ... as your shooting style evolves your demands will change.
 
Mojo99 said:
Although not the "best" gun for the job, on a budget, I bought a Citori hunter and had an adjustable com and butt plate installed. Got the gun on sale so total cost for the gun and the stock work was about 1700. But if you can find a used sporting model, even better. Its my opinion that factory dementions of a shotgun dont fit anyone, so comb and butt adjustments are a must. (again, thats my opinion).

What club do you shoot at btw?
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I am in the process of joining Waterford gun club
 
Thanks for all the help guys, I have a week off before I go back to school so I might just take a drive up to Orillia to visit Epps as well as other stores in the area.
 
jewman22 said:
Thanks for all the help guys, I have a week off before I go back to school so I might just take a drive up to Orillia to visit Epps as well as other stores in the area.
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Go early in the morning - when they open. They get busy and you can wait a long time for a sales guy to get available...
 
Jekyll said:
Go early in the morning - when they open. They get busy and you can wait a long time for a sales guy to get available...
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Not likely to get there early, I am looking at about a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive from Brantford, and thats with minimal traffic. I figure I am going to try most all the shops this side of the GTA. Maybe an hour and a half worth of driving tops.

When I find the gun I like and Epps has it in stock at a better price, I might go or just order it.
Thats alot of money in gas and alot of time to just take a look.
Thanks for the tip, I'l definitely keep that in mind if I decide to make the trip.
 
Lots of great skeet guns out there. Some people only think about one or two makers, but I have shot lots of different makes, each giving great performance. I have been shooting International skeet since 1975 and have shot many guns so I feel comfortable in my coments. One, make sure it's choked right, it gives the best margin of error, skeet choked is the way to go. Mount the gun several times then close your eyes and mount it again and open your eyes to see if your sight line remains the same, if it does, the fitment is right.There are cheap guns under $1000.00 for an o/u, shoot well, but life expectancy is short. While alot of people are shooting Brownings and such(me being one also),My Citori beat the hell out of me. I found the best fitment for me was a SKB 600 skeet. I instantly outshot my buddies, because the fit was right, and the gun was at least half of what they had invested, and yet the guns was a beautiful piece of workmanship. Don't get caught up in the (I got to shoot this brand) thing, you will go broke. I proved this to myself and many people over the years.
 
Hey everyone, just got back from Triggers and Bows.
I went out to see what I could shoulder, So I looked at the Citori Lightning, Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon S, and the Winchester 101. All feel really good on the shoulder, the salesperson also got me to shoulder some autoloaders.

I don't think I'm gonna go with an auto, I'm gonna stick with an over/under.

The Winchester fit like a glove, perfect line of sight, and nice weight although a little on the light side. Very,Very tight

The Citori Lightning was very close in feel to the Winchester, it was a little heavier and swept across very nicely.

The Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon S had a different feel to it, Swept very well and was well balanced, but there was something about it that just didn't make it feel as good as the Citori or the Winchester.
Citori was new, Winchester was new and the Beretta was used, All where about $1800, Beretta was $50 cheaper.

Does anyone know if the 686 White Onyx S feels similar to the Silver Pigeon?
 
I'm in love with my Fabarm Elos C Field. $1,300.00.

12 guage 30" barrel.

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Jewman,
You have a very reasonable spending limit.. lots of great options. Have you thought of ised? You coud get a pretty NICE used target gun for that. I'm sure a Beretta 682 in great condition can be had for 2k (I have $800 into mine). In fact I might know of a 682 GOLD with nice wood, 30.75" barrels and chokes complete in a nice case for that or a smidge less.

Lots of Olympic medals won with a 682. Also take a poke though Clay's website (prophet River). he has fantastic prices and ships. often great deals on used guns. I recently saw a winchester 101 for $750 there.

A gun designed for the Target game can be very different than a more general gun. Not that is't not worth buying a 'general' O/U but if you are willing to spend as much as you are My advice is to get something that will last you a lifetime.
 
canuk said:
Jewman,
You have a very reasonable spending limit.. lots of great options. Have you thought of ised? You coud get a pretty NICE used target gun for that. I'm sure a Beretta 682 in great condition can be had for 2k (I have $800 into mine). In fact I might know of a 682 GOLD with nice wood, 30.75" barrels and chokes complete in a nice case for that or a smidge less.

Lots of Olympic medals won with a 682. Also take a poke though Clay's website (prophet River). he has fantastic prices and ships. often great deals on used guns. I recently saw a winchester 101 for $750 there.

A gun designed for the Target game can be very different than a more general gun. Not that is't not worth buying a 'general' O/U but if you are willing to spend as much as you are My advice is to get something that will last you a lifetime.
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I have started looking at the used market, that way I can get a better gun for less money. As for buying from prophet river, I would much rather be able to see the gun and handle the gun before I buy it, as every gun has a different grain of wood on it. If they where a synthetic stock, I would buy online but not gonna happen with a wood stock gun.
Buying used doesn't bother me in the least bit, I would just prefer to see and inspect the gun before I buy it.
I was ready to buy a beretta silver pigeon the other day until I saw how pale the wood was. Gun was used and in almost new condition, but the furniture was just so light, if it was a nice dark wood like you find on a 101 or a citori, i would have grabbed it.
 
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