Shooting clays is something I am thinking about doing butI know very little about shotguns or skeet. I do shoot bench rest. First off, I have read that there are special skeet guns and that they and trap shotguns are different from regular shotguns. Something about the sights I believe. Is this a critical difference or will any shotgun do? As my wife is also interested I am thinking of getting a 20 gauge. If I will need a special type of shotgun, what is the price range I am looking at, used or new? Thanking you in advance for any assistance.
Questions on skeet shooting
- Thread starter Jdeere1
- Start date
Bluebulldog
Regular
- Location
- Constance Bay ON
If you're not sure. Just buy a decent 20 or 12 gauge semi, or o/u.
Get one with removable chokes so you can use cylinder, or imp for skeet, and mod, full for hunting.
It doesn't have to be an expensive start up. Mossberg SA-20, Weatherby SA-08, etc. older Winchester 101, or Browning Citori. Heck I've even seen a couple of guys on the skeet field with tactical pumps giving it a go.
Get one with removable chokes so you can use cylinder, or imp for skeet, and mod, full for hunting.
It doesn't have to be an expensive start up. Mossberg SA-20, Weatherby SA-08, etc. older Winchester 101, or Browning Citori. Heck I've even seen a couple of guys on the skeet field with tactical pumps giving it a go.
If you belong to a gun range that has skeet and trap, make friends with a few of the regular shooters and see if they will let you try their guns. From this, you will get an idea of what you like and don't like in a target shotgun.
Any shotgun can be used to shoot Clay Targets, but there are types specifically made for the different shotgun games.
Skeet guns tend to have barrels in the 28-30" range (on an O/U) and Trap guns tend to be longer (in the 30-34" range - on an O/U). This is because with skeet you are making much larger movements with the gun and a shorter barrel is thought to be more lively and easier to swing. Trap has relatively smaller movements and the targets are generally broken further away, so you have a longer barrel to smooth out your movements and have a longer sighting plane.
The biggest difference is that a true Trap gun will pattern a 70/30 split on the sight picture, while a skeet gun is generally flat shooting (50/50)
Meaning that if you aimed a trap gun at a stationary target and fired, roughly 70% of the pellets would strike above the point of aim and 30% below (50%/50% for the skeet gun)
This is because all trap targets are rising targets; it makes sense for the gun to pattern this way.
So its not so much the sights, as how the gun is set up to pattern... However that will depend on how the gun fits you (or doesn't)
With your background in rifle shooting - shotgunning is quite different. With the rifle you either have a scope or front & rear iron sights. With a shotgun, you only have the front sight. Your eye is the rear sight, so it needs to be properly aligned.
The info below is from a gentlemen named Rollin Oswald - an expert on stock fit.
If you are new to shotgunning and intend to do this as a shared hobby with your wife, I would recommend finding a used gas operated semi-auto 20 gauge as your first gun (if you both want to use it).
The recoil will be negligible, and its a more affordable option than an Over Under. You could use a pump, but then you will have to become accustomed to quickly racking the slide for your 2nd shot whenever shooting doubles.
Something like a used 20 Gauge beretta 391 would be perfect. Or a Beretta A400 series gun. A little more affordable, would be a Browning Silver. I would expect to find these for $1100 - $1400 Used.
If recoil sensitivity isn't an issue a 12 gauge semi-auto would work as well. Then you could also be looking at something like a Browning Maxus, Remington VersaMax, Winchester Super X, etc.
Most any shotgun can shoot Clays, they just get fancier, more specific and more expensive the more specialized you want them to be.
Best of luck with your search and have a great time. Oh and watch out... its addicting. I used to shoot stationary targets until I picked up a shotgun...
R&R Rancher
CGN Regular
- Location
- Manitoba's Interlake
Well put S2photo
A shotgun needs to fit, for you to be able to use it effectively, so unless you and you wife are of similar build, you may not find one gun that fits you both. As far as sights go, when shooting skeet,you shouldn't attempt to precisely aim a shotgun as you would a rifle, you should point the shotgun, while concentrating on the target, not on the beads. I don't even notice the beads when shooting moving targets with a shotgun. I would look for a better quality semi auto, or O/U, because most low end guns won't stand up to shooting many thousands of rounds, year after year. With a semi auto, I would look for 26-28" barrels, and for the O/U 28"-30" barrels. I would avoid lightweight guns, for skeet, because the felt recoil is increased, and this can be uncomfortable when shooting over 100 shots per shooting session.
- Location
- Burnaby, BC
I prefer Skeet over Trap. I like to use pumps and semi autos - used to them too. Once you get comfortable with your gun and the range you can shoot anything. Just make sure you have option to change chokes. If you are starting out, try tighter chokes, it will force you to aim and lead properly. I love it when those clays turn to dust with a full choke and perfect shot!
x2! I have a Remington 870 Tactical (20 inch barrel) I use for clay smashing in all types of shotgun event types. Different chokes are great I have the tactical muzzle break cyl choke and a improved, mod and full... takes literally seconds to swap out.
What kind of scores do you shoot at regulation skeet with that gun?
I thank each of you for your thoughtful responses, s2photo in particular. The advice on chokes is something I would never have thought of and the idea of me and my wife being able to shoot the same gun well is something I should have thought of and didn't. It is encouraging to hear that we can start off on the cheap and still be in the game.
If u take up trap or skeet shooting u will soon learn that cheap is not the way to go the guns will malfunction if u are shooting autos u will spend $1200-1600 if over under used $900-1500 new 2000-$3000 . Entry level guns are designed to shoot a few hundred rounds a year not a day .
Still see a lot of remington 1100 two barrel sets & 1187 plus a nice showing of superx1 still smoking targets also. Most of the x1's are fitted with thin wall tubes
If I was just starting with limited cash that is where I would be looking since these 12ga semi dosent recoil hard probally less than a 20ga O/U and 500-600 bucks would get you in the game yes the 1100 will break some parts but they are simple to fix. The super x will go to the grave with you other than the odd bolt buffer
I started with 4 ga sets of 870 pumps and went up to expensive tubed O/U which IMO did little to improve my scores. I shoot 870's again for fun and love it
If you got more dollars pick up a X3 or maxus providing they fit you OK
Cheers
If I was just starting with limited cash that is where I would be looking since these 12ga semi dosent recoil hard probally less than a 20ga O/U and 500-600 bucks would get you in the game yes the 1100 will break some parts but they are simple to fix. The super x will go to the grave with you other than the odd bolt buffer
I started with 4 ga sets of 870 pumps and went up to expensive tubed O/U which IMO did little to improve my scores. I shoot 870's again for fun and love it
If you got more dollars pick up a X3 or maxus providing they fit you OK
Cheers
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I started shooting trap on a Benelli Nova which I picked up for $400.00. I see a lot of guys starting out on 870's. The thing is, sure you can go straight to the fancy guns, but make sure you like it first. Start with a simple hunting pump. The point of skeet and trap was originally to simulate a hunting scenario, so a typically hunting gun is fine to start. If you like it, then move up to something fancier. I now use a Benelli Super Sport, and it has improved my game, but not exponentially. If you hand me an 870 I'll probably still shoot 21 or 22.
If you have no shotgun already I'd suggest a Benelli Nova. They are cheap, durable, easy to maintain and in my mind somewhat superior to an 870 for only slightly more (less than 100$). They have a good choke system too.
If you have no shotgun already I'd suggest a Benelli Nova. They are cheap, durable, easy to maintain and in my mind somewhat superior to an 870 for only slightly more (less than 100$). They have a good choke system too.
Jdeere1, because it sounds like you are very unfamiliar with shotguns and wingshooting, I suggest you do nothing until you and your wife take lessons from someone who knows what they're doing. You particularly, as a target rifle shooter, are probably going to have a very, very hard time adapting to pointing the gun AHEAD of the target. You may think you've got the idea of leading a target, but decades of aiming directly at the target have trained your brain.
Any good club should be able to provide you both with suitable guns to learn on, and give recommendations on what to get after you've tried both trap and skeet, as you may prefer one over the other.
Any good club should be able to provide you both with suitable guns to learn on, and give recommendations on what to get after you've tried both trap and skeet, as you may prefer one over the other.
beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Orillia, Ontario
Sage advice ... make haste slowly, and ask lots of questions !
I've recently started into the whole clays thing. This thread has lots of good advice- but I may add something else: See if you can borrow something first- anything. I borrowed an old Ithaca 37 to start. I shot trap with a flat shooting, no-rail, single front bead field gun with a 26" barrel- not at all ideal, but good enough to start with. If it is a 12g and your wife doesn't like it- pick up some lighter (1oz) loads for her. Shoot a flat of shells and see how you like the games. Get a feel for what works and what doesn't and get some instruction or at least some of the older experienced folks to help you. Shoot another flat of shells and then you and your wife will start understanding what you will need. Then I would start looking at some of the advice on how to buy a shotgun and all the rest... I did buy something eventually, but by then I knew more about what would work for me. It is a different world from the rifle range.
