I took a recent business trip to South Carolina and when I was there we got to go on a day program which was shooting clays. I was instantly hooked. I came back and did my PAL and Hunter Safety within a week if being home. Now after 6 weeks I finally got my PAL in the mail and want to get started in my pursuit of Clay Shooting. I have the basics an Uncle with lots of acreage and some clays. I would like to know what choke tube you would recommend for shooting clays as well what type of shotgun is the most versatile for some migratory bird hunting and clay shooting. Also the ammo and anything else you would reccommend I could use. I checked out the EE but there are so many different types it was mind boggling. I figured the best way to find out was to ask the experts.
Newbie shooting clays or at least trying
- Thread starter Greens_11
- Start date
lucky07
CGN frequent flyer
Pump shotgun. Full choke. 7 1/2 shot.
Pump will give you the most versatility in the long run IMO. Some people love semi autos but I personally don't see what the big deal is.
Full choke. Tightest pattern which means you will have to aim good to hit the clays. And it'll blast 'em into dust when you hit them good. I've shot clay with one of those skeet chokes (one step above cylinder bore) and i found it to be too easy to hit 'em but they never shattered good. (I know theres a BIG diff. between one of those and a full choke but none the less that was my experience).
When I shoot clay I use a full choke because it gets me pointing better and I have more chances of missing if I'm off a little. When I hunt crow I use IM choke. Then I aim (point) just as good but my patterns a bit wider which gives me more of a margin for error. Don't hunt waterfowl yet so I can't say if it's the same with steel.
Pump will give you the most versatility in the long run IMO. Some people love semi autos but I personally don't see what the big deal is.
Full choke. Tightest pattern which means you will have to aim good to hit the clays. And it'll blast 'em into dust when you hit them good. I've shot clay with one of those skeet chokes (one step above cylinder bore) and i found it to be too easy to hit 'em but they never shattered good. (I know theres a BIG diff. between one of those and a full choke but none the less that was my experience).
When I shoot clay I use a full choke because it gets me pointing better and I have more chances of missing if I'm off a little. When I hunt crow I use IM choke. Then I aim (point) just as good but my patterns a bit wider which gives me more of a margin for error. Don't hunt waterfowl yet so I can't say if it's the same with steel.
Many people will use an over/under for clay shooting and a semi for bird hunting.
Personally, I am not too picky, I use my pump with a 28" barrel, modified choke and 7 1/2 shot. Its the same gun that I hunt with but I change up the ammo and the barrel if necessary
However, if your going to do skeet, you'll want a more open choke.
Personally, I am not too picky, I use my pump with a 28" barrel, modified choke and 7 1/2 shot. Its the same gun that I hunt with but I change up the ammo and the barrel if necessary
However, if your going to do skeet, you'll want a more open choke.
That's not bad advice for shooting trap but not so good for sporting clays.
I like pump guns and shoot one occasionally but not when I'm serious about shooting a decent score. On a tight pair the pump gun is a handicap especially for a new shooter. A semi-automatic is a better choice.
My dual purpose gun for both sporting clays and migratory waterfowl is a Beretta 391 semi-automatic. I can shoot this gun almost as well as my o/u and it's a good performer on ducks and geese.
Remington 1100/1187 are okay but not as good IMO as the Beretta, Browning Gold or the Winchester SX3 series.
Different clay games (skeet, sporting clays, and trap) require different chokes. Make sure you get a gun that has interchangeable chokes. Different Remington chokes only cost about 20-30 bucks.
Once you get good at a pump action, it isn't much of a disability for doubles. But for a beginner it can be tough.
Once you get good at a pump action, it isn't much of a disability for doubles. But for a beginner it can be tough.
