Sporting Clay For A Newbie

TaylorH1986

TaylorH1986

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I'm pretty new to sporting clays (been out 3 times) and I was just wondering what everyones firearm of choice is when it comes to sporting clays; semi v.s. O/U?

Right now I'm using a Rem. 870 express in a 3 1/2" 12ga. and it's alot of action to pump! (I tend to do the odd short pump with lighter target loads :mad:)

I'm possibly looking at putting aside around $1000-$1500 for a NEW (not used) semi or O/U and am not sure which direction to go any advice would be great!

Thanks, Taylor.
 
I use a Remington 1100 Monte Carlo, it Came with a 30" barrel for clays & a 28" barrel for skeet. Beautiful wood. I got it used for $600.00
I think it's a great gun for the money.
Kind Regards,Henry
 
Given your budget I would stick with a semi-auto. A new sporting clay's U/O in your stated price range will be a compromise. You can get a pretty good new semi for less than $1,500.

Don't be too quick to dismiss a used gun as a possibility. You can find a nearly new Beretta Teknys (or Urika II Sporting) for less than $1,500, and these guns are as good as it gets for a sporting clay's semi. The shim adjustable stock is of real benefit.


Sharptail
 
Thanks for the help, any suggestions on what to avoid when looking at a used firearm, as I understand alot of the used ones tend to have a higher number of rounds being put through them?
 
There are a lot of guys here who can give good ideas on what to look for. So I hope they will speak up for you. I'm actually going through the same thing you are, only with my second gun. (It'll be another O/U. Probably a Citori Skeet. I just love O/U's.) One thing I am going to do before I buy a used shotgun (there are good deals out there) this time around, is shoot at a 2 or 3 inch bull on a 30X30 sheet of paper at 16 yards off hand a number of times using a full choke to see where I hit with it. While I'm doing this I'm going to be sure that I am looking at the bull rather than the sights much as if I am shooting a clay bird. If the gun shoots off center for me and comes with an adjustable butt pad and/or comb, I will adjust it to see if I can get it to shoot. If I can't get it to shoot I probably won't buy it. I have become convinced, since buying and working with my first clays gun, that one has to get a gun to shoot where one is looking in order to have a chance to do well. I know if the gun wont do that for me, I won't shoot well with it, and I am in for a good chunk of expense and hard work before I get it so I can. I don't think I'll worry too much about the number of rounds that have been through the gun as long as there isn't severe galling around pivot points, everything works and the firearm has the appearance of being cared for. I'm sure my Citori has had thousands of rounds through it and it still works just fine (even if it does shoot crooked sometimes ;)). Hope this helps. Fred
 
... any suggestions on what to avoid when looking at a used firearm...
Click to expand...

Taylor, take off the barrel and examine the bore by looking toward a light or the sky. Move the barrel around until you have a clear, glare free view. If the barrel has not been cleaned, ask the vendor to clean it. Look for dark spots (pits) or streaks (leading or scratches). A high use gun will show a lot of streaking (leading) in front of the chamber. A pitted barrel is to be avoided, as is a scratched one. Many modern semis have chrome lined bores, so you should expect near perfection on a low usage gun.

Run your fingers up and down the length of the barrels feeling for dents. Many small dents can be hard to see, but you can feel them. Examine the rib as well.

Take out the choke tube and examine the threads. Cross threaded or damaged threads are not good.

With the gun still apart, now look at the bolt face. A nice round firing pin should be visible in a neat round hole. An oblong or distorted hole is to be avoided. Any gun that has been fired to any extent will show an imprint of the shell on the bolt face. Greater usage will show a stronger imprint, high usage guns will show slight pitting or a roughness to the bolt face.

Reassemble the gun and pull back on the bolt. It should feel fairly smooth, not gritty. The spring tension should be reasonably stiff and consistent. Ask for (or bring with you) a snap cap. Insert the snap cap in the chamber, release the bolt, turn the safety ON and pull the trigger. The gun should not go click. Then release the safety and pull the trigger - it should break crisply without undue effort, and the gun should click with some authority. Pull back on the bolt smartly and the snap cap should eject cleanly.

If the barrel bore is in pristine condition and the bolt face looks pretty new, then you have a low milage gun. If the barrel is full of leading and the action feels loose and kind of rough then it has been shot a lot.

While you are at it, stick your finger in the loading gate and push forward on the magazine follower, it should slide freely. Feeding problems on a quality gun are quite rare, but look for any obvious bent or sticky parts.

Guns such as the Beretta 391 series should function flawlessly for tens of thousands of rounds if cared for properly and cleaned regularly. In the end springs can weaken or break, but these are easy to replace. It is genuinely difficult to wear the gun out completely, abuse or misuse is what you are really looking for. I am sure that others will have many tips or hints to add, but this should give you the basics and ensure that you find a used, not abused gun.


Sharptail
 
Follow Sharptails infos and I would highly recommend for your price range any 390 or 391 Beretta Sporting gun in 30 inch. You may use it for clays or game very succesfully! The two are the most reliable semis on the market ever! My 390 had over 27,000 rounds for my long term test report with only 12 FTF. My 391 Gold Sporting Optima has not been cleaned since I first got it from Stoeger when they first came out, 4 plus years! Keep them wet with Breakfree!

Regards,
Henry;)
 
hnachaj said:
Follow Sharptails infos and I would highly recommend for your price range any 390 or 391 Beretta Sporting gun in 30 inch. You may use it for clays or game very succesfully! The two are the most reliable semis on the market ever! My 390 had over 27,000 rounds for my long term test report with only 12 FTF. My 391 Gold Sporting Optima has not been cleaned since I first got it from Stoeger when they first came out, 4 plus years! Keep them wet with Breakfree!

Regards,
Henry;)
Click to expand...

If you are going for a semi, I agree with Henry. The 390 or 391 is the most popular sporting gun on the planet.

Some will say that the Stoeger semi isn't bad either. Considerably cheaper.

I bought my first Browning used about 8 years ago for $1500. It's had an awful lot of shells through it, but is still going strong.

If you are thinking of getting into reloading, an o/u is the way to go. You get to save your hulls easier, you can geed it almost any kind of shell (light, heavy) and as long as it fits in the chamber, you can shoot it.

Semis tend to be a bit more finicky about ammo.
 
Thanks for the great advice guys!

Next time I'm at the local shop I'll definately look into shouldering the beretta 391's, I'll probably have to wait another 40 years until I retire before being able to afford one of them nice fancy O/U, haha.

Thanks especially to Sharptail for taking the time to explain things, I'll definately take what you said into consideration when comparing used models!

:)
 
A look at a busy Club's gun rack on a day of a big shoot will soon tell the story.

You will see a pant load of Beretta 391's in various models and mostly Browning & Beretta O/U's, plus a smattering of other makes. Top level shooters will be found
with Perazzi's, Kreighoffs, & Berettas ...plus the odd Blaser, Kolar, Rizzini, Guerini or Kemen or older Winchester 101 or Remington 32 O/U. There will also be the odd Browning Gold or Silver, Remington 1100 or 11-87, a few Benelli's and maybe even
a Winchester SX-1, 2 or 3.

Most of the rest ( unless I've inadvertantly made a major omission)
just ain't in the runnin' !
 
beretta boy said:
A look at a busy Club's gun rack on a day of a big shoot will soon tell the story.

You will see a pant load of Beretta 391's in various models and mostly Browning & Beretta O/U's, plus a smattering of other makes. Top level shooters will be found
with Perazzi's, Kreighoffs, & Berettas ...plus the odd Blaser, Kolar, Rizzini, Guerini or Kemen or older Winchester 101 or Remington 32 O/U. There will also be the odd Browning Gold or Silver, Remington 1100 or 11-87, a few Benelli's and maybe even
a Winchester SX-1, 2 or 3.

Most of the rest ( unless I've inadvertantly made a major omission)
just ain't in the runnin' !
Click to expand...

I would also look at the Beretta A300 series. I just picked up a nice A303. I much prefer it to the 390-391 series. and I have owned 2 391's.
 
Another vote here for the Beretta 391 with either a 28 or 30 inch barrel. The 391s are reliable, durable and sufficiently adjustable with the shims and recoil pad options to fit most shooters. They are being used by shooters who can afford an high-end o/u but have discovered that they shoot the Beretta just as well as their more expensive gun. :redface:

Sharptails advice on buying a used gun is excellent. If the gun is used and being sold locally then ask to try it if possible.

Don't be in too much of a hurry to buy a new gun. Try a few if you can. Most shooters won't mind letting a new person put a few rounds through their gun if you show an interest and ask nicely.

Once you have settled on your choice the next purchase should be some instruction. Being shown how to shoot sporting is a lot easier than learning by trial and error.
 
Well I swung by a local dealer today and he didn't happen to have any 391s in stock, so I wasn't able to shoulder up and have a feel, I think I might start looking casually into a used one considering the price difference though.

Anyone have an opinion on this "kick-off" feature that the new ones have?

Also wondering what people think of the Stoeger Condor 12ga Comp. w/ adj. comb? It's considerably cheaper than some of the other O/U's, but I don't want to compromise and end up with a piece of junk!

And last, the local dealer had a sale on a Ruger Red Label O/U for $1595 reg. $2095 and was wondering if it was actually much of a deal or not, looked like a decent gun and $500 difference is pretty big?

Again, thanks for the advice guys! This site kicks A$$!:)
 
TaylorH1986 said:
Well I swung by a local dealer today and he didn't happen to have any 391s in stock, so I wasn't able to shoulder up and have a feel, I think I might start looking casually into a used one considering the price difference though.

Anyone have an opinion on this "kick-off" feature that the new ones have?

Also wondering what people think of the Stoeger Condor 12ga Comp. w/ adj. comb? It's considerably cheaper than some of the other O/U's, but I don't want to compromise and end up with a piece of junk!

And last, the local dealer had a sale on a Ruger Red Label O/U for $1595 reg. $2095 and was wondering if it was actually much of a deal or not, looked like a decent gun and $500 difference is pretty big?

Again, thanks for the advice guys! This site kicks A$$!:)
Click to expand...


We have an older shooter at our club who just loves his Stoeger.

The Ruger Red Label tends to be a thumpy gun, and if recoil is a concern, you might want to steer clear.
 
Well, I got to shoot a Browning Citori at the range on Thursday night, really liked it and did pretty well with it. Makes me think I should hold out for a used Citori in decent shape, but I also just noticed a Browning Gold Sporting Golden Clays for $1050 at the local shop that looked to be in pretty good shape.

Man I suck at making decisions!!!!! Haha.
 
I had it budgeted out for roughly $2300 taxes in, on a decent Browning Citori, but after borrowing the Citori and a Ruger Red Label I went with the Red Label. I liked the little bit of extra weight, and didn't find it to be a mule at all. I was able to get a little "Ruger Package Deal", the Red Label was Priced at $1,295 and there was a Ruger Ranch Rifle in .233 for $850. I was able to get the pair of them for $2000. Including 2 gun socks, 2 boxes of .233, and had the front bead on the Red Label switched from one of those fibre optic jobbies back to a bead; The total came to $2297.18 and I was pretty happy with my new purchase'.

Went out this morning for a 75 clay round of sporting clays and shot 43/75 which is about average for me, and was really happy with the RL, shooting it for the second time.
 
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