starting o/u

B

BTC101

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hi was wondering what a good entry level o/u would be i shoot lots of trap with my remington 870 express but i like the look of the o/u's i was looking at the yildiz spzm and the CZ redhead deluxe is there any others in that price range any thoughts or opinions it would be greatly appreciated
 
Both decent guns, although some yildiz receivers are not steel, I might be wary of that. The low mileage "B" gun is good advice. A used browning or beretta may be a good option. Used Savage Milano's or Ruger Red Label's also an option. Or a Franchi Affinity.
 
If you are shooting lots of trap then I would also look for a used B gun , Winchester 101 or SKB etc. They can be had for the price of a new CZ Redhead or less. Or if you aren't hung up on removeable chokes, you can pic up used Charles Daly's for not too much. Just look for one made by Miruku, same company that made the Browning Citori.
 
If you are looking for a trap only gun I second Maynard's list. An O/U gives you more freedom to try more games but a Single Barrel Trap gun is a wonderful way to shoot singles and handicap. Get a used BT99 with fixed chokes for cheap and have at it. Keep your Express and use it for skeet and sporting clays for now. If the bug bites for those games later get another gun for those games

If you go the O/U route and want a trap gun you need weight to soak up recoil, longer barrels to smooth out your swing and a higher comb on the stock to give you a higher point of impact. The O/U's mentioned other than the B guns are fine guns, but are not set up for trap. The B guns may not be either, so if trap is what's on the menu, look for one of the trap models
 
I started off on the cheap route with a Mossberg silver reserve, learned a lot with it, but after about 400 rounds, it stated to break open after the first barrel was shot! Saved some more bucks and upgraded to a citori and have been very pleased since. If you get a chance to look at both and the way the trigger group works, you will know what I mean. I think the Mossie was a turkish build, machining of parts was sub par to put it plainly. B guns are much much better. Browning, Beretta, Benelli will steer you right from my experience.
 
Most shooters do not shoot enough volume to wear out an alloy frame liek the Yildiz guns use , but over the course of an afternoon, the extra weight of a real trap gun will make a difference if you are going to use it only for trap or skkeet.
if your main quarry has feathers however, a light weight field gun will be a lot easier to shoot than a heavier gun , at the end of the day of carrying it!
For a dedicated trap gun can look for an 1100 Remington, 870TB, or a BT99, etc, all do well....
Cat
 
I'll second what's been said about the B guns. They are well made, and maintenance is pretty much a non-event as parts are readily available and gunsmiths are very familiar with these guns.

Having said that, I also like the FAIR made guns. I can't comment on durability as I haven't shot them enough to break anything but they have a good reputation back in Blighty. They do build some dedicated trap guns, but availability in North America seems to be sketchy at best.
 
I asked my local stores about the CZ Redhead, since it gets good reviews and seems to be the LEAST one would want to invest in a O/U. Both said they couldn't get them because Canada doesn't have a CZ USA distributor right now. Don't know if that changed or not recently.

I just picked up a used Beretta Silver Pigeon II for $1699.00, a very fair price I believe. You get a bunch of benefits, like total value retainment, 5 chokes, good name, good workmanship, etc.
 
Purchase a good used O/U,...the stuff they make these days are of poor quality unless you have deep pockets.
Stay away from anything Turkish, the CZ, Yildiz and so on are not Trap guns,...they are very inexpensive field guns, not worth a nickle once purchased.
Purchase a used Citori Trap or a used Beretta 680/682 Trap gun,...these guns will out-live you and parts are readily available. These guns also retain their value quite well.
Keep your eyes open on the net for a Browning/Beretta,...be patient,...better to spend a couple hundred more on these then to have more/less Turkish crap you wish you never saw.
Really don't need chokes if you only plan to shoot Trap, but it's a bonus if the gun comes with tubes.

my two cents
 
Cesare said:
Purchase a good used O/U,...the stuff they make these days are of poor quality unless you have deep pockets.
Stay away from anything Turkish, the CZ, Yildiz and so on are not Trap guns,...they are very inexpensive field guns, not worth a nickle once purchased.
Purchase a used Citori Trap or a used Beretta 680/682 Trap gun,...these guns will out-live you and parts are readily available. These guns also retain their value quite well.
Keep your eyes open on the net for a Browning/Beretta,...be patient,...better to spend a couple hundred more on these then to have more/less Turkish crap you wish you never saw.Really don't need chokes if you only plan to shoot Trap, but it's a bonus if the gun comes with tubes.

my two cents
Click to expand...

I know this is your opinion but in general this is not quite true. Some Turkish guns one needs to stay away from. But some, like the CZ ,are very good value for the money for their intended use, that being they are a hunting gun. They fill a niche that other makers are not filling. I had a CZ sxs and an over/under. Only reason I sold them is because I am more into vintage guns. The mistake some make are buying a gun like this with the intended use of a fair volume of sporting clays. Then when the guns doesn't last the brand bashing starts. Again, for hunting purposes the CZ made by Huglu is great. Something like the Mossberg Silver Reserve or Stevens 512 I would stay away from.
 
Cesare said:
Purchase a good used O/U,...the stuff they make these days are of poor quality unless you have deep pockets.
Stay away from anything Turkish, the CZ, Yildiz and so on are not Trap guns,...they are very inexpensive field guns, not worth a nickle once purchased.
Purchase a used Citori Trap or a used Beretta 680/682 Trap gun,...these guns will out-live you and parts are readily available. These guns also retain their value quite well.
Keep your eyes open on the net for a Browning/Beretta,...be patient,...better to spend a couple hundred more on these then to have more/less Turkish crap you wish you never saw.
Really don't need chokes if you only plan to shoot Trap, but it's a bonus if the gun comes with tubes.

my two cents
Click to expand...
CZ has more than just field guns.
http://www.cz-usa.com/products/view/redhead-target/
http://www.cz-usa.com/products/view/cz-sporting/
http://www.cz-usa.com/products/view/SporterStandardGrade/
Cat
 
Don't dismiss the other B gun the Baikal. Solid ( a little stiff at first) almost impossible to wear out and has some life in the barrels when it comes to handling. Best of all they are very reasonably priced. When I say B gun I mean Baikal.

regards, Darryl
 
A Turkish field gun with a Target stock, isn't my idea of a reliable Target breaking machine,...they are still unable to handle the punishment of years of target shooting (maybe even months),...very simply, you get what you pay for...it's your money :)
Have a look and talk with any Target Shooter out there, ask them what they are using,...you won't hear CZ/Baikal/Yildiz/Mossberg and so on. What you will hear is Browning/Beretta, and on the upper scale Perazzi MX8/Beretta DT10/Kolar/Kreigoff..so on.

Like I said, it's your money, I'm just trying to throw in 30 years of experience.

A poor man can only afford the best !

Cesare
 
Unless you know something about them that nobody else does , you are very wrong.
they are not "'just a field gun with a target stock"
Some CZ's that I know of have had thousands of rounds through them with no problem.
Besides , most shooters do not shoot the volume needed to break a gun in their lifetime.
I shot over 275 games of clays last year with field guns , so what?
Even Kreighoffs break occasionally.
Maybe you should email Ton Knapp and tell him he shouldn't be shooting a CZ because it will break.
And yes, he does shoot factory guns.
The best gun for a person is not always the most expensive.
I have beaten more than a few shooters using high end guns over the years when I was shooting an 870TB or an 1100, but that is not the point.
The point is, a person can go out and spend a pile of money of they want to and end up wit the same results that they would get by using a cheaper gun.
4 or 5 rounds of clays a weekend is not going to prematurely wear out a shotgun.

Cat
 
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Cat,

No disrespect, we'll agree to dis-agree :) ...but I don't think your understanding my point. I don't want people to spend more money, just spend it wisely !

I am thinking of the man/woman who's on a budget,...trying to save them money and grief, that's all.

I shoot Trap/Skeet, and seen way to many people with inexpensive guns that break down. I think people on a budget (especially on a budget) should spend the same ammount of money they would on a Turkish gun and spend it on a used B-Gun....like I said, it's their money,...just trying to keep people from being discouraged from the sport and keeping money in their pockets...btw an 870/1100 is a far more reliable and proven 'American' made gun, better to have one of these than a Turkish gun.

Tom Knapps is a paid REP for companies like Benelli,..he is a paid trick shooters and paid to pull people into purchasing that brand-name gun (no one here is a trick shooter or wants to be one). I'm sure Tom could/can trick shoot with a $25 single shot Coey. As I said before...., ask any Traget shooter if he shoots a Turkish gun,...you will here NO ;) even someone on a tight budget and who is an occasional shooter. A poor man can only afford the best !


Cesare
 
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Tom left Bennelli and has has worked for CZ for quite some time and runs thousand of rounds through his CZ's, as do many of the members at shotgunworld.co.
The issue I take is people automatically saying that a browning or Beretta is a better gun than an 1100, canvasback, or any other gun that is not considered a competition gun.
he majority of shooters will never run the kind of round count every weekend that is needed to break most guns.
I've seen $5,000 guns break on the line, and they are all a POS if they are broke, not to mention the fact that if a gun doesn't fit well. it's no good to a person.
I've had several people tell me they can't shoot my 3200, and i know of several that won't even look at a Kreighoff - I have one for sale in fact !
Cat
 
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