What makes a good Skeet gun?

[maliqua]

This may already be covered in another thread (but i looked and couldn't find)

But i'd like to discuss what shotgun configurations people like for the various clay busting activities be it skeet, trap, sporting clays or some other one i don't know exists even.

Not so much models and vendor specifics, but chokes barrels and semi auto, pump, break etc. But mostly i want to know WHY you like the configuration your using.

 

[Beretta687EELL]

The gun has to fit you and shoot where you look.

Generally speaking many shooters are gravitating to a heads up style of shooting, so we are seeing many more high rib guns and fully adjustable stocks.

Chokes are usually as open as possible, but still need to throw a good pattern. This can vary according to ammunition and barrels. As an example, my Brother shoots different choke constrictions in .410 based on reloaded and new ammunition.

Trial and error is the method to find what works best for you.

 

[brybenn]

For skeet 2 barrels lol. I use a marocchi 4 barrel set for skeet all fixed skeet chokes 12ga 20ga 28ga n 410. I also use a beretta silver hawk 30" tubes side by side choke f/m and a baikal ij58 sxs 28 5/8" barrels f/m. I also use my 535ats 12 ga pump with a 4x full choke for fun. For trap I use a ithaca 4e flues trap gun I love it. For sporting clays n 5stand I use my pump with a full choke or my side by sides. I lov titer fixed chokes. Also prefer sxs's as well. Anything u can shoot good that has 2 shot capacity is gun I like field style guns for everything but use a trap gun on the trap range. Ppl really stare when I also use a sxs for trap

 

[maliqua]

Thanks for the input, I am really interested to see what people find is working for them.

personally i don't think I'll be going for a break action (they are a bit cost prohibitive for me at the moment) In time I'll probably upgrade to something more effective at the moment i'm just using a 12 guage remington 870 that belongs to someone else

 

[Shootshellz]

I use either a 12 ga. or 20 ga. Beretta 390 for skeet. I have also used a 12 ga. Remington 870 (the shotgun my son uses, although he has a left-hand version). I can't pump my Remington 870 as fast as I used to, so I usually shoot either Beretta. My son (at 22) can pump his 870 much faster than dear old dad. Shotgun fit is the name of the game whether you enjoy skeet, trap or sporting clays (or all three).

 

[gwagen]

For skeet you will find that most shooters prefer a gun with a 50/50 Point of Impact or POI

That means that half of the pattern will be above the sight plane and half will be below. This is ideal for crossing targets, such as those found in skeet.

A skeet gun should balance between the hands, preferably at the hinge in the O/U

A skeet gun should not be too light or to heavy,

if its too light it is whippy and has a lot of recoil and muzzle rise which makes the second shot on doubles more difficult.

Too heavy and it can be hard to get moving and if your are to vigourous and beat the bird hard to slow down before its too late.

Ideally a skeet guns is around 7-3/4 lbs to 9 lbs with a subgauge tubeset.

A trap gun ideally has a heads up shooting style, ie montecarlo stock etc.

A high adjustable rib, and most believe now a higher POI

People nowadays like 70/30 or even 90/10 this way you can keep the target insight and follow it and break it.

I find when shooting trap the barrel in relation to the target in more precise and critical, in skeet the targets are always much closer and leads are larger.

With trap you use tighter chokes and have a smaller pattern and are shooting the target a further distance, a gun with longer barrels, high ribs and stocks all make this easier.

A trap gun should be fairly heavy, to help with felt recoil, trap is a faster paced game and recoil is the enemy.

Finally sporting clays.

This is not my area of expertise but here it goes.

Sporting clays guns are typically very light, usually use imp cyl and mod or imp. mod and mod chokes.

The often have a POI that is tad bit higher than 50/50 perhaps 55/45 or 60/40

They balance between the hands very well, have instant pointability and come up very easily, the stocks have larger amounts of drop at heel to help with the quick mounting that most shooters use.

Automatics are very popular in sporting clays but so are O/U

Competitive Trap is mostly dominated nowadays by single barrel double barrel combination O/U

Skeet is mostly dominated by O/U as well but there are always going to be shooters out there with semi and pumps.

Hope this helps and I didn't make too many mistakes

 

[Covey Ridge]

I think that more and more we are starting to see the evolution of one gun that will do a good job at trap, skeet and sporting clays. A few examples. Beretta 391 Parallel target with 30 inch barrel. Several Models of Browning o/u guns with 30-32 inch tubes and adjustable stocks. That Caesar Guerini Summit Impact Sporting where everything is adjustable.