im looking to buy a all around clay gun to shoot at my club. im not new to shooting but new to the sport of clays. my club has fitasc trap 5 stand and sporting clays. i was looking at the citori xs special high rib with a 32" barrel. the top of my price range is $3000. can anyone give me some advice of whats a good all around shotgun. maybe suggestions of what to buy, also what to look for when buying a clay gun. thanks a bunch.
What to look for in a clay shotgun
- Thread starter lannard
- Start date
The first thing is a gun that fits. An all round gun would be one with choke tubes, good fit, feels good and will stand up to the constant rigours of clay target shooting. Longer barrels are generally more common in clay shooting with 30" being the minimum I'd suggest for an all round over/under with 28" the minimum for a semi-automatic.
The Citori is a good choice if it fits. In the same price range are various Berettas and they are also worth looking into. Guerinis are good guns as well and you can get one for under $3,000.
But the gun that I recommend for people just getting into clay target shooting isn't an o/u but a semi-automatic. The Beretta 391 Urika Sporting is around $1,400. It has stock spacers to adjust fit and comes with a full range of choke tubes. There are many shooters including me who are using the 391 more often than our over/unders. The 391 is also no slouch in a duck blind either.
The Citori is a good choice if it fits. In the same price range are various Berettas and they are also worth looking into. Guerinis are good guns as well and you can get one for under $3,000.
But the gun that I recommend for people just getting into clay target shooting isn't an o/u but a semi-automatic. The Beretta 391 Urika Sporting is around $1,400. It has stock spacers to adjust fit and comes with a full range of choke tubes. There are many shooters including me who are using the 391 more often than our over/unders. The 391 is also no slouch in a duck blind either.
Clays choice
C B could not agree more on your advice, cept fer the fact that when a customer has in his mind he wants to buy an over and under, no amount of talking can sway them. IMHO.
Now for good quality guns your choices are Guerini, in the $2800 range for the summit sporting or Limited, available with extended chokes in a 32 inch pipe. We have one @ P&D in Edmonton. Beretta have several options starting in the $2300 range. Browning have a tremendous assortment of o/U guns in their catalogue. However many folks in the sporting clays game consider Browning O/U's a little club like compared to their Italian counterparts. The most improved model is the Synergy according to some folks reports from the Shot Show in Las Vegas last week.
As CB was saying gun fit is every thing and I 2nd that because right after gun fit is gun mount, which I say can be equally important, but thats a learned skill.
If you are into great looking wood The Caesar Guerinni is unbeatable in its price point. FS
C B could not agree more on your advice, cept fer the fact that when a customer has in his mind he wants to buy an over and under, no amount of talking can sway them. IMHO.
Now for good quality guns your choices are Guerini, in the $2800 range for the summit sporting or Limited, available with extended chokes in a 32 inch pipe. We have one @ P&D in Edmonton. Beretta have several options starting in the $2300 range. Browning have a tremendous assortment of o/U guns in their catalogue. However many folks in the sporting clays game consider Browning O/U's a little club like compared to their Italian counterparts. The most improved model is the Synergy according to some folks reports from the Shot Show in Las Vegas last week.
As CB was saying gun fit is every thing and I 2nd that because right after gun fit is gun mount, which I say can be equally important, but thats a learned skill.
If you are into great looking wood The Caesar Guerinni is unbeatable in its price point. FS
beretta boy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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Personally, I would avoid a high-rib anything ... they seem more suited to Trap (ATA-type) shooting than anything else. 32" barrels seem to be the most poular trend for Sporting & FITASC these days, however I wonder if 30" isn't the more effective "all-round" chioce. Not everyone can adequately handle even a well-balanced 32".
Gun fit ( and that doesn't mean "Gee, she really comes up nice ! " ) and balance are critical. You should be able to centre your shot charge with a 50/50 or at most 60/40 (above/below POA) pattern, and the balnce point should be roughly through the hinge pin ... or about 2" off the breech face.
Any further back, the gun will be lively, but not smooth. Any further forward, it will have a smooth swing, but will otherwise feel like a pig on a pitchfork.
The Beretta 686E, Browning 525/625 or XS Special Low rib Sporters or Caesar
Guerini Sporter or Limited Sporters would all seem to fit your budget limits, as would a good used Beretta 682 Gold or Gold E Sporter.
After a bit of good coaching and mentoring and maybe 5000 rounds, you should be able to develop a pretty good idea of what's required for fit and balance adjustments ... and develop a good mounting technique in the interim.
Enjoy
Gun fit ( and that doesn't mean "Gee, she really comes up nice ! " ) and balance are critical. You should be able to centre your shot charge with a 50/50 or at most 60/40 (above/below POA) pattern, and the balnce point should be roughly through the hinge pin ... or about 2" off the breech face.
Any further back, the gun will be lively, but not smooth. Any further forward, it will have a smooth swing, but will otherwise feel like a pig on a pitchfork.
The Beretta 686E, Browning 525/625 or XS Special Low rib Sporters or Caesar
Guerini Sporter or Limited Sporters would all seem to fit your budget limits, as would a good used Beretta 682 Gold or Gold E Sporter.
After a bit of good coaching and mentoring and maybe 5000 rounds, you should be able to develop a pretty good idea of what's required for fit and balance adjustments ... and develop a good mounting technique in the interim.
Enjoy
All one has to do is take in a few sporting events to realize that there is no right gun for everyone. In my area it seems to be a toss up between beretta or browning for the most popular o/u. For autos beretta, in particular the 391 seems most popular, but there is lots of browning gold and win super X. This all leads me to think that gun fit is the most important. see post by beretta boy.
That said, I am an o/u guy, but I am also an older guy and I am going to give an auto a try, just for recoil reasons. When the weather breaks I will give the 391 a go.
BTW, WSS has just got a whole skid of Rizini(sp) guns. Mostly o/us and a few sportings. I only had a quick peek, at one 12 gauge sporting, so I do not wish to give opinion on quality, yet!
That said, I am an o/u guy, but I am also an older guy and I am going to give an auto a try, just for recoil reasons. When the weather breaks I will give the 391 a go.
BTW, WSS has just got a whole skid of Rizini(sp) guns. Mostly o/us and a few sportings. I only had a quick peek, at one 12 gauge sporting, so I do not wish to give opinion on quality, yet!
Lots of good advice in the posts above.I had a Beretta 391 but I was having too many fail to feeds.I got rid of it and picked up a Remington 1100 sporting and a Beretta 686E with 30" barrels.I like shooting both guns and it depends on my mood which one I take to the club.Both guns seem to be good value for the money. Cheers Bac4
I will pass the same advise to you as I do to guys at our range that are looking into a new firearm. Go to your range and ask other shooters to try their shotguns (bring own shells of course). I bet everyone at your range would gladly let you try theirs.
I will pass the same advise to you as I do to guys at our range that are looking into a new firearm. Go to your range and ask other shooters to try their shotguns (bring own shells of course). I bet everyone at your range would gladly let you try theirs then you can decide more easily.
