Why not a Maverick 88 for skeet?

trebor2880

trebor2880

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Due to peer pressure, I'm going to give skeet shooting a try. My shotguns all have a full choke, so I was considering buying a 12 gauge Maverick 88 for the job.
I can get one new, shipped and taxed, for under 300 bucks, and get an after market skeet choke for 'bout another 75 bucks.
Reviews praise this gun, and it comes with a 28" vent ribbed barrel with a removable modified choke. I can get an actual Mossberg Imp. Cyl. choke for half the price of the skeet choke.
If I change the choke to "skeet", would this make an acceptable gun for my needs, or will I be laughed off the range before taking my first shot.
 
Some people shoot skeet very well with a pump action, but it would not be my choice to learn the game of skeet. If you are going to use a pump gun for skeet, a smooth action is an advantage.
 
I use a Mossberg 500 for shooting clays works very well, but an auto would be nice.i would think an 88 would be ok. Nice about the 500 it's a combo so has a short barrel too....

I'm going to edit and say I'm shooting trap not skeet...so no double targets
 
trebor2880 said:
I'm better of with a auto, or O/U?
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Not having to manually cycle the action does give you one less thing to think about on doubles, which can make it easier to learn the game. As well, a gas operated semi auto does produce less recoil, as will a heavier O/U. Either way, purchase target loads, rather than field loads, as recoil can become an issue when shooting many rounds at a session.
 
Go for it....don't let the "european crowd"...typical at many trap and skeet ranges tell you otherwise. You DO NOT need a krieghoff k 80 to shoot well...in fact, if you can become competent with the 88...imagine how good you'll be if you ever upgraded... summary, go out and have fun with whatever you have..or can get affordably.
 
If you are not planning to compete, the 88 will be fine.
I sometimes shoot skeet with an old Wingmaster or an even older M12 Winchester with a Cutts compensator on it.
Lots of fun......
Cat
 
Use what you already own to try. Then after a few times out decide if you want to buy something just for that. I've only shot trap and its a lot of fun. At my club you will see everything from high end O/U's to tacticool shorties. Everyone enjoys the game with no clap backs on equipment.
 
The main drawback in my mind to the mav 88 would be the weight. The turkish guns tend to be pretty light for their size, so your shoulder will take a bit more of a beating. For me they're mainly a hunting gun where you carry it a lot and don't shoot it a whole ton.

That being said as long as they fit you well there's no reason they won't work well, i do best while shooting clays with a cheap turkish semi from corwin, it just seems to fit me. You'll just take a bit more of a beating if you're putting a lot of rounds through it, and if you get really serious you (probably) wouldn't expect them to hold up to thousands of rounds a year if that's you thing. For the occasional round of clays with friends though, no reason it won't work.
 
I have to ask, have you shouldered an 88? Does it fit you? Do you have an idea how to tell if a shotgun fits you? Before you purchase any shotgun, do some research on shotgun fit, as shotgun fit is very important if you want to shoot the gun well.
 
Borrow something to make sure you want to play that game. Any shotgun will work at skeet, even your old full choke guns. Just bear in mind that you are shooting at a bit of a disadvantage. If you are going to take the game up and try to be competitive, then you really would be wasting your money on a cheap pump gun. They will all work ... some better than others, it all depends on what you want out of the game.

Keep it fun and enjoy yourself.
 
If you are asking why not its because its too light for recoil management and good repeatable gun swing, too slow when shooting pairs, picking up hulls is a PITA, and the gun isn't made well enough to shoot high volumes. Ask an experienced shooter how many 88's they have seen on the field and the answer is likely zero.

Now why to shoot one, its inexpensive, will break birds if the shooter does their part, and it gets you out on the field.

Try other shooter's guns. Shoot one gun with 2 guys. The same guys pressuring you to shoot skeet should be willing to share or lend suitable guns.
 
oops said:
Freak out some of those stuffy old coots,put a pistol grip and a door breacher choke on the end.......
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We had one fellow come out and shoot one round with a folding stock tactical 870. After getting beat up by recoil for one round, he had enough, and called it quits.
 
don't listen to anyone saying you cant do it. My first shotgun was a maverick 88 and I learned to shoot skeet, and trap with it and wouldn't have hesitated to shoot sporting with it. The gun is a beast, super reliable and shoot where you point them. As long as the gun fits you and you can shoot it, it will work great.
Yes an over under or auto is better for doubles and whatnot but definitely not a necessity. I go to prize shoots every winter and one of the best shooters there shoots a 26" no name pump shotgun and beats most people there. He also has a $4000 over/under that he prefers his pump over. Its what youre comfortable with.
 
I sincerely thank everyone for their input. Now I'm totally confused. But the one thing I found most important, is to make sure the gun fits me.
 
oops said:
Freak out some of those stuffy old coots,put a pistol grip and a door breacher choke on the end.......
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Oddly enough I have never seen it freak out the old coots but rather it provides entertainment watching some guy get beat to death with a gun that doesn’t fit and even after many friendly offers of letting them try out some purpose designed guns that are fit adjustable and are offered to have the gun adjusted to try it, watch them continue to suffer through miss after miss with intermittent hits with their tacticool guns and take a beating like going a few rounds with Tyson because they think the old coots are freaked out. Some just don’t understand the difference between freaked out and friendly advice.
 
trebor2880 said:
If I change the choke to "skeet", would this make an acceptable gun for my needs, or will I be laughed off the range before taking my first shot.
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More likely would respect you for coming out and trying it with a pump. At least that's the attitude where I shoot.
Alternatively could try skeet with one of your full choke guns that you already have and are used to. Might surprise yourself.
 
Before delving to far into this, what shotguns do you have and shoot now?

Nothing wrong with shooting Skeet with a slide-action, it was the norm for the first 5 decades of the sport. Learning to shoot a slide-action while learning to shoot Skeet adds a different degree of skill to the mix, as has been mentioned, a new shooter will learn easier with an O/U or Semi vs a slide-action. So far as shooting skeet with a full choke, it can be done, again not the easiest way to learn the sport, you will miss more targets than if you had a more open choke, but it can be done. We do it on occasion at our club for sport. What I will second Beretta687EELL's comment, don't buy a cheap gun just to try the sport, try the game with your existing gun, providing it will fire 2 shots in succession, first then decide if you should invest in a gun for the sport.
 
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