Shotgun recommendation for clay shooting

[ColumbusJBR]

Hey gang, I've gotten the sudden interest in trying my hand at clay shooting, because who doesn't need another expensive hobby? Anyway, I'm looking for shotgun recommendations for a beginner, totally non-competetive, clay shooter.

My assumption would be that I'm looking for a 12 gauge semi auto, or a 12 gauge over/under, but what do I know?

Any insight is appreciated.

Thanks!

[jjbrewst1]

Well...It is very expensive, but in my opionion th benelli Cordoba is one o the best clay shotguns ever produced..

second in my opinion is a Winchester Super X2...

Both Autos...One is in the 1500-2000 dollar range..the other in the 500-750 range used

if you prefer over-under I would go with the Browning Citori...But those are over 2 grand as well..

Hope it helps

Jim

[chief38]

I use mostly my Browning Superposed and once in a while my Browning A-5. Both are late 50's guns. Most people on the Clays course use O/U guns and most Sporting Clay courses only let you load two rounds in a Semi anyway.

Personally I would try a few O/U guns and see which one you like best.

[Kanewpadle]

CZ or Beretta. Buy one that will last with good resale value.

[walkin jack]

The same thing happened to me once. I didn't have a lot to spent and I wound up with the Remington 870 w/28" bbl. I busted a many a clay with it and had a total blast until arthritis in my shoulders put me on the sidelines.

You can pay a whole lot more and get a prettier shotgun but you can't buy a better shooter I don't believe at any price.

[CatSnipah]

I've been goofing off with a Mossberg 410 pump shotgun lately. Honestly, I bought it to "compliment" my Governor, in regards to having a plethora of 410 shells around.

I've done just a bit of clay shooting with it, nothing competitive. It is a bit tricky with the pump action, but doable.

Also, shooting with the smaller loads of a 410 shell is a bit of a challenge, but one I'm willing to try.

Not to mention, my wife isn't afraid of the 410, like she would be with a 20 or 12.

[Rpg]

I use what I hunt with: Parker's or English field guns.

[model70hunter]

Did you mean sporting clays? My best gun was a Beretta 686. The BBL's lay lower in the action. I had a Browning OU sporting clays model and did not do as well with it.

There was a group of us who went one time to shoot sporting clays. I warn you it can be addictive. I reloaded and shot every week.

I shot in 2 state champion ships as I was going through a divorce and sold the Beretta & Browning to pay Lawyer fees. I used a friends Ruger OU field grade and finished 4th in the 2nd shoot. Which equates to no trophy and no prize money. But I had a good time.

If by Clays you mean Skeet the same basic gun you hunt with or use for sporting clays will work. If you mean trap you need a full choke.

[finesse_r]

I used to shoot clay and I used a Browning Citori over and under 12 gage shotgun. I still have it but I have not shot clay in a long time. I still have my own thrower and a few boxes of clay birds in storage somewhere. The Citori did a fine job for me.

[anoblefox]

If you are going to be doing a lot of shooting consider an auto, the latest ones are very soft on recoil, I bought the Beretta since I am a novice (at 61years old!) it was recommended to me by an expert that had a shoulder injury. I love my Winchester model 12, but much prefer the Beretta because I do not get ANY bruising. Just a thought, YMMV

[shieldfan]

I'm mainly a clay shooter...I do sporting clays every weekend...

I'd suggest a CZ Canvasback or Deluxe Redhead (the only difference is extractors and finish)...If you want a great gun that will last a lifetime get a Beretta Silver Pigeon I...

Now those are all O/U...

If you want a semi-auto, that's not my forte, but I love the Browning A5...

[JackM]

You could do a lot worse than a Remington 1100. Reliable, light-recoiling, and especially with screw-in chokes, adaptable to any clay sport out there, the 1100 is a good choice for anyone who wants to own just one shotgun.

[Wyo]

I'm no expert by any means but I do enjoy trap and sporting clays. Last couple of years I've used a Beretta 682 Gold E O/U and a Beretta 391. i tried a Browning 725 for a while, but it was heavier than I liked and I did better with the Berettas. The 682 is an expensive gun but it will last forever. I figure if I shoot 50,000 per year ( not likely!) I might wear it out by the time I'm 90 or so.

[Ivan the Butcher]

For automatics, I bought myself a Beretta 390 Golden sporting and my wife a 20 ga. 391 Sporting, for my 2 oldest sons Browning Golds. My brother has 3-391's in different configurations. My wife's 391 Sporting (20 ga) is identical to a field model except it is 16 ounces heavier and that is all in the barrel-where you need it!, the wood may be a little nicer also. The 28" and 30" barrels both work well but you may want to add 4-6 ounce weights to get more swing follow through.

For O/U's Browning and Beretta seem to rule the market, I have 9, but only 4 were made a Clays guns. If money is no object, I would go with the Beretta SO series or a boxlock ASE, as they just want to jump to your shoulder. The Superpose Sporting model was about 8 Grand, 10 years ago, but then my early 60's Superpose guns are Field grade Lightnings and have superb handling and balance. IMO a 30" barrel works best on O/U's.

On ammo the Winchester AA sporting ammo always worked best for me. I used 1 ounce at 1325 in 8's and 7.5's or 1 oz. 3 1/4 DE at 1290 for the first shot and one the AA's in 7.5 for the second. #9 and #8.5 shot are to light for most shots unless they are incoming and close.

Like earlier stated, 410 is more sporting (read that; difficult), but I find it the most fun. Just remember in 410 you don't so much have a shot pattern as a shot string (think of it as a net and cast it in front of the bird). I prefer the slow 3" shells with the little extra shot (#8's).

I started with field guns, then went to used Sporting guns. So I worked up to the prices. I was also outfitting my sons so reloading became necessary real fast, we went 2-3 hundred rounds a week for 3 or 4 years in the 90's. Through in some skeet for practice and it came close to 2000 rounds some months. If you kid is an idiot don't hand him a $2000 shotgun. Mine always treated their shotguns with respect, In fact better than the adults with beater grade guns treated there own or others guns.

And lastly, watch out for flying pieces off broken clay. It will cut you, your clothes and you shotgun. Have fun. Ivan

[ordy]

Whatever you choose, make sure the gun fits you. Length of pull, amount of drop at the heel, etc. Close your eyes and shoulder the gun. What do you see when you open your eyes? The mid ramp bead and front sight should form a figure eight. I went to a shop that more or less caters to the shotgun sports and told the counter guy what I wanted. He laid out half a dozen trap guns and we spent a half hour in front of a mirror testing each for fit. He definitely went above and beyond to make sure I would be happy...and I am. You'll have better results and more fun if the gun fits you instead of trying to fit yourself to the gun.

[jtcarm]

If you're looking to get started for not too much money, I second the 1100 or 11-87. Look around for a used one. You can really get a bargain by going fixed choke, improved cylinder is really all you need.

One of the best-kept secrets in bargain shotguns are used SKB OUs. I saw a model 500 skeet at a recent gun show priced at 500, which is what I paid for mine 23 years ago and it was a bargain then. I later had it fitted with Cleaview choke tubes, both .010 constriction, roughly improved cylinder.

I had the pleasure of knowing the late Dick Eadez, a long-time gun writer and definite shotgun expert. Dick owned well over 100 shotguns, but preferred the SKB OUs, which cost a fraction of many of his more exotic guns.

[Cooter Brown]

Read Ivan's post and see how much he mentions the Beretta autos. Some of the top notch champion clays shooters like Anthony Matarese use the 391. It's a way to get into a top quality target gun for relatively short money. A good O/U target gun will be significantly more. A cheap O/U will not be a good target gun.

If you get into clays shooting, you'll go thru a lot of shells. A 391 will be significantly more reliable than an 1100 and hold its resale value.

A 391 also has a stock that provides some degree of adjustment.

A couple of years ago I got a lightly used 12 ga. 391 field gun for $700, and it came with a flat of shells. Of course it's not set up as a target gun (stock is a little different, 28" bbl.) but for informal shooting it's fine. If I wanted to add some weight that's easy enough to do with aftermarket weights, and even doing that, adding a tuned trigger and a target stock I'd still be in it cheaper than an O/U target gun. And that wouldn't be a fitted O/U.

For my purposes of informal shooting the 391 field gun works fine. In late summer I switch to my SxS field guns because they are configured a lot differently than the auto, but the auto is a great target smacker.

I hear good things about the Winchester auto target guns, but I don't have any first hand experience.

The only real downside to an auto is picking up the shells.

[mg357]

what about the remington 870? I know that model is not an over and under or a semi-automatic shotgun.

But the remington 870 is a good quality shotgun that has been around for a long time.

[hangnoose]

If you are fortunate enough to find a shotgun in ANY platform at ANY price that fits you so well that it hits where you are looking, BUY IT AND NEVER LET IT GO. Take it from someone that has. My first shotgun, a Mossberg 500 plain rib with a 2nd 24" smoothbore bbl with open rifle sights. shot 4 grouse in 1 covey rise, 2 grouse with 1 shot, deer at 75 yards, 2 pheasants & 1 rabbit from the hip, numerous doubles on ducks/pheasant and grouse, a bunch of turkeys, Geese, quail, woodcock. Could I leave excellent results alone? Of course not. I have since owned 1187's, Red labels, Beneli's, Belgian Brownings etc. and feel like the Bo-Sox with the curse of the Babe on me. Now I'm about the best armed worst shotgun shooter on the planet. I've even gone back and tried at least 6 diff Mossberg 500's & mavericks but none do the same. granted I was much younger with 20/10 vision, joints that moved correctly, good balance & range of motion. Good luck in your search. Try as many types of other peoples as possible, for free, first before buying.

[kozmic]

I might suggest sticking with a semi-auto for your first clay gun. The Beretta 391 or A400 (what I use) sporting guns are great and may be the most popular guns on the rack. My son uses a Remington 11-87 Sporting (650+/- bucks out the door). You can swap out barrels and chokes for darn-near any type of shooting (sporting or hunting). They are soft shooting, reliable, relatively easy to clean and maintain and hold their value.

Whatever you buy needs to fit you.

[Jst1mr]

Originally Posted by ordy

Whatever you choose, make sure the gun fits you. Length of pull, amount of drop at the heel, etc. Close your eyes and shoulder the gun. What do you see when you open your eyes? The mid ramp bead and front sight should form a figure eight. I went to a shop that more or less caters to the shotgun sports and told the counter guy what I wanted. He laid out half a dozen trap guns and we spent a half hour in front of a mirror testing each for fit. He definitely went above and beyond to make sure I would be happy...and I am. You'll have better results and more fun if the gun fits you instead of trying to fit yourself to the gun.

Plus 1 to this^^ I just had to have a Beretta Silver Pigeon until I actually shouldered it and it was all wrong - for me, the Citori was the better fit.

[H Richard]

As Jst1mr said, get one that "fits" you. If you have to spend some $$$ getting it fit. You could be one of the lucky few that have the "average" build that the guns are all built to fit. (Ha, Ha). Keep in mind that Sporting clays, skeet and field (hunting) all share a similar drop at heel and comb and can be used in all 3 area's. Trap is different and the drop and comb are higher and you need a full choke.

With any, interchangeable choke tubes make the guns much more versatile and more useable in multiple activities.

[Peter M. Eick]

Fit is everything I learned after trying a bunch of guns.

I settled on the browning cynergy over and under. There are about 7 of us that all bought Cynergy's and all of us like them and shoot together. My Cynergy was good enough to win me a Beretta 391 Auto that has never been fired and my shooting partners Cynergy has won him a Benelli Semi that he ended up giving away. The Cynergy's are very nice and addictive if they fit you.

[glenncal1]

You need to determine which type of clay shooting? Trap, Skeet or Sporting Clays and then you can focus on a dedicated gun. If you just want a "do it all gun" get something with changeable chokes and an adjustable stock and have at it.

[NeoBuckeye]

I am not a serious clay shooter, but shoot maybe 7 times a year, as time allows. I have very entry level, super basic Stoeger Condor with a 28 inch barrel.
I was looking for an over - under just to have, and test the waters to shoot with the guys. Mine was $325.
This Condor fits me for now, but you can tell the difference in "feel" compared to the higher end shotguns.

[jkmo]

I love 870's and 1100's etc but you will very soon get tired of picking up your empties. Seriously consider and o/u or s/s.

[Gischileu]

The Ruger Red Label Over/Under is a solid dual purpose shotgun. I used it for clays and pheasants for a number of years until I could afford a dedicated sporting clay gun - picked up a Browning Citori Trap over/under for that job. Obvioulsy, the Browing cost more than double what I paid for the Ruger...

[jtcarm]

One other tidbit I forgot: heavier=better. It'll keep you from stopping your swing.

Fit is certainly important but you can't really judge it just by what feels good. One quick way to try it out is to find an aiming point, close you eyes while you mount the gun then see how close you are. The fallacy of this is unless you're already well-practiced in proper mounting technique, that will probably change. Proper fit wi chane as you advance.

One piece of advice on fit is it's better to go a bit longer on length of pull than what feels comfortable. A longer pull length keeps you from "hinging" the gun at you shoulder. I have short arms (33" sleeves) and guns not specifically designed for sporting clays are still too short.
Shooters tend to worry about the perfect gun. Just get something decent of good quality and go shoot. As you learn and get experience, you'll have a much better idea of what you need.