I'm fairly new to the clay shooting world, what are things I should look into for that purpose? Last year I ran a mossberg 500 with a 18 inch barrel and that gun certainly showed my skill level. I was looking at another 500 but this one has a 26in barrel, also looked at a 870 and a winchester sxp the sxps action was insanely long but overall it seemed nice. Just need some insight thank you all!

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A 28" barrel for your 500 can be had for a bit under $200, though you might want to get a proper semi or OU. Great fun whatever you choose.

I've heard semis tend to have issues with clay loads. Is that true? I've never fired a semi 12 gauge.

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I'm a rank armature, but the few people I know that use them, have no problems.

I've read of some unique designs that didn't feed certain shells reliably, but that seems the exception.

There are far more experienced shooters floating around the forum that will chime in.

Good deal. Thanks again!

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I found that a longer and heavier gun really helped with follow through and not stopping my swing.I finally settled on a 30" over under,even for skeet.

A Remington 1100 is a popular choice around here.

There are many choices and none of the good choices are cheap. You need to try (rent) some and see what "fits" you. After much research and trial and error, looking for a well rounded OU, I ended up with a 12 gage Beretta Silver Pigeon which is a sweet sporting clay, skeet and hunting gun. Good luck and enjoy.

If you want to get kind of serious about sporting clays get a Browning or Beretta O/U 12 ga. with 32 in barrels. If you want to shoot and have some fun once in awhile any gun or gauge will do. Larry

One thing nice about a O/U is that you can have two different
size chokes, which some shooters like to up their pattern on
birds at different yardages.

On the other hand any pump or auto that fits you................
will do the job also.

A Modified lead choke will generally cover most courses.......
you will have to decide on pellet size and drams used.

Good shooting.

What loads do you normally go for? I'm leaning towards either a semi auto or a pump (since the gun will be used for 3 gun) last year I used some federal clay loads with the mossberg i did decent with it up until 3 clays went up after 2 went up and I didn't have enough ammo loaded up for the last 2. Loaded the 2 shells as quickly as I could and swing and a miss both shots.

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I shoot sporting Clays only a few times a year and so I just use my 1957 vintage Browning Superposed hunting gun. It has 26" barrels, Imp Cyl. and Mod. Cyl. chokes, and I have shot it so long know it feels like an extension of my arms.

While this may NOT be the ideal Sporting Clays gun configuration, it is what I am used to and what I am comfortable with. I suppose if I were to get into Clays more seriously, I'd buy a dedicated shotgun, but for me my good old Pheasant gun works perfectly. I actually shoot it quite well on the Orvis Sporting Clays Course.

I have never counted, but would estimate that my Superposed has had well over 15,000 rounds through it - maybe more.......... NEVER a hic-cup!!

Beretta Silver Pigeon, 12GA, 30 inch. Not cheap but once you are bitten by the Sport Clay bug the only cure is to keep shooting.

Think the 3 B's. Browning, Beretta, Benelli. All great guns. But whatever you can afford, works.

#1 most important, what is your price range?

#2 you also want to shoot 3 gun so that rules out over and under shotguns.

I've never shot sporting clays where 3 targets fly after a pair of targets. You shoot sporting clays in pairs. Report pair or true pair. You may shoot 2 or 3 pairs at a station but you always reload between calling the next pair. With any semi auto or pump you can pull your plug and get in 4 or 5 rounds if need be.

If you want a shotgun for sporting clays and 3 gun look at the Beretta's X line. Xcel, Xplor or Xtreme. Just add a light modified choke, they come with modified, improved cylinder and full chokes. Use the light modified for sporting clays, use the improved cylinder for 5 stand or skeet, use the modified for trap and use the full choke for 3 gun.

Also with the Beretta you can buy extended magazine tubes which you can use for 3 gun or even snow goose hunting.

Briley MFG - Briley Beretta Magazine Extensions

I was just looking at a mossberg 930 seemed pretty good for the price has a 10 round capacity so it should be decent for 3 gun. Any compelling thoughts on that particular one?

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If you aren't going to reload, a gas operated gun, like the above mentioned Remington 1100, is a good choice for it's significantly reduced felt recoil.

If you are going to reload, I'd recommend an O/U double, such as the Browning 725.

__________________
I've still got it made.

In Sporting Clays you are only allowed 2 shells in your gun. No shot larger than 7 1/2. In 12 ga. the max. shot charge is 1 1/8 oz. Larry

Can't run a ou with 3 gun. As much as I'd like to it just isn't in the cards.

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If you are serious about Sporting clay's, a O/U is the only way to go. Often shots will be combination near and far making both a IC choke and a Mod or Full choke the best option. With a single barrel, a Mod choke would be the compromise, but lessen your chances of making all your hits. When I retired, I was shooting Sporting Clays about once a week, 100 rounds. I really appreciated the Browning Citori Special Sporting Clays model I bought. For a couple years I also shot it in the summer Trap league, but a BT99+ makes that sport a lot better also. The Citroi Sporting Clays does make a good skeet gun also.

__________________
H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

The only experience I have with Mossberg is a shooting buddy has an over and under that has had firing pin problems several times. I know nothing of their semi autos. Google Mossberg complaints to get an idea. If you're price conscious I'd look for a used 1100 before going Mossberg. Just my 2 cents. Remington has built millions of them and they last. Easy to get parts for an 1100 if needed and you can get an extended tube for 3 gun.

Remington 870/1100/11-87 Magazine Extension, 10 Rds : REMINGTON 870/1100/11-87 SHOTGUN MAGAZINE EXTENSION TUBES | Brownells

Randy likes the 930 line and he is not an easy reviewer.

Review: Mossberg 930 12 Gauge Autoloader "A Big Surprise"

Gun Review: Mossberg Model 930 'Tactical' Autoloading Shotgun - The Truth About Guns

Mossberg 930 Autoloader | Mossberg Owners

For those on a tight budget,,,,look up Krieghof or Perazzi ��

If you are going to shoot a lot they could be a cheap guns in the long run because they will last forever. I shot skeet with a guy that had 300,000 rounds with a Krieghoff and he told me he had replaced the firing pins and springs one time. Larry

I prefer the 1 1/8 oz. load of #8's at 1145fps in the summer and switch
to the larger 7 1/2 size pellets for bad weather or wet birds.

If high winds, I will move up to the 3 Dram at 1200fps to help in drift
and lag time to the target.

Since I reload, I practice with a 7/8 oz. load of 7 1/2 with 303 pellets at
1150fps, that is 150 to 100 pellets lighter than my "Field loads".

Some like to practice with what they shoot in the matches, which is fine
but the 1 oz. of #8's at 1180fps is a good all around load that many like
that work for trap and in the field for upland and dove, if needed, while
also being on great "Sales" with some ammo makers.

I shoot a Browning Special Sporting Clays with 30" barrels for everything (Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays, Five Stand) except for the three bird shoots we have locally. I use a Browning Gold Fusion Semi with 28" Barrels for those.

Browning Grade V 725 for everything except skeet.

I've got a ~35 YO Ithaca-SKB 600 28 gauge skeet gun. Fitted to have a 15" LoP.

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I've still got it made.

I shoot some sporting clays, but don't compete.

I use one of my Parkers or a Fox Sterlingworth.

In the early days of sporting clays I was getting a bit bored with shooting American Skeet match somewhere in the US almost every weekend so I began testing the new game in town.

My skeet gun was an o/u Perazzi Mirage with skeet barrel and full length Kolar tubes for the other gauges.

Perazzi,in Rome New York,fitted a new 28 3/8" barrel to my receiver for sporting clays events.It had Improved Cylinder and Modified chokes.

When I flew with this gun I made sure I took out the $10,000 insurance from the airlines.

__________________
NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

A friend had trouble cycling a 24 gram powder load. OK when he used a 28 gram (1 oz) cartridge.


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Short and to the point, but pretty much exactly the way it is... unless you want to spend some real money.

Under your circumstances you are going to have to just buy whatever gun you need for 3 gun and make it work for clays. A real, for-sure sporter won't work in 3 gun but as long as your repeater has choke tubes you can probably get along with it for clays - if just barely.

I shoot clays regularly and shoot a FABARM O/U most of the time, although I will shoot other guns occasionally for fun. A few years ago, I hosted a group shoot, and had a fellow show up with the only shotgun he owned. A well used, Remington 870 with a 28" bl, it was his duck and everything else gun. He had never shot clays ever, and shot a 75 out of 100 targets, from a total of ten different stands......for those of you who shoot clays, that will mean something to you, to those you who don't, you won't grasp the significance. It brought to my mind the old adage " beware of the man who owns one gun - cause he probably knows how to use it."
There was a whole bunch of guy's & gal's there fielding big dollar doubles, who shot clays regularly that did not come close to that score.....
The 870 shooter was miffed at himself for missing 25 targets. This kind of event keeps me humble.

Start running with a sw governor just shoot 410s at it

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I have a Beretta 682 combo that I bought years ago to shoot trap doubles. I use a Remington 90T for 16 yard and handicap. Unfortunately, my 682 has the inertia trigger, and is not reliable with light one ounce loads, which are ideal for the first target at doubles. One of the guys I shoot with has the same model gun, but it has a mechanical trigger, so handles light loads just fine. With the price of shot these days, 400 rounds to the bag sure beats 330.

I use two Remingtons 1187's for sporting clays, a 12ga and a 20ga. I prefer the 20ga.

I like the recoil reduction of a gas auto. I can shoot them all day long. I'm done after three boxes of shells with an 870 12ga. I could go on, but my scores drop.

It seems that everything now has gotten so specialized. If there was one gun that could work for sporting clays and 3 gun it would be great, but I think you're talking about two very different disciplines.
I have a number of Berettas, each for a different use, and they work amazingly well. I just wish I could practice more.
I use a 686 for sporting clays, 5 stand and trap. I used an old AL391 semi auto when I first got started and the OU is more accurate, swings better and offers the ability to use the two different chokes for different ranged birds.
I have a 1301 tactical that is designed for 3 gun, and I'd probably bust less than half of what I can hit with one of my other guns. It seems to me to be too short to swing through like my other guns, but it will fire eight rounds quicker than anything.
That being said, if you like the gun and can practice with it, you can make it work. I thought what loc n load said about the guy with the 870 was so true.
It's what you like and will use to get better. I love it when I see someone with skill enjoying the sport.

If you're good enough then the gun you use doesn't really matter. I knew a chap who had an old Winchester X-pert 96 12g OU with 26.5in barrels and choked Improved Cylinder and Modified who could hit absolutely ANYTHING at ANY DISTANCE (OK - he was a British Army WO Armourer)! He sold that gun to me.


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I ended up taking a dice roll and grabbing an odd brand shotgun. Didn't spend a lot on it so if I doesn't work right no biggie. I'll let y'all know what I find.. just need some decent weather going here.

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If your going to shoot sporting clays regularly, I would steer clear of a pump gun as many of your shots at the second target need to be near instantaneous. Split seconds count. A pump gun will cost you missed birds due to it's slow cycling time.
Also, your going to be shooting a minimum of 50 rounds and sometimes 100. A pump gun will beat you up.
Doubles are good in that they offer two chokes and the added safety of knowing the gun is safe and unloaded when open. Some doubles still kick you good (especially the lighter models) so a upgraded recoil pad is recommended. They can also be expensive for what you get but there are a few exceptions.
Suggest you look at a semi auto to cure the two issues above. Either a 28 or 30" is fine as you can always get a second barrel IF you feel our initial choice is holding you back. (p.s Not likely for a LONG time.) I'd worry more about fit that barrel length. Remember, you need to start with the gun in a lowered position so it needs to go to the same place EVERY time. There again many new semi auto shotguns come with stock shims that can really tailor the guns fit to you.
Lastly, the semi will absorb recoil better than most anything out there.

__________________
Dave

If it's a pump, semi or o/u, the shot comes out the same every time it goes bang. Most prefer an o/u, but I've been beaten by a pump in more than one discipline...happy clay target hunting!