Need help for first trap gun

[zzzippper]

My range is planning to open a powered trap house this year and I want a gun to shoot me some clays. I have it narrowed down to a Remington 1100 or a Benelli Montefeltro mostly based on price. $1000 is my touchstone, not wanting to go too far over that and hopefully a bit under. They are both 12 ga. semi-autos with 30" barrels. The Benelli is a bit pricier with the main difference that I can tell is the Benelli holds two or three fewer rounds.

Can anyone help me choose between the two?

 

[NYlakesider]

My range is planning to open a powered trap house this year and I want a gun to shoot me some clays. I have it narrowed down to a Remington 1100 or a Benelli Montefeltro mostly based on price. $1000 is my touchstone, not wanting to go too far over that and hopefully a bit under. They are both 12 ga. semi-autos with 30" barrels. The Benelli is a bit pricier with the main difference that I can tell is the Benelli holds two or three fewer rounds.

Can anyone help me choose between the two?

Most trap that I'm aware of you only load two rounds
.
Years back I shot some trap used a 1100 which due to its action kicks a little less. I also shot with a 870 and in fact did better with that gun!

 

[nachogrande]

STRICTLY DEDICATED FOR TRAP???

My range is planning to open a powered trap house this year and I want a gun to shoot me some clays. I have it narrowed down to a Remington 1100 or a Benelli Montefeltro mostly based on price. $1000 is my touchstone, not wanting to go too far over that and hopefully a bit under. They are both 12 ga. semi-autos with 30" barrels. The Benelli is a bit pricier with the main difference that I can tell is the Benelli holds two or three fewer rounds.

Can anyone help me choose between the two?

OR just a shotgun to shoot you some clay? Having owned both (in 20 ga) I'd say to remove the plug in the Montfeltro, then the capacity is even(?), not that you should need more than 3 rounds for trap anyway. The 1100 will recoil less. The Montfeltro with the simple/rugged recoil operation "should" have a longer/easier to maintain life. (no gas rings to replace) I kept the Montfeltro (20 ga). For shootin you lotsa clay with a 12 ga, I'd probly go for the 1100, of those 2 options.

 

[clang444]

There are a lot of decent semi-autos out there for less than $1000 that would make a good trap gun. You may also want to consider a used Beretta AL-390 or 391 with a 30" barrel. Might get lucky and find one around $600-750.

Whatever you choose, look for a 30" barrel (or longer).

 

[Lewel]

trap

I use a Browning BT 99. I do not shoot doubles in trap so the single shot works well for me. I paid about $1000 about 4 years ago for a high grade Browning used. It looks like new.

Several years later you should be able to find a plainer version for $1000.

Trap is not as big in Alabama as skeet & sporting clays.

This gun is one of my favorite guns but is only good for trap or ducks if you don't mind 1 shot.

 

[Brasky]

I would recommend trying out a few before you spend that much on one

But then again I have a $130 20 gauge Mossberg pump that I bought when I was 12 and I still outshoot people with $1,500 shotguns

 

[kscharlie]

There are a number of 1100 trap models now on GunBroker, with several priced at $600 or less.

 

[Squarebutt]

The most important factor in choosing a shotgun is the fit. Before you drop $1000, look up a pro and choose something that fits you well.

 

[Rocket3]

[But then again I have a $130 20 gauge Mossberg pump that I bought when I was 12 and I still outshoot people with $1,500 shotguns[/quote]

Thant's fun!

Trap is like Golf, you can't buy a game, but it's fun trying

Go with the 1100 ZZZ. Parts are easy to come and a lot of folks know how they work or more importantly why they don’t.

 

[chief38]

If this is to be a sole purpose Trap gun then I'd suggest an Over-Under of some sort. If you are just using the proposed Shotgun for Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays, Hunting etc. then an 1100 would fit the bill. One of my friends has a Remington 1100 which he uses as a general purpose SG and it does very well at Trap at our Club. In his case though since we are not shooting for real competition he does load 5. Most Trap and Skeet venues I know of only allow two Shells to be loaded.

I sometimes use my Browning Superposed (O-U) when shooting Trap and sometimes I use a Browning A-5, but at our Club we load 5 as it is not an official Trap competition or officially run shoot.

When I shoot sporting clays at Orvis I do use an O-U Superposed since there is no advantage of the Auto Loading SG's. That said, a Remington 1100 is an excellent choice for a general purpose Shotgun - unless of course they managed to screw them up over the last few years since being sold.

 

[Wee Hooker]

My recomndation would be to wait and shoot whatever 12/20 ga you can get your hands on to get started. Then, you'll usually get a chance to try other shooters guns /learn what works for you BEFORE investing. That said, a semi auto with a 30" tube is a good choice for trap as long as :
1) the gun has to fit you. a $10,000 trap gun will leave you shooting 15's if it doesn't fit. Personally, I wouldn't buy a new single barreled semi/pump gun that didn't have a shim system supplied with the stock. Not all have them. With the shims, and maybe a aftermarket recoil pad, you can make that gun fit like it was made for you.
2) Be sure you can get a good aftermarket shell catcher (or be prepared to Micky mouse elastic bands around your receiver.) Trap folks frown on your hulls bouncing off their new $12,000 Krieghoff ( or their heads for that matter.) If they do, you won't be welcomed.

FWIW, for years I shot trap most consistently with a (shimmed) Beretta 590AL semi auto. However, these days I shoot an older Citori Trap O/U that fits and shoots well for me. Trap is a one or two round game. You are not allowed to load more anyway.

 

[RILEY31]

I use a Winchester super X1 I have used a of of different guns for trap but nothing better than the Super X1. You can probably find one for under $500 and it is a USA made classic

 

[DWalt]

For normal trap shooting, you will not shoot doubles. Any semiauto or pump gun with a full choke barrel which fits you well will be adequate, even a cheap one. But you should have one with a barrel rib. Skeet is a different story where doubles are the rule, and also four different gauges are used. Many shooters use O/U guns in 12 gauge with 20, 28, and .410 tube sets. Others use four different semiautos. For many years I shot both trap and skeet with pump guns with no difficulty, and in fact I preferred them to O/Us and semiautos.

One of the best trap shooters I ever knew used a Mossberg 500 12 gauge pump gun. Many trap and skeet shooters go for snob appeal with high-priced guns. It's not essential to do so.

 

[Pig Hunter]

You might want to look at the Tri-Star offerings. A friend got the 2 barrel trap set and it seems to work well. For a target gun, something with an adjustable comb will make fitting easier. You could also find a good Winchester Model 12 in a trap configuration, or just a Simmons rib added. Then shoot 1 oz. or better yet 7/8th oz. loads. The effects of recoil are cumulative. In the long run you will enjoy it more. If a Mossberg 500 were a car, it would be a Yugo. It will get you were you are going. A more expensive gun will just make it a more comfortable ride.

 

[H Richard]

I was never a trap shooter until about 15 years ago. I started with an 870 pump gun a did fair. After about a year it was upgraded to an old used SKB O/U (IM/F) and then I learned how to shoot trap much better. It was eventually traded up for a new Rem Peerless, which was never successful for me and was traded for a Browning Citori Special Sporting Clays when I was close to retiring and shooting more. I like it and still have it, but it is only used now for skeet and sporting clay's, as I acquired a BT99+ about 5 years ago and with full adjustments of cheek-piece, LOP, rib for shot placement/sight picture, I started breaking 25's on a more regular basis.

So, don't think the gun you "need" now will be the end, just the beginning of your shotgunning. As others have said, "fit" is everything.

 

[625-7]

Pump guns

Do not discount a pump gun for trap. They are fun to shoot and a good one is almost maintenance free. Been shooting a Rem tc Trap for over 20 yrs with only routine cleaning. Also comes in handy for varmint control. Downside of a non autoloader is a slight increase of perceived recoil, but who cares when you're enjoying an afternoon of powdering clay

 

[spad124]

Since your starting out in trap consider an older 870 TC or TB. A true trap gun will have a stock that places your eye higher than a field/skeet/clays stock so you can "float" the bird over the front bead. Trap stocks have combs that are either parallel to bore or similar to Monte Carlo stocks. This causes the gun to shoot about 60%-70% of the pellets above the point of aim-or shoot high. Trap guns are designed this way because trap is shot with rising targets. In contrast skeet is shot with mostly crossing targets.

Also most trap is shot one shell at a time and guns are loaded one shell at a time. You should not load more than one shell. You do load two shells for trap doubles, but most trap is shot as singles.

There really isn't an advantage to an autoloader in trap. O/Us are popular right now for the extra barrel weight to smooth the swing and for occasional doubles. Personally I shoot an old 1960 870 TC for both singles and doubles. Shooting singles a pump is the same as a O/U. And is more challenging with doubles. There are a lot of old pump trap guns with exceptional wood for cheap right now. Mine has sunburst walnut that you can't really get anymore and a target barrel that patterns superbly. I paid $450 for my TC three years ago. I could part it out and get $500 for the stock and forend alone.

 

[nachogrande]

LOT'S OF OPTIONS IN YOUR PRICE RANGE.

Since fit is SO IMPORTANT, if you happen to have an 870, or MB 500 that fits well, you could buy a used/new trap barrel for it for little $. If you are fortunate enough to find ANY shotgun in ANY gauge or type, that shoots where you are looking, treasure it.

 

[jtcarm]

Spad124 is spot on.

On that budget, you could probably find a good, used 870 TC with a chunk of change left for a shot shell loader or lessons.

The gun needs to shoot high.

I preach this non stop, but it is doubly-true on a trap gun: length of pull should be longer than what feels comfortable and a higher comb. Sight picture should be well above the rib.

 

[garystl]

My range is planning to open a powered trap house this year and I want a gun to shoot me some clays. I have it narrowed down to a Remington 1100 or a Benelli Montefeltro mostly based on price. $1000 is my touchstone, not wanting to go too far over that and hopefully a bit under. They are both 12 ga. semi-autos with 30" barrels. The Benelli is a bit pricier with the main difference that I can tell is the Benelli holds two or three fewer rounds.

Can anyone help me choose between the two?

If it's at BRRC, I'm going to teach the safe use class. I'll loan you my BT-99 to try.