Posted on 03/12/2014 3:26:10 PM PDT by RingerSIX
New to trap shooting, need scatter-gun advice
I have been shooting all my life, but have never owned a shotgun before. I've always used pistols and rifles, other than a few blasts from a friend's 12 gauge double barrel.
Then last week another friend invited me to a day of trap shooting sponsored by his church. He loaned me his semi-automatic 12 gauge Winchester, which was a dream to shoot. I didn't realize what a difference it made to shoot an automatic vs a double-barrel. The auto-load spring action made it far more pleasurable for me to shoot than the hard and angry kick of the double barrel. I was hooked.
I was only hitting 50% for the first 25 or so rounds, and then suddenly I "got it" and hardly missed the rest of the day. I fired about 125 rounds in total. It was one of the funnest things I have ever done, and I want to do more.
I decided I'd try to pick up a semi-auto 12 gauge without breaking the bank. I've budgeted about $500, which is not enough to purchase what I want. So I'm wondering if I should look into something used. I looked into a ATI TACSX2 12-Gauge Shotgun Combo, which comes with 18.5" and a 28" barrels. I like the idea of having a dual purpose gun. But when I looked at one of the guns at Big-5 Sports it had a terrible fit/finish. There was rust on the barrel at a weld, and the barrels had to be fought with to get them to go on and off. They were only asking $399 for it, which seemed like a great price, but I have a serious aversion to poorly made firearms.
I live in Central California. Any suggestions about new vs used? Make & model?
I think I've identified the root cause of your problem. ;-)
Good luck! Have fun! Get something nice!
Minimum 30” barrel for trap.
I’ve always thought Mossbergs are a good deal for the money. Mossy 930 looks good.
If you want the best sleeper value in a gas operated semi-automatic shotgun I would suggest the Mossberg 930. It also has the advantage of being made in the USA. There are several models and you can get other barrels.
https://www.mossberg.com/product/shotguns-autoloading-mossberg-930-all-purpose/85110
This model with the 28” barrel would be the best all around for Trap, Skeet, and Sporting Clays. It would also make a fine hunter.
Regards, Slim (”A” class NSCA, “A” class in .410 NSSA)
I started shooting trap last year, bought an 18 year old Browning Citori O/U (425) for $1500, at a gun show. It was a good buy, very clean, hardly used, checked out by my b-i-l who is a long time gun dude. Have been shooting trap now for a year and love both the incredible release of the shooting and the competition of hitting the orange clays.
Remington 870’s are good semi’s, multi use guns for getting involved in shooting clays.
Have fun and good luck!
A stoeger 3000 is extremely reliable and (especially used) about your price range
PS: Avoid Turkish guns, except possibly CZ, because their warrant is good... you’ll need it.
Well,,, I used to shoot with a 1100. I got an SKB, Model 800, over and under, and instantly upped my score by three clays. Took my from 20s /21s to 24s and 25s.
870’s are a pump gun.
VersaMax
SKB made a great gun, unfortunately the Japanese factory closed and the new ones are coming out of Turkey. You’ll wear out before that 800 series does.
Remington 870 12 ga 26 to 30 inch vent rib barrel modified choke.
Welcome to a great sport.
Most trapshooting veterans end up getting a 12 gauge over/under or single shotgun to use for trap. If you use a semi-auto, you’ll want to get a retention device to “grab” the ejected shells as it’s not polite to be hitting your neighbor with them. Also good for reloading, which will eventually reel you in as an adjunct to trap.
Check out the Browning lines (e.g. BT-99), Winchester 101’s, Remington, etc. You might want to get something used before you commit to a large purchase for something new. Go to www.gunbroker.com and you can find/buy something for transfer through your local FFL dealer. Getting a shotgun that’s sized properly for you is important; nominally, put the butt of the gun into your elbow (bent) and your fingers should be able to reach the trigger and grip.
I’m surprised that the State of California hasn’t banned lead for trap and skeet...yet. Good luck and welcome to a great sport.
(Former central coaster-Vandenberg AFB CA)
You beat me to it. I have a Browning BT 99. It shoots better than I do. Last time I shot we did win our league.
A used Baretta A300 will run around $500 and a new one is arount $700. You might also look into an over/under. A friend I shoot with trap shoots every saturday and has a Remington over under and the aforementioned Baretta.
Huglu makes shotguns for CZ and they’re a Turkish company. Is that what you mean by recommending avoiding Turkish shotguns except for CZ?
The BT99 is a good gun, I had one in the 90’s. Then I switched to skeet, and now shoot Sporting. My go to gun is a Browning Special Sporting Clays in 20 gauge with 32” barrels, an adjustable comb and Muller chokes.
Another consideration: a shotgun, like a compound bow, has to fit; you need to be able to get your cheek down solidly on the stock and sight straight along the top of the barrel and you can't be having to reach for any part of the gun. The three measurements are called length of pull, drop to comb, and drop to heel. It's a good idea to figure out what your ideal measurements are before buying a gun.
A decent semiauto for under 500 is a bit of a stretch but it isn't totally impossible. CZ and Mossberg make semiautos which you might find in good shape used on gunbroker.com or at a gunshow and you often see older model Fabarm guns on gunbroker.com for around that price.
There's one final consideration wrt semiauto guns: some do a better job of handling different kinds of ammo than others do. Binelli semiauto guns for instance are mainly for hunting with 3" shells and handle target ammo poorly; best in this area is the Beretta Xtrema-II which features a heavy spring and a bleed-off valve, but those start around 1500 even on gunbroker.
Another source of info would be shotgunworld.com. You might ask around on that forum as to a reasonable and inexpensive semiauto for target shooting.
The CZ turkish guns seem to be a bit better in quality control, and CZ backs them up well. Some turkish guns are horrible.
The problem is that there’s a whole bunch of people who want a $500 O/U, and that just can’t be reasonably done.
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