OU Shotguns for the Club?

[Co-gnARR]

Why?? You really don't know much about clay target games do you. You started our asking about a gun with 28" barrels and now you shoot trap 99% of the time. Which one is it? What kind of trap games do you shoot? The most common only requires a single shot.

The local public club does two bird trap here.

And OP, if you are tall you might find 30" barrels are a better fit. It did for me. Again, borrow and/or rent before jumping into a purchase, IMHO.

[Kain]

Yeah, skeet and trap are rather different in the target presentation as well as how long it takes to shoot a round, trap will usually go quicker. If you are shooting just singles then a BT 99 can be an option, usually a little cheaper than a Citori, however, I find some BT 99 to not fit me as well as the standard Citori and a standard Citori allows for shooting doubles and others as well. However, I have seen a lot of guys shoot BT-99s without much issue. Also understand this, when people are talking about a trap gun most trap guns are going to pattern above the point of aim. In other words if you try to aim it using the beads(BTW two beads should be stacked up like snow men, not lined up) you'll shoot over the target, normally. I have my gun set up to shoot where I am looking after I set the gun. Want that pointed out before you end up confused as hell, if you were aware of that, then just disregard.

I personally spend a greater deal of my time with trap than skeet, which I don't quite care for. Actually I pretty much just ignore trap. Also, where I am at there is more trap shooting than skeet as far as competition. I mean hell, the state shoot up here will have 1200 shooters or more for championship days. But, that is ATA and I can go on for a long time on that. I can give you a whole lot of info on ATA shooting if one would like, but assuming you are just shooting casually.

That said, spending more doesn't always get you more, but the Browning or beretta over and under, we take you a good way. The browning I shot was good for winning two state championships, plus a shit load of other stuff, for me before I upgraded to my current gun and it wasn't exactly because I was having issues with my Browning, but lets just say i got a deal I couldn't say no to with my current gun. Not knowing where you are shooting though, most trap clubs I have shot at are pretty sociable and more than a few would be willing to let you shoot a round with their gun, or handle them to get a feel for what you are looking for. Hell, when my old man was looking at trap guns a few years back before buying a Browning of his own, he had guys handing him Perazzi's, Kolars, Kreighoffs to try.

[johnnywitt]

Looking at getting a Benelli 828U. Would like to have a nice OU for outings at the trap and skeet ranges, but I know little about the shotgun world. Don't want to get something that's $3,000 only to find out the quality really isn't there. Reviews on the Benelli look good, and was wondering if anyone here had any OUs and if you went 12 or 20 gauge etc

Go over to shotgunworld.com & Trapshooters.com. Look for a good used O/U on there. Especially trapshooters.com. Those Guys are always turning good quality shotguns. I like a good O/U with an Adjustable Comb & an Adjustable LOP (length of pull)- brand really doesn't matter as long as it's a quality brand. A 12ga is pretty kick ass and I like the Low Recoil 1oz loads or just get a 20 Sporting Clays gun and shoot 7/8oz loads. They kill about as good. Just be aware that a fixed breech gun will have a bit more recoil. Recoil adds up over time: believe me. Lots of Guys with neck surgery and detached retina surgery, so no laughing matter.

If you are recoil sensitive an old Remington 1100 20ga Standard Frame Gun kicks like a popgun. They were built on a 12ga Frame, so they are heavy.

[Gatorgrizz27]

Skeet and trap do require different setups if you're looking to be competitive, but the average weekend shooter just looking to beat their previous score will be served just fine by a Browning or Beretta field grade sporting gun. If you decide to get competitive, you will have enough experience to know what you like and what fits you well. A guy that can barely hit a bird isn't going to learn much about which $3,000 gun is best for them, even if they shoot them all day.

It's similar to choosing a fly rod, everyone will tell you to go cast a bunch, but that doesn't help if you can't cast in the first place. You're better served by choosing a versatile, middle of the road setup that will still be useful if you specialize in the future.

[brickboy240]

I have a Beretta 687 Silver Pigeon II 12 gauge and love it. Been rocking it for about 5 years now and would not trade it for the world!

[Pappabear]

The plan to go handle and look down the sights and see what your natural point of aim is for different models, is spot on. I have run Benelli semi autos a lot and think they are unbeatable in semi arena. One day at the range I shot a guys 410 Browning field. I couldn't miss, he said "you need a Browning". I then noticed in the LGS, the Brownings just felt great. Some folks prefer longer guns and others shorter, to each his own.

I have a Browning 20g 625 field, and 12g 725, I then sacked up and bought a 725 Sporting gun for the range. I mostly bird hunt so the Sporting model gets little use, but I would like to do more work. I enjoy the sporting clays but would have been fine with my regular 12g gun. But you know how we get.

If I was starting out, I would just buy a Browning 725 field, and it would be a safe versatile gun. Browning are classy, clean and quality built without spending a fortune. If you have not shot a clays course, go treat yourself.

Semi Auto go Benelli ie. Super Black eagle etc. OU I like Browning. Like everything, there are a lot of good guns to choose.

PB

[Colnago]

I shoot a lot of sporting clays and have shot both a series of Berettas and Brownings. I favoured the Berettas as they are more widely available and I feel more comfortable with them. Be careful as there are lots of different models of both browning and beretta with different shaped stocks and you need to find one that fits you well. They make trap only guns but since I shoot trap, skeet, sporting clays and birds, I went with the sporting clays setup (different comb height and foreshock from memory) and it worked well for all of the things I used it for. If you want to be really serious in your trap shooting, get a trap gun.

I have shot Benelli autoloaders for 20+ years and have been thinking about trying their ou. I have no personal experience with it. I would make sure you handle (and shoot if possible) a beretta 686 silver pigeon and their new sporting gun (690 I believe) before you buy anything to see how you like them. Another issue may be resale value and the berettas hold their value really well if you want to make a change later.

[Colnago]

One quick additional thought around barrel length. Many field guns have short barrels (26" or 28"). I am tall and have long arms. I found for clay sports I wanted a longer barrel (I had 32" on my DT 10) and it was an amazingly balanced gun. Don't be afraid of longer barrels. Another thought, is now that the DT 11s have been out for a while, you might be able to get a good deal on a used DT10. These are expensive, but really nice and worth a look.

[clb]

Thanks for the replies. I saw the Citori but didn't know if Browning was really all that good. My only frame of reference is AR15s and...

Definitely will go with 12 gauge. 99% of the shooting I do is trap. I'd prefer an OU to an autoloader.

Browning has one of the strongest and longest lasting locking mechanisms on the market for over/unders. It does create a receiver that is a bit deeper though. Some shooters prefer the shallower receivers available through the Beretta type lock because it puts their support hand closer to the bore line. If you aren't going high end, hard to beat either of these. Both have locking systems that can be reasonably rebuilt if you manage to shoot them enough to wear them out.

Stay with a gun that is set up for sporting clays if you want one gun to shoot all clay sports.

There are a lot of variables that go into finding or building a gun that fits you right. Length of pull, drop on the comb, cast on or cast off, etc. Best advice is find a shop or club that specializes in shotgun sports.