Shotgun suggestion

[charlessummers]

I want to try skeet/trap shooting. None of my black shotguns would be up to the task, as I'm sure I'll need something with a longer barrel. I'm looking for a semi-auto shotgun that I can pick up on a budget, but still introduce me, and possibly my 15 year old son, into a sport that we may or may not like. Anyone have any suggestions? I don't want to spend a fortune on a gun unless I really take well to this. I'm just looking for something fun for my son and I to do together.

[Danger Rane]

I would say the Mossberg 930 is worth looking into.  You should be able to find a stock version for under $900, and even most of the customized variants are under $2k. I just picked one up from Salient Arms (after an 8 month wait) to use for 3-Gun. It's a great gun and about half the price of a Benelli M2.  You could by a stock version and if it worked out for you guys you can send it in to a custom shop at that point to have it worked over.

[Troutburger]

I had a couple of 930 tactical versions that were pretty shoddy. The bolt kept binding on the shell lifter.  Mossberg fixed them, so it really wasn't a huge deal. 

 

Look for a used remington 1100 or beretta 302 or 303. Both great entry level guns for clays. 

[bersaguy]

If you can find one, the Older model Winchester Model 12 Trap grade is a great trap and skeet gun. I shot trap and skeet with one for many years and they are a great gun. I don't have a clue what they are selling for or if you can even find one for sale but worth a look to see for sure. Other wise like Troutburger mentioned  The Remington Wingmaster model 1100 is also a great gun for what your wanting to do with it.

[RWF]

if you looking for low price shotgun just to try the sport. why not a basic pump. have not price one years but I am sure u can get a nova, mossy or Remington new for under $400.  just be sure it got screw in chokes. as you may want a little more choke for trap.

I shot sporting clays years ago with a mossy 500

[leroy]

If ya like a semiauto, the Remington 1100 is hard to beat... Ya can probably find one of them at a semi-reasonable price too... Ya can take the xtra dollars and start reloadin for trap and skeet with your Mec 600 jr (...that's what we did years ago, anyway....).

 

Have fun...

leroy

[bersaguy]

If ya like a semiauto, the Remington 1100 is hard to beat... Ya can probably find one of them at a semi-reasonable price too... Ya can take the xtra dollars and start reloadin for trap and skeet with your Mec 600 jr (...that's what we did years ago, anyway....).

 

Have fun...

leroy

Yea leroy, Back years ago and were talking when I was in my teens my buddy and I shot trap at a local Gun club and when we began loading we only had a Texan Reloader which was slow but did the job. When we moved up to shooting more often were both pitched in and both a Mec 600 which loaded much faster and we could knock out about 500 reloads in a few hours with both of us working on it. Things were much less costly back then but sure was fun. We used Federal Primers, Hercules red dot powder, Remington Power Piston wads and Peters shot. We found the best two casings to reload were Federal and Peters......... :up:  :up:  :up: 

[leroy]

RE: Bersaguy's post on shotshell reloading... We basically did the same thing... My ole buddy (...now gone on...) and i started  reloading on a mec 600 jr using once fired AA hulls, AA wads, reddot powder, and whoever's primers were available (...usually CCI or winchester...)... We would load about 500 to 800 rounds during the week when it wuz pretty and shoot em up on saturday... We used whatever the factory duplication load for 1 1/8 oz shot with the reddot and never changed...We would shoot these reloads until the crimp shot out of em and toss the hulls... We had a ton of fun... Shotgunning is as great a shooting sport as ya can participate in...

 

leroy

[charlessummers]

Sounds like I need to check out an 1100! Used to have a 11-48 a few years ago... guess I should have hung on to that one. Thanks!

[bersaguy]

RE: Bersaguy's post on shotshell reloading... We basically did the same thing... My ole buddy (...now gone on...) and i started  reloading on a mec 600 jr using once fired AA hulls, AA wads, reddot powder, and whoever's primers were available (...usually CCI or winchester...)... We would load about 500 to 800 rounds during the week when it wuz pretty and shoot em up on saturday... We used whatever the factory duplication load for 1 1/8 oz shot with the reddot and never changed...We would shoot these reloads until the crimp shot out of em and toss the hulls... We had a ton of fun... Shotgunning is as great a shooting sport as ya can participate in...

 

leroy

 

RE: Bersaguy's post on shotshell reloading... We basically did the same thing... My ole buddy (...now gone on...) and i started  reloading on a mec 600 jr using once fired AA hulls, AA wads, reddot powder, and whoever's primers were available (...usually CCI or winchester...)... We would load about 500 to 800 rounds during the week when it wuz pretty and shoot em up on saturday... We used whatever the factory duplication load for 1 1/8 oz shot with the reddot and never changed...We would shoot these reloads until the crimp shot out of em and toss the hulls... We had a ton of fun... Shotgunning is as great a shooting sport as ya can participate in...

 

leroy

We didn't use the AA's because the base wads didn't hold up as well as the Federals and Peters did. We could get about 5 or 6 reloads out of the Federals and about the same amount out of the Peters but only 2 or 3 loads out of the AA's. We shot a lot of trap in our teenage years years and my buddy went on to become the Illinois State Trap Shooting Champion but had to give it up when he received his draft notice and he joined the Navy. I got mine the following year and also joined the Navy.  He and his oldest son still shoots but not anywhere near as often since the firearms situation  has gotten so bad in Illinois that most Trap and Skeet clubs has closed down.

[A.J. Holst]

Does 20ga. have any merit over / under 12ga. for this particular application?

 

Other than a 20 is more "fun" to shoot over a 12 is all I got...

[bersaguy]

Does 20ga. have any merit over / under 12ga. for this particular application?

 

Other than a 20 is more "fun" to shoot over a 12 is all I got...

Actually back when I was a youngster and my buddy and I were shooting trap there were a lot of guys shooting the skeet birds with 20 gauges and a lot of them also used 28 gauges. I bet  a lot of folks don't even remember that they made a 28 gauge Shotgun but one of the best was made by Beretta and it was one sweet gun for sure. A guy at one of the clubs let me shoot a round of skeet with his and it was a wonderful gun to shoot for sure.........jmho

[netmindr]

Went last weekend for the first time and shot with my Mossberg 500 with only a 20" barrel. I also took along another 500 with a 28" barrel. The 20" had a cyl choke and the 28" a modified. Being a beginner, I shot just as well with either one. I can attribute all of my misses to myself, definitely not the guns.

I'm sure as I get more experienced I'll want to move up but I can't see spending any additional money right now until I get good enough and/or serious enough to justify it. I'd say shoot what you've got for now and maybe borrow guns to try as you get more serious. Any decent gun will break clays and that way you'll save money and heartache by waiting and making a more informed purchase.

Btw, I did use my uncle's Remmy 1100 and it is a pretty sweet shooting gun. With the wood stock and semi-auto action it had markedly less recoil than my Mossbergs.

[bersaguy]

It has been many moons (mid 1960's) since I shot trap so don't know if it has changed any. When I shot trap there was 5 different shoot posts  25 feet behind the trap house which was for the most part under ground. You position your self on your shooting location and when ready you call for the bird. When the bird first is in sight it is moving at about 90 feet a second for about 3 seconds and then begins to slow and drift a few seconds before it begins it's descent. Is that the way they still work these days? Back then I shot a Trap Grade Winchester model 12 Pump 30 Inch Full choke barrel, ventilated rib, glow worm site and Hydro coil Stock. Birds came out of the house in 3 possible directions. We also had doubles matches with 2 birds out of the house at 1 time and you had to bust both birds. I always took the low bird first. Some guys switched guns on the doubles shoots and went with Over/under's. Slight advantage but I still won quite a few of them anyway. It was kind of a shock when I was moved down here to Tennessee at age 17 and saw my first Turkey Shoot. Up north were i came from turkey shoots were done at Trap shoots. We shot clay pigeons. Down here they pattern shoot still targets. I entered 1 and after I shot my first round I was asked to leave and they accused me of using what they called a sleeved barrel gun. I was using the barrel I shot trap with and it was the barrel that came on the gun when I bought it brand new off the shelf. I had no idea what they were even talking about when they said sleeved barrel. A friend of mine told me later that day what is meant. I admit it was a Trap grade model which is not the same type barrel as a Field grade model would have but I paid for a Trap grade model. Yea it does have a tighter pattern and is capable of busting clay pigeons 5 feet off the ground before they hit at the end of their flight but that is what Trap Grades mean. If i would have had the money I would have bought a Pigeon Grade but didn't have the extra $189.00.................. :rofl: :rofl: :rock:

[Mark@Sea]

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/star-viper-semi-auto-shotgun-24107-gauge-chmbr-black-synthetic-stock-black-finish-p-134540.html

 

These are available in 12 or 28 gauge.  Run you around $425.

Edited October 19, 2013 by Mark@Sea

[Spiffy]

If you wanna try it I'd just shoot something you have now. If the bug bites you then you can get a new shotgun.

[MarkInNashville]

We didn't use the AA's because the base wads didn't hold up as well as the Federals and Peters did. We could get about 5 or 6 reloads out of the Federals and about the same amount out of the Peters but only 2 or 3 loads out of the AA's. We shot a lot of trap in our teenage years years and my buddy went on to become the Illinois State Trap Shooting Champion but had to give it up when he received his draft notice and he joined the Navy. I got mine the following year and also joined the Navy.  He and his oldest son still shoots but not anywhere near as often since the firearms situation  has gotten so bad in Illinois that most Trap and Skeet clubs has closed down.

The most trap shooting I ever did was at the Navel Training Station - Great Lakes! This was in 1984, quite some time after you'd been invited to join-up... lol. There was a trap range and we helped reload and cleanup to shoot at cost... I could shoot 800 - 1,000 rounds in a weekend (man was my shoulder bruised!!!) The thing that to this day still shocks me is that we shoot over Lake Michigan (!).

 

I have recently shot trap at the Nashville Gun Club (http://www.nashvillegunclub.com/) and at Ceder City Gun Club (http://www.cedarcitygunclub.com/) and nothing has changed except both places use a voice activated release system, quite convenient (just don't talk to loud!).

Edited November 3, 2013 by MarkInNashville

[safetyfast]

Agree with the 1100 recommendation. I use one for skeet. The 1100 sporting is a great skeet gun.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dustbuster]

Nashville gun club always has stuff posted on their bulletin board for sale at their lodge. Fun place to shoot trap and skeet very nice safe family oriented facility as well! Edited December 5, 2013 by Dustbuster

[Jonnin]

If you want to do it on the cheap, why not get a long barrel for one of your existing setups?   It takes all of 5 min to swap the barrel on a typical "A5" type design.

[bulm540]

Stoeger shotguns are supposedly pretty good.