Advice on first Clay shooting shotgun

[eyego11]

Hello, I was just at the skeet range in loch raven and was using my 870. I had some trouble shooting with it since it has no sights at all on it or sight rail. I have been researching for a while and found this gun-

http://www.basspro.com/Stoeger-12-G...ct/10218244/?cmCat=CROSSSELL_PRODUCT#desc-tab

Seems like a good deal but I'm not so sure its the right fit. I'm young so weight of the gun doesn't matter but I am worried about the quality. Thank you in advance for the advice and I am willing to pay a little more for a better quality shotgun if I must.

 

[mward]

You don't need sights when clay shooting. Unless you want to get into competition, stick with your 870 and get a 28+" barrel. JMO!

 

[RRHemi]

I don't know that specific gun. I have a $500 Remington/Spartan that I love and shoot quite well. It was my step up from my 870 for sporting clays. I always thought I would get something even better but have never felt the need. I would go look at it and see how it feels to you. Comfort is pretty important with these guns, it builds confidence. My 870 still has a purpose so no regrets there.

 

[eyego11]

I should try to get a longer barrel thanks

 

[matt1]

I have a stoeger m2000... that gun gets a bit of a bad rap because it needs to get broken in to be reliable. But once it is... AWESOME gun for the price!

 

[fabsroman]

If you are shooting more than a single target at a time (e.g., skeet, 5 stand, sporting clays), a pump gun sucks.

As far as Stoegers are concerned, here is a thread that should cover it:

http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=112233

My recommendation, don't buy one. Get yourself a semi-auto to start with. A Remington 1100 or Beretta 391. You can use it for both clays and hunting if need be. Save up your cash and if you really want an o/u for clays, get a Browning or Beretta clays gun. Both are north of $1,000, and closer to $2,000 nowadays. Me, I shoot mostly the Beretta 391 Teknys in 12 gauge and 20 gauge and have a Beretta 682 Super Trap Combo and Beretta 682 Gold E sporting clays gun. I use the 682 for trap almost 100% but rarely use the 682 Gold E for anything. Plan was to buy a tube set for skeet to use on the 682 Gold E, but have yet to get around to it.

While you say weight does not matter because you are young, the lighter the gun the more felt recoil you will have. After running 250 high velocity rounds through my single barrel trap gun, I would always find myself with a headache. So, I went from 1,200 fps to 1,090. Now, shooting sporting clays or skeet with the Beretta 391 with the recoil reducer in it is very nice. Trust me, if you want to get into clays shooting, recoil is NOT your friend no matter how young you are.

 

[RRHemi]

I agree. Shooting clays with a pump sucks! If the op needs to go hunting he has the 870, it can be configured in umpteen billion ways. The Beretta 391 is a sweet gun for sure. That 682 is freakin really sweet! Gun envy! Folks seem to be happy with their Stoegers. I would recommend going someplace like pintail point where you can rent both, semi and O/U. Personally, I like the simplicity and twin choke flexibility of the o/u. Jmho

 

[PJDiesel]

Price range?

 

[Raven]

I have been shooting a Weatherby Semi SA-08 28" that I won at the NRA banquet. They are not very expensive but I do really well at trap with it. The gun performs flawlessly. Check it out. It got me hooked on shooting clays. And I am now awaiting the arrival of a Beretta Silver Pigeon 686 Sporting 30". I tried one the other day and it fit me like a glove! The LOP on the Weatherby was a bit too long for me to shoulder consistently, but then I am a gal.

 

[tmschrader1]

You don't need sites as mentioned, you should be looking at the clay. Pump isn't as easy as the motion is just one more thing to take your barrel off the clay but it's not a deal breaker and if you're not going to shoot it regularly then another gun isn't needed. A longer barrel will help but i'd buy a skeet choke first and maybe a lesson.

 

[circleshooter]

Shooting clays with a pump gun is more challenging, but it worked well for many people for a long time. If this is something you're going to do occasionally then I'd go the inexpensive route and get a ribbed 28" barrel for your 870 with a couple of chokes. You can have lots of fun with it.

But if you're serious about getting in to clay shooting then I'd go the semiauto route. There's lots of nice 1100's on the used market. Beretta and Benelli's are out there for more money and the new Browning A5 could be a great choice.

Next time you're at Loch Raven you can rent a Beretta or Benelli semi-auto for $10.

 

[eyego11]

thing is with the semi autos last time I was there was the people who've never shot any gun in their life were shooting trap with rental shotguns and they didn't know how to use it and would load it wrong and jam it so it take 15 minutes to fix it and move on

 

[possumman]

You cant go wrong with a Beretta 391-nice used ones are under $1000--also check out the Outlander with 28" barrel-it seems to be developing some following and it is a bargain for a Beretta,especially if you dont mind black synthetic stocks, the 391 is very reliable and soft shooting.

 

[RRHemi]

Rental semi's don't get cleaned often enough, they get sticky

 

[fabsroman]

Rental semi's don't get cleaned often enough, they get sticky

Yep. That is one spot that I prefer the 682 over the 391. The 391 is a pain to clean compared to a 682. However, I don't thoroughly clean (i.e., ultrasonic clean the small parts) my 391 but once a year if that. The 682s I have never really broken down the trigger mechanism for cleaning and they still work fine. Don't have to worry about a gas system getting all jammed up either.

Thing is, the autoloaders are just so much smoother on recoil for me.

 

[Biggfoot44]

The OP didn't go into detail as to what bbl he currently has . Everything should have had at least a bead when leaving factory. If it is simply knocked off , it is simple to have replaced. If the bbl has had a home bob job , the larger issue is the choke situation, or lack thereof. Depending on what he has , an additional bbl might be in order.

When Sporting Clays became well known in this country , it was concurrent with a fashon of high end O/U's , so the two are linked in popular conciousness. Back in the Golden Age of Skeet , M12s and M870s were very popular , and frequently used to win Nat'l level titles, so they are certainly usable.

*In general* , for ,y reasonably skilled and practiced user , they cycle their guns faster than they recover from one shot and aquire the next target. Really good users can manipulate a pump faster than a semi-auto can mechanically cycle. But that's really a stunt , in the real world the meaning factor is "fast enough to not be limiting factor in next shot" .

If you want one on purpose , lot of people do like their Condors , and make the case they are good bang for the $ . BUT for an O/U of similar quality to an 870 would be in $1200 range.

 

[rico903]

I've had a few friends who bought the Condor and were unhappy with it. Though I've shot 391's and 1100's I always shot best with my 870 Wingmaster. 30"FC. I also have a 28" skeet barrel for it. Both my barrels have vent ribs with 2 beads. Having gotten older and had several back surgeries I'm going to sell my beloved 870 because the recoil is just too much for me now. When I was younger it never bothered me and the gun is slick and fast for 2nd shots. There is a big difference in the new vs older 870's and the different models of the new guns. The Wingmaster being the best. My 20ga Beretta OU jolts me pretty good also but it is very light. For the money the 1100's and 391's are good guns.

 

[circleshooter]

Rental semi's don't get cleaned often enough, they get sticky

Indeed. The LRSTC staff spends a lot of time cleaning guns and there are still problems sometimes. They just get used an awful lot. This is why we are changing out most of the semi-auto's for Beretta O/U's over the next couple of months. I understand they've been ordered.

 

[fabsroman]

I've had a few friends who bought the Condor and were unhappy with it. Though I've shot 391's and 1100's I always shot best with my 870 Wingmaster. 30"FC. I also have a 28" skeet barrel for it. Both my barrels have vent ribs with 2 beads. Having gotten older and had several back surgeries I'm going to sell my beloved 870 because the recoil is just too much for me now. When I was younger it never bothered me and the gun is slick and fast for 2nd shots. There is a big difference in the new vs older 870's and the different models of the new guns. The Wingmaster being the best. My 20ga Beretta OU jolts me pretty good also but it is very light. For the money the 1100's and 391's are good guns.

One of my buddies had the Condor and hated it. He got rid of it for a Browning after he saved up the money for the Browning.

 

[Pinecone]

You don't use sights with a shotgun. You focus on the target.

Probably the best thing you can do is to get a lesson.