Hey Shotgun enthusiests Dev here from the general discussion thread, making his way into more familiar territory of shotguns. Right now I have a Remington 1100 for skeet competitions but it just is annoying having the jams that as far as I know are common place with the 1100's. So i am wondring if there are any options out there for skeet that are close in price to the what an 1100 would sell for plus a few extra dollars, to add to the budget. Im not a huge equipment is the issue kind of guy, I tend to blame my lack of skill or a mistake I made, and try not to blame my gun (although it is an easy excuse). So for me a cheap over under is a solid buy, in my mind because it will not jam and then I'll have no excuse for not hitting a shot. Anyone have any suggestions for a cheap over under? I've seen the mavericks and they look solid but I would love more suggestions. Thanks guys!!!
A Skeet parent needs a new baby that won't cry as much
- Thread starter Dev
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If you want an O/U ...stay with a Browning or Beretta...there are a lot of models, and used guns out there too, that will function for at least 500,000 shells -- picking the model that fits you best is important.
Talk to guys at your local Skeet ranges...most of them have quite a few guns they'd sell - extra training guns, older guns, whatever...
Most of the cheap O/U's are not worth more than the cardboard box they ship them in...in my opinion.
Semi-autos will all wear out ....but they can be easily rebuilt. Just find a local guy that can work on it for you .../ I'm not a big Rem fan - or an 1100 fan -- but they will run reliably if they are maintained and cleaned and lubed properly.
Talk to guys at your local Skeet ranges...most of them have quite a few guns they'd sell - extra training guns, older guns, whatever...
Most of the cheap O/U's are not worth more than the cardboard box they ship them in...in my opinion.
Semi-autos will all wear out ....but they can be easily rebuilt. Just find a local guy that can work on it for you .../ I'm not a big Rem fan - or an 1100 fan -- but they will run reliably if they are maintained and cleaned and lubed properly.
hoghunting
New member
Completely agree, I've been shooting 1100s for years and have never had any problems.
Have cleaned it serveral times and I have put in countless numbers of O-rings and have taken it to 3 different gunsmiths who said they have "fixed" it but haven't. I just misfires every once in a while but I can safely say that it is the ammo I was using, but a lot of times it doesn't feed the next round or not eject the spent shell. Everyone I have talked to has said oh its the O rings but frankly I'm kinda tired of hearing that hahaha. Maybe I just got a crappy one on the off chance, but my buddy has 2 and says he has issues all the time. So maybe I'm being ignorant, but I just kind of want to move on. Also my college team wants me to get an over under instead of a semi auto so either way over under is the way to go. Thanks for the help though guys
the o-ring is the easest thing to check first and some of the non brass base promo shells are junk, ck the gas holes in the barrel and ck the firing pin and firing pin hole and the locking block for free movement to let the firing pin move along with the recoil spring. eastbank.
Yes, again .....cheap O/U's are mostly junk. ( if you go that route ---- you may have barrel regulation issues, trigger issues, etc)....
Ammo issues you describe result in "lost targets"...assuming your team is shooting registered targets...and i'm not surprised a college team would expect you to be shooting an O/U.... but to most "teams" ...Browning or Beretta are cheap over unders..../ but a Citori XS Skeet model would be a serviceable gun...or maybe a Beretta DT-10...../ but I would think they'd want you to have a " tubed" gun...in which case most shooters would want a "carrier barrel" and a set of tunes (12, 20, 28 ga & .410) ...which means you'll also need a gun with mechanical triggers not inertia triggers.../ Browning has a new model 725 Skeet with mech triggers....for around $4K I think...
So you're looking at a minimum of about $5K even used..with a tube set..../ .let alone looking at Perazzi, Kosar or Krieghoff ...or even Blaser where you're into $10 - $20 K...
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All the serious team shooters I know are easily shooting 20 boxes a week -just for practice.... ....or about 25,000 shells a year ---- and cheap O/U's won't last 6 months under that usage..../ in my opinion...
But sure Remington, Mossberg, Ruger, Tristar, Huglu, etc ....and a lot of other o/u's are out there for $ 700 - $1,000 ....
Ammo issues you describe result in "lost targets"...assuming your team is shooting registered targets...and i'm not surprised a college team would expect you to be shooting an O/U.... but to most "teams" ...Browning or Beretta are cheap over unders..../ but a Citori XS Skeet model would be a serviceable gun...or maybe a Beretta DT-10...../ but I would think they'd want you to have a " tubed" gun...in which case most shooters would want a "carrier barrel" and a set of tunes (12, 20, 28 ga & .410) ...which means you'll also need a gun with mechanical triggers not inertia triggers.../ Browning has a new model 725 Skeet with mech triggers....for around $4K I think...
So you're looking at a minimum of about $5K even used..with a tube set..../ .let alone looking at Perazzi, Kosar or Krieghoff ...or even Blaser where you're into $10 - $20 K...
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All the serious team shooters I know are easily shooting 20 boxes a week -just for practice.... ....or about 25,000 shells a year ---- and cheap O/U's won't last 6 months under that usage..../ in my opinion...
But sure Remington, Mossberg, Ruger, Tristar, Huglu, etc ....and a lot of other o/u's are out there for $ 700 - $1,000 ....
They don't mind the tubes as long as I'm shooting 12 guage, so I guess I'll have to save the ol piggy bank for a while haha. What about under 1k over under that shoots 12 guage. I want quality but I also don't want to spend a semesters worth of tuition on it. Any minimal quality guns out there?
johnwilliamson062
Moderator
https://www.skbshotguns.com/Shotguns/590.php
I don't know a whole lot about them and don't own any. I have heard they are/were the actual manufacturer of some of the Browning branded shotguns. A local youth team just bought two of them after doing a lot of research. They aren't as common as some of the other names and I think you may have a little more trouble finding parts and a gunsmith who knows them.
Doesn't your college team have an agreement with some sponsors? Local gun shop or something that is providing equipment at cost or below?
I don't know a whole lot about them and don't own any. I have heard they are/were the actual manufacturer of some of the Browning branded shotguns. A local youth team just bought two of them after doing a lot of research. They aren't as common as some of the other names and I think you may have a little more trouble finding parts and a gunsmith who knows them.
Doesn't your college team have an agreement with some sponsors? Local gun shop or something that is providing equipment at cost or below?
I have a friend with a worn out 1100. I understand the OPs position completely. Very frustrating when nothing you try works.
That said I can't think of a single budget O/U gun that I would feel comfortable relying on for competition of any kind. Most here will say the same. Check out the Yildiz brand if you insist on an O/U. They are just too light weight for competition, given their alloy receivers, but I've had no issues with the one I own.
Whether you or your friends like it or not there is nothing wrong with a semi auto. Lately I've been using a Beretta a300 for SC and the gun holds its own quite well. At $650 OTD what's not to like? After 1150 rounds of a mix of bargain shells I would say reliability is not an issue. BTW, my 1100 can't do that and it's far from being worn out.
That said I can't think of a single budget O/U gun that I would feel comfortable relying on for competition of any kind. Most here will say the same. Check out the Yildiz brand if you insist on an O/U. They are just too light weight for competition, given their alloy receivers, but I've had no issues with the one I own.
Whether you or your friends like it or not there is nothing wrong with a semi auto. Lately I've been using a Beretta a300 for SC and the gun holds its own quite well. At $650 OTD what's not to like? After 1150 rounds of a mix of bargain shells I would say reliability is not an issue. BTW, my 1100 can't do that and it's far from being worn out.
When I said "tubes" ...I was not referring to "choke tubes"...../ tubes are full length inserts that convert a barrel from a 12ga to a 20ga / or a 12ga to a 28ga / or a 12ga to a .410. ...so you have one trigger group & all 4 gages then feel and swing the same...same length, same weight.....because as skeet shooters most of us compete in all 4 gagues ( 4 separate events )....
Nothing wrong with choke tubes ....but they're different....
Before you just buy an O/U ....you need to understand what stock dimensions you need for "fit" ....so the gun hits where you look. As an example i'm a big browning fan ...but 90% of the citori models will not fit me ( drop at comb is too low, drop at heel is too low, weight is not right, length of pull is not right, throat or grip area is too thin....) ....all that little stuff is a big deal for competition target shooters....so for me, in all 4 gagues I need a parallel adjustable comb gun, 30" barrels at around 8.5 lbs....28" and 8 lbs feels whippy to me so I slap at targets instead of making a smooth follow thru.....32" barrels and 9 or 10 lbs feels like a clumsy sewer pipe on a skeet or sporting clays field ( but it's perfect for Trap)..... and if I wanted stand alone guns for each gague ( instead of full length tube sets)...I'd make sure they were made on same size receiver - same weight, same stock specs, etc.....which is hard to do ( and 4 guns might cost me $16K )....vs $8K for a 12ga, a carrier barrel and 3 tube sets for 20ga, 28ga and .410..../ the Browning model I shoot with that spec is the XS Skeet model, no longer in production - ( now it's a 725 Citori Skeet ) same spec. ...
Having said all that ....looking for a used SKB is a good idea, or a used field grade citori or beretta...and with comb pads, changing recoil pads ...and using lead golf club tape - add weight under forend and inside stock ....to get the "fit" right .....and presuming your team has a coach --- they should be talking to you about all this stuff..../ and if they aren't find guys at your local skeet field that are shooting 24's and 25's consistently and talk to them....( don't take a lot of advice from guys shooting below 95 out of 100 )....if you're trying to shoot this game seriously..../ because as you probably already know ( even in windy conditions ) scores below 95 are out of the top 25% even in casual club shoots..../ ....with scores of 100 fairly common in bigger shoots...especially in 12ga or 20ga events,,,
Some of the local club shooters might be crabby old guys, like me, but they might help you out if you approach them right...and seriously, before you buy a gun --- talk to these guys, about guns / lots of us have a dozen skeet guns we've picked up over the years...and we might sell one to an eager young shooter...
Just don't buy junk.....
Nothing wrong with choke tubes ....but they're different....
Before you just buy an O/U ....you need to understand what stock dimensions you need for "fit" ....so the gun hits where you look. As an example i'm a big browning fan ...but 90% of the citori models will not fit me ( drop at comb is too low, drop at heel is too low, weight is not right, length of pull is not right, throat or grip area is too thin....) ....all that little stuff is a big deal for competition target shooters....so for me, in all 4 gagues I need a parallel adjustable comb gun, 30" barrels at around 8.5 lbs....28" and 8 lbs feels whippy to me so I slap at targets instead of making a smooth follow thru.....32" barrels and 9 or 10 lbs feels like a clumsy sewer pipe on a skeet or sporting clays field ( but it's perfect for Trap)..... and if I wanted stand alone guns for each gague ( instead of full length tube sets)...I'd make sure they were made on same size receiver - same weight, same stock specs, etc.....which is hard to do ( and 4 guns might cost me $16K )....vs $8K for a 12ga, a carrier barrel and 3 tube sets for 20ga, 28ga and .410..../ the Browning model I shoot with that spec is the XS Skeet model, no longer in production - ( now it's a 725 Citori Skeet ) same spec. ...
Having said all that ....looking for a used SKB is a good idea, or a used field grade citori or beretta...and with comb pads, changing recoil pads ...and using lead golf club tape - add weight under forend and inside stock ....to get the "fit" right .....and presuming your team has a coach --- they should be talking to you about all this stuff..../ and if they aren't find guys at your local skeet field that are shooting 24's and 25's consistently and talk to them....( don't take a lot of advice from guys shooting below 95 out of 100 )....if you're trying to shoot this game seriously..../ because as you probably already know ( even in windy conditions ) scores below 95 are out of the top 25% even in casual club shoots..../ ....with scores of 100 fairly common in bigger shoots...especially in 12ga or 20ga events,,,
Some of the local club shooters might be crabby old guys, like me, but they might help you out if you approach them right...and seriously, before you buy a gun --- talk to these guys, about guns / lots of us have a dozen skeet guns we've picked up over the years...and we might sell one to an eager young shooter...
Just don't buy junk.....
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Remember, a decent shotgun - that Fits --- that will give you a 500,000 shell life ( when you're shooting 25,000 to 30,000 shells a year....is not you biggest expense,,,,,over its 20 year life - even if it costs $4K....
Skeet targets at $5 per 25....and shells at $5 per 25..../ means you are spending $40 per 100 or an easy $ 2,500 a yr on targets and shells..../ it makes that $4K for a decent shotgun the least expensive part of this hobby....
And adding in food, travel, hotels...to shoots....
Skeet targets at $5 per 25....and shells at $5 per 25..../ means you are spending $40 per 100 or an easy $ 2,500 a yr on targets and shells..../ it makes that $4K for a decent shotgun the least expensive part of this hobby....
And adding in food, travel, hotels...to shoots....
BIGJIMP, i bought a browning citori xs in 20ga this year and it is indeed a fine shotgun. i must have gotten all the reliable 1100,s and the rest of the world got the bad ones. here is some thing you can do with a rem 1100, you can buy a rem 1100 used and totaly rebuild it for any use you have in mind,field-clay games or defence with all parts bought new on the internet, if you have a receiver. if you have to take your firearm to a gunsmith be sure he has expeance with that model and make. and i agree cheaper firearms tend to cause problems when used to shoot large amounts of shells, a hunter may fire 4-6 boxes a season and a clay games shooter may fire that and more in a day, several days a week, year in and out. eastbank.