Any recommendations for cheaper skeet/trap/clays firearm?

M

Mofeen

Inactive
Went clay shooting for the first time the other day with my buddy. I have no interest in dropping 2k on a nice over under like he has, but I was looking for a cheap option for the occasional once or twice a year I may use it. I know you usually get what you pay for, but maybe when I really get serious I will drop the coin. What should I be looking at in the 300-500 dollar range? 12 ga or 20 ga? Thanks.
 
Are you looking for an O/U or SxS?

Id suggest just going the inexpensive route for now since youre only shooting it very rarely. If you got an 88 or 500 with the 28'' VR barrel, it would be fine. They run $200-300. I use an 88 with the 28'' and I shoot 9/10 clays every time.

Then you can put the rest of the money towards a nice o/u later on.

Now I did hold this gun at the gun show last week, and it felt great in my hands. Its a Baikal spr310 imported by Remington (thanks buymore). They run around the $400 mark. I cant say I have any experience with them, but it was definitely a nice looking and comfortable o/u. I might look into it in the future for a clay shooter.

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=84939
 
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Thanks. I have seen the Remington before? What about a 870 or 887? I know it is a pump, but obviously could do double duty elsewhere. Is it realistic to shoot with a pump?
 
I have shot many shotguns and I have found that some of these cheaper guns can be really fun and inexpensive. One of the first guns i had was a model 12 and they are fairly inexpensive and a great gun that u will never wear out, I reacently bought a Bennelli Nova pump and have great luck not only on the trap line but in the feild with this gun, and of course u can never go wrong with a wingmaster good luck and happy hunting
 
Just get a mossberg pump or an 870. You aren't going to win a beauty contest or anything, but you can easily shoot trap or skeet. I can shoot 3 clays with my mossberg 500, it just takes practice.

It takes practice and a little more skill, but you can very easily shoot doubles with a pump shotgun.

12 or 20 gauge will work fine, it really doesn't matter. i have a 20 gauge.
 
Not sure if the question mark after Remington was a typo or not, but Ill go with it.

The two I suggested are the Maverick 88 made by Mossberg, and the Mossberg 500 of course. The 88 runs about $200, and the 500 persuader (has the stock, not PG) runs about $350 I believe.

I suggested both of these, and would also suggest a Rem 870 also, because they can be used for numerous purposes and they are priced very well. Moss and Rem are both great companies and the shotguns they make shoot well and are, for the most part, very reliable.

The best part is with these pumps, you can buy a second barrel to suit your needs. If an 18'' or 20'' comes with the shotty, then you can easily buy a 28'' accuchoke barrel for under 150 bucks. If the accuchoke barrel comes with it, you can buy a shorter barrel easily also. They have a lot of parts and accessories, which makes it nice too.

I bought my 88 with a 20'' barrel. I started shooting clays and traded another forum member for his 28'' accchoke barrel. Although I dont have the 20'' anymore, I plan on buying one in the future but for now I can use the 28'' for HD as Im bunkering down, not clearing the house.

Oh, and pumps are SO MUCH FUN to shoot clay with. I have more fun shooting skeet with my pump than I do with my friends o/u. Also, if you REALLY wanna get something fun, get an old bolt-action shotgun.

You wont regret either, a pump or bolt-action, I promise you.:)
 
The SPR310 is a Remington import made by Baikal (Russian) They are built like a tank, but weigh about the same! I was at a gunhow yesterday and saw an o/u 12 g and a sxs 20 g both were like new and priced well.....under $350 for the sxs and $300 for the 12 g O/U. They are field guns, so they aren't made with the trap shooter in mind, but will probably work just fine. H&R makes a new single shot TRAP gun that has a vent rib and screw in chokes. A guy at the club has one and he does quite well with it. He said the recoil is anywhere near what a typical H&R single shot 12 g is. Take a look at them....they all joke and call it his "hill billy Perazzi" but he breaks a fair amount of clays with it.
 
And yes, as Rifleer stated, it just takes practice to get better with a pump.

I can shoot doubles easily, Im working on triples presently. But Ive only been shooting clay for about 2 months or less so Im happy with it.

My friend has been shooting for a few years now and can take down triples using his bolt-action. Hes definitely got a quick hand!
 
Thanks for the correction, buymore. Didnt realize the SPR isnt a Beretta, my apologies as I try not to make incorrect statements.

I will edit my above post.

I must say, Im kind of upset I didnt go ahead and get the SPR. It was a really nice o/u. Basic and nothing 'fancy', but perfect for my needs. At the show (PA), it was $375. But I knew nothing about it, wasnt sure if it was priced well, and havent heard anything on the boards about it (not that I looked in the past). I just did not want to spend almost $400 on it and have it not be what I wanted, or work how I wanted it to.

But now I am going to research it a bit more as I am very interested in it. Talking about it in my earlier post made me realize how much I liked it.
 
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Just to show how much fun pumps are, i have a friend that has a really nice beretta o/u and when we skeet shoot he says how he would rather have a pump... it true.
 
I purchased a Lanber 2097 OU from CDNN a few years back for $499 (I think). It's been absolutely flawless since day one and it breaks clays and brings down birds like any other more expensive OU out there.

Check out the "I Love My Lanber" section of Shotgun World.
 
I'd prob. just go with an 870. The only time you'll be at a disadvantage is on doubles, and then you just have to be quick about it. Recoil isn't a factor- if it's a problem, just shoot some lighter loads.
 
In lieu of a pump, I would look at a semi - either new or used - from the likes of Remington, Beretta, Browning, or Benelli. Your second shot will be somewhat easier to perform successfully
 
My friend has been shooting for a few years now and can take down triples using his bolt-action. Hes definitely got a quick hand!
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We frequently hear of the guy who can shuck a pump just a fast as anyone else can shoot an auto or O/U. Of course, he doesn't show up for serious competition with his pump gun. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone shooting triples with a bolt action shotgun. This has to be a first -- perhaps there's some misunderstanding on the definition of bolt action. There are a few bottom dollar bolt actions, but they aren't intended to be shot in quick repetition

As I've opined in the past, with a pump action gun, shooting target doubles will eventually lead to frustration and the desire for an auto or O/U. I concur with oneounceload on this one, look for an entry level auto-loader. Sadly, there is no magic "cheaper gun" for target work unless you're happy shooting holes in the sky.
 
Yeah, that was confusion on my part.

Interchanging my post with bolt-action and pump, it was easy to mix them up. I meant to say he can shoot triples with a pump. He can only shoot doubles with his bolt-action.
 
he doesn't show up for serious competition with his pump gun.
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Well, there is this guy named Tom Knapp, I hear he is pretty good with a pump... he holds a world record for shooting i think 10 clays with a pump.
 
I would second both the Lanber and visiting shotgunworld.com. I don't see much love for the Baikal Remingtons' there or any of the other really cheap O/U's. It seems they don't hold up to serious shooting like any of the clay games will have you doing and the barrel regulation can be iffy. Most of the vets there recommend a used Browning or Beretta which can be had for around 700.00 to 1000.00 and are supposed to be good for 100,000 rounds or more. The Lanber and Weatherby shotguns at CDNN are reasonably cheap and pretty durable, they also have a deal on some nice Winchester O/U's.
I have just started trap shooting about two months ago and have run a little over 1000 rounds through my ancient Mossberg 500 with external variable choke. I am going through at least 100 per range visit and a couple times have hit 150, the cost of the gun will soon be eclipsed by the cost of range fees and ammo so I have a lightly used Browning Citori Trap with 32" bbls on layaway that's slowly getting paid for.
 
he doesn't show up for serious competition with his pump gun.
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Well, there is this guy named Tom Knapp, I hear he is pretty good with a pump... he holds a world record for shooting i think 10 clays with a pump.
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There's no denying that Tom Knapp is a shooting superstar and a great ambassador for the sport. I'm sure his sponsors are well pleased every time he performs super-human stunts and breaks records with their product.

There's a difference between exhibition shooting and competitive shooting. Did you see Mr. Knapp, with his pump, on the winners stand at the last olympics? If he were to engage in comp shooting that involved rapid second shots, such as international trap, I suspect he'd be using a product other than his sponsor's pump. Perazzi's dominated the last Olympics. The common denominator between a Benelli pump and a comp P-gun O/U is none other than the world's oldest gun maker, Beretta (who has an interest in both Benelli and Perazzi).

It all comes down to the numbers. There are a lot more money with new shooters trying to decide which pump gun to buy than folks selecting a new comp gun. Mr. Knapp's sponsor's are acutely aware of the best ways to exploit their exhibition shooters to gain a bigger share of the market. Also, comp shooters don't really care what gun an exhibition shooter uses, they are interested in a rig that works best for mere mortals in their sport of choice.
 
I would get a Remington 870 12 gauge. I switched from a Beretta 682 to a 870 and haven't been able to tell much of a difference in my skeet scores.
 
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