Bust'n Clays with H.D. 870

G

Gary H

New member
My only shotgun to date is an 18" 870 with Ghost Rings and Vanged barrel. I've never shot at anything other than a patterning target, but would like to give clays a try just for fun. Picked up some some Fiocchi 7 1/2 shot "Trap". It is bad enough never having shot at a moving target, but is it even possible to use such a shotgun? Whenever I watch folks at the range, they are using long barrels. Actually, beyond the length of their barrels, I haven't a clue as to the equipment.

The second part of this involves my wife. She is the one that expressed an interest in shooting clays. She is 4'9" and 95pds. ( Ooops..she read this and claims to be 4'10"..must edit ) I figure that she would need a stock with about an eleven inch pull. What do you think, maybe a 20 ga. 1100 Youth and cut the stock to size? Can you cut one of those stocks? Is a 21 inch barrel reasonable? Should I be looking at an 1187 cut to size? Better 12 guage and light loads? I think the 6 1/2 + pounds is about right for her. Can't afford two new shotguns and so you understand my first paragraph.



[Edited by Gary H on 05-15-2001 at 04:30 PM]
 
FWIW, my brother got an 18" Winchester Defender. First time he shot it we went out and broke clays. What a blast. He hit maybe 75% on his first try.

The others may think you look funny, but you will be able to break birds. That short barrel is real easy to swing, too. Late in the round, as others' forearms get tired, you'll still be feeling perky.

I would stick with smaller shot (7 1/2 like you said, or 8) because I don't think there's a choke in that barrel and that means it may throw a wide pattern (not very dense). That could cause some "misses" even when you're on-target.

There was a thread here at TFL about how an 18-20" barrel pump with screw-in chokes would be the shotgun equivalent of Marlin's Guide Gun carbines. Small, handy, veratile and powerful. Close to an all-around shotgun.

You ought to ask a gunsmith how much it would cost to put a screw-in choke in that barrel. I think the quote I got was $40-50.
 
I've busted alot of clay birds with my 870 [police mag, 18in bbl]. Don't think anything about it, go have a great time. You do your part and the 870 will bust the clay birds for you.
 
Shotguns used on flying things are pointed rather than aimed, but there's a lot of fun out there for you and your shotgun. Just do it. Those Fiocchis will work fine.

As for your wife, I suggest letting her try out a couple different shotguns, and for her the 20 or maybe even better, a 28 ga will be a good place to start. I believe Remington markets a 28 ga Youth Express 870.
 
Dave:

I was thinking of the semi-auto for recoil reduction. Is that a valid approach? Also, do you think that one can cut down a stock that much without problem?

I would think that an auto-loader could suffer from the shotgun equivalent of a limp wrist and Amy's small size could result in failure to feeds. That could make the 870 a more reasonable choice. Not enough experience on my side to make the call.

Thanks..
 
Nope, would shoot it as is. Never shot birdshot, but buck groups pretty tight at 25 yards.

Dave mentioned in previous post that pitch may need to be altered for women due to anatomy. From past posts it seems that most suggestions revolve around the 20 ga. I have an Email into Remington to make sure that cutting down the stock is without complication. I guess that I just need to decide if I want to buy her a pump, or semi-auto.

I noticed the Franchi AL-48 & 620. Both have a short stock option and are 5.5 & 5.9 pounds respectively in 20 gauge / 26" barrel. Any experience with these? The weight is sure nice for a small person. From looking around the internet, they are a bit tough to come by.

[Edited by Gary H on 05-15-2001 at 11:54 PM]
 
If it is gas operated (ala Rem. 1100 or 11-87) it will recoil less than a pump and you shouldn't have a problem with "limp shouldering" so to speak. That type of failure would be more apt to occure with a recoil operated SG (Benelli, Beretta etc.) I don't know what all the buttstock of the Rem. guns contain. That would be the only limiting factor in cutting them down.
 
Gary, the Al 48 in 12 ga has a good rep with the older trap folks I shoot with.I occasionally shoot with a grandmotherly type who loves her 20 ga AL48, but she's darn near as tall as I.

As for very short stocks, the two problems there are...

First, the pitch problem, worse on women and big chested men. This is fixable, to some extent simply by sanding down the toe of the recoil pad.Mounting the pad a little skewed to give some relief from toe out can help also, but it looks wierd.

Second, since stocks are tapered, the shorter it is, the smaller the butt.This concentrates the push into a smaller area. I'd be really tempted to leave the pad "Proud" of the stock and swap esthetics for practicality here.

Also, I've no idea what action parts may be in an 1100 stock, so I cannot recommend shortening the stock radically w/o better info. I recall the Model 11 had enough springs and things in its stock to preclude much trimming but that's a different breed.

Clay shooters tend to use longer bbls, but a short bbl can be used. Exception, some ranges ban short bbls for the blast effect. Since they do not also ban ported bbls, any noise reduction they're after remains elusive.

I still think that you should help your missus try out a few shotguns and make her own choice. Then, take a second job until you can pay it off. It'll be worth it, trust me....
 
I'd say you'll be fine for starters... it'll do well and you'll find you have an advantage in brushy or dense forrest areas when hunting grouse/partrige/etc.... it'll make for a faster handleing gun and keep you in practice for HD I myself was contemplating the 1300 defender but decided on the 1300 Turkey Black shadow (22") still much shorter than most. good luck
 
I`d say go for it, however, a short barrelled HD gun is better suited to skeet shooting than trap. I`d say find yourself decent skeet field and knock yourself out! Busting clays is a blast.
 
391 .. 620 ..1100

I've been informed that I should drop the AL 48 and opt for a gas gun for reduced recoil in the 20 gauge. Three guns seem to be within my budget. All have both youth and sporting versions. Any feedback on these models..Beretta 391, Franchi 620 and Rem. 1100? I will be cutting down and otherwise having the fit altered to fit Amy regardless of purchasing a "Youth", or "Sporting" model. That said, any suggestions as best of the lot for a very small person shooting Sporting Clays? Should I go with a Sporting version, or the Youth model?
 
At worst, you will have some fun. At best, you will get some good experience learning to shoot small, fast, and moving targets. Birds going away from you will get harder to hit with distance given you may have a pretty good spread on your pattern.

If you haven't shot skeet before, be warned. It can be fun and can be addictive. There is just a certain satisfaction about what the clay birds break and it is even more so when you smoke one into dust. If you do like I did my first time, you will shoot more than you should and end up a little sore on the shoulder. I probably should have stopped at two rounds (48 shots +2).

As for your wife, light loads are good. She is small and light, so her stance is going to be important to help minimize the effects of the recoil, both in control and on her shoulder. At least consider getting a pop-on or tie on extra padded butt pad. Most HD shotguns are not made for comfort, so the padding would be a good idea, at least to get her started - you too if you plan on shooting a lot during your first couple of sessions. Of course, both of you will get acclimated to the recoil and the pad won't be as important down the road, although regular duck hunters and skeet shooters often have added things like mercury tubes put in the stock to help absorb recoil through increasing weight with a fluid medium.

Now, if you are going to be buying a gun for the purpose of shooting clay and not a HD 12 guage, then get one with all the appropriate chokes and of appropriate length. Make sure you put in the skeet chokes and not the trap chokes. Trap chokes are fine for trap and shooting distance, but a 6" group trying to hit a 4" bird moving laterally at 40 mph and at 25 yards is tough. You want a more open pattern that is afforded by the skeet chokes. I made this mistake when I bought a used gun and did not know what chokes were in it. They were trap chokes. I didn't bust many birds my first day with it, but when I hit them, I hit them good!
 
Giz is right. Get your wife a 20 ga 1100, cut the stock, and have a Decelerator recoil pad installed. It really doesn't matter whether you start with a standard 26" barrel or the 21" that comes with the Youth Model. I would suggest trying to find a used gun with a 26" barrel for your purposes. Load her up with GOOD ammunition (e.g., Winchester AA), and she won't have problems with recoil. Get someone who knows what he is doing to cut the stock and install the pad. Most women need a bit more pitch than men.
 
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