Lookin for a new trap shotgun.

the noobie

the noobie

New member
Not sure what I am wanting to do. The choice on a new shotgun is harder than the choice of what AR or what scope
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I am wanting to get a new shotgun, purely for trap shooting. Singles, Doubles, sporting clays, and if I get a chance I want to give skeet a try. Pump gun isn't cutting it anymore. Works fine on singles but I can't run it good enough for doubles and heck its a camo duck gun. I need a nice wood stocked range queen.

I want to stay in the $1500 price range but may have to bump that up to $2000. Prefer a 30"+ barrel but might settle for a 28". No shorter than 28"

Still haven't decided if I want a semi auto or an O/U. Whole life I have drooled over the O/U's but they are more in the $2000 range.

Browning makes an entry level Citori runs about $1500 or so. I went and fondled one today and was NOT impressed Right on the side was printed "Made in Japan" the checkering on the stock felt cheap and was not very nice and the whole gun just felt cheap.

While I was at the store I played with a Berretta 686 Silver Pigeon. I actually really liked this gun. Had a little engraving on the receiver, nothing fancy but it was nice, stock felt like it was a lot better quality than the browning and I quite enjoyed how it fit me and how it swung. Only downer was the $1900 price tag.

But then deep down my wallet wants me to just get a 28" Semi auto like a Benelli Montefeltro. Run in the $1,100 range. I am just worried that they won't cycle light trap loads.

Guess I was just curious what everyone on here shoots, has shot, and what their thoughts are. If I am going to buy a $2000 shotgun I want to make sure its at least decent and something I will be happy with, even if it is still an entry level trap gun. Ive talked with guys at the range and shot a few different guns but most of those were $5,000-$10,000 guns.
 
I ran a SKB TTR 32/34 combo set for a while, it was the best trap gun I owned, could never miss w/it.
I paid about $2500 for it and shot right along the guys w/15K+ guns and won 2 awards w/it before I got out of trap.
My other trap gun was Beretta 686.
If you can get one w/an adjustable stock & adjustable rib, those do make a BIG difference.
http://www.higradeshooters.com/product-l...ew#.U87fx89OXIU
There are some guys w/autos and don't have a shell catcher and you will hate standing next to them when it hits you...it really will p1zzzz you off when you are trying to concentrate on your coming up bird.
 
The only real downside to the semi-auto is you are going to get tired of picking up empties all the time. That is a real pain in the rear. It is also a bit harder to show clear and safe with a semi-auto. I like an O/U with 30" barrels, good balance and a bit of weight. Beretta does it for me. Browning is just as good, there are others that do well also. Fit is everything with a shotgun.
 
A good general rule when it comes to shotguns is the 3 b's. Beretta, browning, benelli. Personally I shoot a browning maxus carbon sporting. 30" barreled semi auto. There are many choices but when you find "the one" you'll know!
 
My son has shot competitive skeet for several years. We are running Citoris in 3 gauges and he's perfectly happy with them. There are several things to take into consideration. Like GC said, O/Us are easily broken open and safe. You can shoot any thing that goes BANG in an O/U. Not the case with an auto because you have to cycle the action. There's a lot to be said for being able to load lighter loads. Not only does it save the shoulder after 200 rounds, but in the long run you save powder and shot. Someone mentioned adjust-ability. If you're going to shoot both trap and skeet you need that option. Trap guns need to shoot high. I had a trap gun once that was a real pain in the butt to shoot skeet with. Beretta, Browning, and also CZ are good choices. We see a lot of CZ guns here in sporting clays and they are great guns from what I can gather. Good Citoris can be had for around $1200 in this area that show almost no wear. If you're going to get serious about skeet or trap, I'd go as heavy as possible. Weight is your friend on the course. Let me know if there's anything I can help with or do for you.
 
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As mentioned,fit is most important above all else.

nothing wrong at all with a browning o/u or a beretta semi-auto.

I have a browning o/u sporting clays gun that I do very well with and have shot as good of scores with a 391 beretta sporting clays gun I used to own, liked it real well, shot it real well, just did not shoot it enough and a buddy was looking for one, so I sold it to them.
 
I don't know if there is anything wrong with the Japanese Brownings. I was just hoping for the "Made in Belgium" stamp like my Hi-Power has. All I know is I was looking at the Browning Citori CrossOver Target. I was not impressed my 20 year old Ruger M77 has nicer checkering than that gun had. Its 3 position trigger just felt cheesy to me. It didn't feel solid. Maybe its a better gun than I think I just wasn't overly impressed with it.

I thought the Silver Pigeon fit pretty well. I didn't get to check it out in too much detail due to the amount of people in the store but I closed my eyes and got into my little shooting stance and the gun seemed to be pretty well lined up. I then dropped my stance and got back into it and didn't really have to adjust the gun much at all. I didn't need to drop my head low to get lined up or lift it high my head just seemed to come to rest where it needed to be.

I know no $2000 factory gun will fit perfectly but the gun felt good. The 30" barrel seemed to swing smoothly I didn't feel like I was whipping it around and it didn't feel like I had a sledge hammer tapped to the end.

At this point I am wanting a nice gun, one to keep around and allow me to sharpen my skills more than the pump gun has done. When I am done with college then I can worry about adjustable guns and having one fitted exactly too me.

This thursday I am going to a night shoot so maybe I can talk to some guys there and maybe rent a gun to check out. Then next week I will be headed to Montana to check out some more and hopefully find what I am wanting.
 
I have a Browning 425 with 30" that I set up for trap and I liked it for the price. But I worked it over a bit to fit me better. I always wanted a Beretta. They seemed to fit like a glove. I stopped shooting once I got really busy so I never got the Beretta. I agree with everyone else O/U and heavy. Plus if you are shooting trap you can have two different chokes. If you get into skeet you can buy tubes and shoot all four gauges with same gun.
 
You are not going to find a new citori made anywhere but in japan. There is nothing wrong with one. But you might have to go used if you want one from belgium. The other thing is to also look for a used Browning you can step up a grade or two for the same price as new.
 
I used to shoot a LOT of trap. I prefer long barrels as well 32"-34" for break actions. Have to remember they don't have those extra inches in the receiver an auto or pump has.
 
Most trap ranges have a buy and sell board and you can find some great deals on used trap and skeet guns plus you can usually get a round in with it to see if it will work for you.

I happen to shoot a field stock better than a trap stock for trap. When I was shooting competitively I shot a Win 101 30" F&F for international trap and since had it rechoked to SK-II and IM for sporting clays and pheasants, I had a matching 101 26" 12ga field grade rechoked to SK & SK for my international skeet shooting. When I bought them they were $154 each new and still shoot both. Last week my BinL fourth round of skeet ever and second round with my skeet gun broke 24, he likes it. Both guns are 48 years old now.

Since the popularity of choke tubes I could have gotten away with just one gun but skeet with a trap stocked gun can b tough.

If you can only afford one gun I'd look seriously at sporting clays gun that would work well on the skeet field and make do with it on the trap field. If you plan to get into serious trap, sporting clays and skeet competition I think your going to have to dig deeper.
 
Thanks all, for now its mostly going to be a trap gun. There aren't any local sporting clays or skeet ranges but there are a couple about 80 miles away Ill be visiting once in a while.

Dad found a good price on a Silver Pigeon with a 30" barrel so I am going to keep looking around but if its still for sale when I get to Montana I may end up with it. We will see what I can dig up tomorrow at the trap range.
 
I shoot trap with a silver pigeon sporting with 30" tubes. It's not perfect for trap or skeet but works fine either way. I regularly shoot 25's with it in both sports and have not found it to be a real handicap whatsoever. If it was a dedicated trap gun and you want to get serious about trap,then I suggest you save a bit more and get a browning XT or a beretta 682, possibly used, otherwise the silver pigeon is all you will ever need.


Originally Posted By: the noobieThanks all, for now its mostly going to be a trap gun. There aren't any local sporting clays or skeet ranges but there are a couple about 80 miles away Ill be visiting once in a while.

Dad found a good price on a Silver Pigeon with a 30" barrel so I am going to keep looking around but if its still for sale when I get to Montana I may end up with it. We will see what I can dig up tomorrow at the trap range.
 
While not an O/U or a semi-auto we shoot a Browning BT-99 single shot. Should be able get one with adjustable stock for well under $2000.
 
I agree with AWS. I preferred the sporting clays gun with a lower rib. It wasn't bad when I shoot a little skeet. If I was going with a single barrel I would do a unsingle.
 
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