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So who knows anything about trap & skeet?

Yesterday, my brother-in-law & a friend called up and invited me to accompany them (along with their sons) to a shooting range to try our hands at trap shooting. Now, I've been around guns of all types most of my life, but had to admit this was foreign to me. After one afternoon, I'm afraid I'm hooked. This was a blast! (bad pun intended) I could see this as an expensive hobby, but we all really enjoyed ourselves and are planning on going again soon.

I'm wondering just what exactly I need as decent start-up equipment, and what type shotguns are preferred? I know those can get up into the thousands of dollars, but I'd like to stay in the $500-800 if I decide to purchase my gun down the road.

Also, what were the little pads for I saw some guys wearing on the top of one shoe? I was too embarrassed to ask...
 
I'm your man for skeet info. Yes, you can get into skeet by purchasing a shotgun in the price range you quoted, but beware...if you get hooked you'll end up spending thousands. I know from experience.

Those little pads on top of our shoes are for resting the shotgun (breach opened) on our foot without getting grease and gunpowder on our shoe. I purchased a Citori XS Skeet over and under about 4 years ago for around $1800 and that was considered really cheap in the competitive skeet world. I had another $1000 or so in modifications to get the gun to 'fit' me perfectly and to get multi-gauge tube inserts so I can shoot multiple gauges with just one gun.

Just starting out though I'd stick with a cheaper gun to see if you really want to do this. Also, get a DVD from Todd Bender on shooting skeet. It's the only instruction I've ever had and I consistently shoot 25 out of 25. Also, having the gun fitted made all the difference in the world. Feel free to PM me if you want more info.
 
I shoot trap with an old Remington 1100T lefty model with some semi custom wood on it. That's not an expensive gun. You could certainly start with an inexpensive Remington semiauto, or a cheap Beretta if you want to go a step up.

If you want to go serious, you'll be wanting to reload. Shells can add up.
 
If you plan on staying with trap only then a semi auto will work fine. Actually the auto loaders will work for all 3 clay sports (trap, skeet, & sporting clays...SC). However, there are many moving parts and they must be cleaned and maintained very well and regularly. I would definitely suggest an O/U!!! I prefer SC to the other two, and find it much more enjoyable and closer to actual hunting presentations. It also gives you many, many different birds and rabbits from multiple angles. I find, as most will agree that trap and skeet is more repitition. Not taking anything away from either, I still shoot them both.

Anyway, I got side tracked there, sorry. I would definitely get an O/U. Much easier to keep up, clean, and service. I have about 13,000 rounds thru my O/U and have never replaced anything. I can say with fairly high certainty that the same wouldnt be true for a auto loader. You also get more choke options. Meaning, if you are shooting trap, and move back you can simply switch bbls and not have to mess around switching out chokes. Keep one in the top and one in the bottom.

Your choices are somewhat limited with your price range in either style gun. I would check around some online auction sites and you might find yourself a nice deal. New in the stores, you can probably swing a Stoeger, Mossberg, and maybe, the low wnd Beretta (silver pigeon I think) in your price range. You may still find some very nice Verona O/U in a few stores and online. They are running out the stock on them because the importers changed and they are no longer Veronas. They are made in Italy by F.A.I.R.. You can find $900 guns going for around $500. This just happens to be what I shoot also. :wink:

Now I hope this doesnt get me in trouble, but I am a moderator on a shotgun and shooting website..... shotgunworld.com All the info you could possibly want is there. It is the equivilent to the B&B of shaving. (sorry if I am not supposed to put links up)

Hopefully I helped you and not confused you.
 
If you want to go serious, you'll be wanting to reload. Shells can add up.

I'm still doubtful about the cost savings of reloading. I shoot around 100 12 ga and 100 20 ga rounds every weekend, weather permitting, and by using our shooting club bulk discount I can still buy cheaper than reloading. Of course I'm factoring the cost of the initial purchase of the reloading equipment which will be several hundred dollars. There's almost always someone at a local club that reloads and is looking to sell reloaded shells back to members. Also, if you shoot competitively you can't use reloads, you can just use them for practice. Reloading is a whole hobby unto itself and can quickly take on a life $$$ of it's own.

You can visit my club at http://www.memphis-ssa.com and take a look around. We have all the shotgun sports (trap, skeet, sporting clays, 5 stand, etc) and several different rifle and pistols ranges. Cowboy action and combat pistol are also available. I'm not a hunter but I love bustin' clays.
 
I've shot clays several times and it is alot of fun, since I'm a hunter I use the same gun for hunting also, remington 870. I know personally that hunting can take on a life of its own, I could see how sport shooting could get real expensive very quickly.
 
Thanks for all the quick responses. I've already been poking around shotgunworld.com and fieldandclays.com. I'll probably continue to use my brother-in-law's Browning autoloader and rent guns at the range to try some different stuff. Don't know if I'll really think about reloading just yet, even though I have some experience there. I have a buddy with an FFL, so getting a good price on a gun and staying stocked with shells is a possibility.

Hoselayer, thanks for all your input. I'll definitely be trying some skeet & SC also, since the range we went to has all 3. The folks there were really helpful and couldn't have been any nicer, so I'll probably try out the classes they offer.

This could be getting expensive.....SWMBO will be watching!
 
Ruger Red Label......Redfield SD......Heavenly combination.......The natural endgame of skeetshooting.....You'll never get a better workout walking.....
 
Shotgunworld.com is a great place to hang around, I actually consider it to be the shotgun equivalent to this site. As for your gun question, I would recommend picking up a good quality autoloader and using that for a while until you figure out what you like and what you are looking for in a gun. Unfortunately, to get a good-quality trap or skeet gun you're looking at a minimum of 2 grand, and potentially a lot more. That is a lot of money to drop on a new hobby when you don't really know what you will ultimately need. With a good autoloader you can get most of the way up the learning curve and then sell the gun for most of what you paid for it (especially if you buy used) and put that money towards the gun that you truly want.

You should easily be able to find a Beretta 39x series gun in your price range, which I think would be the ideal choice. If you want to go the O/U route, look into the Lanber brand out of Spain. They are inexpensive (sub $1000), but very well made and backed by a great warranty. Many people consider the Turkish and Russian guns to be a roll of the dice in terms of quality control, but not so with the Lanbers.
 
Ruger Red Label......Redfield SD......Heavenly combination.......The natural endgame of skeetshooting.....You'll never get a better workout walking.....

Are you from Redfield, Bowcephalus? I have a good friend from there.

I am 30 and just got my huntersafety a few years ago. Nothing worse than an adult learning to do the things we should have learned as a child... Anyway, I went out and shot pheasant for the first time this year. I am a terrible shot at this point, but I had a blast doing it. I would like to do clays, but I am too poor and too cheap. :001_smile
 
Are you from Redfield, Bowcephalus? I have a good friend from there.

I am 30 and just got my huntersafety a few years ago. Nothing worse than an adult learning to do the things we should have learned as a child... Anyway, I went out and shot pheasant for the first time this year. I am a terrible shot at this point, but I had a blast doing it. I would like to do clays, but I am too poor and too cheap. :001_smile

I don't know where you are located in the world WTG, but around these parts if you already have a gun you're looking at a cost per round (25 shots) of trap or skeet of about $8 including shells (12 or 20 ga.). It's certainly a lot cheaper than real birds just about anywhere. Give it a try, you'll find that it really isn't bad. That is, until you start shooting thousands of shells a month and then you need a nice O/U with a full set of tubes, and then the reloading equipment, and then there's the cost of lessons, and gun fittings and...

Well, to try it isn't expensive. Just don't get addicted.
 
I would look for an over/under. I shoot an old LeFever for sentimental reasons, but modern shotguns will have interchangeable chokes which you will need to shoot trap and skeet. Change the choke to match the distance you are shooting. For instance, my club has a tower that you stand right in front of, the thrower is at the top of the tower and it throws two clays that both curve to the left. You have to hit one right away so the first barrel will have a fairly open choke while you have to take the second clay about 20-30 yards out and to the right so a modified or better is needed. If you are going to shoot frequently, you should look into reloading as that is probably the most expensive part outside the gun. You will need something like a Mark 5 or Mark Jr, nothing fancy. People at the club can teach you how to reload. You will not be able to use reloads in competition but 90% of your shooting will probably be recreational anyway. Don't forget a belt pouch with dividers for live ammo and spent shells either. Good luck and have fun - it is an enjoyable sport.

Dennis
 
I don't know where you are located in the world WTG, but around these parts if you already have a gun you're looking at a cost per round (25 shots) of trap or skeet of about $8 including shells (12 or 20 ga.). It's certainly a lot cheaper than real birds just about anywhere. Give it a try, you'll find that it really isn't bad. That is, until you start shooting thousands of shells a month and then you need a nice O/U with a full set of tubes, and then the reloading equipment, and then there's the cost of lessons, and gun fittings and...

Well, to try it isn't expensive. Just don't get addicted.

Thanks for the info, that is cheaper than what I would have expected. Now I have no excuse to not look around at the local places who offer skeet...
 
If you just want to have fun and not spend much money, a Remington 870 Express would get you going. A used on on Gunbroker.com or Gunsamerica.com should work.
Keep in mind skeet has 4 stations where you shoot doubles--2 birds are thrown at the same time. Skeet is where a double barrel or semi-auto almost a requirement if you want to enjoy the game. A pump action makes getting that second bird on doubles all but impossible for a beginning shooter.
Trap on the other hand is normally a singe bird--some clubs shoot doubles which is a real blast. So a pump gun works well for trap. Some people still like their Winchester Model 12.
A walk-thru sporting clays course or 5-Stand sporting clays are a lot of fun too.
For semi-auto's, a Remington 1100, Browning Gold, or Beretta 303/390/391 series are nice. For over/unders, the Brazil and East Block guns are cheap, but don't now how reliable in the long term. If you get really hooked, the Germans or Italians make some high dollar guns that are very nice and will last your lifetime if you take care of it.
Best bet, borrow/rent until you decide you really want to add this sport to your hobby list. Then, buy a used entry level gun to get started. After a year or two, look at other people's guns, and ask if you can shoot them to see what you like in the higher priced guns. Then upgrade after deciding what you like. You don't know if you like a gun from looking at pictures--you need to shoot it. So see if some friends will let you shoot theirs for a round or two and go from there.
Carefull, its very addicting . .
 
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYfqu-llMbU[/YOUTUBE]
Check this guy out....just about every shotgun maker has a few like this using their shotguns...and this guy is using a PUMP...

I have tried skeet a few times, it really is fun, the club I went to had "loaner" shotguns, thankfully, and no, I wasn't that good at it. I'm sure that takes a bit of practice...
John P.
 
I see a trend developing! We got another member hooked on shotguns during the Northeast Ohio Event last week! :lol::lol::lol:

The rest of y'all better watch out or you'll get hooked too!
 
I used to shoot with my Mossberg 500 with a modified choke. It's a bit of a challenge to remember to pump the gun after the first shot for a while:biggrin:

I bought a Remington 12 just before my local club went to non lead shot and biodegradable clay only (still have 6 cases of the old ones...) which got really expensive, and I have yet to find a barrel suited for non lead for the Remington without spending what a good O/U would run.

If you can shoot lead where you are, it's probably way cheaper to buy (Federal sells 100 packs). Bulk boxes of winchester 9mm are cheaper than reloading it....
 
[YOUTUBE]just about every shotgun maker has a few like this using their shotguns...and this guy is using a PUMP...


Many say that a good pump, used optimally, can be faster than an autoloader. I can't do that, but I believe it. It's the "optimally" part that eludes me.
 
S

sullivanpm

The Benelli M1 Super 90 is the only semi-auto shotgun I own, which I got last nov.
My first was a Browning BPS when I was ten. I am 29, so for 19 years all I ever shot with was a pump; from ducks, to geese, to quail, to phesant, to deer and even skeet, trap and sporting clays.
I can operated a pump as fast as any auto loader using standard or highbrass ammo.
What was really bad was me trying to pump that benelli, shooting sporting clays with my dad and my brother this dec. I missed birds on three stations trying to pump that autoloader.
 
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