I've recently developed a desire to take up skeet & trap and I've had my eyes locked in on Browning's Citori White Lightning model for a couple years now. I should add, I'm an upland bird hunter and prefer to use 20 - 16 gauge when I do. I'd like the firearm to double for club shoots and hunts. Not knowing anything of skeet, is there a desirable gauge for it? Does anyone here have any experience or past experience with the Citori models? I have an X-bolt by Browning and the quality is good, and I hear the shotguns are even better. Can anyone point me in the right direction to find the right "all arounder" for club shoots and hunts? Is there a different suggestion you have?
Citori Suggestions?
- Thread starter dws
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12 GA over and under with tubes for 20-28-.410 for skeet. I have a 70's model Citori that was made specifically for skeet. Great Gun.
The lighting is a fine field gun that can do casual duty on the skeet range, it really does well in sporting clays. If you find yourself shooting a lot of trap, a more specific gun for that would be a better choice but, only if you are hitting into the 20's every round, otherwise you would be better served spending that money on ammo and practice.
Here is my lightning:
Here is my lightning:
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Skeet and trap are two VERY different games. Skeet is pretty close shooting and wide chokes serve best. 12ga is probably the ga of choice simply because of the pattern size. Get good at Skeet w/a 410 and you'll be awesome with a 12ga.
Trap guns are pretty much all 12ga with tight chokes as the target is going away from you. Trap guns usually have a have monte carlo type stock to make you hold your head a bit higher as the target is is also rising as it comes off the trap. Trap guns have typically longer barrels than skeet guns.
Many years back, I had a Citori "tube set". It was a 12ga with, 20ga, 28ga, and 410 tubes that inserted into the 12 ga barrels. Sweet gun. It was cheaper to shoot 12ga so that's pretty much all I burned through it. It had skeet chokes best I recall.
When my shoulder blew out, I had to quit that kind of fun, so I sold the set. I do have an older 870 with a few different barrels that I can swap out depending on what I'm hunting. Nowadays, they all use screw in choke tubes, but I find changing a barrel is just as easy and quick and I've already got what I need.
I'd suggest you go to a skeet/trap field. Look around and ask what the guys there are using. They may even have some rental guns you can try.
Have fun.
Trap guns are pretty much all 12ga with tight chokes as the target is going away from you. Trap guns usually have a have monte carlo type stock to make you hold your head a bit higher as the target is is also rising as it comes off the trap. Trap guns have typically longer barrels than skeet guns.
Many years back, I had a Citori "tube set". It was a 12ga with, 20ga, 28ga, and 410 tubes that inserted into the 12 ga barrels. Sweet gun. It was cheaper to shoot 12ga so that's pretty much all I burned through it. It had skeet chokes best I recall.
When my shoulder blew out, I had to quit that kind of fun, so I sold the set. I do have an older 870 with a few different barrels that I can swap out depending on what I'm hunting. Nowadays, they all use screw in choke tubes, but I find changing a barrel is just as easy and quick and I've already got what I need.
I'd suggest you go to a skeet/trap field. Look around and ask what the guys there are using. They may even have some rental guns you can try.
Have fun.
+1
You can play both of those games with field guns. Something light and fast with an open choke for skeet and a gun you'd use for ducks and geese will work for trap. But you will only be playing those games. If you get serious about either or both you'll probably want a gun built for the competition. They're fun games whether you just play or get dead serious. I've seen old boys run 25 straight with field guns in both games. Your 20 will work just fine for skeet. You really do need to use a 12ga for trap.
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