shooting clays is a lot different than shooting trap or skeet. Some shooters actually change chokes between target stands. My suggestion is an over/under with changeable chokes. What brand is what your pocketbook can afford. But most important of all factors-the gun must fit like a glove. All the other factors are important but I think, been shoot clays and trap since 1984, is the gun fit. With the cost of shells, reloading is an option but price out the costs and time factor. The cost of lead fluctuates all the time and buying a pallet of shot can be expensive. No matter which way u go, DEEP POCKETS is a must.
This is the best advice! Skeet, trap, and sporting clays are three different games.
The gun must fit like a glove applies to all three events and you must be able to shoot it well to.
I have had four different O/U's (Browning, Winchester, Ruger, and Remington) and have shot all events with them. I just didn't shoot them as well as a Semi or pump gun, even though they were the proper fit. In 1997 when I was stationed in South Korea I was invited and got lucky and shot with a Korean Trap Club shooting international targets (Trap house in underground-no point of aim-low gun style) and shot a fitted $15K Perrazi MX-Trap that one of the members owed. Talk about a treat!!!! They had the stock adjusted for me (comb height and length of pull) and off I went. Best out of 25 in a whole year was 21 of 25 international. American Trap is much much easier IMNO.
I prefer a good ole fashion Rem 1100 or 1187 with extended screw in choke tube. I have a "Sporting Clays" version of the 1187 in 12 ga that I bought in 1995 and it's my dedicated Trap and Sporting Clays gun. One of these days I'll pick up a 20 ga 1187 for the skeet field, since I traded my ole 1100 LT-20 to Nacho since "he just had to have it"!
Last time I shot trap at 27 Yards (about 6-8 years ago I busted 23 of 25, but I was shooting 150-200 rounds per week with that 1187. I prefer my model 12 pump shotguns but the difference in felt recoil is night and day. After 100 rounds with the model 12, 12 ga you know you've been shooting, with the 1187 or 1100 little to no effect.
Reloading will save you a ton of money... I have and use a MEC 9000 Progressive Reloader and load #8 and #9 shot, with AA Hulls, 700X Powder, Win 209 Primers, and Windjammer Wads as my standard rounds for all three events.
I'd recommend you shoot a bunch of guns, friends, people at the range, rentals, etc before buying anything or else you are going to go through a bunch of guns and money to find the right one for you.
Go out there and shoot some targets. Have some fun with it. Observe the other shooters. Limit your questions as with everything there are always"experts" that mean well. You will discover, as I did with trap, how deeply involved you want to get. You will see what the majority of people do. What they shoot, do they reload, chokes or no chokes, etc. Have fun with it first before the initial investment. I started out using my hunting mossberg, then my Dad's field over under and then it got expensive. HAVE FUN FIRST!!!
Excellent advise!!!!! Shoot your Remington and have fun and learn what works for you. Once you get addicted it becomes a fun and wild ride.....
thanks drgn, nice to have feed back from other shooters in the sport. i have gotten a little lazy when going from station to station and not wanting to change choke tubes in the gun. that springing teal is always a surprise. and for felt recoil, since i switched to the autoloaders i haven't noticed it as much.
i guess the best thing to get out of clay shooting is HAVING FUN
Ok guys sounds good!! I still want another shotgun though
sent you a pm bigjrm
