This really shouldn't be a Citori or even Beretta type thread. I was curious what a basic, reliable shotgun would be for beginner sporting clays, trap, skeet, etc. Something that will get the job done for each occasionally. No other purpose and not really competitive. Just for fun.

EDIT - see page two for the final decision

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Oz_Shadow,

Welll... that's tricky.

My wife and I both tried skeet with pump-action shotguns. Mine a 12 ga. Remington Sportsman 12 (essentially an economy version of the Rem. 1200). Her with a 20 ga. Remington Youth pump gun.

That did not work well. Some people can do it. That wasn't us.

We both went out and got ourselves SKB side-by-sides - a 20 ga. for her and a 12 ga. for me. (Mine has pigeon porting.) Our scores went up drastically, immediately.

SKB makes a decent side-by-side shotgun. I think that, at one point (?), some of (?) Weatherby's side-by-sides (?) were made for them by SKB?

Alternatively, an auto-loader.

Yildiz O/U Turkish made gun. You get a lot of gun for the money. I have 2-20g and a 410. All 3 were less than $400 and punch above their weight class.

It really depends on your budget. It can be done with a pump, semi, or double. One of the best value o/u shotguns that offer auto-ejectors is the Weatherby Orion. There are cheaper guns, but most I have seen do not have auto-ejectors which is something I prefer when hunting or shooting clays. The Orion can be had for under 1k. The other options comes out of the CZ line or shotguns. Almost all the decent double guns in the sub 1k market are built in Turkey. Are you going to use the shotgun for anything else?

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Welll... that's tricky.

My wife and I both tried skeet with pump-action shotguns. Mine a 12 ga. Remington Sportsman 12 (essentially an economy version of the Rem. 1200). Her with a 20 ga. Remington Youth pump gun.

That did not work well. Some people can do it. That wasn't us.

We both went out and got ourselves SKB side-by-sides - a 20 ga. for her and a 12 ga. for me. (Mine has pigeon porting.) Our scores went up drastically, immediately.

SKB makes a decent side-by-side shotgun. I think that, at one point (?), some of (?) Weatherby's side-by-sides (?) were made for them by SKB?

Alternatively, an auto-loader.

I already have a Mossberg pump with a set of barrels. I didn’t think it would be a very good sporting gun.

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
I already have a Mossberg pump with a set of barrels. I didn’t think it would be a very good sporting gun.

Like I said: Some people can be fast enough with a pump, can get the rhythm right, and make it work. I suspect most cannot. I suppose there's a reason most competitors use S/S and O/U shotguns

Thing is: For a shotgun to work well for you for clays it has to fit you well. If it does not, you'll struggle to perform well with it.

My wife and I did "seat of the pants" self-fitting. Works like this:

• Holding the shotgun at a kind of a low ready
  
• Identify a spot on the wall
  
• Close your eyes
  
• Without moving your head, shoulder the shotgun and get cheek weld
  
• Look down the rib
  
• Are you on-target?

We just went through everything they had out on display at Guns Galore and did that until we found shotguns that worked for us. They just happened to both be SKBs.

Remington 1100 or Browning BPS

CZ offers a nice lineup of entry level shotguns. Yes, they are Turkish made but decent quality. Another recommendation is a Franchi semi-auto. I have one in 20ga and it’s really nice. Benelli owns Franchi.

I’ll second the recommendation above for a Remington 1100.

No pump guns for clay sports. They will break clays but you better be real fast.

If by beginner you mean less expensive, you could try buying a used montefeltro. Probably cost you more than the Turkish guns which are fine, but for 6 or 7 hundred dollars a good quality used benelli would be my choice.

I have a Weatherby Athena that is made by SKB in Japan.Gorgeous gun!
Very well made SKB.

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I was 15 when I bought myself a Winchester super x model 1 semiauto best decision at that age I ever made shot trap and skeet with it, still have it and I'm 63. I'm a huge fan of semi autos as they kick less, lots of people I shot with had Remington 1100 probably one of the most popular guns of all time. I currently shoot a Beretta 303 I guess it just depends on how much you want to spend. for sporting clays that second shot autos make it much easier then a pump.

Pre owned Remington 1100 or 11-87. Beretta A300.

All can be had around $600 or less.

I run a CZ Redhead Premier O/U and have 2-3K through it shooting Sporting clay and 5-stand and it was cheap when I got it, but it will be my bring to the party shottie everytime!

I shoot 4 gun Skeet with a AA level shooter. At this years State Championship he shot 100's in both 28 and 20 gauge. BTW, he had a 97 in 12 and a 96 in 410.

His firearm of choice is a CZ Redhead Premier Target in 12 gauge that was a NIB 2012 made sample he found on Gunbroker in 2021. Note most 4 gun competitors use Briley Tube Sets to use their primary gun for the sub calibers. Anyhow my friend shoots about 20,000 rounds per year in competition & practice and his CZ is probably approaching a total of 60,000 rounds fired. This gun has NEVER EVER failed to function perfectly. However it does get a brand new set of springs in the action every year. Note, if you are a CZ first owner they are warrantied for life and free parts are available to those who don't want the risk of losing a treasured competition gun to some thief in the shipment train. I'll also note that those free parts are truly free, the send them out via USPS and pay all the shipping costs.

IMO CZ shotguns are actually as well designed and made as any Browning or Beretta and I am a Beretta and Browning Shooter. BTW, if you ask me about Beretta Quality, it dropped into the sewer during COVID and hasn't improved at all since. Every single Beretta gun and barrel set I've purchased since 2020 has had quality issues and some are pretty severe.

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:
Pre owned Remington 1100 or 11-87. Beretta A300.

All can be had around $600 or less.

I like this suggestion. Several years ago I bought a used 11-87. We put new seals in it and called it good. I've used it now for a number of bird hunts and near-weekly trap shooting. Dead reliable, and I think I got it for $350 or so. I can't fuss about that at all.

Beretta A300 is a great entry level shotgun that will serve you well. 110 or 1187 are great guns also for clays but the prices they are going for now a days it’s hard to beat an A300 for about the same price for new and while there is still a shit ton of parts available they are not as readily available as they once were. Remingtons fit reasonably well for a lot of people outta the box, that’s why I always tried to start newer shooters with one to at least get them hitting targets.

I've shot a lot of clays with my 870, and it does ok. My buddy has an 1187 that is kinda heavy and has had some serious reliability problems the entire time that he's owned it. I contemplated trying to buy it off of him as a project a couple of times, but ultimately stumbled into a used A300 for $350, and couldn't pass it up. I'm happy it worked out that way as the Beretta is lighter and smoother than the 1187, and while I wouldn't say it's an absolutely necessary upgrade over the pump-action, it does make things easier and is a lot of fun to shoot.

I’ve been out of the “new clay gun” game for a long time, as I still shoot the same Citori Lightning that I’ve owned since the mid 90’s.

IMHO, using a pump for clays (I started on my 870) just makes everything harder than it needs to be.

If you can, spend a bit more cash and find a pre-loved field grade Citori, 686/687, 11-87, A390/391 or equivalent and you’ll have a shotgun that will last a lifetime. As a bonus, you can generally sell them for what you paid for them if it doesn’t work out.

If for some reason you do wind up with an 11-87, keep in mind that the O-rings are the weak link in that shotgun. If you grab some Teflon impregnated, high temp O-rings, you’ll get a lot more mileage out of that gun. Decent rings are cheap - buy 10 of them.

At $400? Tristar Raptor (because it's a clone of the Beretta gas action and functions very, very well) or Girsan 312 (copy of the Benelli M2 inertia action).

At $600? Tristar Viper G2.

At $800? Beretta A300.

At $1200? Benelli M2 or Montefeltro (but you get inertia action there)

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Remington 1100 or Browning BPS

Love my [free] BPS. Does well enough for me for the occasional sporting clays. Though my boss' Beretta auto is a much nicer gun for it.
Coworker has a 18.5" riot gun, and did a decent job with it, which is pretty surprising, but he has to get them almost immediately or the reach is too far.