Looking for my 1st skeet shotgun.

[NRA-LIFE-MEMBER]

Do I want an Over Under or an Auto loader. The guy at Cabelas, wanted to sell me a $ 4000 Beretta Over Under - Very Nice Piece.. I always heard the Brownings were top notch, but the salesman steared me away from them - He said they are not the old gins they once were..

Any suggestions.. I am open at this point. It's going to be a New Hobby for me.. Always into Target shooting, but Clay Birds will be a new adventure!

[rugerdude]

Woah! No need to drop 4K on a skeet gun just yet!

The most important factor is how the gun fits you, not how nice it looks or how much it costs.

If you want to seriously shoot skeet, then the preferred gun is an over/under, but if you find a semi(or pump for that matter) that you like, that fits you then snag it.

A crappy gun that fits like a glove will let you break more birds than a nice one that doesn't fit you at all.

I don't know much about O/U's except that kreighoffs are really nice!

Semi's: Okay, I can name a few good ones

1. Remington 1100 or 11-87
2. Beretta 3901, I had personal experience with this gun and it was quite reliable, I don't remember one jam in the thousands of rounds I saw it fire (belonged to a fellow shooter)
3. Browning A-5, a nice looking gun with a good reputation.
4. Benelli semi's are also quite good.

[NRA-LIFE-MEMBER]

Thank You.. So the over under might be the way to go then for me. I asked for a good shotgun that would last me and I would not need to replace.. I don't want to spend $ 600 and in 2 months need to spend $ 1200, if you get the picture. I rather spend $ 1200 upfront or whatever it is and get what fits and will help me hit the target!

[b.thomas]

Don't be in such a rush to run out and buy your one and forever shotgun for shooting skeet! Start off with a "decent" shotgun like the ones recommended and then with time you'll get a better idea of what type shotgun you really like.
There's two sides to this;
One is buy a cheap old clunker then finding out you should of started out with a little better gun and the other is spending way to much for a gun that you don't really like. :barf:

[NRA-LIFE-MEMBER]

Gotcha... I guess, I look at shotguns as pistols, but after reading more the fit is what is important to me. There is alot of information with chokes and understanding all the patterns available. Complicated from a standard pistol shooters first birdseye view..

[JWT]

The Remington 1100 is a very 'decent' gun for a relatively modest price (new).

If you decide on an over under Browning still makes very nice guns, but they are expensive. Haven't heard anything about them 'not being the guns they once were'.

[NRA-LIFE-MEMBER]

I heard that from 2 seperate places on the brownings. The other shop tried to sell me the Ruger Red Label I believe was the model.. Is was around $ 1K

[rogue_rob]

I've had many a fun rounds of skeet with a winchester 1300

The gun just fits me and it's a cheap assed gun.

I do have a Beretta SP2 and have enjoyed it

For a semi, I prefer the Beretta A303

Those are the 3 guns I shoot skeet with. Your mileage may vary

[rugerdude]

Just because a gun is cheap doesn't mean it won't outlast you.

$250 bucks will get you a remington 870, which is regarded as one of the most durable shotguns ever put into existence.

I can see your point about buying one gun that will last, but trust me, a lot of guys have a "beater" pump shotgun that they've put thousands upon thousands of rounds through with nary a problem.

Rugers look nice and have a repuatation for being a great value, as well as nearly indestructable.

Next time you check out guns, shoulder all the ones you are interested in. DO NOT BUY A GUN WITHOUT CHECKING ITS FIT FIRST!!!!! Unless it has a fully adjustable stock.

If you really like a gun but it doesn't fit you, then you can do some easy mods to make it fit.

1. If the comb of the stock is too low, you can put moleskin on it to raise it....it won't look pretty, but it works.

2. If the stock it too short, you can add a recoil pad to lengthen it. Some guns will come with stock spacers too.

To check length of pull (stock being the right length for you) put the stock fully back in the crook of your elbow, with your forearm going along the stock. From this position, your finger should comfortably reach the trigger with no need to pull it back or to stretch you arm in order to reach it.

Now, I'm not sure how to check for proper comb height, but I think the 2 barrel beads should stack (like a figure 8) with your head placed comfortably on the comb of the stock in a shooting position.

Chokes are no big deal in skeet. Open cylinder, Imporved cylinder or Skeet chokes will all be fine, although most use skeet or Improved cylinder because they don't want gaps in their pattern. I have not found this to be an issue with using open cylinder.

Uhm, also, some people put a tighter choke in the top barrel because of the fact that the first bird in doubles is going away from you and will be a farther shot than the 2nd one. This is just a preference thing though, once again, I have had no trouble with using a fixed open cylinder.

[LHB1]

If you haven't done so already, do some more reading on shotgun stock fit, especially the part about comb height. The length of pull can be shortened or lengthened easily but comb height is frequently overlooked and is CRITICAL. The comb height controls placement of your face/eye and thus is the defacto rear sight of a shotgun. If the comb height is too high, you will shoot high and probably overshoot lots of targets. Case in point is my Browning Grade VI Citori O/U Lightning. I never quite realized why I missed certain targets until I checked the gun on a pattern board. Turns out I was shooting high because of the comb height. After much thought and with considerable trepidation, I used a rasp on that gorgeous walnut stock and actually lowered it 1/4 inch before the shotgun began hitting where I was looking down the barrels. Then had to completely refinish both stock pieces so everything would match in color/shade. Now my beautiful O/U hits right where I look and if I miss, well it is my fault and not the gun's. Good luck with your search and choice.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

ps: I replaced my Browning choke tubes with Briley choke tubes and am very satisfied with them. Have not had opportunity yet to actually test them on a pattern board but am very impressed with their appearance, choke choices, and ease of insertion/removal.

[DWARREN123]

Ruger, CZ, Browning, so many choices. I like the looks of the REM 1100 and 11-87. I do shoot a CZ Woodcock Deluxe O/U in 20 ga as a field gun and CD 12 ga as a general gun.

[K80Geoff]

Buy a Remington 1100, get it fitted properly and learn the game with it. After a year or two if you still stick with the game then start to look at various O/U's.

Do not buy an expensive O/U out of the box, it takes time to find the right gun. Ask other shooters to shoot their guns, skeet shooters are good in that they will always let you try their pet gun out.

Browning Citori shotguns are high quality and always have been (Made in Japan however) Berettas are their equal but the cheaper models lack some of the features you should look for in a competition gun, eg: easily replaceable wear points. The 682 is the best of the lot, but costs more.

The Remington 332 is a poor choice, will not stand up to heavy use. The Ruger will pound you and cause flinching, it has a poor stock design. Most low end O/U's are made for hunting, you will not shoot them for long before switching to something else.

The Beretta 391 is another option to the 1100.

If you decide to get serious, you will need guns in four gauges. Best way to accomplish this is an O/U with tubes. This gets expensive. Shoot a lot of different guns first before spending your money.

[sounder]

I got a Franchi O/U from Dick's Sporting Goods. It's a really nice gun, has nice etching, nice walnut stock, and it included a case. I got it on sale for $799, plus got 10% off for opening a credit account. Good deal on a nice gun.

[gunzrfunz]

I bought a Remington 1100 a month ago or so, and like it very much. Once I found what ammo it likes best, it hasn't given me a problem and is fun to shoot. A couple weeks back, a fella was shooting a benelli M1 semi , it looked very similiar to my synthetic stock 1100, but after holding it, it was WAY lighter then mine. Not that the 1100 is a burden to carry, but compared to the benelli, it was a ton! His was shooting w/o a hiccup as well, and I believe he told me he spent somewheres in the neighborhood of $700 for it. Mine was about half, new. Just my .02 .