Looking for a trap gun ?

[rebs]

I want to get back into shooting trap after about a 30 year absence. Can anyone recommend a good trap gun for under $1000.00 ?
What choke is being used now ?

[BigD_in_FL]

Find a Browning - BT-99 comes to mind. Mod works for the 16-20 yard line, IM for further back.
Do yourself a favor and drop any ideas of 1-1/8 down to 1 or even better 7/8, your shoulder will thank you, your flinch will not happen and you'll be shooting for decades more...................

[BigJimP]

Used guns.....single barrel break open Brownings.... BT-99 or the older BT-100 in 32" or 34" / 34" is usually preferred.....

..../ in an over under Citori XT Trap in a 30" or 32" ..../ 32" is preferred...

personally, I'd look for an XT because its more versatile....you can shoot singles, doubles, continental, bunker Trap....( and there are lots of them on the used market..)

But $1,000 isn't going to be easy.../ you'll have to look hard ...maybe find one to refinish...or even rebuild a little...
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Dominant shell for Trap Singles is 1 oz of 8's from 16 - 20 yds and a Modified Choke is plenty tight enough.

[eastbank]

look for a good used 870 trap, i shoot one just as good as my BT-100, many 25,s,50,s. i have not shoot a 100 yet,but have made 97 and i,ll be 70 soon. i shoot a IM choke with 1-1/8 #8 shot when calm and 1-1/8 #7-1/2 shot when windy. eastbank.

[BigD_in_FL]

BigJim - with a budget of 1K, I seriously doubt the OP is going to find an XT O/U; I know that isn't happening where I live anyway, but an older BT-99 is definitely a possibility

[BigD_in_FL]

Sorry to disagree on the loads, Eastbank, but if Olympic shooters can run straights with 24 gram loads (basically a 7/8) shooting targets that are physically harder and running 50% faster and farther, why beat yourself up with 1-1/8?

[cjmmc]

the more lead u put in the air the better chance u have

[Dreaming100Straight]

the more lead u put in the air the better chance u have

That is not necessarily true. The greater the amount of shot the greater the recoil and the greater the recoil the more a shot is likely to be off in their technique. Still, I believe while there are diminishing returns to gain from too much shot, there is a point below which the individual shooter should not go.

[rebs]

I am surprised no one has mentioned a Remington 1100, why not ? I thought an auto loader would be easier on the shoulder. What about a Winchester model 12 trap ? Would a Win model 12 with a 28" modified choke barrel do well ?

[eastbank]

in my best day i could not even carry water for the olympic shooters. and now being near 70 years of age with slower refexes and semi bad eyesight, i need all the help i can muster and the recoil does not bother me. with the IM choke my pattern is bigger than a super full choke so the extra 1/8 oz of shot fills the pattern out a little more. true the birds may not turn into dust balls with the IM choke,but a break is break and i take them. the first strait 25 came in 1967 with a borrowed rem 870 trap with a morgen pad. eastbank

[JWT]

A used BT-99 is a good possibility is that price range. The Remington 1100 is definitely in that range. Advantage of the 1100 is their light recoil and two shot capability for doubles over the BT. Both are fine guns.

[BPowderkeg]

Beretta O/U Silver Snipe F&F

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photos NOT of mine but still the same.., i made my first 100 straight with my S.S. then 500 straight but screwed up at 346.

[BigJimP]

Buying a dedicated "Trap" gun ....is a very different response ....than just having a decent gun to shoot "Trap Singles" once in a while....

Since it looks like the OP is just looking for a casual gun to shoot Trap with ....any field gun will be fine....an 870, a BPS, a Rem 1100, Rem 11-87 etc..../ there is a BPS-Trap as well with a parallel comb...new for about $ 750...
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Yes Bid D ....an XT will be a real find if its under $1,000.....but I was assuming he wanted a dedicated Trap gun.../ and maybe he isn't aware of prices in the current market ....he would have to check what's available in his area ...figure out what he wants / then maybe change his budget if he can.
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It was my assumption that he wanted a dedicated Trap gun - so he could float the target...woops....

[rebs]

I am going to try the Winchester model 12 with modified 28" barrel, no vent rib or double bead that I have and see how I shoot. The guys at the club said they would loan me their guns to shoot and try them out before I decide what to buy. I used to shoot many years ago with an 1100 and then a Winchester model 12 trap gun with vent rib and double beads. I wish I hadn't had to sell that gun, but I was laid off and money got tight and I had to sell a few guns to pay the bills.

[BigD_in_FL]

The guys at the club said they would loan me their guns to shoot and try them out before I decide what to buy.

That is the BEST way to go about this - and don't be afraid to try some high-end guns out of your budget like Kolar, Kreighoff, Ljutic, Silver Seitz, etc., if available. That will give you some perspective as to why they cost what they do - phenomenal triggers, utmost reliability, and great balance/handling.

[dahermit]

Find a Browning - BT-99 comes to mind. Mod works for the 16-20 yard line, IM for further back.
Do yourself a favor and drop any ideas of 1-1/8 down to 1 or even better 7/8, your shoulder will thank you, your flinch will not happen and you'll be shooting for decades more

I had one of those (used) for awhile. I really liked the thing. It had a ported barrel and the butt-stock was so heavy that it had to be weighted. I only shot 7/8 ounce hand loads. Despite the porting and weighted stock for recoil reduction, I found that four rounds of trap was one round too many for my shoulder (heavy, dull ache),...but I am not implying that it was a "kicker", only that four rounds was too much for me. It was a wonderful gun, designed specifically for Trap...not a hunting gun that could be used for trap.

[BigJimP]

Yes, accepting the generosity of fellow shooters - to put a few rounds thru some of their guns is a great deal !!

It will give you a much better idea of how they have their guns set up ( ideally to float a target )...and what that particular gun feels like in terms of balance, weight, etc.....

Personally ( and I'm not a serious Trap shooter )....but my personal Trap gun I like the best is a Citori XT Trap, 32" barrels, with the adj comb....and I like it weighted to about 10 lbs...and while that seems heavy ( its not a gun you'd carry all day chasing Quail )....the weight helps to smooth out the follow thru...because on Trap, you don't get a lot of left to right movement on the birds ( like you do on Skeet ) ...so a heavier gun, helps smooth out the swing and keep you from stopping your swing.

When I shoot Skeet, Sporting Clays or 5 Stand....I go to a Citori XS Skeet model, 30" barrels and around 8 lbs....a little shorter, a little lighter ...still heavy enough to help on the follow thru ...but not clumsy like the XT Trap feels ( at least to me ) on a Skeet or Sporting field.

Most field guns....870's, BPS, Browning Silver semi-autos, etc.....are pretty light ....down in the 7 lbs ....maybe 7.25 lbs range....and to some of us, that makes them a little whippy ....making us "slap" at targets vs executing a nice smooth shot, with a smooth follow thru..../ so if I go to a real light gun, like a Benelli Super sport model in 12ga ( at 7.2 lbs..) ...I go to a 30" barrel on the semi auto ...and on a pump or semi-auto the action makes it about 2" longer than an O/U ....so it makes that semi-auto with a 30" barrel give me a sight plane similar to my O/U's in 32"....but its light / so the length makes it less "whippy"....so I don't tend to "slap" at targets vs staying smooth.....

So while any gun will work for casual shooting ....some combination of this weight and barrel length issue ...will work best for you.

Fit is the other issue here....and every angled comb gun, changes its point of impact as you move up or back on the comb a little ( so in winter with a sweater and heavy coat on ) ..vs summer when you're in a T shirt....the point of impact on that gun, is different. That's why most of us, for clays, like parallel comb guns.....where winter or summer we move up or back on the comb, based on depth of our clothing....the point of impact does not change.

Adj comb also let's us dial in a gun....so point of impact suits us...up / down, left or right....so it hits where we look. A shotgun has to "Fit" so it hits where you look because when you mount the shotgun, your eye is the rear sight...even with a 30" pattern, if the gun doesn't fit ....you won't be successful.

So field guns will work...maybe...

Then there is the durability issue....depends on how much you shoot...serious shooters are shooting 12 - 16 boxes a week in practice, then 6 to 10 or more on weekends in tournaments...so 500 shells a week / 25,000 a yr....will a field gun hold up to that for 5 yrs, 10 yrs....probably not...will a Citori XT Trap or XS Skeet model (yes, for 20 yrs...easily -- at a reasonable price )...so where is the "value"...it depends..../ the higher end guns like Blazer, Perazzi, Kolar, Krieghoff will all stand up to well over a million shells as well...but at 150% - 300% more than the Citori.

and no matter what you decide.....make sure you have fun with the process !! ....and I don't care if you shoot 4 boxes a month or 4 or 12 a week...make fun part of the process !