The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - First Shotgun purchase / Trap / Skeet / Clays

BigJimP · January 8, 2010, 02:17 PM

OneOunce and Zippy covered the options well - +1 to what they said...

For me, a good general gun ( for Skeet, Sporting Clays and hunting birds ) - is a 12ga with a 28" or 30" barrel / and between 7 1/2 and 8 1/2 lbs. For Trap - I go to a longer gun 32" or 34" barrels - and a gun that weighs around 10 lbs.

On Trap - there is less Left to Right or Right to Left barrel movement in the target presentations. So a heavier and longer gun is an asset in Trap. For more general shooting ( Skeet, Sporting and hunting ) I go with the shorter and lighter guns. If I could only have 1 gun / I would go with the shorter and lighter option that I said above.

My 1st dedicated clays and hunting shotgun was a Browning BPS Hunter model, 28" barrel with screw in chokes - and they sell today for around $ 500. A good pump gun is always a good starter gun. Today my preference for my all around gun is a Browning Citori O/U, XS Skeet model, with adj comb, and 30" barrels ...selling new for around $ 2,850 / both options give you a lot of gun for the money.

January 8, 2010, 02:17 PM	#5
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	OneOunce and Zippy covered the options well - +1 to what they said... For me, a good general gun ( for Skeet, Sporting Clays and hunting birds ) - is a 12ga with a 28" or 30" barrel / and between 7 1/2 and 8 1/2 lbs. For Trap - I go to a longer gun 32" or 34" barrels - and a gun that weighs around 10 lbs. On Trap - there is less Left to Right or Right to Left barrel movement in the target presentations. So a heavier and longer gun is an asset in Trap. For more general shooting ( Skeet, Sporting and hunting ) I go with the shorter and lighter guns. If I could only have 1 gun / I would go with the shorter and lighter option that I said above. My 1st dedicated clays and hunting shotgun was a Browning BPS Hunter model, 28" barrel with screw in chokes - and they sell today for around $ 500. A good pump gun is always a good starter gun. Today my preference for my all around gun is a Browning Citori O/U, XS Skeet model, with adj comb, and 30" barrels ...selling new for around $ 2,850 / both options give you a lot of gun for the money. Last edited by BigJimP; January 8, 2010 at 02:34 PM.