Went to my first clay shoot!

[kawasakifreak77]

Buddy of mine invited my to come shoot at his company's annual sporting clays shoot, which is perfect timing since I've been wanting to get more proficient with a shotgun. All I had was a Wards Western Field model 30 16ga I had cut down to 18.5" & crudely glued the stock back together. We had a blast & I learned more about shotgun shooting in an hour than my whole life so far. I got 24 of 50 & all things considered i feel pretty good about it!

I'm definitely going to go again, but with a better gun. I picked up a nice looking 11-87 12ga for $400 afterwards & going to try it next. I don't need another hobby but man that was just too fun! And cheap!

Seems like the serious guys had over & unders or beretta autos. For the more experienced out there, whats the pros & cons of the different kinds of shotguns for shooting clays?

& do they work well for upland birds?

[g.willikers]

In the beginning at least, the skill of the shooter counts for far more than the gun.
One of the reasons the over and under is popular is due to their good swinging characteristics, due to the extra weight up front.
Another is they are considered more reliable, day in and day out.
They aren't as ammo dependent as autos, either.
Your choice of the Remington should serve you well, without breaking the bank.

[Blindstitch]

People sure do like their over/unders but if you look at the price most of those guys I met said they wouldn't buy one for under $1000 and that was used. Also laughed when I asked about some in the $500-700 range.

But as a field gun my Mossberg 500 does a great job at the $200 I paid 15 years ago. And the Remington will do the same.

[Dreaming100Straight]

Shooting 50 percent with a 18.5" barrel and, presumably, not choke isn't that easy. Good going. The switch to a more standard barrel with a choke should make a big difference.

[Kreyzhorse]

I've been shooting trap casually with a buddy using a Do It All thrower and my Mossberg 500 for the last two years. We would go once every couple of months when the weather was nice and I'd usually shoot 100 rounds or so. I loved it, but the 500 gave me a hell of a beating.

Fast forward to this summer when a guy offered to take me to his gun club and hooked me up with another gentleman who taught me the proper technique for trap. While I considered myself a good shot, I used a rifle and shotgun hunting stance. After some tweeking, I had the proper form and the gun really started to swing into position instead of me aiming it. Huge difference and I think overall it will make me a better shot gunner.

As far as guns, I also had a chance to use several different trap and clay sporting guns and they are night and day compared to my Mossberg, a fine hunting gun in its own right.. I won't say you need one to shoot well, but they are made for a purpose. They can withstand several hundred rounds a year and are designed to allow you to shoot with taking a beating.

After shooting them, I can't see ever going back to using my Mossy.

Single barrels like the Browning BT are popular for trap. O/U are popular for trap, skeet and sporting clays. Autos can work for all of them but throwing shells can be a breech of etiquette in shooting matches.

A trap gun could be used for trap or hunting. A sporting gun can be used for hunting and clay sports. However, the prices can get scary and a new trap / sporting gun starts around $1,000 and only goes up from there.

Worth it? Depends on what you want to do and get out of it.

[NoSecondBest]

I've owned lots of shotguns and shot more rounds than you'd believe at skeet and sporting clays. My last sporting clays gun was a fine O/U and I shot it very, very well. However, just before getting that O/U (I've owned several over the years) I was shooting a Beretta gas gun auto. The day before I picked up the new O/U I sold a friend my Beretta gas gun, a model 391. We went out to shoot a round of sporting clays so he could try out the gun. I shot a 45/50 that round and handed him the gun when we were done. Kind of makes you wonder why I sold it. To be honest, I shot my autos as well as the O/Us at sporting clays. My point is this: look around for a good used Beretta 390 or 391 auto. You could shoot it forever and never miss out on anything. I love the balance, feel, looks, and finess of a nice O/U but I can't say I ever shot better because I owned one. FYI, I got into AA with the automatic. I also won two state shoots and one regional with it. I certainly didn't shoot any worse with the O/U and theoretically it should be better, but it never panned out that way. You can find a good used Beretta for well under a thousand dollars. Probably around 5-700 depending on who has one for sale.

[kawasakifreak77]

Thanks man. Yeah that old 16 I was given doesn't doesn't have a choke. I just pieced it together as a "why are you on my property" proposition. Never intended to do clays with it!

I shot the 11-87 today & man, that autoloader is a pussycat! I read it might be picky about shells so I grabbed a box of heavy buckshot & a box of light target loads. It ran through both boxes without a hiccup & don't kick at all. Seems to pattern real evenly & right around point of aim. Its a pretty gun too, so I'm very happy with it.

One thing thats annoying is having to push that little button on the bottom to put shells in the tube.

[Ricklin]

Serious clay shooters shoot several hundred rounds a week!

Clay target games require great shotguns. A well used clay target gun gets more rounds in a month than a hunting gun may get in it's lifetime.

That's one reason that a "good" clays gun is fairly expensive. Even before the fancy wood and or engraving the guns must be tough as nails.

As important is the fit and the swing dynamics.

The Beretta 390 391 is a well respected gun for clays. Likely the most popular semi auto. Lots of good O/U's as well.

Cheap O/U's are a waste of good money for clays. Buy a used B gun and be happy. Many disciplines of the clay target sports don't require choke tubes, thus a good used B gun is an excellent alternative. Plus when (not if) you change guns, the used B gun will hold it's value.

That new bargain O/U??............not so much.

[kawasakifreak77]

How many rounds would the 11-87 be good for? I would like to shoot the course at least 3 or 4 times this year so I can actually hit the birdies on our annual quail hunt.

I went back to the fun store (they have 22!) & the ole boy gave me an o-ring he said I will eventually need. Something about the gas system.

The owner came out & showed me a few pointers about how to stand & shoulder the gun. Being mostly a wheel gun & rifle shooter, I was pretty much doing everything wrong!

Going back next time with a few pointers & a suitable shotgun, I'm hoping to improve my score.

I looked at a Beretta 391 which felt good but it had this funny trigger that goes off when you release the trigger... not sure what thats about. I looked at a browning O&U too that's in this beautiful blonde wood, it fit me like a glove but is dang near two grand. I just can't justify that right now, but man was it pretty.

For now I'm going to see how the Remington auto does with me behind it. I got a good feeling about it!

Thanks for all the info, I'm learning a lot fast!

[340 Weatherby]

This sport is like crack cocaine. Once you get into it, and start to improve, you'll see what the over-and-unders are all about. Autos can be shot well also, but after you have wore out a few, they start to lose their desirability.

[BigJimP]

In the clay target world....semi-autos around $ 1,000 - $ 1,500 are very popular....and by far the most common are Beretta gas guns. If you shoot about 400 shells a week -- that works out to about 20,000 shells a year, and I've seen some very good shooters buy new Beretta 390's or 391's...and they'll last about 3 yrs or 60,000 shells. They sell them after the 3rd season ...buy another 391 and do it again....

The 11-87 is older technology ...but its still a good 50,000 shell gun / if you keep it clean and properly lubed ( thoroughly clean it - trigger group out, etc ) after every range trip ...and inspect it for worn parts...it'll serve you well.
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The better over unders ( Browning and Beretta ) are going to give you the most gun for your money - but new, these guns are $ 2,500 - $ 4,000....not high end guns / just good serviceable guns that will go 500,000 shells ( not 50,000 like a gas gun )....and you have 2 barrels, for 2 different chokes.....better swing characteristics, etc.../ and reliable ( if you can stuff a shell into the chamber - with cracks in it, etc ) - and can lock the gun closed, it will probably fire --- and no, you can't do that with a semi-auto...

Over Unders ....and there are lots of them out there under $ 1,500....will probably not hold up to big time target use ( but 500 shells a year is not big time use )....so you might find an old SKB, maybe an old Ruger, or even an older field grade Browning or Beretta --- that if they "Fit" you --- will last a lifetime.....but stay away from a lot of the cheap Over Unders....
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50% with a short barreled gun and a fixed choke is very good....so you have an eye for it and some talent....now its about consistency / killing the targets you should kill, and working on the ones that cause you some trouble../ not going 3 for 8 on one station, 6 of 8 on next, 0 for 8 on next.... a goal of 6 out of 8 on a station is 75% ....and that will get you into the low 70's out of a 100 in a shoot...
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You can shoot all of these games with any gun you want....a pump, semi-auto, over under, even a side by side if you want...and any of them will work in the field as well. Lots of guys shoot 4 or 5 rounds of sporting clays a year ( 400 or 500 targets ) just to tune up for bird season...with pump guns, semi-autos, etc...so you don't have to spend a lot of money to play the game.

To get serious about sporting clays...and shoot registered targets...its about score / and good equipment to get competitive. But there is nothing wrong with just going out 4 or 5 times a year for fun too.
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and have some Fun !

But remember the cost of the gun...is not the issue ! Targets in my area are about $ 40 per 100 ...and 5 boxes of shells ( $35 ) ...to shoot that 100 bird event...makes it about $ 75 for the day....and if you do that ...twice a month, $ 150 a month ...is $ 1,800 a year...!!

Shoot some Skeet and some Trap too...to keep your practice costs down / and work on the fundamentals of stance, gun mount, swing and follow thru.../ especially Skeet will help your sporting scores big time!!

[kawasakifreak77]

Thanks bigjimp!

I'm hoping to do this recreationally a few times a year for bird season, like you say. As long as I do that, I think my new auto will last me quite sometime. If I get serious (I don't need another hobby!) I see getting a dedicated target gun & retire the other gun to field duty.

Thanks man.

[BigJimP]

Anytime...../ but learn how to fully strip that 11-87 down ...and clean, lube and inspect it....( and replace any parts that are worn). Besides, its easy to to do ....and after 3 or 4 times, you can do it in 20 min tops...

The 11-87's were developed to eliminate some of the shortcomings on the old 1100 designs...alledgedly so the 11-87 would feed a wider variety of shells more reliably.

But the 11-87's ....will occasionally start jamming and misbehaving...so you need "to be one, with the gun"....and know its quirks.../ it may also be finicky on shell brand...one of the guys at my range, shooting one yesterday was saying his was having all kinds of issues feeding RIO brand shells...so its just one of the quirks of figure out your gun and what it likes...

[NoSecondBest]

BigJimP is about right on with the auto's wearing out at around 50,000-60,000 rouinds. I've worn out a couple and simply sold them and bought another. You paid around $1,000 for a new Beretta 390 or 391 a few years ago. After shooting it for three years and selling it for $400-500 you added another five hundred and bought a new one. Figuring in how much you got to shoot it and how much enjoyment you got out of it, the depreciation of a hundred and fifty bucks a years is pretty cheap entertainment. I've never worn a good O/U out yet. However, they can loosen up and require some attention after a while also.