CDNN's Weatherby/SKB vs Beretta White Onyx for Sporting Clays?

[Dr. T]

I've just shot sporting clays once after an introductory lesson. Results were awful but excitement is high for building my skills.
My wife also enjoyed it so it's a potential joint hobby. My wife shot a Beretta 686--she likes to open the breech and smell the smoke. I shot a Beretta 391, which had a couple of stovepipes.
After reading and getting advice from some experienced friends, I'm looking at an O/U and see that CDNN is offering close-outs on the Weatherby/SKB Orion Super Sporting Clays for $1399 in 30 or 32 inch barrels. FWIW they come with Briley chokes. Unfortunately haven't had the chance to pick one up and mount it in a store. I have tried the White Onyx and like the feeling of it. It is plain, however, and I'm not wild about the X-tra grain plood.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My preference, other things being close to equal, would be to buy in a local store.
How about 30 vs 32 inch?
I'm assuming 12 gauge to start just to give myself maximum chance of success, but would be interested in any advice on that as well.
Both my wife and I shoot right-handed; she needs a shorter LOP.

 

[ArmedBear]

White Onyx with X-tra Grain? Mine doesn't have that, and the walnut on it has some nice figure; it's not plain. Mine is a Field model, though. The oil finish on the SC version looks plainer somehow. Only the 391 has the X-tra Grain AFAIK, none of the O/U's besides the now-discontinued Onyx Pro had anything but finished walnut of one grade or another.

Tough choice between the two guns. I have an SKB and that Beretta sitting next to each other, and I like them both. The SKB (20 Gauge) is over 30 years old and going strong.

Hard to go wrong with either gun. CDNN's price is a great deal for a great gun, I'll have to say, and if it comes with aftermarket-quality extended chokes, then all the better. Weatherby offered nice wood, too, on the guns I've seen and handled. VERY tempting price, for a gun that many people happily paid a lot more for, before Weatherby started shopping out their shotguns to Fausti this year. I know a few SKB shooters who swear by their guns and how they handle and shoot, so I'm not alone.

And the White Onyx is a real value in general, since it's the same gun -- same balance, same quality, same engineering, same metal finishes -- as Beretta's whole mainstream line, with a lower price than all the rest. You're paying for the gun, without paying extra for pictures of stuff on the receiver.

WRT 30" vs. 32", and the choice between the two guns, a lot comes down to personal preference. I have a 28" White Onyx, and I've tried a 32" White Onyx Sporting. They fit the same, feel and swing a little different, but I can't say that the difference really changed the number of targets I hit.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Tough call. It's a Win-Win, though.

My WOP (White Onyx Plaything) is the sporter, 32" barrels, real walnut. After 7K rounds or so, no probs to report.

The inertia trigger did have some second shot glitches using 7/8 oz loads, but has since healed itself.

The highly touted Gel Tec pads didn't live up to the hype. I replaced them with a Limbsaver prefit and never looked back.

Other than that, it's been smooth sailing.

BTW, I was talked into getting the WOP by the shared experiences here. Will Fennell, FITASC champ and top gun in general, was quite positive in his endorsement.

Beretta's customer service has been rumored to be spotty, but I've not had any reason to find out personally.

OTOH, there's lots of happy SKB owners out there.

Get the one that feels best....

 

[Dr. T]

Thanks very much for your thoughts. I have located a local store that carries the Orion SSC (but nowhere close to CDNN's price).

 

[redneck2]

I have an Orion II for clays. I have been extremely pleased. Fit would be my greater concern. Nice thing is, at that price you could get most or all your money back if you decided to change later.

 

[sernv99]

30" vs 32" is a waste of time to dabble over. There are people who shoot 28" for sporting clays and trap and have no problems. The longer barrel length argument is a fad started by the competition shooters so all the wannabe competition shooters a.k.a weekend clay heroes, started following the trend and now has clouded the minds of new shooters. The only advantages a longer barrel gives, as told by the weekend clay heroes and competitors, is the weight of the longer barrel helps with the swing and makes it a little easier to acquire the target with a longer sight plain. I have shot a 30" Beretta 391 and a 28" Browning Auto 500. I didn't do great in either session. I shot my 28" Citori O/U and murdered those clays at the trap range(high 30's/low40's out of 50 on trap) but I sucked at the skeet and sporting clays (I need to work on my lead and swing).

find a gun that fits (stock wise and weight). Don't worry about barrel length.

 

[Dr. T]

30" vs 32" is a waste of time to dabble over.

I was starting to get that impression, including from swinging a 30 vs 32 (in that case Benelli Supersports) in the store.

 

[ArmedBear]

Berettas have lively, light barrels. 30" vs. 32" won't matter much.

"Sight radius" is hogwash, BTW. Balance and swing are the reasons for different barrel lengths.

Now, if you check out an older, heavy Browning, I think you'll find that 30" vs. 32" can make a LOT of difference, both in balance and swing characteristics. With lighter and livelier guns like the Beretta or the Benellis you tried, it won't make nearly as much.

 

[Dr. T]

I did see, fondle and swing a Weatherby/SKB SSC today.
Boooiiiinnnggggg at first sight.
Very, very nice handling, great feel, quality finish and craftsmanship. If the price were anywhere near CDNN's I would have bought it. I do feel tawdry about checking it out in a store then ordering it from CDNN.

 

[Dr. T]

Well, it turned out not to be a Weatherby, but a Beretta Silver Pigeon III. A friend sent me a list of guns on a liquidation sale from a gun store in the Bay Area. $1100 off list seemed like a good deal.

 

[ArmedBear]

Sounds good!

The SP III is a helluva nice gun.

 

[Dr. T]

Thanks, AB.
I just hope I can learn to shoot it well enough not to look silly carrying it.
I look forward to the challenge though. It's going to be a blast. ;-)