Good Shotgun for Skeet & Hunting

[Henry45]

Im in the market for a nice shotgun, that is easy to shoot skeet with but I could do a little hunting, but more just skeet. Doesn't matter what gauge. Over/under, a semi, pump???

What would you suggest for me and my wife to really enjoy the sport?

Thanks for info on brands, models and differences.

 

[Upstater]

I like a browning gold "hunter" semi in 12 guage with a 28" bbl, it works very well for skeet and I use mine for upland game birds such as pheasants and I have never regretted bringing it.

 

[Birdhunter1]

Remington 1100 20 gauge would be hard to beat. Gas gun, soft recoil, shoot it all day

 

[oneounceload]

Skeet is shot with 12, 20, 28 and 410
Hunting is done with 10, 12, 20, 28, 410
Find where things overlap for you and go from there.
Depending on what you are hunting - I would be looking at a 12 or a 20

 

[cfullgraf]

Good suggestions so far.

If you plan to reload, i would get an over/under. You will not have to grovel on the ground for the hulls at the skeet range.

Otherwise a good gas semi-auto would work as well.

 

[Crunchy Frog]

At my club the shooters are required to police their own hulls. A double makes this easy, you just catch the empties as they come out of the chambers and drop them into a pouch on your belt (or pockets on a vest).

With a pump or semiauto you get 25 "touch your toes" exercises with each round of skeet!

Of course a good quality over-under is more expensive, on average, than a good pump or semi.

Shooting doubles (two clays thrown simultaneously) with a pump requires an extra measure of coordination. It can be done but it's easier with a semiauto.

 

[docskeet]

Buy the one that "fits" you the best. If you are not familiar with gun fit, find someone who is.

 

[243winxb]

Browning O/U

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I'd lean towards the 20 gauge as your wife will appreciate the reduced recoil.

O/U great choice for clays or hunting but not as good a choice for home defense.

Pumps typically have better ammo capacity (more important for home defense) but require you to work a little harder for clays.

Semi autos good for clays or hunting but may not be as reliable as a pump which becomes important for home defense. Then again, the semi auto can be operated with one hand (pumps no so much) which may be important for home defense if you need to get young kid in your arms and find yourself needing to shoot.

Sort of becomes a rock scissor paper game if you want one firearm to do all of the above.

 

[BigJimP]

The gun I use for Skeet and for upland game birds and for Sporting Clays ...is a Browning Citori, XS Skeet model, 30" barrels, with adj comb...and you can get them in either a 12ga or a 20ga. I have both - as well as a 28ga and a .410 ( both built on the 20ga receiver ) ...so you might find a 28ga out there as well - they were special order guns in 28ga and .410 ...but I still see them out there once in a while ( there must have been a few thousand of each made over the last 10 yrs or more ) by Browning for some of the bigger dealers.

At around 8 lbs ...depending on whether you like the 12ga or the 20ga.../ and its available in 28" barrels as well...they're solid guns.

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?fid=008B&cid=013&tid=066

and its a gun that will fit 99.9% of the shooters out there...(so it hits where you look) ...and with the variety of shells out there these days...it's easy to find 12ga shells at 7/8 oz - if you or your wife want a little lighter recoil - although a lot of us in 12ga are shooting 1 oz of 8's for a lot of games now.

Browning makes at least 50 models of Over Unders...and not all O/U's will fit all shooters...models like the Lightning series have a lot of drop at the comb and heel...and they may fit you - or they may not..../ their Cynergy line of guns tend to be a little lighter and frankly more like the Beretta O/U's in my opinion...vs the more traditionial Citori line of guns.
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If you're looking for something less expensive ...there are a lot of semi-autos on the market now ...Browning Silver, a number of Beretta's, Benelli's(Inertia guns)...Benelli Super Sport is another very versatile gun - in 12ga or 20ga with 28" or 30" barrels ..
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A pump gun is a disadvantage in Skeet....but it can be done....and my pump gun of choice is Browning BPS Hunter model with a 28" barrel.

 

[Water-Man]

Remington 1100.

 

[Teachu2]

Im in the market for a nice shotgun, that is easy to shoot skeet with but I could do a little hunting, but more just skeet. Doesn't matter what gauge. Over/under, a semi, pump???

What would you suggest for me and my wife to really enjoy the sport?

Thanks for info on brands, models and differences.

His: Beretta 3901 12 ga.
Hers: Remington 1100 LT-20 Skeet

These are both semi-autos, and very nice shooters. Unless you two are very similar in stature, one gun will not fit you both properly.

The Beretta is available new in the $6-700 range. The LT-20 Skeet is typically ~$500 used - although I found one last year for $150 cash....

Those are my personal choices for most bang for the bucks in skeet and occasional hunting shotguns. I've shot skeet with guns from a 870 Police model to a $18K custom Perazzi O/U, and the Beretta will shoot with any of them. The Perazzi is a fantastic work of art, but the plain-Jane USA-made Beretta 3901 will bust birds just as well if I do my part, and $17k+ buys a LOT of practice!

I've shot skeet with a pump, and it's not nearly as enjoyable. My wife loves the soft-shooting Remington LT-20 (lightweight 20ga). I like it, too, but I'm big enough to handle the 12ga without issue, and the Bereta is a fantastic gun for the money.

 

[BigJimP]

You can shoot Skeet with almost any shotgun made ...and certainly a lot of us started in the clay target sports with pump guns.../ you sure don't need a "target grade" gun for just casual shooting...

But remember the most important aspect of shotgunning is "Fit" ...meaning the gun has to "Fit" you so it hits where you look. Issues like length of pull, drop at comb, drop at heel - or whether you want a parallel comb -- are big issues / because your eye is the rear sight on a shotgun.

On all "angled comb guns" ..or "Field stocks" ....if you move up or back even 1/4" on the stock / shoot with heavy coat in winter - or in T shirt in summer --- as you move up and back on that comb - the muzzle moves up or down in relation to where you mount the gun....and it might make you 2 Feet high at 25 yds...or 2' low.../ which is why I suggested a parallel comb gun, like the Citori XS Skeet model .....but a lot of guys shoot angled comb guns as well - if they know exactly what stock dimensions they need for the gun to "Fit"...them, but this sounds like its a relatively new sport to you...so picking the first gun is a pretty big deal....

I might suggest you visit your local club...talk to a lot of shooters...maybe get a couple of lessons...and see if you need a gun for each of you / or if you can get by with one gun....and let this evolve a little.

It took me a long time to figure out this "Fit" issue - and most gunshops have no idea what it is or how to evaluate you ..and its hard to do except at the club, at a patterning board.

Browning and Beretta both give you a lot of gun for the money in their O/U lines of guns ...but if a Beretta fits you / then the Browning Citori will probably not fit you ...but there are a lot of subtle issues in this - and to some extent it depends on what your budget is.

The higher end guns .....Blaser, Perazzi, Kolar, Krieghoff ...are a big jump in price from most of the Browning / Beretta line of guns...and probably more suited to a "registered target" shooter...but you may see a lot of those guns at your local club as well ...so kind of look at the whole spectrum of guns out there before you decide - and maybe fire as many as you can...before you buy ( and have fun with the process ! )...

The guns you buy as you get into these games...may not be the gun you want to compete with, if you decide to take this Skeet pastime more seriously ...so there are a lot of factors in this. Its not just simply buy a Browning O/U ...( which one of the 50 models is right for you ...??)...

 

[btg3]

What would you suggest for me and my wife to really enjoy the sport?

the most important aspect of shotgunning is "Fit"

^^^ This!

Don't get in a hurry to pick a gun until you know what fits (and what does not).

For me, I have 20 and 12ga Remingtons in semi-auto (Sportman58) and pump (870) and they all fit the same. So fitment will not reduce your options to one gun, but will guide your choice toward the guns you will enjoy more and shoot better.

FWIW, the 20ga semi with gas action is hard to beat for a gun that you can comfortably shoot all day. Alternately, with reloading, you can put a 20 ga load in a 12 gage shell and get an equivalent result.

 

[d2wing]

For skeet a lighter field gun works best for me. I like a light 20 or 12 gauge semiautomatic for light recoil. But if my shoulder were better I would shoot my Beretta 686 over under. A good over under puts the center of gravity closer to centered between your hands for good balance and handling. Some guys like the longer action of a repeater for a smoother swing. That might help in trap but not hunting or skeet. As mentioned having a gun that fits you and points naturally is important. One brand might be better than another in that regard.

 

[Old Unc']

Browning White Lightning O/U is 20 gauge. One of the most popular in the Browning lineup...