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12 Guage over / under

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
I bought that Remington SP-310 off Rick in your garage and it's a way better trap gun than my $1K Italian gun or the Mossberg Silver Reserve I had. The Remington is a $300 Wal-Mart gun, but it's a damn good shooter. That said, I think it's a "feel" thing a lot like archery. I'd let him shoulder a few and see what feels good because ultimately with trap, the shouldering of the gun is what wins rounds.
 
The cz drakes can be had for under 600. The biakal u/o is probably the cheapest you'd want to own. The Remington spartians jesse mentiomed are baikals imported under the remington name. Sometimes you can find a deal on the marlin branded lc smith made o/u. The browning citori miadis sells for 899 new you can sometimes find used ones around 650.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
I know Klay liked that Franchi I have. Depending on condition, they fall in the $600-900 range. Not sure your budget. Just throwing something out there in the next range from what Jesse and Tom said. That does NOT mean it is better than the cheaper ones though. You could put a $10000 trap gun in my hands and I would still be worse than most of you guys at the range. I don't know much about them but I know it isn't always how expensive they are.
 

nathan.luthman

Active Member
Supporting Member
597
66
I shoot trap most of the year on tuesday nights. I started this year with an 870TB with a monte carlo stock and was shooting it pretty damn good for me (low 40s). I bought a Winchester 101 diamond trap a couple of months ago and my scores dropped a bunch but with practice ive improved a bit but still not where i want to be. All the other guys on my team all shoot field grade guns (1100,11-87,mod 12, and a sbe 2 or 3) and they all shoot in the mid to upper 40s every week. I would preferably shoot my 870 but i like the challenge of trying to improve with a new gun.
I guess what im saying is to not get him an over under unless he is used to them becuase his scores may not be as good as he wants and he may get discouraged and give up on the sport. I would have him shoot a gun he is used to and confident in for the first few weeks to get an average and then maybe let him shoot an over under and see if he impoves or not. Over unders are not for everyone.
 

CJD3

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14,630
201
NE Ohio
I think Kody busted more birds than his Dad...
Your son was most certainly holding his own out there Mike.
And with a 20 gage to boot!
 
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jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,061
223
Ohio
I'll second the CZ. I'm partial to Browning's and Berettas, but they're not exactly an "entry level" gun. I think a nice semiauto would be good for him too. Much softer shooting than an O/U. He would appreciate that after a few rounds on the trap range.
 

hickslawns

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39,721
248
Ohio
He has an 1100 now. He shoots it well. Not sure why he wants to change other than he said he has a hard time with the long range shots. It's a 20 Guage.

I'm not a trap guy. As an honest to goodness cheapskate, I wonder if maybe an 1100 in 12g would help him out? Then it would double for rabbits and such and treat him good the rest of his life.
 

Big H

Senior Member
4,105
151
Medina
Unless he is shooting doubles, why does he want an over/under? Will it be used specifically for trap? If so, and depending on your budget, look into a single barrel break open. My girlfriend just bought a TriStar top single trap gun new at the Sportsman's Den for less than $1,000. For the money, they are a nice gun. I bought a Ljutic, but I was shooting alot when I bought it. A good option would be a used Beretta 391 or whatever their newer model is, then he could also use for doubles and sporting clays. Best tip I can give you, is to make sure the gun fits him and to pattern it. Also, get him a 12 gauge, you can get reduced recoil loads if he needs to, but if the gun fits him, you won't need to.
 
If this is for mostly clays i would recommend sticking with a gas auto. Im a beretta auto fan the 391 urika and a400 xcl. They are super soft shooting and unlike the 1100 you dont have to fool with them to go from low to high brass. My 20 ga a400 will even cycle handicap trap loads that no other auto will.
 

cotty16

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
IMG_0780.jpg

Took Kody gun shopping today. After shouldering several guns and trying to say in our price range, he decided on the Weatherby combo. Comes with the slug barrel that's ready for a scope mount and a 28" field barrel with three chokes.
It's a pretty gun. He's on his way to shooting practice right now. Hopefully he comes home happy!

I appreciate all your input. Most of the guns that were mentioned on here we didn't see. Hope it doesn't come back to haunt us.