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Posted: 2/15/2022 8:48:39 AM EDT
In the market. Looking for some recommendations for a soft shooter. Budget under 1k.
Have a stoeger m3000 now and it's light and will beat you up. Have been told by just about everyone that a gas gun is a must, but just spoke with a friend and he says interia. 26" minimum barrel. Prefer 12ga but will consider a 20. From what I'm seeing a heavy 12ga may have less recoil than a lightweight 20? See a good bit of posts using a Remington 1100LT 20, versa max or V3. I'm open at this point. Just trying to take in information. |
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When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk.
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Benelli M2
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Whoever double-crosses me and leaves me alive, he understands nothing about Tuco. Nothing!
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Originally Posted By dogsplat: Benelli M2 View Quote I have an M2, great gun. I like the inertia system. I have had other semi-autos and frankly I dont notice a difference in recoil. If I were buying a semi-auto, I'd buy the M2 again. For a dedicated clays gun maybe an O/U? There are some cheaper optinos out there. Anytime I'm breaking clays I'm using my Citori. It's heavier of course so that gun does have less felt recoil. |
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I’m looking at an beretta a400 or a benelli ethos. Have also read that the browning silver is a good gun.
I’m looking at a 20 gauge. |
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QC Doktor...soldier, scholar, funnyman, raconteur
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"Audemus jura nostra defendere"
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For better recoil you want a gas gun.
Heavier is always better for recoil. There are a lot more low recoil 12 gauge loads out there than there are low recoil 20 gauge loads. Avoid field guns. Field guns are built light so they can be carried all day. I'd look for a 12 ga, gas gun, sporting model. |
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What sort of clays? The Winchester (Japan made, bored Skeet & Skeet) 101 I used for skeet was pretty comfy for the four-six rounds in a day I shot.
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Get the heaviest gas gun you can swing well - what “swinging” is needed depends on what type of shooting (sporting, skeet, trap etc.). Remington 1100/1187/ VersaMax all workable.
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At the ranges i shoot at, the semi-auto of choice these days seems to be the TriStar G2 Viper. Seriously. . . Almost everyone shoots an over/under though. Just buy a Browning CX (or CXS) and be done with it.
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In a truly free country, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms would be the name of a convenience store, not a federal agency
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Originally Posted By StealthyBlagga: Get the heaviest gas gun you can swing well - what “swinging” is needed depends on what type of shooting (sporting, skeet, trap etc.). Remington 1100/1187/ VersaMax all workable. View Quote Originally Posted By Bladeswitcher: At the ranges i shoot at, the semi-auto of choice these days seems to be the TriStar G2 Viper. Seriously. . . Almost everyone shoots an over/under though. Just buy a Browning CX (or CXS) and be done with it. View Quote I may pick up an 1187 if I didn't miss it. It was only 449! I never heard of the TriStar but it was also recommended on my local page. Only issue is parking at the store it's located. Can barely get a pickup in there and parked and I haul a cargo trailer for work. Gives me some ideas thanks. |
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Originally Posted By Stage20: I may pick up an 1187 if I didn't miss it. It was only 449!. . . . View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By Stage20: I may pick up an 1187 if I didn't miss it. It was only 449!. . . . Remington made good guns . . . I do say MADE, as the company went broke a couple of years ago. The name is being resurrected, but it's not the same company. Make sure the gun you're looking at has a 28" and screw-in chokes. With a semi-auto you can get away with 26" (especially for skeet) but a 28" is better. On the Remingtons I think a 30" is too long, but a lot of guys like them. Originally Posted By Stage20: I never heard of the TriStar but it was also recommended on my local page. Only issue is parking at the store it's located. Can barely get a pickup in there and parked and I haul a cargo trailer for work. Park a block away and walk. |
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In a truly free country, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms would be the name of a convenience store, not a federal agency
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I picked up the 1187 28" barrel and it's threaded. Premier model. I'll need to check the serial to see the age but it is not a new gun. It has excellent bluing on the barrel and receiver.
Ended up getting it for 422 with the background check. And now of course I have people offering me other guns now that I've purchased one.....always. Franchi affinity really caught my attention. I may get it too. |
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Originally Posted By Stage20: I picked up the 1187 28" barrel and it's threaded. Premier model. I'll need to check the serial to see the age but it is not a new gun. It has excellent bluing on the barrel and receiver. Ended up getting it for 422 with the background check. And now of course I have people offering me other guns now that I've purchased one.....always. Franchi affinity really caught my attention. I may get it too. View Quote You did well. That shotgun should serve you well for any type of shotgun sports. Not perfect for trap, but certainly fine. Just about perfect for skeet or sporting clays. Now all you have to do is find some ammo . . . and then go shooting. |
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In a truly free country, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms would be the name of a convenience store, not a federal agency
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I bought my son a TriStar Matrix 12 gauge. It's inertia driven and uses Benelli chokes. Pretty soft shooter and I paid $500 for it.
We shoot A LOT of sporting clays, and one of the biggest "mistakes" I see people do, is shooting loads that are too hot and just beat themselves up. A 1 oz load at 1,180 ft/sec will smash any clay on the field and not beat you up (also good for 16 yard trap and skeet). There are even lighter loads. |
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Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence.- Richard Dawkins
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You'll want a barrel longer than 26" for sporting clays and trap. Sporting clays guns are running 30-32". Most good trap guns are sold with 32" and 34" barrels.
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I’ve got a 725 field and a Citori I got for a song used from Cabelas
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Originally Posted By Stage20: Looking for some recommendations for a soft shooter. Budget under 1k. View Quote https://www.beretta.com/en-us/a300-ultima-sporting/ |
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Darren was here.
Is Wayne Brady Gonna Have To Choke A Bitch? |
Darren was here.
Is Wayne Brady Gonna Have To Choke A Bitch? |
Originally Posted By Stage20: In the market. Looking for some recommendations for a soft shooter. Budget under 1k. Have a stoeger m3000 now and it's light and will beat you up. Have been told by just about everyone that a gas gun is a must, but just spoke with a friend and he says interia. 26" minimum barrel. Prefer 12ga but will consider a 20. From what I'm seeing a heavy 12ga may have less recoil than a lightweight 20? See a good bit of posts using a Remington 1100LT 20, versa max or V3. I'm open at this point. Just trying to take in information. View Quote I picked up an M3000 a week ago, and have been smoking clays since. Yes, it recoils more than my M4 (which is surprisingly fun to shoot trap with), but I expected that and it's not at all unpleasant. |
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Beretta A300 Ultima......
I picked up one for my son who shoots sporting clays on his high school team. He's starting his second year/season with it and it's been rock solid so far. It gets a quick wipe down and once over after practice with a full breakdown before and after tournaments. Even with the synthetic stock and forend it's a soft shooter for a 12ga. |
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Originally Posted By BigDeeeeeeee: Beretta A300 Ultima Sporting in 12 or 20. Street price should be close to budget. https://www.beretta.com/en-us/a300-ultima-sporting/ View Quote I would buy one of those A300, if it didnt have that "KickOff" thing on the stock. Does anyone have any experience with the Winchester SX4? |
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This is NO dress rehearsal, we ARE professionals, and this IS the big time.
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I use an O/U and wouldn’t go back … not having to pick up shells is a nice feature
Heavy ones shoot plenty soft |
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Benelli.
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Preferred pronoun: MARINE
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Preferred pronoun: MARINE
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Really, Thanks for that info! I just got a clay target range set up and want a 12ga to go with my 1187 20 ga.
Trying to pick what gun I want, keep switching from O/U to semi. edit - Model 1100 not 1187. |
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This is NO dress rehearsal, we ARE professionals, and this IS the big time.
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Much of this is going to be personal preference. I prefer an O/U for clays personally but many prefer a semi; either works fine but both have advantages and disadvantages. Primary advantage to an O/U is the ability to shoot two different chokes, this is something you'd use on sporting or super-sporting which is primarily what I shoot. Balance is another advantage with an O/U, believe it or not you don't want a gun that's stock heavy and light out in front, adding weights is a thing.
All that said given your criteria I'd strongly look at a Beretta A400 for semi and a Beretta Silver Pigeon or Browning 725 for O/U. Fit is extremely important so go somewhere that knows about that, Length of Pull and an adjustable comb are very good things to have but will drive your costs up. Look for a gently used gun and go shoot clays with a loaner or rental gun, both O/U and semi before buying one. |
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"Please do the needful..."
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Originally Posted By wildearp: I have a Citori too, but for gun games such as sporting clays, a light weight, quick pointing shotgun would prevail. You get extra style points if you use an 1897 Winchester. ![]() View Quote Not necessarily, a light gun will have more perceived recoil and can cause you to swing too quick. Balanced is the key even if it's a bit heavy, look at a Kreighoff K-80 as that's a HEAVY gun but balanced and shoots lighter than it actually is. |
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"Please do the needful..."
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