anyone here into this shooting sport? im just getting into it myself and bought my first over/under. (browning citori)

id like to hear from you folks that do enjoy it and would like to talk about the type/brand of guns, tips you may have, etc....

Hell yeah.  I too have a Citori, it's the Lightning model, 28 inch barrels.  Haven't done enough full-blown sporting clays because the nearest course is about 300 miles from here, but there is a five-stand place not too far.

I guess the best tip is to keep the gun moving at all times.  If you have shot trap and skeet before that's the best prep.

Sometimes I'll change out chokes like golfers change clubs, but I am not convinced it really makes any difference.  Some guy with an auto can run one choke and never change it all the way through and still kick my ass.

It's a blast.  Wish I could shoot it more often.

Quoted: anyone here into this shooting sport? im just getting into it myself and bought my first over/under. (browning citori) id like to hear from you folks that do enjoy it and would like to talk about the type/brand of guns, tips you may have, etc....

Lovely Bride and I have been known to bust the occaisional clay.  You got a nice shotgun there.  You can do a lot with it.  The best thing you can do is shoot, shoot, shoot.

Sporting shotguns are sorta like AR's these days 'cause you can have them changed around to suit your needs.  Bend the stock, backbore the barrels, overbore the barrels, extend the forcing cones, play with chokes and lots more.  First thing to do as with any shotgun is take it to a patterning range and see where it's shooting and how it's throwing patterns.  Then GET SOME LESSONS from a qualified NSCA instructor.  Also you might get a recent copy of "Sporting Clays", "Shooting Sportsman" or "Double Gun Journal".

I just started trap shooting 3 weeks ago and I love it. I can't wait to try sporting clays and skeet.

from people ive talked to around here and you folks that responded, there hasnt been one negative thing about this sport. seems everyone is having fun. good advice from you guys. thanks.

Quoted: from people ive talked to around here and you folks that responded, there hasnt been one negative thing about this sport. seems everyone is having fun. good advice from you guys. thanks.

There is no downside to clays.  You'll meet a great group of shooters, learn many new skills and then have the ability to go all over the country trying new sporting clay courses.  Clay courses are proud of their designs and change regularly to keep the challenge fresh.

Then one day when you get practiced and good you'll get introduced to boxed bird shooting.  And you can watch guys from strange countries wager the price of your house on one shot.

**Edited to mention Sporting Clays magazine lists sporting clay courses in Vermont at Orange, Sutton and Wilmington and your next state championship will be September 8, 2002.  Go!

And yes, if you shoot 499 out of 500 you will loose the match.

Benjamin

There's nothing better then going down to the club during the weekend and shooting skeet/trap and drinking some beer and betting a dollar a "bird".  

We have been doing it for years and I hope we keep it up for many more to come!

And yes, if you shoot 499 out of 500 you will loose the match.

Actually that's only true in trap and skeet.  Even the best clays shooters miss a few, that's one of the things that makes it fun, you have to be good, outstanding in fact, but not *perfect.*

Quoted:  Clay courses are proud of their designs and change regularly to keep the challenge fresh. **Edited to mention Sporting Clays magazine lists sporting clay courses in Vermont at Orange, Sutton and Wilmington and your next state championship will be September 8, 2002.  Go!

thats why the comparison to golf im assuming...and yes Arock I will be in those places to watch and learn, and maybe shoot?????

redray,

I own a browning(trap, back up gun) and had to have the triggers set to a release.  I was  missing the second pull on the trigger due to the long reset lenght that is required to set the second hammer.  Also, I have found that the non-clay designed Browning guns have a tendency to swing like a fence post.

Just remember to keep your head glued to the stock and keep the gun moving.
 
Also, Here is something tha you can do when your not at the range. With the rifle unloaded!!!, find a room in your house that you can follow the ceiling lines when mounted up on the shotgun.  The drill will get you used to moving with the rifle, and give you a better idea of your stance and foot placement in regards to target/swing.

And, as for shooting a perfect score, This is not trap or skeet, It's never going to happen!!!
All you have to do to win is to just break one more bird that the other people in your class/div.  If anyone who tells you different, have them show you that they can break 20 running rabbits in a row. Hell, bet them for a case of ammo. This way, you will have somthing to laugh about when your shooting your free shell.

Sporting Clays is what the wife and I do every weekend. We used to go shoot pistols and rifles all the time but punching paper gets real boring after a while.  About 5 years ago I went to the clays range and shot my first round and it was instant love  . Last year alone we went through 32 pounds of gun powder that's roughly 11,000 rounds.  We both started with Browning 425's I switched to a Beretta AL391 about a year ago and The Wife just switched to a Benelli Montefeltro.  Let me tell you the first time you shoot 500 - 600 rounds out of that over/under in one day your gonna feel it.  

Edited to add She now kicks my ass pretty consistantly and I shoot high 30's to low 40's.

"And yes, if you shoot 499 out of 500 you will loose the match."

This statement is absolutely false with regard to Sporting Clays. The best shooters typically shoot 85-90% on any given course. The purpose of the course designer is to make it nearly impossible for anyone to shoot 100%. If the course designer ever found out that anyone shot 100% on HIS course, he would shit his pants and then go back to the drawing board and redesign his course.

This, in my opinion, is why Sporting Clays in sooooo much better than Trap or Skeet. No one is ever perfect, and every course is different, sort of like golf - with a shotgun.

I shoot sporting clays once a week or so and I love it! I strongly encourage any of you people out there to give it a try. It's very addicting and fun.

I love shooting sporting clays.   So I joined a sporting clay club.  I do not think that the gun really matters much because I shot my 870 pump and did better than most people with autos and over unders. I usually shot in the upper 30s to low 40s.  Not bad for a pump!!!!

keep the tips and advice coming folks! thanks Dano523.

the o/u i bought is a browning special sporting clays edition. (12 ga., 30" bbl, ported, adjustable comb, adjustable trigger, hi-rib, came with three chokes and wrench.) i wont tell u how much i paid, but lets just say i had to trade a (boo-hoo!) ar15 for it. i cant wait to get out there and shoot something with it. cant wait for spring neither when the club nearby starts the season.

redray,

Also lose the goose loads.  You will find that a 1oz. load will break a clay as well as any heavy load. Chance are that on a heavy load, all your doing is blowing holes in your pattern.  I have found that 1 1/16 oz. loads seem to pattern very well and allow me to shoot all day long no matter what shooting sport.

As far as the factory chokes, Lose them ASAP. On every Browning that I have owned, the tubes changed the POA of the pattern to shoot off bead.  I don't beleive that I have ever had two tubes shoot the same. On one,12" left-7" high @ 40 yards.  I have swapped all of mine with Briley ext. tubes.  They also keep the fouling out of the threads.

P.S. Paper hulls are a God send, Try them out when you get a chance.

i shoot some sporting clays. i shoot more trap than anything else. i shoot a benelli M1 super 90. never really got bitten by the O/U bug, for skeet or sporting clays. i also have found sporting clays draws a more normal crowd then a lot of trap clubs around here. those guys have a real "hi dollar golf club" thing going on. a lot of trap shooters around here get over competitive and bitchy. when my team was going to win the season hi score, the top guys moved our card back over and over, till "orange time" (thats when the sky is hte same color as the clay birds) and waited till the wind picked up, and for it to rain. that was the night the closest team could have turned the hole thing around. we beat them by one of the largest margins ever, making it unessary for them to even continue to compete. that was sweet.

I agrre that you need to apattern the gun first.
I'm also a big believer in having a gun 'fitted' to your own measurements. Pro instruction is a great investment. Find a coach you like and have a good rapport with. You need to learn your own style, not your coach's. Do a little research via Sporting Clays magazine back issues. We have the national Sporting Clays headquarters here and host the Annual International championships. You should see the guys from Columbia ! Sumbyach they can shoot!

...Then GET SOME LESSONS from a qualified NSCA instructor...

I've always been interested in sporting clays/trap/skeet/whatever.  I feel silly doing it, but I asked for and received "lessons" for Christmas.

Wish I had an idea what to expect.

Texason,  
  "Wish I had an idea what to expect"

Chances are, You are going to learn the basics, the correct basics. If your like most guys, you are going to fight losing your old style and have wasted your money. If your smart, you will learn the correct methods and lose the flaws in your shooting style. Welcome to "Shotguning 101"!

Quoted: ...Then GET SOME LESSONS from a qualified NSCA instructor... I've always been interested in sporting clays/trap/skeet/whatever.  I feel silly doing it, but I asked for and received "lessons" for Christmas. Wish I had an idea what to expect.

You'll learn shooting a shotgun is different than a shooting a rifle.  Things like learning to LOOK AT THE TARGET not the sight.  Looking at the bead or the barrel means you just shot behind the target.  You'll learn to mount and swing smoothly, the best angles and distances to engage a target and target selection.

DON'T shoot goose loads to learn.  Get some Target Loads.  My favorite is Winchester AA Light Target.  1 or 1 1/8 oz. of #8 shot.  NO GAME LOADS, you'll be distracted by recoil.  (Only use for game loads is ZZ-Birds or Helice games).

You will be a MUCH better shotgunner after only a few lessons.  And it's fun!

dano,
the briley's you mentioned stick out of the barrel? by how much (if they do)? didnt know paper hulled shells were still manufactured. ha-ha.

im going to the range tomorrow to pattern the gun. also to see if my factory chokes do what you said. hard to believe but ill give it the b of the d.  

i found out that the "crazy" clay shooters here in VT shoot at the local clubhouse every Sunday despite the below freezing temps. the dealer i bought the shotgun from asked me today where in the hell was i last Sunday. good bunch of people.

Redray,

"the briley's you mentioned stick out of the barrel? by how much (if they do)? didnt know paper hulled shells were still manufactured. ha-ha. "

1. The Briley tubes I use have the small knurled ends,they also offer sets with long ext.(1"), and ported ones.  Here is the web site:

http://www.gun.co.uk/briley.htm

2. About paper hulls, They are offered by a few companys.  My favorite being Federal's Gold Medal.

In regards to shot shells, Paper hulls are the best that you will every shoot, period. The paper allows the pressure to build up slower that in a plastic shell. The advantage is that they produce less perceived recoil that a plastic hull, Way less!!!  Their only down fall is that they last about three times in regards to reloading.

Here is the link to shells:
http://www.federalcartridge.com/andex4.html

Also, Be glad that you asked that question here. If you would of asked that question at the range, they would have looked at you like you were retarded!!!!

P.S. I used to shoot on a trap/skeet leagues. I have shot in the rain, while snowing, being overrun by every flying bug known to man.  Are you telling me that a little cold weather is stopping you?  

Here is the U.S. Link
www.briley.com

For Sporting clay I would recommend three tubes Skeet, IC, and Light Mod.