Trap shooters

[4651feeder]

"...beat them to death on clays..." Learned some time ago clays will bust just as well with 12 ga 1 oz vs. 1 1/8 oz loads if you get on um and while guns don't render opinion, the shoulder tells me it's a lot happier. Have found I'm swinging guns lighter than a Citori better. Hence the Brownings are put away for now and am shooting the heck out of a FN Winchester 101 Ultimate Sporting and even more recently an inexpensive ATA made Weatherby Orion just to prove to myself a 28" barrel can be as effective as 30".

 

[thunderchicken]

A Citori field gun will hold up just as well the Citori trap guns. It’s the same action.

A Stoeger may not hold up as well as a CZ which may not hold up as well as an SKB which may not hold up as well as a Citori or Cynergy (insert the equivalent options from other brands).

A lot of the information I found and received when I was looking was that dedicated field guns tend to be built lighter and for a different level of abuse. They aren’t shot as much and aren’t designed to be. The upside is they are easier to carry and work just fine for their intended purpose. This ain’t true for all field guns, some are built heavier than others and some use the same action as their sporting use brethren.

The short answer if you will probably be fine with a CZ. There are great reports of them holding up, and there are other reports of them not. It’s a higher risk with the lower budget choices.

We may be talking that (and I’m just making up numbers for the example) the CZ may last 25k rounds before it shows signs of wear that aren’t repairable while a Citori could be 100k rounds.

What budget are you looking to stay within? Are you opposed to a used gun? Have you spent any time over on the Shotgun World forum? There is lots of knowledge and questions about brands and reliability there.

Thank you
That is the best explanation I have heard.
I'm not opposed to looking for something used and will be looking to stay under a grand. Right now just kind of trying to narrow down what I want and what to stay away from.
An older fella I spoke with at IGC recently was all over me like a cheap suit for being out there shooting trap with a "cheap field gun" and was adament that I needed to get something from Beretta, Perazzi or Kolar and nothing made for the field would last very long. He said "trap is going to kill that cheap gun"...and I was shooting a Browning SxS.
So, I have been trying to understand what will last for years to come and is versatile enough for trap and sporting clays without killing the hardware that I currently have.

 

[thunderchicken]

"...beat them to death on clays..." Learned some time ago clays will bust just as well with 12 ga 1 oz vs. 1 1/8 oz loads if you get on um and while guns don't render opinion, the shoulder tells me it's a lot happier. Have found I'm swinging guns lighter than a Citori better. Hence the Brownings are put away for now and am shooting the heck out of a FN Winchester 101 Ultimate Sporting and even more recently an inexpensive ATA made Weatherby Orion just to prove to myself a 28" barrel can be as effective as 30".

Right on. No more than I shoot in a day/weekend a lighter weight gun doesn't really bother me at this point. I'm not opposed to a heavier gun for range use either. I've always preferred either 26 or 28" barrels. Granted I've always had field guns but I haven't been convinced that 30" makes much difference. Maybe for someone shooting competitively

 

[Areoflyer09]

I find 30s easier. My wife likes 28s. It’s all in how they fit and balance.

Check the used guns at IGC, they will often have nice (but older) options that will meet your wants. Talk with the actually shop guys over the shooters, makes a difference.

Edit: I don’t think you are going to wear your Browning SxS out very quickly with causal trap.

 

[thunderchicken]

I find 30s easier. My wife likes 28s. It’s all in how they fit and balance.

Check the used guns at IGC, they will often have nice (but older) options that will meet your wants. Talk with the actually shop guys over the shooters, makes a difference.

Edit: I don’t think you are going to wear your Browning SxS out very quickly with causal trap.

Right on.

Yeah, I don't think casual trap shooting is going to hurt my SXS too much either. Just kinda shocked me the way the older fella described what I needed and what I had. My thought was simply..I've never heard anyone call a Browning shotgun a "cheap gun".

 

[Areoflyer09]

The shotgun guys are every bit as biased as the AR guys, Glock guys and 1911 guys.

 

[Restroyer]

So recently I've been getting back into trap shooting. Nothing serious just for fun and to improve my shooting.
But, I've been thinking about a dedicated gun to shoot trap with. I don't have the budget for a Kolar, Perazzi or even many of the Benelli, Browning or Berettas a number of the competitors seem to be using. I'm looking for a more entry level trap gun. Was looking at. Mossberg silver reserve, Stevens OU or CZ OU. But people keep telling me not to buy "junk field guns" that they won't last. I don't see these guns as junk and why won't they last??

Mossberg Silver Reserve II is not a junk gun. My 17 year old twin boys both have one that they use in two different youth Trap / Skeet clubs. They have fired countless rounds through them and no issues. I love it when another kid starts bragging about his $2500 gun at a shoot and then my boys average a 23 of 25 and the kid with the fancy expensive gun averages a 17. Don't be fooled by people who want to tell you that an expensive gun is the only way to be competitive. I would recommend the Mossberg Silver Reserve II for Trap if you are on a budget and still want a reliable accurate gun.