So I got spoiled today and shot a browning O/U and I enjoyed it. Never have shot a O/U before today. Is the browning worth the price tag or are there cheaper options just as good?
O/U 12ga suggestions
- Thread starter Pinky787
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'Just as good' is very subjective. For example, I can miss just as much with my $400 Stoeger Condor as I can with a $1500 Citori so...
Honestly the Condor has given me no reasons to be disappointed.
Question is. Do you want a starter gun or do you have the budget for nicer toys?
Honestly the Condor has given me no reasons to be disappointed.
Question is. Do you want a starter gun or do you have the budget for nicer toys?
MedicMan97
Member
Biggest question I would have for you is how often do you plan to shoot it? If you’re planning on 5k+ rounds a year, I’d recommend buying something along the lines of the browning. If you’re going out once every couple months, you’ll probably be fine with a cheaper option.
OP
Definitely don't have the budget.
Granted I only took 2 shots and I got 2 hits and handed it back to him. Did some research later and it appears what I shot was the anniversary edition.
I haven't really shot shotguns in a few years but recently have gone skeet shooting 3 times in the last 3 months, wouldn't mind making it a more regular thing, I've kinda missed it. I guess a question I have is what features make the browning cost so much more than the cheaper options? Or is it more of just paying for the browning name.
Sorry if I'm rambling I really need sleep
Granted I only took 2 shots and I got 2 hits and handed it back to him. Did some research later and it appears what I shot was the anniversary edition.
I haven't really shot shotguns in a few years but recently have gone skeet shooting 3 times in the last 3 months, wouldn't mind making it a more regular thing, I've kinda missed it. I guess a question I have is what features make the browning cost so much more than the cheaper options? Or is it more of just paying for the browning name.
Sorry if I'm rambling I really need sleep
I’m a budget guy. I bought a Stevens 555 20g, it does just fine. I kill some quail, lose some too.
However, if I wasn’t a budget guy and I was a high roller like some of these fellas. I’d definitely have a 828U. 🤤
However, if I wasn’t a budget guy and I was a high roller like some of these fellas. I’d definitely have a 828U. 🤤
MedicMan97
Member
Quality, fit, and finish are all pretty evident when you look at a higher end shotgun vs a cheap one.
The O/U action is one the most expensive to make. (So I've been told).
I had picked up a cheap 20g O/U because I could. Later, I decided that I wanted to try my hand at trap/skeet. I think it was the 3rd outing when the gun just fell apart during a round. The forearm fell off when I opened it to extract the shells, causing the whole thing to come apart.
A Stoger would likely be fine for the occasional trap meet. But if you're wanting to shoot 4+ rounds every weekend, you'll want to up the spend.
If those you want to go with aren't snobs and just do it for fun, you can get away with an 1100 or even an 870.
First time I ever got a chance to shoot trap, I was loaned either a Beretta or a Benelli. I don't recall which one now. Several of the guys I shot with that night were using Krieghoffs. They were $10k+.
I had picked up a cheap 20g O/U because I could. Later, I decided that I wanted to try my hand at trap/skeet. I think it was the 3rd outing when the gun just fell apart during a round. The forearm fell off when I opened it to extract the shells, causing the whole thing to come apart.
A Stoger would likely be fine for the occasional trap meet. But if you're wanting to shoot 4+ rounds every weekend, you'll want to up the spend.
If those you want to go with aren't snobs and just do it for fun, you can get away with an 1100 or even an 870.
First time I ever got a chance to shoot trap, I was loaned either a Beretta or a Benelli. I don't recall which one now. Several of the guys I shot with that night were using Krieghoffs. They were $10k+.
9outof10mms
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In my limited but opinionated experience, expensive O/U’s are expensive because of two main reasons (with dozens of smaller, finer reasons):
1. Fit
2. Weight
I’ve got a Russian Baikal (Remington Spartan) that you could hammer nails with the butt stock, but turn it around and have a great day smoking clays. For the 3-4 times per year that I’m lucky enough to go shoot a round of sporting clays, that does more than I need. And all for less than $500.
1. Fit
2. Weight
I’ve got a Russian Baikal (Remington Spartan) that you could hammer nails with the butt stock, but turn it around and have a great day smoking clays. For the 3-4 times per year that I’m lucky enough to go shoot a round of sporting clays, that does more than I need. And all for less than $500.
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Ride down to MidSouth Guns in Wagram And hold some used ones. You may find a used Browning or Beretta. One thing to think about, If you shoot a lot of clays, the gun is the cheapest part.
Donnie D
Well-Known Member
I have a Mossberg Silver Reserve 12ga. Have had it along time and like it very much. Not a single problem so far, and definitely on the lower price range.
WARNING WARNING WARNING Phil Robinson. If you are getting into the shotgun world, do not venture into the shotgun forums. Full of SNOBS!!!!
WARNING WARNING WARNING Phil Robinson. If you are getting into the shotgun world, do not venture into the shotgun forums. Full of SNOBS!!!!
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Old School
Active Member
@Pinky787 I was in your exact situation. And just like @9outof10mms I bought a Remington Spartan. Great gun, solid.
But I'm not an every week shooter; wish I was. And with clays, it was a few times a year so I was never going to have the volume to appreciate the advantages of an o/u. The Benelli is a lot softer shooting (I'm not getting younger) so the Spartan got traded in. Someone got a darn good gun.
But I'm not an every week shooter; wish I was. And with clays, it was a few times a year so I was never going to have the volume to appreciate the advantages of an o/u. The Benelli is a lot softer shooting (I'm not getting younger) so the Spartan got traded in. Someone got a darn good gun.
There is a Browning Citori and a Beretta 686 Onyx Sporting in our BST section. Both are quality O/U guns. If you are careful and patient, you can find a good, used O/U at a price within a reasonable starter budget. I'm a little bit of the shotgun snob someone mentioned above. The lower end guns will most likely service you if you shoot only occasionally. But if you start skeet, trap or especially sporting clays and begin shooting any volume, the lower end guns might not hold up and you will lose value on resale. Those 2 guns in our BST probably sold new for about the asking price today.
Deep River has guns for rent, and they used to have Berettas and SKBs. That might be a good use of a little money to try out some guns.
Keep this in mind. With shotguns, recoil is a function of 1) the ejecta, meaning how heavy the load is coming out of the barrel, and 2) gun weight. Some of the lower end guns are light and will beat you up over a round of 100 skeet or sporting rounds.
Deep River has guns for rent, and they used to have Berettas and SKBs. That might be a good use of a little money to try out some guns.
Keep this in mind. With shotguns, recoil is a function of 1) the ejecta, meaning how heavy the load is coming out of the barrel, and 2) gun weight. Some of the lower end guns are light and will beat you up over a round of 100 skeet or sporting rounds.
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Get a good one in the beginning and be happy for the rest of your life with it. I have no experience with inexpensive over unders. I only have Browning, older Charles Daly, and Beretta guns of that configuration. I do have experience with inexpensive sxs shotguns. The cheap ones I have do not hold a candle to my Browning, SKB, Fox, or Parker guns. They all shoot the same shells and can be used to hit targets, but the cheap ones are just not as good as far as fit, finish, reliability, and function are concerned. Going to Wagram to get some different ones in your hands is a good idea. The differences should be obvious. The rigging costs more than the hull as many boaters have discovered. Donnie D was correct in that the initial price of the gun will eventually become a fairly minor part of the cost if you get into skeet shooting on a regular basis.
Sleipnir
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@2slow wrote: "One thing to think about, If you shoot a lot of clays, the gun is the cheapest part."
That is the truth.
BTW this question gets asked almost every day on Shotgunworld.com
That's where I would look. Based on your original post there are too many unaddressed variables to give an informed, intelligent response.
You might as well go online and ask what car should I buy.
That is the truth.
BTW this question gets asked almost every day on Shotgunworld.com
That's where I would look. Based on your original post there are too many unaddressed variables to give an informed, intelligent response.
You might as well go online and ask what car should I buy.
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A Nissan Bug
I have a Citori, I shot someone else's and a Win Select Energy. In comparison to other guns, I couldn't miss. The Citori doesn't fit me , my face/pupil is too high.
One of these day's I'm going to list it for trade for a Win Select Energy, FNSC1 or a Win 101 Sporting.
One of these day's I'm going to list it for trade for a Win Select Energy, FNSC1 or a Win 101 Sporting.
There are multiple flavors of citouri to try as well, I’ve had the satin hunter 3.5 and the sporting, they fit differently and shot differently but if you shoot enough to say you shoot, you’ll figure it out.
I can’t tell you which one to buy. Most of the “B” guns (Benelli, Beretta, Browning) should last a lifetime of shooting. Older discontinued guns that should as well are the Remington 3200 and from what I’ve heard SKB. I’d imagine a Winchester 101 is pretty good too but I don’t know anything on them really.
I inherited a 3200 field model that my dad had customized to suit him. He won several amateur sporting clays tournaments and more than a few skeet matches with it. It’s also been to Argentina more than once after doves. He bought it new in the mid 70’s at a store that was going out of business. I don’t know how many thousands of rounds have been through it but it still locks up solid and I intend to keep shooting it.
I inherited a 3200 field model that my dad had customized to suit him. He won several amateur sporting clays tournaments and more than a few skeet matches with it. It’s also been to Argentina more than once after doves. He bought it new in the mid 70’s at a store that was going out of business. I don’t know how many thousands of rounds have been through it but it still locks up solid and I intend to keep shooting it.
A wood rasp, some sandpaper, and a can of linseed oil can fix that. Been there. Done that.
Hellquest
Well-Known Member
I have a few ranging in price. My highest one is roughly 5k. and my lowest one is about 500 bucks. The fit and finish is different but for hobby sheet buy cheap or mid-range. I'm scared to bring my Caesar Guerini anywhere due to people wanting to play with it. Which I won't mind if they handle it with the idea "Break it you buy it". and most don't.
Stevens, I can also go out and trek through the fields and woods for hunting.
Stevens, I can also go out and trek through the fields and woods for hunting.
I cringe at modifying a nice weapon. It’s the reason I bought a Sako rifle, I knew I would leave it be, and I really want to take an inch off of that stock.
If you do not modify a nice gun, you have a nice gun that you cannot use well. If you do modify a nice gun, you have a nice gun that you can use well. If you modify a cheap gun, you have a gun that you can use, but it is still a cheap gun. I am not worried about resale and do not care about whether it fits the next person who owns it after I am room temperature. I like nice guns that I can use well. Where possible, such as with Browning Auto 5 and M12 Winchesters, I try to get an aftermarket stock that I can fit to myself. That is not as easy with double barrels in many cases, so the original is modified if I want to use it. I admit that the first stroke of a wood rasp on a beautiful stock still makes me cringe, but the end results are worth it.
I have not had to alter any of my over unders since I shoot them well with the original stocks.
I am right there with @Get Off My Lawn But rather than rasping or sanding down a comb, I almost always need a higher comb and a little "cast off" on it. I usually get a gun with adjustable comb, or if not, added adjustable comb and adjustable butt plate. With those two options you can make almost any gun fit you.
The guns Deep River used to have were these or another model of these (I modified my post above, to include SKB shotguns). They came with adjustable comb and butt plate, quite a feature for a gun of those prices. It would be an inexpensive test to rent one if they still have them, and you can inquire about the durability of them on rentals.
I don’t think anyone else has mentioned this but one thing you are in theory paying for with a nice O/U is ensuring the barrels are well regulated (and I guess part of that is an actual QC department). With decent manufacturing I’d think both barrels should be close enough most of the time these days even in lower cost guns, but the potential hassle there has been enough to keep me from buying a cheap double (and the cost of nice ones has kept me shooting my old wingmaster!)
Have you tried cleaning them? Lead and plastic are both much softer than steel.
For the over under I have shot several different ones and splurged on a beretta silver pigeon for myself. I started with a yildiz from academy and after 50-75 rounds I could start to feel the punishment of the lighter gun. It was a fine gun by all means except it was too light for me to comfortably shoot a whole lot.
Somebody mentioned Benelli. I shoot a Benelli Super Sport 20 gauge in Sporting Clays Sub-gauge competitions and love it. When the Benelli 828 O/U was first introduced, I looked at them for clays. But the first models were basically field guns that weighed about 6.5 lbs, and I knew they would beat me up with recoil shooting 2x100 bird events in clays. Now they offer several models including a sporting that weighs just over 8 lbs. But they run about $4,000. I doubt many of us will wear out a Browning or Beretta gun.
Wise words spoken about renting different guns to see what fits you and what you like. Had a friend who was dead set on buying a Beretta 686 , which is a great gun , but after renting one and finding out that he really didn’t like the way it shot he bought a Browning similar to mine. If you’re looking to shoot a lot of shells , 2-3000 a year a heavy gun will work a lot better for you. If you’re going to shoot 2-300 a year a light gun that is easy to carry and hunt with might be a better option.
christyouthguy
Well-Known Member
Several thoughts:
1) Buy what you want... it's your money.
2) The idea that O/U's are more expensive that semi-autos is not really the way to think about it. A $1,000 auto may preform significantly better than a $1,500 O/U. When you get into higher end OU's $5k+ you are paying for a different level of durability. There are many persons who have won championships with $1,000 semi autos. I've never seen someone win a championship with a $1,000 O//U.
3) There is a Beretta 3901 in the classifieds for $650. Great gun for the money. Also, you can find a Beretta a300 new for less than $1,000. (Most all clay serious target shooters would direct you to semi-autos guns to start with)
4) See #1 above....
I've been participating in clay target sports for more than 20 years. Two things I never seem to be able to find:
1) The elusive clay target gun snob... The reality here is that if you buy a $500 O/U from your local big box store and ask me about it, I'm going to tell you the truth. That truth is that the gun will likely fail you somewhere around 5,000 rounds. Nearly ALL clay target shooters will direct new shooters to a sub $1,500 gun (generally a Beretta auto). I get that that isn't cheap, but it is the cheapest part of clay target sports.
2) The guy wearing overalls who beats the guys shooting $10,000 shotguns with his trusty Remington 870. I'm not saying that this has never happened at a local range, but I can tell you it doesn't happen in competition.
BTW: I compete with a Beretta al390 that I paid $600 for. If fun = breaking targets, I'd buy a Beretta Auto...
1) Buy what you want... it's your money.
2) The idea that O/U's are more expensive that semi-autos is not really the way to think about it. A $1,000 auto may preform significantly better than a $1,500 O/U. When you get into higher end OU's $5k+ you are paying for a different level of durability. There are many persons who have won championships with $1,000 semi autos. I've never seen someone win a championship with a $1,000 O//U.
3) There is a Beretta 3901 in the classifieds for $650. Great gun for the money. Also, you can find a Beretta a300 new for less than $1,000. (Most all clay serious target shooters would direct you to semi-autos guns to start with)
4) See #1 above....
I've been participating in clay target sports for more than 20 years. Two things I never seem to be able to find:
1) The elusive clay target gun snob... The reality here is that if you buy a $500 O/U from your local big box store and ask me about it, I'm going to tell you the truth. That truth is that the gun will likely fail you somewhere around 5,000 rounds. Nearly ALL clay target shooters will direct new shooters to a sub $1,500 gun (generally a Beretta auto). I get that that isn't cheap, but it is the cheapest part of clay target sports.
2) The guy wearing overalls who beats the guys shooting $10,000 shotguns with his trusty Remington 870. I'm not saying that this has never happened at a local range, but I can tell you it doesn't happen in competition.
BTW: I compete with a Beretta al390 that I paid $600 for. If fun = breaking targets, I'd buy a Beretta Auto...
I'm not a champion type clay target shooter but I shot a ton of targets with a Browning Lightning Sporting Clays O/U. It never let me down over the 20 years I owned it. I don't shoot much anymore but last year I bought a A400 Beretta and really liked it alot. Both of the above guns come in at about the same price. You could be very competitive with either. Make sure pick one that fits you ; this is extremely important. As others have testified the real money spent will be on shells and targets.
I couldn't agree more.....
Back in july i purchased a new citori hunter from a very fine gun store for a very fair price......6 weeks later I was visiting mid south in wagram for the first time.....they had the same gun new for $200 cheaper.
ronn47
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We need photos of that.
ronn47
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Unfortunately my shooting needs work.....but the gun works flawlessly