Best Shotgun for Skeet / Hunting

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HarleyDude

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My son is going to be shooting skeet, but may also use it for hunting. Trying to decide which gun to get. Prefer to stay with Browning, Benelli or Beretta, semi or over / under. I found a used Benelli M2, but it is only 26” and would think he would be better with a 28”. I could always use an extended choke. Open for suggestions.
 
If the intent is one gun for both, I would recommend semi.
I have a 28" browning maxus that I have shot 10k+ rounds through in the last 10 years that I cannot recommend enough
prior to that it was all a 28" Benelli SBE 1 that was shot by my dad for years before me with an unknown number of rounds shot and has travelled to argentina and mexico with him. I also couldn't recommend it enough unless your son does not like the recoil with those.
Neither has had any issue with light light loads or heavy 3.5" magnum steel
 
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Jmoser said:
As long as it fits him it will work.
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Best answer! Brand, semi / over under, and length have no bearing, if he doesn’t feel right to him or if it doesn’t fit him. If it’s possible, see if there are friends that have some of the guns you mentioned, and if they will let him, have him shoot them and let him tell you which one feels / shoots the best for him.

We all know that there are guns out there, that just feel like a natural extension of your body when you pick it up, point it, swing it, etc… and when you find that gun, it’s generally “the one” and is your go to gun for skeet / general bird hunting
 
If it doesn't fit then it doesn't matter what brand. He will never get good at skeet or bird hunting. Been there and done that. I picked up a relatively new model A5 Browning from a friend that was less than a year old for less than 1/2 price with several hundred dollars in choke tubes because it didn't fit him. It fits me fine. :) He bought a SBE III that seems to fit him. I've never had a Benelli that I could shoot. They always shot low for me no matter what I did with the shims. No two people hold a shotgun the same way.
 
Others upstream have covered the it’s got to fit him. So I’ll move on to the over/under vs semi-auto. You didn’t mention your sons size or age and if he has any experience shooting. For a new shooter and one that maybe small framed, I would suggest a semi-auto for its recoil. Over/under tend to be lighter than semi-auto, with only the pad on the stock to help with recoil. A semi-auto usually a litter heavier and the cycle of operation will help absorb that energy making it a little softer on the shoulder. Not only does it have to fit, they must be comfortable to shoot.
 
He is 17, 6’1” and has been shooting/hunting since he was 9, so he is familiar with semis and pumps. I think he would like an o/u but a semi would be fine. I’ve always had Brownings and would let him use my Maxus, but had to send it back because the camo got sticky, so won’t have it for several months and not going to give him my Citori, so have to find something else.
 
HarleyDude said:
He is 17, 6’1” and has been shooting/hunting since he was 9, so he is familiar with semis and pumps. I think he would like an o/u but a semi would be fine. I’ve always had Brownings and would let him use my Maxus, but had to send it back because the camo got sticky, so won’t have it for several months and not going to give him my Citori, so have to find something else.
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In that case my post isn’t much help🤣.
 
HarleyDude said:
He is 17, 6’1” and has been shooting/hunting since he was 9, so he is familiar with semis and pumps. I think he would like an o/u but a semi would be fine. I’ve always had Brownings and would let him use my Maxus, but had to send it back because the camo got sticky, so won’t have it for several months and not going to give him my Citori, so have to find something else.
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Do what now??
 
Some people think that I’m crazy but I like having an O/U or SxS with double triggers. Like having 2 different chokes or loads available. For waterfowl I use 1 choke for long shots and one for close work. For occasions where I use a shotgun for deer hunting I like having a slug and 00 buck available, depending upon the situation that walks out. That being said, I have many pumps and autos also but I find myself carrying my CZ Bobwhite more than any other shotgun. Side benefit, as a young shooter he will also learn that every shot counts and have to master good marksmanship. Probably not a popular opinion these days where everyone wants easy and cool-looking.
 
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Pop N Shots said:
Class action lawsuit against Browning for the duratouch counting melting. The people won. Browning will recoat for free. Takes forever.. had my Browning Gold recosted. They did a good job. Same for my buddy.

Link below to site with info and to kick off the process:

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May need to make this it’s own thread, if it’s not well-known. Some folks could surely benefit from it. Mine was as sticky as sweet tea that was half dried on a table at a crappy restaurant.
 
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I like a gas semi-auto too. My Winchester SX3 was my go-to shotgun before the Browning. A lot faster to get back on a bird as gas guns usually "kick" less. That's why so many brands now have all that weird crap in their stocks (like high end tenner shoes) to reduce recoil. So for dove I use the Winchester and for ducks the Browning. I tend to shoot heavy loads, even for dove, so a day in the dove field with my O/U makes my jaw hurt. :rolleyes:
 
One of several good things about a wood stock is that you can generally make it fit you like a glove with a wood rasp and a little time. It may cause you to have a fit to even think of tearing into a nice shiny stock, but putting a good oil finish on a wood stock is fairly easy and makes it look better than that shiny stuff they put on at the factory. Some of my stocks have not needed alterations, but most of my favorite hunting shotguns fit me much better after a little work.
 
HarleyDude said:
Browning had that crappy camo Durotouch, that gets really tacky / sticky. Then you have to send it back and they will re-do it for you. This is the 3rd camo Browning that I have sent back to them. Luckily, I don’t have any more camo ones.
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Ah ok, I hadn’t heard of that before now.
 
HarleyDude said:
He is 17, 6’1” and has been shooting/hunting since he was 9, so he is familiar with semis and pumps. I think he would like an o/u but a semi would be fine. I’ve always had Brownings and would let him use my Maxus, but had to send it back because the camo got sticky, so won’t have it for several months and not going to give him my Citori, so have to find something else.
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Take him down to Mid South in Wagram and tell them what you are looking for.
They have more shotguns in one place than any other I know of.
 
BlackGun said:
Never seen an over/under put back together wrong. Never seen a piece lost on one. Never seen a broke one in my lifetime. Never seen one picky about type of shells. Best shooters I ever saw all had over/under guns.
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I had a Franchi O/U that broke. Sometimes one barrel wouldn't fire. I had it worked on but the fix didn't last. I ended up selling it.
 
I am a beretta fan and have had good luck with them. I’ve got an a400 and a 686 with 32” barrels. My wife shoots an a300 20 gauge. Take your son to try different models and see what fits him best. Also nothing wrong with a semi for the woods and an o/u for the skeet field. I stuck with berettas for both to keep the chokes the same.
 
Double man here. Loved my old ww2 era side by side Ithaca!
I shot it better than a later over/under Browning Citori I had.
 
I love the Browning CXS series for O/U; but the Browning fits me better than the Beretta O/U. For SA, I have a Benelli SuperSport II that I bought from a buddy. That gun cycles everything from heavy dove loads to the light 1145 fps clay loads, 1 oz loads, whatever I put thru it. Also a piece of cake to clean.

I have a Rem 1100 with 2 barrels that I never shoot any longer because the Benelli is so much easier to keep clean. Been thinking about selling it.
 
Most shooters would benefit greatly from a semi in the beginning of their shooting journey. I recommend a berretta A300, A400, 391 or 390 if you can find it. At his height you will likely want a 30" barrel. If he is going to shoot more than 100 shells/month, stay away from cheaper O/U's (Sub $2K new and Sub $1,500 used). Most competitive clay target shooters who are shooting semi's are shooting Beretta's. In American Skeet there continues to be a following of Remington 1100 shooters. I'll also say that I mostly agree with the idea that the gun must fit. In reality, most serious shooters buy a gun for it's quality and balance and then have stock work to make the gun fit. Also, you can't really ascertain if a gun fits unless you can watch the gun during recoil and the shooter knows how to properly mount the gun.

Good luck!
 
christyouthguy said:
If he is going to shoot more than 100 shells/month, stay away from cheaper O/U's (Sub $2K new and Sub $1,500 used).
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You're a far better clays shooter than me, but I have to ask why you'd draw this line. My $400 Russian O/U has thrown thousands of pounds of lead down range and shows no signs of fatigue. It is truly an instrument of the "Brave, not the arrow." I can have a good day and break a bunch, or I can get distracted and forget everything I know and shoot like crap. Never have I had even the slightest thought that the gun held me back.

I don't mean to be argumentative--I'm just looking out for the budget-conscious/restricted who wants to play with guns sometimes. While I don't shoot a consistent 100 shells per month, there are seasons where I'll achieve that for a while. Then it drops off to 0 shells a month!
 
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9outof10mms said:
You're a far better clays shooter than me, but I have to ask why you'd draw this line. My $400 Russian O/U has thrown thousands of pounds of lead down range and shows no signs of fatigue. It is truly an instrument of the "Brave, not the arrow." I can have a good day and break a bunch, or I can get distracted and forget everything I know and shoot like crap. Never have I had even the slightest thought that the gun held me back.

I don't mean to be argumentative--I'm just looking out for the budget-conscious/restricted who wants to play with guns sometimes. While I don't shoot a consistent 100 shells per month, there are seasons where I'll achieve that for a while. Then it drops off to 0 shells a month!
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Hey, fair questions. The simple answer is that the vast majority of persons I have seen purchase O/U's under the $1,500 mark become dissatisfied. Generally, persons who are buying O/U's in this price range are just getting started in clay target sports, or they are very recreational shooter. If they become more serious about the clay target sports they generally change guns, lose money, and have established bad habits as they had to fit themselves to the gun vs fitting the gun to their body. The longer answer:

Acknowledging everything below is a generality and some persons do find a relatively inexpensive gun that does fit/seems to hold up:

Why not buy a cheaper O/U?:
1) Lack of stock adjustability: Unless you have the exact body type the manufacture had in mind while building the gun, they tend not to fit (yes, even which an adjustable comb). There is a lot more to gun fit than where your face touches the stock. To shoot and O/U more than 100 targets in a month, you are going to want the gun to fit, for reasons of recoil and good fundamentals.
2) Balance: most cheaper O/U's are quite barrel heavy or are light weight guns. Both are, in my opinion, negatives in shooting well.
3) Most (not all) don't hold up. I've had the privilege of coaching/teaching many people how to shoot clay target sports, and for most of those shooters who purchased a cheaper O/U regret it. Yes, I have watched $10k+ guns have significant mechanical issues. None-the-less the cheaper guns tend to have more trigger issues, firing pin issues, and generally longevity issues.


Why buy an auto?:
1) In the price range under $1,500 you are getting way more for you dollar when you purchase a quality auto (unless you find a heck of a deal, obviously). Shim kit to adjust fit, auto's are easier to learn, auto's are easier to correct when you make bad moves, recoil tends to be less, less thinking about chokes, less fatigue in not having to open and close the gun, etc.....
2) All the reasons I commonly hear that are negatives about Auto's are practically garbage: 1) they are less reliable (not if you buy a Beretta), 2) the top shooters shoot O/U's (almost all of the top shooters learned on Beretta autos, and likely the best shooter in the world right now Joseph Fanizzi, shoots a Beretta Auto), I hate picking up hulls (picking up hulls with a Mojo stick is way easier than opening and closing an O/U 50x), 3) I like different chokes (your choke isn't the problem...BTW most of the top shooters who do shoot O/U's have the same choke in both barrels), they are more difficult to clean (Well....maybe, but stripping a Beretta Auto and going to town with a can of carburetor cleaner really isn't that difficult).

So yes, I do not recommend lower end O/U's
 
I picked up a TriStar o/u manufactured by kral from Walmart for about $400. Feels nice enough and functioned well so far through about 120 shells. I'm completely new to o/u or skeet so take it for what it's worth haha

*It's the lower gun pictured*

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Way I see it, if you enjoy shooting clays, then do it the way you want, and with whatever gun suits you. I shoot them using my own clay throwers (I have three) and with several of my guns. (semi auto, SxS. O/U, and pump). I have a Mossberg Silver reserve I have had for a few years and have run several hundred rounds thru and really love. NOW, that said, I only shoot for fun. I don't compete, I don't make my living from it. I certainly take nothing away from what anyone here had to say about buying higher end guns. If you compete, make a living that way or instruct others, I understand the need for higher end guns. Heck, I would LOVE to have a 5 or 10 thousand dollar gun, but ole Donnie D just can't afford it. But like I said, I just do it for fun. To me, that's what it is all about.
 
Donnie D said:
Way I see it, if you enjoy shooting clays, then do it the way you want, and with whatever gun suits you. I shoot them using my own clay throwers (I have three) and with several of my guns. (semi auto, SxS. O/U, and pump). I have a Mossberg Silver reserve I have had for a few years and have run several hundred rounds thru and really love. NOW, that said, I only shoot for fun. I don't compete, I don't make my living from it. I certainly take nothing away from what anyone here had to say about buying higher end guns. If you compete, make a living that way or instruct others, I understand the need for higher end guns. Heck, I would LOVE to have a 5 or 10 thousand dollar gun, but ole Donnie D just can't afford it. But like I said, I just do it for fun. To me, that's what it is all about.
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This is pretty much where I'm at. I may eventually want something "nicer" but maybe not. I'm having fun now though!
 
I appreciate shooting with other shooters who have break action shotguns because it’s really easy to know their guns are open/unloaded, especially if they are less experienced. Sounds like your son has plenty of experience but might be worth thinking about if he’s shooting at a club that doesn’t know/trust him. And in my experience people shooting clay games sort of assume you are going to be shooting a double gun.

I really like the way Browning Citori’s fit me when I’ve shot one, guess if you have one you agree. I’m tempted to try one of the CZ all terrain guns but haven’t even handled one. One risk with cheap double guns is that the barrels may not be well regulated, and if it’s bad enough you can end up with a frustrating gun to shoot because the barrels don’t put the pattern in the same spot.

I’m a fan of manual actions for hunting. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in the field watching guys tinker with their fancy name brand / known for reliability semi autos because the weather was bad enough that they weren’t cycling properly. My pump kept going though. I know guys love their semiautos but I’d lean towards a decent O/U instead of a semiauto.
 
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