Beginner shotgun for trap

[Jacketed]

I was wondering which beginner shotgun would you recommend for trap shooting ?

Thanks in advance.

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[shawnzie101]

You'll need to post a lot more information to get any sort of informative feedback.

Most importantly what is your price range?

Will trap shooting be the only thing you use it for?

Personally I love my Benelli 26" nova 20 gauge. I bought it used in very good shape for $250. It's light and being a smaller guy the 20 gauge fits me perfect.

Remington 870 express can be found for $250-$300 new and are a very popular easy to acquire beginner shotgun.

24"-30" is the suggested barrel length for shooting trap with 26" and 28" probably being the most common.

If you're also looking for something to function as home defense, I believe you can find both remington 870 and mossberg 500s (basically the same gun) in double barrel kits that come with a 18" barrel for home defense and a 26" for shooting trap. (exchanging a barrel is really easy and can be done in 1-2 minutes)

 

[JackThompson]

What's your budget?

I started shooting trap about 6 months ago, and admittedly spent more on reloading supplies than I did on the shotgun.

I started with a single shot breach loader from Big 5 Sporting goods and it only cost me $99.

I've learned a lot using it, and break clays just fine, even if the fellas at the Trap club mock my piece of crap little 12ga.

So that will get you started. If you have a better budget then the best (Most common) guns that I've seen people use are the Remington 1100, Beretta 3901 and the Browning Gold anywhere from $400-$1,000 New/Used. (With people using classic beauties like the Browning A5 or Winchester Model 12 as well.)

Anything along those lines will serve you quite well.

 

[Jacketed]

You'll need to post a lot more information to get any sort of informative feedback.

Most importantly what is your price range?

Will trap shooting be the only thing you use it for?

Personally I love my Benelli 26" nova 20 gauge. I bought it used in very good shape for $250. It's light and being a smaller guy the 20 gauge fits me perfect.

Remington 870 express can be found for $250-$300 new and are a very popular easy to acquire beginner shotgun.

24"-30" is the suggested barrel length for shooting trap with 26" and 28" probably being the most common.

If you're also looking for something to function as home defense, I believe you can find both remington 870 and mossberg 500s (basically the same gun) in double barrel kits that come with a 18" barrel for home defense and a 26" for shooting trap. (exchanging a barrel is really easy and can be done in 1-2 minutes)

I have just started with Trap so I guess I will be sticking to it for at least little longer before I move on to more difficult skeet and clay shooting.

My budget is between 300-350 but lesser the better, I want to start with a good beginner shotgun not too expensive and fancy so that I can learn the sport. Your suggestions sounds very good, I will look into those.

What's your budget?

I started shooting trap about 6 months ago, and admittedly spent more on reloading supplies than I did on the shotgun.

I started with a single shot breach loader from Big 5 Sporting goods and it only cost me $99.

I've learned a lot using it, and break clays just fine, even if the fellas at the Trap club mock my piece of crap little 12ga.

So that will get you started. If you have a better budget then the best (Most common) guns that I've seen people use are the Remington 1100, Beretta 3901 and the Browning Gold anywhere from $400-$1,000 New/Used. (With people using classic beauties like the Browning A5 or Winchester Model 12 as well.)

Anything along those lines will serve you quite well.

Yeah, I have read about the Remington 1100 as some of the good shotguns for trap. Can you give me the make model of the one that you got it from Big 5 ?

I would love to have an over under someday but man they are expensive.

 

[Iceberg]

I bought my son a Reminton 1976 Bi-Centenial 870-TB Trap as his 1st trap shotgun, I picked it up like new for a very reasonable price at a local shop covered in dust.

Remington 1100s & 11-87s are also good soft shooting starter trap guns and can be used for Sporting Clays if fitted with choke tubes, however they are more difficult to keep clean. Here is the 11-87 I picked up for my son to shoot Sporting Clays with me:

 

[Burt Gummer]

I bought a $300 Stoeger(?) over/under and it is a lot of fun. Trap was harder than I expected. I am sure someone with experience and a $200 shotgun could do better than me if I had a $2k shotgun. Kind of like golf that way

 

[Jacketed]

Iceberg, those are very beautiful, thanks for posting the pics.

I have read that you should have shell catchers while using a semi auto for trap, or else that might annoy the guy in the next post. How necessary is it to have it ?

I bought a $300 Stoeger(?) over/under and it is a lot of fun. Trap was harder than I expected. I am sure someone with experience and a $200 shotgun could do better than me if I had a $2k shotgun. Kind of like golf that way

I have read about the Stoeger but have also read about mixed reviews. I have read that the Stoeger over under are good for at least a hundred thousand shells... I guess that would be enough and a good time to upgrade no? I might be wrong of the figures.. thats just what I have read.

 

[Iceberg]

I have read that you should have shell catchers while using a semi auto for trap, or else that might annoy the guy in the next post. How necessary is it to have it ?

Rubber bands work great and don't mark up your shotgun.

I good Remington 870 or 1100 will last you a lifetime. You cannot shoot enough shells through either of them to shoot them out. I have been shooting trap since 1977 and have seen quite an evolution in trap guns, as before quality is usually is what you pay for. That said, there are several reasonably priced trap shotguns on the secondary market that are practically indestructible, the Browning BT99 (<$1K), the Remington 870 Trap (<$500) & the Remington 1100 Trap (<$1K). You can put hundreds of thousands of rounds through these guns and not destroy them. FYI - I am into my Remington 870TC Trap & 11-87 Sporting for the price of a new Glock. These old models go wanting for a new home in shops and you can usually find a good deal if you look around. I would not spend a lot on money on your 1st trap gun, get a good quality gun and get out there and practice, then practice some more.
You might want to take a look at the Shotgun Forums out there for more info if you serious about getting started. Trap is a lot of fun and my son and I really enjoy the time we spend together.

 

[Cougfan2]

I have shot literally thousands of rounds of Trap and Skeet and have never owned dedicated Trap or Skeet gun. I have only owned sporting shotguns. I guess that's because I never was really serious about shooting Trap or Skeet as a sport. It's just fun and good practice for wing shooting in the field.

For me, fit is the most important thing. If the gun feels right and natural when you throw it up to your shoulder, you have a better chance of shooting it well. Minor issues such as length of pull can be easily addressed with spacers or thicker recoil pads.

Many years ago I bought my first O/U shotgun. I tried several Brownings, Beretta's, and a few other O/U shotguns and ended up with a Browning Citori Light field shotgun. They were all pretty comparably priced, but the shotgun I ended up buying just felt the best when I threw it up to my shoulder.

Even though the Browning is my favorite shotgun now, I put several thousand rounds thru my old Ithaca M37 with the Cutts Compensator before I bought the Browning. It's old and beat, but still locks up like a safe.

 

[Iceberg]

As a left handed shooter (my son also is a left handed shooter) it has always been harder for me to shoot a rack grade Beretta, they are cast for right handers. You have you special order a left handed Beretta from a wholesaler if you want a Beretta Trap or Sporting Shotgun (or Benelli). Remington and Browning have always been built with neutral cast so they can be shot by both right and correct hand shooters....lol. I tried not to get to technical on this forum as far as fit goes, Remington and Browning are really designed to fit "Average Joe" shooter. This is probably best for starter shooters, they can progress to custom fit guns if they decide they like the sport. I personally have decided to move onto Sporting Clays & 5 Stand as my clay sports of choice. I find it much more like field shooting and my son really enjoys moving around from station to station.

 

[Key-Hay]

An O/U will be your best bet for a shotgun if your plans are Trap, Skeet, and Sporting Clays. Autos are good but you have only 1 barrel which means only 1 choke. With an O/U you can have each barrel with a different choke. comes in handy for Clays when the doubles require 2 different chokes.

Plus if your reloading your own, an O/U won't throw your hulls all over the field like an auto or pump will!!!

Take a look at Dicks Sporting goods. They seem to have a good selection in O/Us for under $500.

 

[Jacketed]

I have read that you should have shell catchers while using a semi auto for trap, or else that might annoy the guy in the next post. How necessary is it to have it ?

Rubber bands work great and don't mark up your shotgun.

I good Remington 870 or 1100 will last you a lifetime. You cannot shoot enough shells through either of them to shoot them out. I have been shooting trap since 1977 and have seen quite an evolution in trap guns, as before quality is usually is what you pay for. That said, there are several reasonably priced trap shotguns on the secondary market that are practically indestructible, the Browning BT99 (<$1K), the Remington 870 Trap (<$500) & the Remington 1100 Trap (<$1K). You can put hundreds of thousands of rounds through these guns and not destroy them. FYI - I am into my Remington 870TC Trap & 11-87 Sporting for the price of a new Glock. These old models go wanting for a new home in shops and you can usually find a good deal if you look around. I would not spend a lot on money on your 1st trap gun, get a good quality gun and get out there and practice, then practice some more.
You might want to take a look at the Shotgun Forums out there for more info if you serious about getting started. Trap is a lot of fun and my son and I really enjoy the time we spend together.

ah ok, The reason I am leaning more towards Remington is because of their price. I saw a used Remington 870 classic trap go for around $139 on buds gun shop.

As a left handed shooter (my son also is a left handed shooter) it has always been harder for me to shoot a rack grade Beretta, they are cast for right handers. You have you special order a left handed Beretta from a wholesaler if you want a Beretta Trap or Sporting Shotgun (or Benelli). Remington and Browning have always been built with neutral cast so they can be shot by both right and correct hand shooters….lol. I tried not to get to technical on this forum as far as fit goes, Remington and Browning are really designed to fit “Average Joe” shooter. This is probably best for starter shooters, they can progress to custom fit guns if they decide they like the sport. I personally have decided to move onto Sporting Clays & 5 Stand as my clay sports of choice. I find it much more like field shooting and my son really enjoys moving around from station to station.

So is it easy to modify a Remington 870 or 1100 for the fitting ?

An O/U will be your best bet for a shotgun if your plans are Trap, Skeet, and Sporting Clays. Autos are good but you have only 1 barrel which means only 1 choke. With an O/U you can have each barrel with a different choke. comes in handy for Clays when the doubles require 2 different chokes.

Plus if your reloading your own, an O/U won't throw your hulls all over the field like an auto or pump will!!!

Take a look at Dicks Sporting goods. They seem to have a good selection in O/Us for under $500.

I would love to have an over under but when I do a search I almost always see high end o/u which are $1000+ and when I start reading about beginner o/u guns, people say they are not good in quality... so at this point I am confused and I only think that a good over under is always expensive.
Can you name a few at Dicks sporting goods that are under $500

Thanks.

 

[USAF Medic]

Get a used 870 wingmaster. you can get a barrel for trap and another for skeet. Shoot trap with a modified choke. As time progresses you can move to full.

 

[Key-Hay]

I have seen Stoeger and Savage there for under $500. Quality is just fine for someone starting out. There are CZs but those are under just under $1000.

I know Remington is bringing in the Russian Bakal O/Us for price point. Since it has their name on it they will stand behind in.

Ironically I have seen Ruger red label O/Us come apart after 1000 rounds, They fixed it and another 1000 rounds it was ready to break again.

I would stay away from the pumps. It's a real handicap trying to get the second bird. Yes I have seen some folks shooting Skeet with a pump but they were really good. Have never seen anyone shooting Sporting clays with a pump. Mostly O/Us and Beretta 391 Autos.

 

[Sun195]

For whatever it's worth, I've used a few guns for trap: Remington 11-87, Benelli Sport II and Browing Citori. I've done best with the 11-87 because it fits me best and points most naturally. The Benelli didn't fit me well and I couldn't hit for beans with it; never really liked the way the Browning felt (although, it's a good gun). Finding a gun that fits you right is important - someone at the gun store can help you with this, but when it feels right bringing it up to your shoulder, it's probably right.

It's my (limited) understanding that most sporting guns shoot flat while trap guns shoot a bit high to compensate for the rise of the pigeon. We probably have some world-class shooters on here who can explain this better than I.

 

[pdxPope]

That's mostly correct. Field guns shoot point of aim, trap guns shoot a little high to compensate for the rising bird.

I would stay away from ANY Stoeger product. I shoot a lot of trap and at our club, I have yet to see anyone with one of their guns (O/U or Semi-auto) that didn't have problems. Also, my dad got a Stoeger O/U from Bi-mart that barely made it through 500 rounds, let alone 100K!

As mentioned before, fit is everything. Find a LGS or pawn shop with a wide variety of guns and see which one 'feels' the best (trust me, you will know it when you throw it up to your shoulder) and go with that. Action type does not really matter. By the time you get to the point you are getting serious, you will have enough personal experience to decide which clays game you like and get the appropriate hardware.

Personally, I think that the best beginner clays gun is the tried-and-true Remington 1100. You should be able to find a used one for well under $500. I picked up a spare loaner/teaching gun (plain jane, late 1970's field gun) at a pawn shop about three years ago for $425. Never had a problem with it and novices like the shoft shooting, natural point of aim and neutral swing.
A shell catcher is nice, but not really necessary. There should be at least 10 feet between stations.

-JP

 

[DieselScout]

I shot trap for years with a field grade Winchester 1300. I did alright and was plenty good enough to have a great time. I would see if you can find a used 870 classic trap or Wingmaster. Nothing is going to replace a good fitting gun and time on the trigger with some helpful advice from veteran shooters. No matter how much you spend on a gun some old guy with a clapped out model 12 will out shoot you. You cant replace that experience just try and have a great time while you catch up.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

i use my mossberg 535 ATS for everything. birds, skeet, trap, squirrels, predators, varmints depending on the varmint. i bought my girlfriend a mossberg 500c 20 gauge for her birthday. she uses it for everything as well. i like pump action but semi would be sweet for skeet or trap. depends on your budget and preferance whether it be a pump, OU, S x S, or semi. good luck !