I know "best" is very subjective but I thought I would toss this out there for ideas.

I'm looking to add a 20 ga skeet/sporting O/U to the collection. It will mainly be used for skeet. Our club has sub-gauge tournaments (very casual competition) in which I would like to start participating.

I like Beretta so was looking at the 686 SP Sporting model. I don't care for the way Brownings fit so its unlikely I would go that route. Hard to find many 20 gauge sporters out there.

Prefer to keep it in the $2-3k (but could go a little higher for the right gun).

Suggestions?

Thanks!

The 600 series Berettas are good but so are the 725 Brownings. See if you can try them both

I wanted a Beretta 686 SP in 20ga, but wasn't super into all the engraving. I ended up finding a gently used White Onyx Field on gunbroker for under $1k.

If I had to do it all again, I would save the $$$ and get another White Onyx lol.

Either a Beretta Silver Pigeon or a Browning CXS. Both come in 20g with 32" barrels. I've owned both!

My primary skeet gun is a 20 gauge Browning XS Skeet with factory adjustable comb and Briley 28 & 410 tubes. I like it so much if I every encountered a new old stock version of the same gun, I would probably buy it if the price was close to reasonable.

I guess if I were looking for a new gun in your price range I would lean toward the Beretta Sliver Pigeon just because I prefer it's looks over the 725 or CXS.

I own and like 68x guns. But like other posters have said, there are many good choices available. I'd totally forget about the "Sporting" moniker and just go with whatever gun fits and feels best to you. What makes a "Sporting" gun anyway? Breaking the target is the part of the sport that keeps us coming back! Obviously longer barrels, adjustable combs, non -automatic safeties, good weight, etc. are nice Sporting features, but are they always necessary? That said, most 20 ga. O/U with barrels longer than 28 inches are going to be dedicated Sporting guns anyway, for what that's worth.

Lots of guys, (probably including you since you didn't mention it?) much prefer buying new. That's a solid policy of which there is no negative when one obviously chooses to absorb the slightly higher cost over a used gun. Me, I like buying used when I can. But I buy new also.

The $2,000 to $3,000 range is a good spot to be in. Or even less if you decide to consider gently used and shop wisely. I can't imagine you not finding something you really enjoy owning within that budget. Try to test drive as many as you can.

Good luck and good shooting!

If you've got a 12ga O/U that you like already, I'd say a set of Briley subgauge tubes. If it's only 20ga skeet, I'd say a set of Briley Sidekick 2.0 tubes. If you don't have a 12ga O/U, and you think you might want to shoot 12ga for something someday, I'd say a 12ga O/U and some Briley subgauge tubes. You should be able to pick up a used Beretta 682 or 686 or Beretta CXS, get the triggers worked on, and get the subgauge tubes for well under $3k. If you're lucky, you might be able to pick up a Perazzi MT6 for around $2500 and a set of just the 20ga Sidekick 2.0s for $300, leaving some cash to get the trigger worked on, if needed.

If I was looking for a 20 gauge O/U, I'd look no further than Guns Unlimited and get one of the Citori Special Sporting Clays Edition. You can pay more for a 20 gauge, but why would you?

If you have a 12 ga O/U already I'd highly recommend Briley Ultralight tubes, either fitted or companion style.

Much less money than a dedicated 20 ga. O/U and it will allow you to use the same gun that you're already used to, especially if you're looking to shoot skeet. This is the preferred method of shooting subgauges for that game.

But what is the fun in that?

Plus once my wife figures out there is a cheaper option than buying another gun...well let's not even think about that!

I had a tubed gun, the tubes were Briley Ultimate Ultralites. I liked the gun without the tubes in it.
With the tubes installed, it swung like a pig, way to barrel heavy.
I really like shooting 28ga, but not with that gun. I sold it and bought a true 28ga, much better feeling swing.
Before spending the $$$ on tubes try a friends tubed gun to see if it will work for you.
Like Beretta vs. Browning, gun vs. tubed gun is subjective...Try before you buy if possible.

Dedicated 20 gauge I'd suggest Browning 725 or Caesar Guerini Summit. I've shot both and really like how they performed. Triggers in both guns are very good. One has ported barrels.

Browning 20 gauge sporters and the CXS are a good choice. Triggers are so-so. CXS doesn't have ported barrels, the others do.

Haven't had the chance to handle the new 686 20 gauge sporters. I expect they handle very much like the field models and weigh 8 to 10 ounces more.

Full tubes work. Tube a 12 gauge and only shoot with the tubes seems to very common. You have a choice of butt or barrel heavy, or adding/removing weight to balance.

My experience with sub tubes were 20 gauge to .410 adaptors. Very dirty. Tried them at skeet a couple of times and decided I'd rather have a .410 gun. Have seen shooters with 12 to 20 gauge adaptors on skeet field and thought they performed well, but have see them on SC fields and thought long targets ate them up.

This^^^. One can't argue with success, specifically if considering good old fashioned (or should I say good old new fashioned) American skeet.

Personally, I don't like the way tubed guns feel. Neither full length nor Sidekicks. I sold my Sidekicks. They, in particular, are filthy to boot.

I much prefer a whole different gun for sub gauge shooting. If I were a very serious sub gauge competitor, which I'm not, the only way I'd ever use tubes is with a matched weight carrier barrel. For my sub gauge dabbling, a separate little gun makes me happy.

Good luck and let us know what you choose. Above all, have fun with it.

They are pretty much out of fashion these days, but I do see three and even four barrel skeet sets available on occasion. You probably won’t find any with long barrels and they will likely be fixed skeet choke, but if you don’t like tubes, it’s an alternative. I own a four barrel set and like it a lot.

At that $ range nothing beats a Beretta 680 series. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I picked up a Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I 20 gauge field with 30" HP Optima barrels for $1636 since it's the same exact gun as the sporting. The only differences are no mid-bead, slimmer rib and solid barrels. Everything else is the exactly the same. I wasn't going to pay $300 more for the sporting version since there was no benefit to me for the price difference.