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mtnxc

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I have a question for you guys. Ive been a hunter all my life and have been around shotguns quite a bit. Well, Im thinking of starting into skeet/trap shooting. Heres my question, I have an old Beretta s56e that my grandfather left me, its a has a full choke on top and a 3/4 on the bottom. Is this too much choke for skeet/trap? I have a Browning A-5 and a 870 and a 1100 in the cabinet as well. Im asking about my Beretta 'cause its the only o/u gun I own. So does it have too much choke? Thanks!!
 
It probably does not have too much choke for trap shooting....I'm under the impression that the S56E was a light weight hunting gun. (I could be wrong though) As such any unsuitability for anything other than a minimal amount of Trap shooting would come from it's excessive recoil rather than a lack of choking....I'd say it is excessivly tight for Skeet...Although the great Digweed uses full and X full for Skeet. Maybe it helps :roll: .........I don't though :lol: :lol:

Me, I'd get 28" Remchoked barrels for the 1100 and 870...quick on/off comb enhancing sort of pads for Trap, a tight choke and a skeet choke for each...and then have at it with the 1100 or the 870 or both...for the clay games......
THEN I'd consider what I might want to hunt with that nice old Beretta,...find out whether screw in chokes can be installed (enough steel?) or opened up to a proper degree (or not) for whatever "upland" bird hunting I might want to do. (I'd use the 870 for Waterfowl)...and then have at the Pheasants or Quail, or Woodcock, or Grouse, or Dove or Wabbits...etc with the nice gun my Grandfather left me.....Yup that's what I'd do.....Art
 
My first half decent gun was a 56E. Most of these that I've come across were choked full and 3/4, despite the fact that they were very much field guns. The idea was apparently that you could always open the chokes up to your preferred constriction, a common feature in many European guns before interchangeble chokes became de rigeur.

If it were my gun I'd open the choke up to Skeet and Improved Cylinder, or maybe I/C and Mod for field use. My gun had enough metal in the muzzles to accomodate thin walled custom choke tubes, but I never went through with it.
 
I shot 2 boxes at sporting clays today with an s56e. Mine came choked skeet and light full. Your gun is way too tight for skeet. It also is pretty light and it will beat you pretty hard if you shoot much.

2 boxes of 1 oz loads is plenty for me and for much skeet (or trap) you probably will want a heavier gun. However it would be manageable for a while wth 1oz loads. The s56e is a great game gun, but it really is not a target gun.

Does it have a single or double triggers?
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
marsingbob said:
I shot 2 boxes at sporting clays today with an s56e. Mine came choked skeet and light full. Your gun is way too tight for skeet. It also is pretty light and it will beat you pretty hard if you shoot much.

2 boxes of 1 oz loads is plenty for me and for much skeet (or trap) you probably will want a heavier gun. However it would be manageable for a while wth 1oz loads. The s56e is a great game gun, but it really is not a target gun.

Does it have a single or double triggers?
It has a single trigger. Im new to the trap and skeet games and shot my first rounds with it yesterday. It does kick but Im used to that, however my shoulder is a nice purple color today. lol. It was my first trap round and I shot 14 the first set and 14 the next. Im gonna get a new gun when I get some extra cash around, since Im in college that'll take a while.
 
Here are some thoughts:
1. Use the more open barrel for trap.
2. Use 1 oz loads with the lowest velocity you can find. I use 1oz Estate shells at about 1200fps and recoil is manageable. You could also use one of the slip on recoil pads if the gun would still fit ok. You will not get your cost out of adding a permanent pad when you sell the gun, so do not add one.
3. When you want to sell it consider one of the on line sites, probably GunBroker or possible the classified section on this site. There is a reasonable market for these guns if you can find someone who recognizes that they are as good as the new Berettas if you do not insist on choke tubes.
 
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