Best Shotgun for less than $1,000

Having checked out all the under $1000 o/u's, i settled on a Verona and have since found it to be all i could ask for. Very similar to a beretta onyx, but can be had for between $550 and $750.Can't say enough about it.........extremely light yet low recoil, fit and finish right up there with the big boys, beautiful looks, and i hit with it like never before. If you can find in the $500 range as i've heard a few people have, i wouldn't even consider anything else. I payed $750 but it was worth every penny. Made by F.A.I.R./I Rizzini in Italy, it is mechanically the same gun as they sell, and their cheapest model is around 2 grand. This was told to me via email from the company. They are imported by BC outdoors/PMC ammo as Verona. They have a lifetime warrany, which i'm sure others will say is worth nothing if the company goes out of business, but i'd rather have it than nothing. And if they did go away and it does need parts, F.A.I.R. should be able to supply them since it is in fact the same as thier guns.Her are some pics of mine i posted right after i got it because there are no pics online that really look like it....www.onlinerock.com/musici...erona.htmlSorry bout the quality........my camera has a crappy flash.-Dale

Mr. Flager: If I could make a couple of suggestions. I think beginning shooters make the mistake of rushing in to purchase a gun too quickly, and, sometimes, they regret their decision, based, primarily, on what they learn about the FIT of the gun.Further, in this regard, you can shoot skeet with a gas semi-auto, and, especially, when you are first learning and shooting a lot of practice rounds, it is SOOOO much more gentle on the body than an over/under.Skeet is an excellent training ground for sporting clays, and many of the top shooters are switching to semi-autos in sporting clays.As an example, if I shot 200 rounds with an over/under I would, physically, need several days to recover. However, with my Beretta (gas gun), 200 rounds is a piece of cake, and if I shoot light loads I could probably shoot 400 rounds in a day. It is that big a difference...for me.A firend of mine is a shooting instructor, and he has two different guns for his clients to use to get them through the start-up stage. You might be able to find a similar situation.I'll tell you another nice situation that I am seeing more and more. Many of the gun shops have rental programs, where you can pay a fee from $100 to $200 and shoot specific guns for a limited period (six months; I think they would let you go as long as you want), and, then, the rental is applied against the purchase.My Beretta is nice, but a person would certainly have to consider the Browing Gold offer, if that is still on, where you get a $100 discount from the coupon. If a Remington 1187 (gas semi-auto) fits you that is a wonderful shotgun, and they are only about $500 at the discount stores.I guess my point is to take your time, and determine the type and the FIT of the shotgun, before you rush in and plunk down your $1000.You could go out and get a used Remington 1100 with a poly choke for $200, if it fit, blast a few thousand rounds through it, and, then, get the kind of gun you want, based on your experiences.RemingtonII

I think the best shotgun in that range is an 11-87. IF you ever decide to 'go pro', you'll find a few things out.

One is you're going to invest enough in ammo and shells that which gun you shoot to a point will be a function of what you want vs. what you think you can afford.

Another is that you can trick an 11-87 out pretty thoroughly. Whether you want to shoot skeet, sporting clays, trap or afield the 11-87 will do it. If you decide you want to go pro in skeet, you can just shoot the 12ga games, or you can obtain an O/U already tubed from someone who's given up, decided they couldn't shoot the gun for whatever reason... reasonably priced. Stay away from the high-grade guns (if you're asking about $1000 now you won't want to buy an EELL or Grade VI later). Stick with the base sporting or dedicated skeet models and you'll be fine.

Lots of people say gas guns are dirty. Well, they are when compared to a double. However, professionals take care of their equipment, and you won't be shooting junk-shells through it in competition. Trust me when I say it'll last the day without a hitch.

Recoil at the end of the day WILL get to you at some point. A gas gun will help with this a lot, esp as you get into higher volume shooting.

Beretta also makes a fine gas-gun. www.beretta.com Remington's gas-gun is somewhat more 'tweak n peak-able' with more barreling options...