[Nortonics]

Hey folks, just joined your group after perusing for a couple weeks! Been trying to educate myself a little about clay shooting before asking too many silly questions of the veterans... :wink:

I'm looking for advise - specifically on a decent first purchase shotgun. Let me tell ya a little about myself and what I'm interested in:

Back about 7 years ago I shot some skeet at a company outing. I couldn't tell ya what kind of gun I was using (other than a 12 g.) or what type of shot, or any particulars for that matter. What I can tell you is that I LOVED SHOOTING CLAYS!!! I had so much fun that day, and I swore that sometime in the future I'd get more involved in the sport.

Well somehow, I've now found myself bitten by the bug and becoming very serious about having some fun in this sport! I've been doing my reading, surfing the web, stopping by the stores to touch, feel & talk about guns and the sport, as well as stopping by the local ranges to check out some action.

I think it's likely that I'll spend some time with a little professional instruction and pointers once I get out there and start shooting, but before I get there I'm obviously going to need a decent firearm...

So, I'm looking for some ideas from you all as to what would be a good choice. Here is some criteria that might help:

- I'm a 41 yo male. Slender at 145 lbs and 5'9".
- Under my ownership, this firearm would never be used for hunting - strictly clay sport shooting.
- Interested in being able to shoot skeet & trap to begin with, but also interested in sporting clays and possibly 3-gun competition.
- Interested in a new gun rather than used, and willing to spend up to $1000 for it and a few accessories such as additional/different chokes (not to mention all the other goodies like a decent case & cleaning kit).
- There is a potential that my oldest son would like to participate - he's 11 yo.
- It's likely that I'll be active in this sport for numerous years to come - that I won't "drop-out" after just a few short months...

Okay, so with that info in mind I've been looking real closely at the Remington models. The 1100 and 11-87 automatic series, and the 870 pump series. As I've looked at these I sure do like the Remington 1100 Tournament Skeet as seen on Remington's web site here:

http://www.remington.com/firearms/shotg ... _skeet.htm

It's a 26" 12 gauge, and it comes with two supplied chokes (Skeet and Improved Cylinder). I see that it can easily be had for $700, or less new.

The 11-87's are nice too, but I sure like the look of the 1100 and since money isn't an object between the two, why not? Like the 870's too, but I believe I'll want the softer kick of the others over this one.

So, waddya think? Am I in the right ball park here? Do you think the 26" barrel is too short? Would 28" be better for me? Don't forget, you're not writing to some big honkin' Steer Farmer from Texas ya know! :wink: Do the chokes that accompany this gun seem adequate for what I'm looking for, or should I consider some alternatives?

What other manufactures & models would you recommend? Please be specific as possible, and if you can provide a web link to any ideas that would be great!

I promise I'll take all recommendations into consideration, as well as keep this thread up-to-date with my progress.

Thanks all - please do post your thoughts for I definitely respect my "elders" :roll: thoughts and judgments... :wink:

 

[pumper]

Since you never intend to hunt then the 1100 would probably be a better choice as far as the Remingtons go. The 11-87 is capable of shooting two shell sizes and the 1100 chambers 2 3/4 only. Target loads are about 99.9% 2 3/4, so the extra size of the 11-87 is not needed. 1100s are beautiful guns. Hope that helps.

 

[Roger Gascoigne]

Tom

Welcome to the sport and congratulations on doing the research you have.

I have some bad news for you - unless you have a very tall and meaty 11 yr old, it is unlikely that the gun you buy that fits you will also fit your son.

Sorry but it is likely that you will put your son off the game if you give him a gun too big for him, and I'd hate that to happen. I see this all the time, even more so with men buying guns for wives/girlfriends.

Put it this way, if your son could drive, would he drive your car from the same seat position as you? If he does want to take up the sport look at a Baikal for him - about $400 and when he grows too big for it he will have had your money's worth out of it.

OK that's the bad news over. You have a good budget and a wide range of guns available to you because of that. Why do you say 'new'? You could get a little used much more expensive gun for the same money the new one will cost you. Guns, if properly treated do not wear out so buying a used one is not like buying a used car. You may also be able to try the used gun which is a no-no with a new one.

If you like the semi-auto I suggest that you also go look into the Beretta 391 series. The high end version would break your budget figure, but thats because they have engraving and such.

I would also consider some of the lower end over and unders - there are several that fit in your price range. Ruger, Weatherby, etc

I would not go for a barrel as short as 26 inches. That is a true skeet gun, and you may find it a disadvantage when you go to Trap or Sporting Clays. Bear in mind, you do not have the muscle tone now that you will have when you are out shooting 100 skeet/trap/sporting clays every weekend, so what may feel heavy now will not pretty quickly.

I also applaud your decision to go for some instruction (I am a coach ) - it will make your time on the clays field enjoyable much sooner.

Do let us know what you choose and how you get on

Roger

 

[collky2]

The 1100 Sporting is a good gun and has a longer barrel tha the skeet and comes with 4 extended chokes(skeet, ic, light mod and mod). If you want to shoot skeet trap and sporting clays wit it have an adj comb put on it for around 150. Then you can have a flat shooting gun for skeet and sporting clays and then raise the comb to have a high shooting trap gun. Another must is if you plan to shoot trap with it get a shell catcher for it so the shells dont bounce off the shooter next to you and get them mad at you. The remington is a very good gun for the money and is seen on the skeet fiends quite a bit. I shoot a krieghoff here for the 20 28 and 410 but put it away to shoot the Remington for the 12 and doubles because of the reduced recoil.

Steven

 

[collky2]

The 1100 Sporting is a good gun and has a longer barrel tha the skeet and comes with 4 extended chokes(skeet, ic, light mod and mod). If you want to shoot skeet trap and sporting clays wit it have an adj comb put on it for around 150. Then you can have a flat shooting gun for skeet and sporting clays and then raise the comb to have a high shooting trap gun. Another must is if you plan to shoot trap with it get a shell catcher for it so the shells dont bounce off the shooter next to you and get them mad at you. The remington is a very good gun for the money and is seen on the skeet fiends quite a bit. I shoot a krieghoff here for the 20 28 and 410 but put it away to shoot the Remington for the 12 and doubles because of the reduced recoil.

Steven

 

[Rick618]

Here's the Remington line up of youth shooters. Seems like they used to offer a full size stock coupon in them, not sure if they still do that or not.

http://www.remington.com/firearms/youth/youth.htm

And if you want to take a look at the 1100 skeet:

http://www.remington.com/firearms/shotg ... _skeet.htm

 

[mherrcat]

Don't know about your area, but the range near me has several rental guns available; O/U and autos.
I have been taking some instruction and have rented both the O/U and auto and asked a lot of questions of the instructor before making my decision to purchase an O/U.

 

[Nortonics]

Well guys (and gals), as if ya couldn't tell by my sig line, I'm the proud owner of a new Remington Sporting 12, AND I LOVE IT!

First, thank you all for your input to this thread. I've read and re-read every word that everybody posted here, and really took my time and did my research on this purchase.

To answer Roger's Q about why buying new instead of used - Just kinda' the way I am I guess. Being very new to understanding the finer points of shotgun operation and gun-smithing, I really wanted to be CERTAIN that the first shotgun in my pocket both fit me reasonably well, as well as operated 100% as expected, etc. Just really wanted to be sure that my beginnings in this sport would be fully predictable with a firearm that is respectable. In addition, I was finding it VERY difficult to find the type of shotgun I desired, in the right physical condition, in the used world. I'm certain I'll learn more as time goes on about how to properly grade a decent used firearm at a proper price - perhaps when I start looking for a decent O/U for future fun! 8) And yes Roger, the idea of my 11 y.o. shooting the same gun as me - just an idea. We're pursuing his entrance into this sport as well, just at a little slower rate than Dad at the moment. Both he and I are enrolled into a firearm safety class of which I'm sure will give us some good hands-on experience and guidance for his future...

And mherrcat, great idea! Yes, the range I've come to really like here in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area has a fine selection of rental guns available for anyone to use. At a mere $7.50 rental fee for an entire day for any one of 'em, you can bet I'll be trying a few as time goes on!

I must also thank collky2 for his thoughts on the Remington Sporting - it's the one I chose! Went over to Gander the night posted that response to see if they had one, and they did. As soon as I grasped that firearm I KNEW it was going to be the one! The weight, the feel, the length, the chokes, just all of it, it seemed to fit the bill perfectly for the price I was willing to pay for features and feel I was looking for. I'm VERY happy to report that after putting 250+ shells through it already that I'm even more delighted as time goes on! I LOVE IT!!!

Okay, so again, thanks all! Now, how have I been doing? Pretty dang well I believe, especially for my green status! Just been shooting 16 yard trap for now, trying to better my form before going onto other fun like skeet or sporting. I've been saving all my score sheets and learning from them to boot. Here's the chronological order so far:

1st time out: 6 & 15 - Yeah, 6 on first time out! :shock: Hey, it was my first time in 15 years or so, with a new gun! :wink: Was shooting with one other person, a close, long-time friend.

2nd time out: 16 & 18 - By myself the first round, with two others on the second round.

3rd time out: 20 & 9 - What! Where'd that 9 come from?! Well, I learned something very important on this round - don't let the other participants get your undies in a bundle by making you speed up faster than you care to go! My first round was by myself, and the second round was with three other participants, one of which was VERY impatient. Lesson learned: If ya want to practice without the potential of that happening again, politely decline the request from others to join into the round I paid for separately...

4th time out: 20 & 15 - I'll accept that... 8) :wink:

5th time out: 21 & 13 - Man, my first rounds are always better. I think it's because I'm starting to get a little worn out at about 35 to 40 shells into it, but it's getting better with time...

6th time out will be a little later this morning (Saturday), and 7th time out will likely be tomorrow morning. I'm finding that Saturday and Sunday mornings for an hour to an hour and a half is going to fit into my lifestyle nicely...

As far as loads and chokes used, I've been finding I like the "light" target loads the best for now. Little easier on the arm. I very much like the Remington STS light target loads (2 3/4 DRAM, 1 1/8 oz., 7 1/2 shot, 1145 velocity), but have also been trying some Federal, Winchester, and others, even a couple of boxes of 8 shot to see how they perform at the 16 yard line. I've been using the Lite Mod Remington choke exclusively so far. Seems to be getting the job done nicely. Been thinking I should try the Modified choke to see how it perform from 16 yards, but haven't yet - anyone have some input as to what I might expect upon doing so, with what you know of my style so far? Should be fun to learn & figure out no matter what...

Next step: Seek some professional instruction to better my form and to cast off any bad habits before they become difficult to reverse... :wink:

Okay, that's it for now with my long winded response on this thread. Besides, I gotta go get a shower and get out the door over to the Metro Gun Club for some fun! 8)

Have a great day folks!

 

[uglydog]

Congrats on your new gun!! The only added feature I can think of is to get a spare O-ring for your gun. This is mainly in case you tear it during cleaning. Get them at the local hardware store, they are the same thing but much cheaper. As for comparing the Lt Mod to the Mod, you will not notice much of a change from the 16 yard line. Nor will there be much change switching to #8 shot. I use Lt Mod and 1 oz #8 for 16 yard targets. It can be frustrating shooting with a group that maintains a different tempo but that is something you will have to live with. You are not actually paying for the round, just one space on the squad. If they are busy or are short trappers,you may not have a choice of sharing a round. Tell Rick or whoever is behind the counter you concern and they may be able to pair you with more patient shooters if not by yourself. I shoot there on occasion so maybe I'll see ou up there.