Best affordable trap/clay o/u

[Grizz2720]

I have a Stoeger Condor Supreme. I have put 1000 rounds a year through it. I clean it real good once a yr. Otherwise it is good to go all the time. I reload 12 ga. and I am in the 12 k number of reloads. I figure 8 or 9 thousands of those reloads have gone down the Stoeger.

[1990dtgl98]

I never hunted small game with shotguns and didn't realize semi autos are allowed.

That being said.... Is a cheaper o/u like the condor competition a worse choice than, say, a Beretta a300 outlander? Or a used Montefeltro?

[den9]

A used Beretta A390, probably around 800 dollars. Apparently it has a good gas system opposed to the new Berettas. A gas gun will shoot softer than the Benelli

An A300 is a good budget gun too.

Also I agree with those other guys, its not really worth buying a cheap over under. You'll get your moneys worth spending it on a nice pump instead. Or just save up for a year and treat yourself. Guns like that tend to hold their value

So yes, a used Benelli/Beretta/Remington 1100 will be a much better choice in the long run.

[carbine-13]

I had great luck with buying a CZ Redhead Target for my wife. They run around $1300 - $1400, which may be out of your range. But they are good value for the money.

[Pete D.]

You can shoot Trap singles perfectly well (and maybe doubles if you learn to pump smooth and fast) with a field gun like an 870.
Shooters choose more expensive guns for a number of reasons: some believe that a better gun will make them a better shooter....to a degree this may be true if they buy a gun that is fitted to them. For most, it probably won't be true. Why then?
Well, one thing is pride of ownership. There is a cachet to possessing fine guns like Perazzis and Kreighofs. There is also durability. A serious shooter may put 20,000 shells a year through his gun. The "better" guns are made to take that kind of use. Even the "entry level" Browning BT-99 has been called a million round gun.
Can you outshoot someone with a $10K Trap gun with your 870. Yep, happens all the time. There is a reason, however, why the champions....shooters like multi-gold medal Olympic shooter Kim Rhode (Perazzi/Beretta), shoot high end guns and not 870s.

[RBELARDI]

I also recommend a Stoeger for your price range. I personally own 2 of them 1 is 12 ga. and 1 is 20 ga. the 12 I have had about 20 years and I will tell u I have a lot of rounds thru it. To tell u how long I have it, I bought it at Boscov's Department store when they still carried guns. If u have the $$$ and are planning to use it for clays id go for the competition gun. its got a few more features then the field models. Like shell ejectors vs. shell extractors, adjustable comb, and I think and someone can correct me if I'm wrong I think it has selectable barrels, which doesn't seem like a big deal until u are out shooting sporting clays and u need the modified choke first and the cylinder choke second and the first one to shoot is the cylinder. . . . on the field models the bottom barrel always fires first. over all I love my stogers and id buy them again . . .

Rob

[Marcus99]

If I were you I would go with a semi. Beretta, Benelli, Remington 1100. If you want a O/U I would go with a CZ. My only caution with a semi is to try to get a dedicated clays model as many field models will not reliably cycle light target loads, be cautious with 3" field guns and DO NOT get anything rated for 3 1/2" shells. I wouldn't say that the advice you have been given isn't wrong per se. In the world of O/U's there is $1600+ guns and then there is the rest. You may be able to find a used Ruger red label or SKB around $1000 if you're lucky and those are decent guns but that's about the lowest you're going to get (Franchi isn't bad either). For $600 I think you could get far more gun for the money by going with a semi. I've tried a few cheap O/U's from Tristar and Stoeger and have had nothing but problems. I did own a Huglu (now CZ) that at least was reliable, the others were not.

[ianb1116]

That's a really good-looking gun for the price!

Tristar's are absolute junk. look at the reviews, dead triggers, dead hammers, loose grips, etc.

I had a stoeger condor for about 2 years. That little thing ate everything without the bat of an eye. Great beater shotgun. VERY heavy though.

If it were me, I'd seriously consider the CZ Drake. I own a CZ 912 and it's been very good. Just look at the reviews: http://cz-usa.com/product/cz-drake/

[CMP703006]

We bought an ATI Calvalry .410 O/U for $300 bucks at a gun show, didn't even get through a box of shells before the frame cracked where the stock attached. That being said I would stay away from cheap O/U where there are many other options in that price range.

For years I used my grandfathers 1947 Winchester Model 12 and my brother used his 1952 Browning Auto 5. We were consistently in the mid to high 40s for singles and high 30s to low 40s for doubles which is better than a lot of guys with the fancy O/Us. After the firing pin shattered on my model 12 after 5,000+ rounds we decided to let them rest a bit and picked up new shotguns. He went with a new style Auto 5 and I went with the Browning Maxus.

Both of those old guns served us well and can be had for relatively cheap at gun shows. If you want a newer gun then you can't go wrong with an older 870 Wingmaster, the fit and finish of the 1980's guns are much better than those today.

[Pete D.]

We bought an ATI Calvalry .410 O/U for $300 bucks at a gun show, didn't even get through a box of shells before the frame cracked where the stock attached. That being said I would stay away from cheap O/U where there are many other options in that price range.

Interesting. Must be a quality control thing. I have the same model...maybe bought at the same show. I have a few hundred rounds through it ....shot Trap and hunted with it. No problems at all at this point.
Pete