Trap gun for a trap noob?

jasons

jasons

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Now that it's warm and I have access to a local trap field, I've found myself in the market for a trap gun. I'm thinking over/under, used but not abused, decent quality name brand, and hopefully well under a grand. Am I on the right track or should I be looking at a new Stoeger or something like that instead?

Why an o/u? Because they seem to "fit in" better with the trap crowd than my Mossberg 500 with 28" barrel and they seem to be a lot cheaper than a semi.
 
1. for get about the "trap crowd". Follow that path and next thing you will need a unsingle or a top single or a trap combo.....on and on and on.
2. O/U is a good choice as it lends to all the clay games. Cant shoot doubles with a single shot. If you look hard you can find a decent browning around the 1k mark. Personally I think your better off with a used remington,browning,beretta than any of the new sub 800.00 range guns. unless you know you will be shooting very few rounds. I have not shot a browning I did not like.
3. this should really be 1. TRY TRY TRY as many guns as you can. Like I said every browning citori I shoulder just seems to shoot for me.

I shot trap for 2 years with a 870 express 28" field gun....won a few trap league shoots with it. Along the way I learned about gun fit, chokes ect ect.

IF truely on a budget find a nice used 870 trap or 1100 trap model remingtons. even a nice wing master. I prefer guns with montecarlo style stocks.

after a few years I ended up with a Browning Ultra XT trap and then a aftermarket stock PrecisionFitStock or PFS...its a robo stock with multiple adjustments and a recoil system.

PS, try trapshooters.com look up forum member MIA jack sells some great guns at very good prices

http://www.trapshooters.com/cfpages/sthread.cfm?threadid=213451 ex.
 
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As a new trap shooter, I can tell you that you don't have to spend a ton...and don't have to worry about 'fitting in' with trap shooters. :)

My first time out, a nice soul let me borrow his Mossberg 500, and I rung up a 19.

I vote for, get in cheap, enjoy it, and build some experience before getting a fancy rig.

no matter what you do, DO IT....it's a ton of fun!![thumbsup]
 
If your intent on getting advice from others, before you've sampled many and decided on your own what's right for you, then buy one of the following:

Pump - Remington 870
Semi - Beretta 391 or Remington 1100
O/U - Browning Citori
Single - Browning BT-99

at least this way, if you take my advice, buy it right, and decide you want something different, you probably won't lose a dime
 
MACGYVR said:
Remington 1100 for trap.
Click to expand...

i thought about semis as well when i was looking for a trap gun and my only concern was the fields i have shot at you pick your shells up. line changes are pretty quick to the point you dont want to be scouring the ground to find 25 spend shells scattered around. is there a solution to this with a semi?

my suggestions is a decent pump like a wingmaster 870 or classic trap, or really whatever fits you well. be it a browning, mossberg, etc

i wish i took this advice but instead i went with a lower end O/U and im just hoping it will hold up to the abuse of trap/skeet. for the same money as a low end O/U you can get a very nice pump. a 28" pump is equivilent in barrel length to a 30" O/U or single so the 28" should work good and they are easy to come by.

also make sure you fit a gun well no matter what you get. spend a good amount of time shouldering it in the store and make sure its fast and natural. i bought my first O/U thinking it fit good, took it to the range, and i couldnt hit anything. find out the stock was a few millimeters off and i couldnt get a good sight picture. returned it and got one that fits much better this time around
 
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Chrisg67 said:
i thought about semis as well when i was looking for a trap gun and my only concern was the fields i have shot at you pick your shells up. line changes are pretty quick to the point you dont want to be scouring the ground to find 25 spend shells scattered around. is there a solution to this with a semi?
Click to expand...

shell catcher: http://www.tandsshellcatcher.com/products.htm

or a good beefy rubber band to keep the shell from being thrown out of the receiver
 
sight picture is nothing of concern with trap shooting, you do not look at the sights.....why do most field guns have just one tiny bead?
You need to have the gun shooting in the general area of where you are looking ie. the target.
Ever hunt birds like pheasant or grouse? Well you walk through a field, a bird pops up. You look at it. Your feet plant. You bring the gun to your face. Draw it back to your shoulder. The whole time you been tracking the bird with your eyes and your body follows.

Now with a gun mounted and you have 2 beads.
If you see rib in the space between the sights the gun will shoot high
no rib gun will shoot flat
read bead covers front sight, will shoot low
rear bead to the left or right shot pattern will be off left to right

thats why you see a lot of adjustable combs and custom fit stocks.

Thats also why when you do buy a gun to spend sometime @ a pattern board to see where you gun shoots, compared to your mount/bead relationship.

If I where to hand you my gun with out you knowing where it shoots. If you tried putting the front bead on the target you would miss a lot of targets.

TRY TRY TRY
 
Try , try, try different guns is the rule.

Proper fit is the most important factor. Since your eye is your rear sight, if the fit of the gun is off, you'll have a very tough time of it.

As for picking up spent shells don't do it until the squad is all done - when you're changnig stations is not the time!

As for fitting in, what's "right" will often vary from one club to another. Pay no attention to what others are using, unless it fits you.

If you go with a break- open, I'd go with a double, as you'll be able to shoot doubles, and skeet.

At our club, we have shooters that use everything from $15K dedicated Trap guns to plastic-stocked 870s and old Browning A5s, and not many of the birds that are shot at by those guys make it to the ground.

So: Find a gun that fits, and go shoot!

If you can, come to the GOAL Cup Trap shoot, April 17, at Southborough Rod & Gun Club. There's a thread for this event under the Competition General heading.

Have fun!
 
Although I would suggest a single barrel trap gun with adjustable comb, I just saw a very nice nice looking 1100 here for $600. However, while I shoot (and love) my Perazzi, the Browning BT99 is an excellent trap gun that you might find used. Whatever you do make sure it is a trap model and not a field gun. In a trap gun, the top of the stock (comb) should be parallel to the rib of the barrel not angled down as on a field gun.
 
vellnueve said:
Shooting trap with a field gun is not difficult.
Click to expand...

I,ve been shooting registered trap for 15 years. No serious trap shooter shoots trap with a field gun! If you just want to occasionally bust a few clays of course you can use a field gun however if you want to become proficient at it, a field gun will seriously handicap you. That's not an opinion, it's a fact.
 
Ol' Doc said:
I,ve been shooting registered trap for 15 years. No serious trap shooter shoots trap with a field gun! If you just want to occasionally bust a few clays of course you can use a field gun however if you want to become proficient at it, a field gun will seriously handicap you. That's not an opinion, it's a fact.
Click to expand...

They also said that no serious competition rifle shooter shoots with an AR-15.
 
MHO, if you want a do all gun....any shotgun will do.
Things that helped me out
http://www.remington.com/~/media/Files/Brochures/trap_fundamentals_2004.ashx I am a lefty so I actually found this in LH also

http://www.stockfitting.com/

on a tip from a fellow shooter I went to the library and found anything that had to do with Bobby Lamar McDaniel instinct shooting.
google it a and read on.

finally trapshooters.com
do a search of sign on names
neil winston
MIA
or register and have another forum with endless debates [smile]

above all go with what you have, get into the groove and to the point where you are a bit more relaxed and comfortable.
 
Chrisg67 said:
not every noob getting into trap wants to pay for a dedicated trap gun.....
Click to expand...

The OP seemed to indicate that he WAS willing to pay something under $1000 for a Trap Gun. I have seen hundreds of noobs over the years trying to shoot trap with a field gun. Their experience is always disappointing and few continue unless they go out and buy a gun with a straight trap stock.

jasons said:
Now that it's warm and I have access to a local trap field, I've found myself in the market for a trap gun.
Click to expand...
 
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Chrisg67 said:
not every noob getting into trap wants to pay for a dedicated trap gun.....
Click to expand...

Just because it's a gun set up for trap, does not mean you have to pay much more for it.

There are good options at almost any price point and the bottom line is, if you want a gun for trap, why not go with the set up that gives you the best advantage.
 
Yes a fortune need not be spent.
I started with a 870 express.
I then came across a synthetic monte carlo parallel comb type stock that comes on the slug/turkey guns ment for scopes.... 20.00
Then I used washers under recoil pad to play with the pitch. later used a piece of hard wood cut and fitted for a pitch spacer.
I then used bondo that I had on hand to raise the comb even higher, also added a bit to the grip area for a LH palm swell.
Even later as I learned a bit more I raised my rib useing strips of balsa wood as a template. later replaced by some aluminum strips painted black.
After I was done I really liked how and where that gun shot, it was just ugly though.
this went on for about 2 years....then I started shooting ATA and my pump gun was not doing me well in the doubles.
Armed with what I knew, and the guns I tried. I found the most nuetral cast stock I could find on a Browning XT, for me being LH a nuetral cast is great as you seldom find anything suitable for LH shooters.....heck even LH designed guns are not very good for LH shooters.
 
Ol' Doc said:
I,ve been shooting registered trap for 15 years. No serious trap shooter shoots trap with a field gun! If you just want to occasionally bust a few clays of course you can use a field gun however if you want to become proficient at it, a field gun will seriously handicap you. That's not an opinion, it's a fact.
Click to expand...

Sorry but I disagree also. I don't care what you step up to the line with, A shotgun is a pipe on a stick. Any shotgun will give you a 30" pattern at 40 yards with the right choke. It's up to you to point it in the right direction! Notice I said POINT not AIM! You may need more vertical lead with a field gun but that's the only difference.
Just my 2 cents worth
Dave
 
If you're going to shoot, shoot.....don't type!

I agree with Dnotarianni. A pipe on a stick it is.

For a beginner, the money saved by buying a less-costly "general pupose" gun that fits well, and spending it on ammo and birds to get good with it, is a better application of resources than spending more on a gun and shooting less.

When one additional bird out of 100 becomes an important factor in one's Trap progress, then a more sophisiticated gun may be called for.

If you have a Perazzi or Kreighoff, and shoot behind the bird, you miss just as efficiently as with a H&R Topper.

On a lighter note, this is an excellent Trap discussion - everyone has an opinion, and all points are vaild. Trap is such a game of the mind (once you get the basics down) that confidence in your shotgun, (and confidence in your ability) is the most important thing to bring to the line!

The most important thing to bring to the Club is YOU, your gun, and money for ammo and birds. Practice makes perfect (rounds). It's a nice day today. Stop reading this and go shoot! The GOAL Cup is comng up - you still have time to practice! [smile]
 
Ol' Doc said:
The OP seemed to indicate that he WAS willing to pay something under $1000 for a Trap Gun. I have seen hundreds of noobs over the years trying to shoot trap with a field gun. Their experience is always disappointing and few continue unless they go out and buy a gun with a straight trap stock.
Click to expand...

To clarify, I already have a Mossberg 500 (three of them actually) and a 28" barrel that I have used for trap before. Yeah, it works but it's clearly not the "right" setup for trap. I kind of want to take it up a notch so yes, I am looking for something closer to a "real" trap gun. I have not done sporting clays (yet) or skeet but I don't necessarily want to rule them out either. (I guess I assumed that they all use the same type of gun....)

I'm a big time noob when it comes to this stuff. Pretty much all of my firearms training / experience comes from the Marines, and trap shooting is not generally part of the training regimen. [smile] Thanks everyone for the helpful advice.
 
The only real difference with a trap gun is a higher POI as the bird is rising when your shooting at it, That is the purpose of the rib. Skeet guns are flat shooting as the bird is fairly level from the two houses. I shoot a Mossberg 500 trap I can't post a pic here but do a search for Mossberg AHT trap gun. They were made in the mid 80s and barrels can still be found for $100-$150. The rib just eliminates the vertical lead.
Dave
 

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