clay shooting

G

gov

Senior member
Been clay shooting for 30 years or more - in a moment's madness decided to give it up and give golf a try ( another story but we won't go there :( things can only improve on that front ) sold my old gun ( Browning O/U GTI Utra ) to local gunshop for £700 who then promptly sold it within a week - hadn't realised the current market value of these guns :( Anyway a similar story to after I sold my first Zed - acute withdrawal symptoms set in so now I'm looking for another gun but which to go for ? I know there's a few clay shooters on here so what do you reckon - I like Browning guns cos they're big and chunky not like Berettas'. Greenfields in Salisbury have a Citori ( M/C sport ) for £800 that is circa 1986 but looks in good nick and is 28" barrels ( good for sporting clays ) or I can play it safe and buy a new Browning or Miroku Grade 1 for around £1400 ?

Apologies to those non shooters out there who , if they are reading this , will have lost the will to live by now :rofl:
 
Hi,
I've been shooting for nearly 20 years, personally never got on with Brownings/Miroku's and had been shooting a Beretta up until a few backs when I splashed out on a custom MX12, long story short, not wanting to do all my shooting (Clays, pigeon and the odd driven day) with the Perazzi, I bought a used Ceaser Guerini Summit and I have to say it's bloody good, well made nicely balanced and really crisp trigger pulls - well worth a look if you can find one in your price bracket!
Stu.
 
I'm going to have to give clay bashing it a try again - I have been to reluctant to try after a spinal op (c3 and c5) a few years ago.

My guns are still there in the safe, beretta 687 sporter and a semi auto bought when the neck was giving problems.

I also have a nice Shadow Indy trap gun. That's the one with 20mm rib.
 
I've had a Lanber 30" sporting multichoke for the last 25 years, I bought it new for around £500.
It's been a cracking gun and still worth at least £400. It's got a nice weight to it to, not too light and not too heavy for carrying are the field when you want to do a bit of game shooting :thumbsup:
 
I haven't tried to see if they fit in the boot of the zed yet!
I suppose if golf bats go in a shotgun and some kit will.
 
ronk said:
I'm going to have to give clay bashing it a try again - I have been to reluctant to try after a spinal op (c3 and c5) a few years ago.
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One of the fellas I regularly shot with had reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder a few year back, he now shoots a Beretta semi auto and 21gram cartridges and has no issues at all ( Apart from the odd failure to eject the spent shell - mabe twice in a hundred bird round if that). It's such a soft shooting combination, trying it after shooting an O/U and 28g, you end up half stumbling forward as you pull the trigger subconsciously counteracting the recoil - and he still hits his fair share as well :)

Stu.
 
stupot67 said:
ronk said:
I'm going to have to give clay bashing it a try again - I have been to reluctant to try after a spinal op (c3 and c5) a few years ago.
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One of the fellas I regularly shot with had reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder a few year back, he now shoots a Beretta semi auto and 21gram cartridges and has no issues at all ( Apart from the odd failure to eject the spent shell - mabe twice in a hundred bird round if that). It's such a soft shooting combination, trying it after shooting an O/U and 28g, you end up half stumbling forward as you pull the trigger subconsciously counteracting the recoil - and he still hits his fair share as well
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I've got the semi auto so I will give that a go with a light load. Rough ground is also difficult and I won't be able to do any pickups.
When the warm weather starts again I'm going to the ground.
We have a small ground and when I used to attend every Saturday, it was a very happy and informal shoot.
 
My second gun years ago was a new Lanber M/C - Field not Sporter - had it a few years - probably one of the best budget guns you can get - shot well with it but not 100% reliable ( ejector failed ) - traded up to a Browning which really was in a different class both in build and quality.

Have tried semi's but not really for me - but then at the end of the day it's how many clays you can hit - my first gun was a £200 Baikel with two sets of barrels - skeet /skeet and 3/4 and full - could hit anything with that combination - but then I was 30 years younger.
 
I know what you mean about parting with a favourite gun, I sold on my underused 80s Winchester 101 that was not expensive but such a nice gun and kick myself regularly (similar to Brownings who built the later Winchester model)

Maybe find a dealer with the facility to try a few makess but if you shoot well with Browning it's a good starting point :thumbsup:
 
I've been a BASC shotgun coach for more years than I really care to remember and there is no doubt in my mind that clay shooters fall into to the two camps of shotgun action style when it comes to what they shoot best with. Namely the Beretta action or the Browning action, either from Beretta or Browning or from one of the various gun manufacturers who use one or the other style action (with one or two alternative designs). Both are excellent actions and the quality is beyond question but the differences in design creates a subtle difference in handling characteristic with shooters generally finding that one suits their style of shooting more than the other. If you have been used to a Browning I would recommend continuing with a shotgun built to this style.

The Browning Citori was and still is a very popular gun and you would not go far wrong with this, especially as it is a little more versatile with the multi chokes. I think the most important thing to do, once the choice is made, is to make sure that it is a good fit to you or that the dealer has the capability in house to make any alterations that may be required. Good luck in your search and enjoy smoking those clays again.
 
Midhurstman said:
The Browning Citori was and still is a very popular gun and you would not go far wrong with this, especially as it is a little more versatile with the multi chokes. I think the most important thing to do, once the choice is made, is to make sure that it is a good fit to you or that the dealer has the capability in house to make any alterations that may be required. Good luck in your search and enjoy smoking those clays again.
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Am leaning towards the Citori - heavier than a new B525 - but I like the idea of a classic gun - certainly the stock finish looks better than the new ones and it's a 28" - the thing that worries me is it's age - is there anything obvious to look at to see if it has been overused or nearing the end of it's life - if the action feels good and tight then that would be encouraging but what about the barrels ?
 
A gunsmith will have plugs to gauge the barrels and be happy to give you the results.
Obviously, if there are marks in the barrel kick it into the long grass.
 
Midhurstman said:
I've been a BASC shotgun coach for more years than I really care to remember and there is no doubt in my mind that clay shooters fall into to the two camps of shotgun action style when it comes to what they shoot best with. Namely the Beretta action or the Browning action, either from Beretta or Browning or from one of the various gun manufacturers who use one or the other style action (with one or two alternative designs). Both are excellent actions and the quality is beyond question but the differences in design creates a subtle difference in handling characteristic with shooters generally finding that one suits their style of shooting more than the other. If you have been used to a Browning I would recommend continuing with a shotgun built to this style.

The Browning Citori was and still is a very popular gun and you would not go far wrong with this, especially as it is a little more versatile with the multi chokes. I think the most important thing to do, once the choice is made, is to make sure that it is a good fit to you or that the dealer has the capability in house to make any alterations that may be required. Good luck in your search and enjoy smoking those clays again.
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Hi mate - hope you don't mind - I've sent you PM seeking further advice .
 
gov said:
Midhurstman said:
The Browning Citori was and still is a very popular gun and you would not go far wrong with this, especially as it is a little more versatile with the multi chokes. I think the most important thing to do, once the choice is made, is to make sure that it is a good fit to you or that the dealer has the capability in house to make any alterations that may be required. Good luck in your search and enjoy smoking those clays again.
Click to expand...

Am leaning towards the Citori - heavier than a new B525 - but I like the idea of a classic gun - certainly the stock finish looks better than the new ones and it's a 28" - the thing that worries me is it's age - is there anything obvious to look at to see if it has been overused or nearing the end of it's life - if the action feels good and tight then that would be encouraging but what about the barrels ?
Click to expand...


Just seen your reply.

Didn't cover this in my pm. The major sign of wear will usually be a loosening of the action 'off the face'. this can generally be cured with a new hinge pin but this doesn't happen very often in modern guns that have seen normal use. A very basic test if this is suspected is to place a cut down business card on the face of the open gun and then try to close it, a good fitting action will not close correctly (ie top lever snapping back across). If badly worn, with the forend removed the play in the barrel/action face can be felt. This may be only a few thou off the face but at working pressures of 650+ bar (2-2 1/2 tons per square inch) when a cartridge is fired, this can cause excessive recoil.

Other parts can weaken or break, such as mainsprings or ejector springs, but these are relatively simple serviceable parts. A good check on ejectors is to get the gunshop to 'fire' both barrels using safe snap caps and observe the distance the snap caps are ejected (1 -2 metres is about right) also checking that they are 'timed' to eject in synchro.

As has been correctly stated, the bores can be checked by a gunsmith in terms of pitting or dents (small ones can be knocked out) and measuring wall thickness. Newer guns i.e. made in the last 40-50 years tend to have appreciably more wall thickness than the older guns and this is never usually an issue. The good news is that well made modern shotguns can have hundreds of thousands of cartridges through them and still be tight, More than most of us will shoot in a lifetime.

Forgive a small plug, but for anyone reading this post who has never tried clay shooting I would say go along to your local shooting ground and have a go. On an average weekend in the UK more people are shooting clays than are on the golf course (surprising isn't it) and there is complete equality between men and women in terms of ability and standards (many couples enjoy clay shooting together). A good instructor will soon have you breaking clays in a safe and fun way. You don't need your own shotgun or even a shotgun certificate on a registered clay ground to try the sport, just take yourself and appropriate clothing, they will provide everything else.. Beware though, it is very addictive once you start seeing the clays powder into dust.
 
With the amount of interest the post has generated its a pity we are not all closely located or I could see a good shoot being organised here! :D
 
ronk said:
With the amount of interest the post has generated its a pity we are not all closely located or I could see a good shoot being organised here! :D
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Go for it Ronk. I think we can all drive.
 
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