Over and Under (need help)

[thegreyman2013]

Shooters,

I'm thinking of getting my first O/U. Decided on 20 gauge so my wife can also use it. We will be using it for trap/skeet, quail, pheasant, and rabbits.

What are somethings to consider? Brands? Barrel length?

Currently, looking at a 26 Inch barrel. Any issues with 26 over 28?

Thank you in advance.

[edgerly779]

If your using for trap and skeet you will need screw in chokesgo with imp cyl/modified fixed and use modified for 16 yard trap.

[ceh383]

First off I would be careful in picking a 20ga, the lighter weight may actually produce more recoil than a 12ga.
I shoot better with longer barrels, so I would go with the 28".
What brand...It depends on fit and budget, as well as what the MAIN use would be.

Game Gun

Clays Gun

[thegreyman2013]

First off I would be careful in picking a 20ga, the lighter weight may actually produce more recoil than a 12ga.
I shoot better with longer barrels, so I would go with the 28".
What brand...It depends on fit and budget, as well as what the MAIN use would be.

Game Gun

Clays Gun

Really? I never would have thought a 20 gauge would have more kick than a 12. My price is under 1K. Looking at CZ and Franchi

[JagerDog]

Really? I never would have thought a 20 gauge would have more kick than a 12. My price is under 1K. Looking at CZ and Franchi

Well...like he said, it's a weight thing. The weight helps absorb recoil (all else, like fit, being the same).

Some aren't much lighter tthan a 12, some are significantly lighter. Lighter is great when you're carrying all day and shooting relatively little. Heavier can be nice when shooting volume at clays. However weight can be fatiguing as well, particularly for the smaller statured.

In the $1K range, I'd be looking for a used Browning Citori. IMO, the 12g is a bit blocky, but the 20g is quite trim. If you can up that to say $1200, your chances improve and perhaps a Beretta 686 will find it's way into the budget too. Both will serve a lifetime of informal shooting and serve well if one of you gets active in the clay sports as well.

My personal upland O/U is 26" (20g Browning Citori Sporter) and it's great in the field. A bit "whippy" on targets. The trend now is for longer barrels, so you might find a good deal on 26", but a 28" would hold value a bit better.

[ysr_racer]

Do not get 26 inch barrels, that's old school. Go with 30's at least.

[thegreyman2013]

Some good info here gents. Thanks. I'll update once I make a decision. I really like the CZ Drake ( never shot it), but just off of internet research. The price point is perfect. The Franchi is a little more... so I dunno.

[ceh383]

There are many that will tell you not to buy a Turkish (CZ), I'm not one of them. I owned a CZ for about 2 years, it functioned flawlessly. I would however, recommend you shoulder as many different guns as you can, just to feel the difference between them.
Good luck in your search...

[jbk]

my .02
go and shoulder different guns in your price range. i have 2 sub $1k o/u in 20 ga. and just put another in jail yesterday. I have owned a Beretta 686 in 12 ga and hated it. it beat the crap out of me, I'm sure it didn't fit me. I had a friend sale me a stoeger condor in 20 ga and I love it. it's a little heavy but has never missed a beat I have shot hundreds of birds with it. I just noticed the forearm has a crack. called stoeger they said send it in and we will fit a new one no problem, no charge. told them I wanted to use it for this hunting season they said no problem.
I traded for a Mossberg SR, it turned out to have a doubling issue. I sent it to Mossberg and the fixed it and shipped it back out in less than 24 hours at their expense even though i wasn't the original purchaser and it was WAY out of warranty.
I just bought a CZ drake last night, I can't comment on it yet.

go shoulder a few and buy what works for you. are my sub $1k guns Brownings or fabarms....no, but they are what I need. the stoeger and Mossberg will be used to hunt Mexico.
i wouldn't want a real pricey gun for hunting there. the cz will be for here if i need it during season. to be honest i went last night intent on buying the cz redhead premier. it's the one around $1k, but the features it came with I didn't care about or absolutely didn't want. I don't care if the receiver is polished with extra scrolls. pheasants, chuckar, and dove don't die any better with them. the auto safety I hate (i had the one on the stoeger turned into a manual saftey). and I would rather have extractors than ejectors. the drake had the things I wanted so I bought that.
find what works for you, and a company that will stand behind that gun.

[the_tunaman]

Take a look at the Winchester 101... Bought one last year and it is very nice. Made in the Browning facility in Belgium.

[Sandro]

Are you the same height/weight/build as your wife? In shotgun the fit is the most important thing. Do you buy same shoes for both of you?

[Ducky's Dad]

Under $1K for an O/U, I'd point you toward a used gun. If you can find a Citori or a 686, that would be first choice. 686 is generally lighter than Citori in similar configuration, and 686 is always trimmer, which may be a factor if wifey has smallish hands. Since either of those in VG condition will be hard to find (but not impossible) under $1K, you should also look at various iterations of FAIR/Rizzinis (Verona, Cortona, etc.), or Ruger. The Ruger will be a tad heavier than the 686 or FAIR, but about the same as a Citori. I own all of the above guns, and the Ruger holds its own in that group. If you find a Sig/Rizzini (by B.Rizzini), jump on it under $1K.

Re barrel length, 26" will be cheaper (less popular), but 28" will be a better compromise for hunting and targets. Wifey might have difficulty swinging a 30" gun. Or maybe not.

[JagerDog]

Do not get 26 inch barrels, that's old school. Go with 30's at least.

I doubt you'll find longer than 30 in a field 20.

Lotta birds killed "old skul".

IMHO a 28" is a good "compromise" between field and targets.

[pennstater]

I don't shoot trap or skeet very much, just a couple rounds to get ready for the upland season's. I only say that referring to the CZ. If it's mostly for upland game and a bit of clays, the CZ would be a very good choice. But, maybe not a dedicated clays gun. Field gun, very good.

[LynnJr]

For skeet short barrels for trap long barrels and for flushing type birds short barrels.
On the recoil go to one of the online recoil calculators for a rough comparison but stock fit and shape will play into the perceived recoil as much as weight.
For your wife I would opt for the short barrels because they will allow a smaller framed person to swing the gun easier.
If she is tall and stronger than average go longer.
My wife only weighs about 100 pounds and shoots a 20 and 28 gauge Ruger Red Label decently.
She shoots a model 12 with 26 inch improved cylinder better but she doesn't like to pump the gun and says it's too heavy. Believe me it's no fun packing two shotguns through the pheasant fields and having to drop one when a bird jumps.