Semi or O/U for Skeet/Trap

[Chuntsman949]

Hello!!

Question that has been beat to death.. I shot skeet this weekend and was using my mossberg 500, I was doing OK... Then I started using a Beretta onyx, hell I couldnt hit crap with that thing, then I also tried a semi loader, Beretta Super Sport and loved it.

What does cal guns say... For skeet and trap, should I go with an 0/U or a Semi? Is there a getting use to process needed for a O/U?

[Newshooter]

Shoot which gun fits you the best. I started with a semi but moved up to an O/U for most clay games. I like the feel of an O/U better than the semi but remember...that is just me.

If you shoot trap with a semi, I would recommend a shell catcher. You might get some ugly looks from the trap snobs as they don't like hulls bouncing off of their $10K shotguns.

[Chuntsman949]

Shoot which gun fits you the best. I started with a semi but moved up to an O/U for most clay games. I like the feel of an O/U better than the semi but remember...that is just me.

If you shoot trap with a semi, I would recommend a shell catcher. You might get some ugly looks from the trap snobs as they don't like hulls bouncing off of their $10K shotguns.

sounds good haha, I believe i just need more trigger time behind a over under.

[Newshooter]

I like the O/U for the choke tube flexibility. This is especially usefull when switching from games like skeet to sporting clays.

[mjsweims]

If you shoot trap doubles you want a different choke for the two shots. Your first shot is right over the house and the second is further off. (Many people don't even look for the first bird, but shoot at a predetermined spot.) So an O/U is better for this. Until you get very good it probably won't make a big difference.
For skeet most double shots are taken at close to the same distance, so a single choke can be used more readily. Some people change at the different stations.
For sporting clays the shots being taken depend on the course. Usually changing chokes between stations is all that is necessary.
Find a good quality and well-fitting O/U or semi that you can easily shoot 2-300 rounds in a morning and run targets. When you get very good then you will have a better idea of what you want.
BTW I don't care about someone's hulls bouncing off my expensive gun. What I don't like is the distraction from it bouncing off me. Use a shell catcher or rubber band with a semi out of courtesy for other people on the line.

[RedFord150]

Beretta O/U for me.
If you live near LA, take a trip to Pacific Sporting Arms in Azusa and let John find you a gun that fits.

[Fjold]

Semi soaks up more recoil.

[Chuntsman949]

thanks for the answers gents

[bjl333]

Hello!!

Question that has been beat to death.. I shot skeet this weekend and was using my mossberg 500, I was doing OK... Then I started using a Beretta onyx, hell I couldnt hit crap with that thing, then I also tried a semi loader, Beretta Super Sport and loved it.

What does cal guns say... For skeet and trap, should I go with an 0/U or a Semi? Is there a getting use to process needed for a O/U?

I'm gonna guess the Mossberg is a shorter open choke barrel vs the Beretta's tightly choked barrels. You should shoot better with the Beretta or the Benelli Super Sport. The Beretta is heavier and you are not distracted with pumping the gun for doubles. The SS will take some of the recoil away but it has a little more drama in between your shots.

But the bottom line is gun fitment and the proper technique. The brain goes through a lot when you are a new clays shooter and most new shooters basically gets thrown in the deep end! What I mean the deep end is you don't get any proper instructions on how to hit the clay consistantly. Check out the various clays clinic on the board and get some instructions and I'll guarantee you will enjoy the game a lot more.

For the original question: All three can hit targets just as well. The bottom line is how to hit them. Gun fitment is important but knowing how to hit them would allow you to enjoy the game, no matter what kind of gun you're shooting. Good luck, have fun & be safe!!

[Turo]

I've shot both trap and skeet with all three types, pump, semi, and O/U. I never felt like I had to shoot any different because of the gun I was using. I even shot some days when I used a semi (Beretta AL2 my favorite SA shotgun ever) for the first round and then switched with my dad and used an O/U for the second round. Granted, they all had the same sight (ball at the end of the barrel) but the fundamentals are the same for all of them.

I honestly have no preference for using one action over another for either skeet or trap other than the fact that the semi is better looking .

You may want to make sure you aren't "compensating" for one barrel being higher or lower (or to the side with a SxS.) It's a common problem for people new to using O/U or SxS shotguns. You don't need to aim higher to use the top barrel, the difference between the two barrels is at most 3/4". Not enough to change your aim at a bird over 16 yards away.

Dang I love the shotgun sports! You're making me miss it!

ETA: I almost forgot to mention, different lengths of pull can dramatically change the way a gun shoots for a particular person. It's especially apparent with shotguns because so much of the precision between shots depends on how you shoulder the gun. It could be that the particular O/U you shot had a much too long or much too short LOP for you, and that could easily have caused your issue.

[applevalleyjoe]

Type of stock, LOP, and your intent...I started shooting trap with a Winchester trap pump, rapidly traded it in for a Charles Daly O/U Trap. Later put a Mercury Recoil Reducer in it which helped with the marathon sessions I was involved in at Las Vegas. Still later I got. Browning Single Barrel extra long and things clicked then. Used my O/U for doubles. Got a Remington 1100 semi auto but didn't like it.

[BigDogatPlay]

Fit is everything, first and foremost. A comfortable, repeatable fit when combined with practice and good technique will help you score. All the practice and technique in the world with a gun you aren't comfortable with will gain nothing.

This starts with finding a gun that feels good in your hands, mounts effortlessly and gives you a good, consistent view time over time. Going the extra mile and having the stock made to your measure will make a comfortable gun into that old pair of boots that your feet slide into like butter.

I generally shoot semi-auto for singles in trap (although I am looking at single barrel guns right now as well) and an o/u for doubles. If you are going to shoot doubles, as noted above, two different chokes on the gun is a plus. I shoot the o/u on singles as well from time to time, but a Remington 1100 is my go to singles gun now.

[damon1272]

Semi soaks up more recoil.

If one reloads they can taylor their rounds to have very little recoil. That said out of the box "target" loads such with an over under.

[Iskra]

Beretta O/U for me.

Same.

But fit is very individual.

Autoloaders may "soak up more recoil" but 2 3/4" #7's or 8's aren't very hard kicking shells to begin with. And since an O/U has the same length barrel(s) as a pump or an autoloader, but with 6-8" less overall length because of the difference in the action (a bunch of apparatus vs. a couple firing pins & a hinge), O/U's swing into target acquisition much faster IMO. You don't get to shoot more than 2 shells at trap or skeet stations anyway... O/U is built for it. No reason to look further.

Just shoulder enough of them so you know you're buying one that really fits.