Advice on first Over/Under?

[SeamusMcE]

Hey all, I was hoping I could get some insight on what would be a good Over & Under shotgun to start out with? I wasn't sure whether I should start out with something on the cheaper end like a Stoeger or a Savage, or whether I should spend some more money and get a higher end used model. I would want a 12 gauge. I went skeet shooting for the first time this past weekend and I am hooked, thanks to Lou (TheFeeder) and a few other calgunners, so the main use of the gun will be clay shooting, mostly skeet. I expect to be going at least once a month so I will be getting a good amount of use out of the gun. I wont be buying this gun myself, it will be a gift for my upcoming birthday so price is an issue. I know most over & under's can be very expensive but anything at a $1,000 or lower would be what I am looking at. I could use all the advice I can get, thanks in advance for the help.

[TheExpertish]

Used Browning.

[rromeo]

CZ sells a decent gun for $6-700. You can also find good used Brownings for close to $1,000, and you can always get that money back.

[ysr_racer]

Just like buying a car or getting married, test drive, test drive, test drive.

Just like no one suit fits everybody, no one shotgun fits everybody. In the clays game it's all about "gun fit".

[$nake-Eye$]

Quite a few used but decent - LNIB Brownings on Gunbrokerdotcom and cabelasdotcom

I've had my 1984 Browning Citori since 1987 and it has performed flawlessly.

[JagerTroop]

A cheap O/U is just that... cheap. When I decided to take the plunge, I went with a lower end Beretta (white onyx). I know it won't be the last one I'll ever buy, but it will tide me over until I can come up with $3-4k+ for a "good" one.

Don't short change yourself. Stay away from the flashy, lower quality new guns, and go with a decent used one. A used Browning seems to be at the high end of your price range, but they can be had for under $1k. I would stay away from the Turkish imports. It's better to get a lower model Good gun, than a Top of the line POS

As it's been said, test drive. At least, if you can't shoot it, hold as many different ones as possible. A Browning feels different in the hand than a Beretta (for most people). Find what fits, not what looks the coolest, or has the most engraving. That will come later.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck

[Coyotegunner]

I have purchased new and used Brownings over the years.They have been flawless less a broken firing pin that got replaced in 2 weeks.I made a pledge to Ruger after buying a brand new Red label an couple years ago-Their gun is a piece of crap,their repair service needs to all be fired up to and including their repairs manager.The chamber was set to tight on it,shaving brass into the lower firing pin hole(failed in the first 23 rounds from new).The first 2 times I sent it to the factory were on me.Each time a grinder or dremel were used to remove materiel from the bottom of the lower chamber.Not happy,I asked them to pay shipping the 3rd time and reguested they make it right by replacing the barrel/chamber or the gun.I got the gun back with what appears to be deep,large vise crush marks in the chambers.Keep in mind,I have owned a couple of the older Red Labels and had zero problems,liked those,but if a problem arose.WOW,this still pisses me off,their customer service/repair will never see anything from me to destroy.I still have that gun if anyone wants to see it.You will here me cussing to be sure.Anyway,back to the Brownings.Purchase a gun with ejectors/not extractors.The price on the extractor guns is great,but I have been sorry when I used them.I have never had the CZ,like the other fellow mentioned,but they look nice.The Browning can be found for around $750 if you look hard and have the money ready.I had a very clean Citori set aside at a gun shop for a friend to purchase for $700.He bought it and shoots nothing but that,and he has some nicer guns.The Berettas are very good also,but seem to fetch more money.

[goldduster]

Hi Seamus,

Had a great time with you and the guys last Saturday and looking forward to doing it again.
As you may rememger I had problems with my Citori, which I must attribute to very dirty (Kent) ammo and the gun being very tight (first time out). After a good cleaning Sat nite I went out Trap shooting on Sunday and put 75 rounds thru it (Federated and Remington). It work flawlessly; I can say that I am delighted with my Citori.

Regards, Mark

[orlydose1]

Go with browning. I got my browning citori satin hunter on gunbroker for $1100. That included shipping and transfer fees.

[jchen76@gmail.com]

Buy, cry once get a used browning. Got a good deal in featherlight citori in 12ga on the for sale forum.

[redrex]

I would stay away from the Turkish imports. It's better to get a lower model Good gun, than a Top of the line POS

The need for people on this board to trash talk other guns in order to feel better about their purchases produces an epic level of BS. I'm surprised the EPA hasn't closed this site down already

Of course no one wants to hear that they spent $50k on a Cadillac and could have gotten a more reliable Honda for $25.

The fact is there are crap American guns and good American gun. There are crap Turkish guns and there are good Turkish guns. It's not like all the guns made in Turkey com from the same plant.

CZ has been producing great shotguns over there for sometime. Check out this post from Shotgun World. The posts start in '09 and go up to this month. One guy documenting every round fired from his CZ Canvasback. Now over 17,000 rounds with no problems.

http://shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=137&t=189338

What more do you want from a $550 gun?

I just wish people who talk down other guns as POS actually had some experience with them.

[Iskra]

Shoulder as many of them as you can, if you can't shoot them. They all come up a little different due to weight, balance, length of pull, grip angle, etc. I love my Browning Autoloaders, but their OU's don't come up very naturally for my own personal dimensions & ergonomics. My OU is a Beretta, it just about points itself.

[DannyInSoCal]

I thought this was about gambling.

Nevermind.

Carry on....

[ragenmoan]

get a used browning with removable chokes. i bought a used citori and a used bt99 on gunbroker both for less than $800 each. I've split about 5 rounds through both of them and there still running great....

[JaMail]

hey seamus, im in the same position you are.. went one time and got hooked on sporting clays and skeet.

i went with the used savage stevens goldwing (turkish) on gunbroker from this seller who seems to sell alot of sample guns and blemish guns.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/SellerAuctions.aspx?User=1659732

He occasionally does auctions with 2 shotguns as a set, a 12ga and a 20 for 650, he had a special edition set when I bought mine but I wasnt sure I would like it so I went with the single gun, now im regretting it since im looking for a 20ga for my wife.

the only things i could find online about it that were negative was that the gold pheasant was cheap looking and one person complained about the finish.. which I found surprising since the finish on mine was very very nice. majority of the reviews I could find were when they first intro'd the goldwing models, its 5 years later so maybe savage had the factory change the process..


after looking at a couple at turners, i agreed with the gold decal ones looking cheap. see below.. so i spent the extra 40.00 on this guys special edition model and got a plain black receiver.

the silver special editions seem to be the best looking. as far as usage.. i did one of don zieglers skeet clinics with it and i was breaking clays.. so i got a cheap, good looking gun, that breaks clays for under 500.

So far ive shot 300 rounds.. 100 with don in one session in the rain, with zero problems, and another 200 in about 2 hours in a light sprinkle.. once again, with zero problems. i guess ill have to wait till i get up into the thousands mark before i can see if it starts falling apart.

I bought it so I could go a couple times a month, and see if I kept at it long enough to warrant a 1k or 2k gun like one of the 3 B's or a Ruger red label.

everything seems extremely well fitted with one exception which ill get to.. everything locks up tight.. it fits well against my shoulder. i dont feel uncomfortable in any way when i bring it into position.

the only bad thing, the fore end latch that holds it all together has a tendency to lift out slightly when firing, so if im holding it wrong, it pinches the skin on my finger, its so shallow i dont feel it, but i end up with a bunch of paper cut type skin flaps, but unlike a paper cut it doesnt go deep enough to hurt.

I havent had a chance to take it apart to see if maybe the spring is to strong, or if the wood needs to be sanded under the hardware to stop this from happening. if I hold it behind the latch, no issues, if i let my grip wander and hold it to far forward.. it does its thing.

this guy sells them between 320 and 399, depending on receiver color and engraving.

my total cost was 379 for the gun, 20 for shipping and 75 at RifleGear for the out of state + dros.

474 out the door for something they are selling at turners for 800 OTD.

all i can say, stay away from the one with the gold decal, it really does look cheap.

hope this helps.

Cheap looking gold pheasant.


Plain Black reciever looking better.



Silver edition #1



Silver special scene edition looking best in my opinion..