over/under advice

[MidwayMonster54]

I am looking to purchase a over/under shotgun for sporting clays. I am a beginner,so I'm not interested in a expensive gun. I have read both good and bad reviews on the CZ-USA over/under guns. They are in my price range for right now and just need some more feedback on them before I decide. It seems to me the Redhead Delux seems to have the best reviews. Also have looked at Ruger,Stoger, which do you all recomend? thanks!

[evorider]

I just purchased my first over and under shotgun. I purchased a used beretta 686 for 1000. it is a sporting model with the 30 inch barrels and no automatic safety.

[MidwayMonster54]

which barrel length is better for clays 28 or 30?

[JagerDog]

I just purchased my first over and under shotgun. I purchased a used beretta 686 for 1000. it is a sporting model with the 30 inch barrels and no automatic safety.

Better deal than any "also ran" brand IMHO.

which barrel length is better for clays 28 or 30?

Longer barrels are in vogue at this point. Everyone wants 30" and up. The finer the shotgun, the lighter the barrels, the longer you can go. That said, I think of a lot of it too much ado about nothing. 2" closer to the target?

Don't overlook the higher quality autos. They are quite popular even amongst top sporting shooters. Not cheap, but cheaper than equivalent O/U's.

[chuckdc]

I would seriously look more to the used market for a Beretta or Browning like was previously mentioned.

That being said, you might look at one of the "new" Winchester O/Us and see if you can get one from CDNN (they frequently have good deals), or check into the Ruger Red Label.

If I were planning on shooting something a LOT on clays or the like, I would tend to stay away from the CZ guns. The reviews on them have been decidedly mixed in terms of long-term reliability.

[ceh383]

Here we go...

I own a CZ, I also own an FN-SC1. For those that don't know, FN owns Browning and also makes the Winchester O/U's.

Of the guns you mention, I would go with the CZ. CZ guns of the past have had issues with firing pins, these issues have been addressed, anything built after 2008 will be fine.

Better deal than any "also ran" brand IMHO.

In the year + that I have owned mine, the CZ has functioned perfectly. There are several threads on other forums that point to good reliability...Here are a couple...

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=137&t=366282

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

I would not consider a CZ an "also ran brand"

Winchester O/U's were mentioned, If you can get one, they are very good guns...Well worth the money. They are, besides the stocks, exactly like my FN. The action is very similar to a Beretta, known to be very durable. The barrels are Browning, with very good regulation. A very good gun, well worth the money.

Barrel length, here's where things get personal...

My CZ has 28" barrels, my FN has 30". All other things being equal, the 30" gives a better sight plane. The main difference for me, the longer barrels seem to help smooth out my swing.

As a percentage of weight, both guns are almost identical, but the FN weighs close to 1 pound more and has the 2" longer barrels.

There's nothing wrong with 28" barrels, but going to longer ones, may offer an advantage to some.


Shoulder/shoot as many as you can before you buy....

Have fun, good luck....

[Motosurgeon]

I have put countless cases through my 686 30" sporting with 0 issues, it points instinctively, trigger is pretty much telepathic. I shoot skeet, trap, continental, and never felt like I was held back in any way. The trigger is what you will appreciate then the pointability and maybe the wood if you find a nice stock, mine was too dark on one side but very cool on the other. The weight is a toss up. I think it swings nice for a front heavy gun to put it nicely. Maybe I'm just spoild from some other skeet guns I held.

[JagerDog]

Here we go...

I own a CZ, I also own an FN-SC1. For those that don't know, FN owns Browning and also makes the Winchester O/U's.

Of the guns you mention, I would go with the CZ. CZ guns of the past have had issues with firing pins, these issues have been addressed, anything built after 2008 will be fine.



In the year + that I have owned mine, the CZ has functioned perfectly. There are several threads on other forums that point to good reliability...Here are a couple...

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=137&t=366282

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

I would not consider a CZ an "also ran brand"

Winchester O/U's were mentioned, If you can get one, they are very good guns...Well worth the money. They are, besides the stocks, exactly like my FN. The action is very similar to a Beretta, known to be very durable. The barrels are Browning, with very good regulation. A very good gun, well worth the money.

Barrel length, here's where things get personal...

My CZ has 28" barrels, my FN has 30". All other things being equal, the 30" gives a better sight plane. The main difference for me, the longer barrels seem to help smooth out my swing.

As a percentage of weight, both guns are almost identical, but the FN weighs close to 1 pound more and has the 2" longer barrels.

There's nothing wrong with 28" barrels, but going to longer ones, may offer an advantage to some.


Shoulder/shoot as many as you can before you buy....

Have fun, good luck....

Part of the "value" quotient for me is resale, even if I have no intent on ever selling. B guns are expected to run 6 digit rounds. The used market reflects that. It also provides confidence in buying a less than used up B gun.

Few field guns and even recreational clays will ever wear out. A year+ doesn't really tell me much. So few CZ's have seen anywhere near 6 digits to be statistically insignificant Everyone makes the choices which best fit them. I don't begrudge anyone's choices as long as they know why they made them. I also realize that even the best guns have their outliers. Best I can do is put the odds in my favor.

I did handle a CZ at Mels. It was so tight it darn near took 2 people to open the action. That it made it to a retailer like that soured me on the line. What other points get/got skipped in QC? I understand a bit of tightness on a new O/U. This was tight enough that IMHO it was unusable.

I have had issues with a couple cheaper autos when I started shooting higher volumes. The headaches weren't worth the $ savings.

[anti]

Try to find a used Citori 625 sporter or Beretta 682 sporter with 30" + barrels. You may prefer shorter barrels, though, so try to demo some guns at the club if you can.

And FWIW, I'm a trapshooter - not a sporting clays guy - but sporting clays shooters tend to prefer longer barrels just like us. I personally prefer 32" or 34" and by no means am I a big guy; 5'8" 150 lbs.

[wweigle]

I agree you should try to at least handle a few different guns before you chose. I have a Browing Citori and my cousin has a Beretta 686, both 12 gauges. They fit different, similar, but different. I preferred the fit and safety design of the Citori, My cousin who is definitely built different than I am preferred the Beretta. They are both great guns, along with several other in the market. Try to hit a few gun shops that carry several lines if you can. After you have handled a few, I think when you pickup the gun that fits you best out of the bunch, you will know it. Even if you hate shopping like I do, shopping for a new shotgun would not be a chore in my book. Good luck

[JohnnyMtn]

OP - not sure where you are located but if you are in SoCal I would highly recommend you make a trip to Pacific Sporting Arms in Azusa. Imo, they are the premier store to go to if you are looking to purchase a quality sporting shotgun.

Don't be alarmed when you walk in and see $25k guns. They have plenty of shotguns for every price range. But more importantly, they will offer you excellent service. Head in and tell them exactly what you said here. They will treat you as if you are in a high end shoe store and will want you to get the gun you really want.

[chuckdc]

The most important part, really, is fit. As mentioned, most of the better brands of guns will last a long, long time. From the narrowed field, try several and find the one that fits you best. You might also add into the list a used Weatherby Orion or SKB (they made the Orions for Weatherby). They have a good reputation for holding up over time.

After reading the followup posts after mine, it appears that CZ may have improved their quality efforts. The problems I heard about were the firing pin issue mentioned, and a couple of guns that lost fore-end latch parts and self-disassembled in the field. Not explosively, just fell apart in the owners' hands. That soured me some on their stuff.

I have an FN-made Winchester O/U and have been entirely happy with it. It's not the lightest thing out there, but works, every time. I have shot the Citoris, but they don't "work" for me in terms of fit. Berettas have an awesome reputation among the clay-busters I know, and come highly recommended by the guys down here that fix shotguns for a living. I missed out on a great deal on one a few months back for lack of money .. a Silver Perdiz 20ga for 800 bucks....yeah, that hurts. It handled like magic.

[retiredAFcop]

If you have friends who shoot clays, or have a local club, it is not hard to get people to allow you to try various guns. After you've discovered on that you like, find one of those for sale and make sure you get a good fit.

[RedFord150]

I recommend Beretta or Browning, whichever fits you the best.