Shooting in a trap league with friends a couple of years ago. Shot with my old Remington 870 Express. I told myself I wouldn't consider another gun until I shot well enough to reward myself.

I hunt pheasant but not any waterfowl. I need something I can carry all day long while still busting clays regularly.

Need a 12 gauge that shoots both 2 3/4" and 3".

Looking to keep it under $2,000. I don't plan on buying another shotgun for a long time.

Looking at Browning 725, Winchester 101, and Weatherby Orion.

Thoughts and opinions are welcome.

Hard to beat a browning citori.All around great shotgun. I also have a 20 ga. weatherby orion grade III fine shotgun as well.

A shotgun that is going to be effective as a target gun will be too heavy to "carry all day".

A shotgun that is light enough to "carry all day" is going to beat you up shooting trap

If you have a hankering for a light O/U field gun, buy a Beretta 687 Ultralite, then buy a Trap barrel and Monte Carlo stock and add some weight to your 870 to shoot trap.

I shoot an 870 for a field gun and Beretta 682's for Clay targets.

Michael

Hard to beat a 11-87 as an all arounder IMO. I have killed almost everything that flys and worked my way to AA with one. There a little heavy but I have never shot light guns of any kind very well, probly due to how much I shoot targets which is a bunch.

O/U are great and no doubt work but if you ever do hunt waterfowl there a bitch in a tight blind or duck boat to load.

Give one a go

I was in your situation, but I only hunt grouse a few hours so weight wasn't as critical.

I bought a browning 725 and glad I bought it over other makes.

I want to look at a savage steven 555 for a grouse gun someday. Its a cheaper and light alternative that got good reviews.

I've used a Browning Citori as my go-to trap gun (club shooting, 4-6 rounds per session maybe twice/month) and have carried it for pheasants a few times and never felt undergunned or overweight. (The gun, not me. ) No bruised shoulder after a day of trap or SC's (but then again I use 7/8 and 1 ounce light loads for everything). Twenty years old (again, the gun not me) and still locks up like the proverbial bank vault. I love my SxS's, but the Citori is a true work horse.

The best gun is the one that fits you best. Much as I like Brownings, the Citori doesn't fit me nearly as well as a Beretta. Beretta's hold up pretty well too. I don't shoot targets as much as a competitive shooter, but my 40 year old BL-4 has been used enough to look pretty faded, and it's tight as a tick.

All three you named are good guns. Buy the one that fits you. You might like the SKB/Ithaca OU also. Like the song says, you better shop around.

+1 If it doesn't fit, it ain't worth jack!

Absolutely spot on, a Remington 1100 or a 11/87 are just plain easy to shoot for most of the shotgunning population.


Doc

when you play football, you wear cleats.
when you watch tv, you wear slippers.

wanting a trap/field gun is like trying to wear cleats in the living room.

you need a bonified trap gun and a bonified field gun.

field guns are normally 50/50 patterns.
trap guns are 70/30 patterns.

even if you gotta 60/40 gun right down the middle as many have suggested, (i/e: 1100, 11-87, etc...) youd be ok at both uses, but not great.

get 2 pair of shoes.

Heavy enough to cut down the recoil effect from more than a little trap isn't all that much fun to carry all day long. Light enough for quick use in the field isn't the best for trap.

Under two grand? Forgo the O/Us and get yourself a dedicated 870 trap and another for the field. Or...one 870 receiver, two stocks, one trap and one field. Trap stocks have a higher comb, which raises the POI for essentially rising targets. Then two barrels, one trap and one field. Sometimes the rib on a trap barrel is angled to make it shoot higher and they tend to run on the long side when it comes to field use. Field ribs are normally flat shooting. Changing out stocks and barrels is righty tighty lefty loosey.

As mentioned above, if you are serious about either sport then two different shotguns are the way to go.

Or find your trap O/U and then look around for a reasonably priced Model 12 16gauge for the field. They are an easy all day carry. You may bust the budget a little, but not by much.

I agree with battue.. Two 870''s is an excellent idea. Or an O/U and a pump.. Thing I never liked about doubles is they often, for me atleast shoot both barrels to the same point of impact.. I am more of a rifleman, that bugged me no end..

I meant to say doubles seldom shoot both barrels to the same point of impact.. Especially at 27 yards

I don't know, I'll stick with my original premise. My Citori shoots flat as a field gun should, and in my club shooting with it if I break less than 95x100 I go home feeling kinda bad. Were I to engage in registered ATA shoots I would probably add a dedicated trap gun, but then the fun would go out of it for me. (It's borderline boring now, to me.) But, trap is a numbers game and the difference between finishing "in the money" and an also-ran is usually just a couple targets out of hundreds. If those couple of targets are key to your enjoyment of the game, then get a purpose-built trap gun by all means.

Hard to beat a good 870 or Model 12 for singles trap. Usually an easy fix if something goes wrong. Especially an 870. Weight one up with an eye towards balance and they don't kick all that much or equal to an O/U.

Shoot O/U's a lot-like 10,000 per year-and you will eventually be looking at a new locking lug. Seen enough top lever springs go south that it isn't rare with heavy use. Same with firing pins and firing pin springs. Browning makes a stout O/U, but the inertia triggers are known to get a little out of sorts with heavy use. Other top of the line 0/U's suffer some of the same with heavy use.


A lot depends on how much the OP is going to shoot or hunt. However, I've seen more than a few who went into the games thinking it would be a casual hobby. Then the addiction takes hold and soon they are mainlining.

O/U and semis are the rage, but for singes trap a good pump set up right gives up nothing to them.

I agree, I don't like to carry a heavy gun hunting, don't like to get beat up shooting 300 rounds an afternoon either. I never had a problem in the field with a high shooting gun however, I can't stand one that shoots low.

What battle said. Two 870s or one with two stocks and barrels. Two distinct Wingmasters will still be under two grand. And like Citoris, they will last forever.

Best wishes,

Jack