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Lets say your about to buy yourself a nice O/U,
Main purpose of this gun is sporting clays and trap,
Are you grabbing a 30 or 32?
Then, any thoughts on a Berreta 686 Silver pigeon 1,
or Browning 725 sporting?
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When the game came here there were a lot of 30’s being used. As the shooters became more experienced 32’s and 34 O/U’s became the normal. Today a 30 inch O/U is hard to get rid of amongst the SC crowd.
The Beretta 680 series may be the most durable O/U’s ever made. Also the easiest to rebuild.
Dedicated trap and SC guns, may have significant differences, depending on how serious one is for each game. An adjustable comb is you friend.
Last edited by battue; 04/10/19.
laissez les bons temps rouler
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For what you describe I would happily grab a Beretta 32" and break rocks!
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
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Campfire Ranger
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Guy I know put around 200,000 rounds down a 682 and didn’t give it all that much care. Replaced some firing pins and ejectors along the way. Finally had to rebuild it completely.
Last edited by battue; 04/10/19.
laissez les bons temps rouler
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An adjustable comb is you friend. Understood, especially on a dedicated trap gun, but what about a mix of trap and sporting clays?
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Campfire Ranger
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An adjustable comb allows one to get a pretty good fit no matter what the game is.
Raise it for trap rising targets and bring it down for sporting, where all of them are not climbing or at warp speed as in trap.
laissez les bons temps rouler
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Campfire Ranger
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You may get a sporter off the rack that fits you, but with an adjustable comb you can be assured or fine tune it to be better. You also have the option to raise it for trap.
laissez les bons temps rouler
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The adj comb does what?
raises your head so your shots are higher for the rising bird?
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It can raise the comb to make it shoot higher, it can lower the comb to make it shoot lower, it can move to the right so the shot goes to the right, it can go to the left so the shot moves left, it can be set just right so your eye is centered over the rib. Then you leave the left and right alone, but have the option of raising it for trap or lowering it and making it more flat for sporting.
laissez les bons temps rouler
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laissez les bons temps rouler
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Lets say your about to buy yourself a nice O/U,
Main purpose of this gun is sporting clays and trap,
Are you grabbing a 30 or 32?
Then, any thoughts on a Berreta 686 Silver pigeon 1,
or Browning 725 sporting?
What do you shoot now, in terms of shotgun, and where are you in terms of the games, if I may ask. Because you can shoot whatever strikes your fancy. Now as battue points out there are definite trends associated with greater success, big picture/many targets/competition. But what are you already comfortable with and fit well for will matter far more presently than browning vs beretta, 30 vs 32”. But anyway, you asked: 686 in 30”, and twice so if you already shoot auto/pump in 28” (about same overall lengths). If you already shoot a 30” or 32” double, shrug; whichever you like. All else being equal, given a decent swing, i’d wager a tick faster gun will benefit the joyfully varied (unexpected) SC presentations more so than an extra 2” is ever going to tangibly benefit trap, particularly in a do it all gun. But, hey, that’s just my opinion. End of the day, just enjoy shooting. Would also wager if you’re at it a while, your preferences or curiosity at least will have you trying something different again anyway.
Golldammed motion detector lights. A guy can’t even piss off his porch in peace any more.
"Look, I want to help the helpless. It's the clueless I don't give a [bleep] about." - Dennis Miller on obamacare.
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I'm a very average shooter in clays, generally only shoot several times a year with friends,,,, My trap game is declining for some reason. Part of that reason could be trying several different guns, or,
I just suck at it.....
870 full choke 30 inch,
or I'll grab my Benelli M1 with 24 inch barrel, love this gun for turkey and such but for clays it has my worst average,
Sometimes I'll grab my Sons M1 with 26 inch barrel for trap and my average goes up a few birds.
But lately, 15 birds a round has been a struggle...
I understand the Indian is more important than the arrow,
but thinking about getting into a league with friends and looking to treat myself.
I enjoy SC but a trap range is much closer to home and trap often wins the coin toss.
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Lets say your about to buy yourself a nice O/U,
Main purpose of this gun is sporting clays and trap,
Are you grabbing a 30 or 32?
Then, any thoughts on a Berreta 686 Silver pigeon 1,
or Browning 725 sporting?
Most definately buy a the shotgun of your choice with 32 inch barrels.. As others have side in this thread 30 inch barrels on the used market are not easy to re-sell. I find the Browning 725 32 inch sporting barrels a slimmer profile than the Beretta 680 series 32 inch barrels.and much easier to swing. Beretta does weigh their barrels with the barrel weight so stamped near the breech block. I have shot Beretta guns with a barrel weight stamped 1.400 KG that were so much smoother than my own 32 inch barrels of 1.490 KG. So similar to a Browning 725 sporting. Beretta's advantage is your can add different barrels of gauge and length ( or the 12 gauge frame) if you so desire.. Browning does not offer additional barrels for their shotguns unless offered as a factory built offering. My own Beretta sporting gun has 12 and 20 gauge barrels fitted to the same 12 gauge frame. The Browning 725 and Beretta 680 series is the number 2 and 3 selling sporting guns in the United Kingdom accounting for over half of all the sporting shotguns sold. Likely not much different here in the US.
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Thanks for all the advice guys.
There's a 725 headed this way, looking forward to this delivery.
The adjustable comb really had my interest but fairly rare in leftys,
The 725 lefty was a limited run for 2019 shot show, didn't realize how limited they actually were,
until I decided to pull the trigger, There's only a few out there.
Had to make my move quickly, also a rebate that ends Monday.
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A good Smith that works on competition guns, can cut it and add the adjustable comb hardware. It will look like it came that way from the factory.
Last edited by battue; 04/13/19.
laissez les bons temps rouler
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Try make fine adjustments to your shooting. If your hits are causing the target to go down when hit, you are hitting the top of the clay. If it breaks up, you got it in the tail. Left, you hit the right side, right, you hit the left side. I wouldn't over analyze either. Make sure you are doing something consistently before you try to correct. Also don't aim it like a rifle, point it and concentrate on the target. This is where the adjustable comb others mentioned will come into play. If it is fitting you right, you should be able to close your eyes, mount the gun, and when you open your eyes you should be looking straight down the rib or making a figure 8 if it has two beads.
Also on trap, try to shoot early, as the longer you wait, the target transitions. Early it is rising, wait a bit and it is flat, wait a little longer and it is going down. By shooting early, you will always have a rising target. If you wait too long you will tend to miss over it as when you pull the trigger it has stopped rising and may in fact be dropping.
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Campfire Kahuna
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When the game came here there were a lot of 30’s being used. As the shooters became more experienced 32’s and 34 O/U’s became the normal. Today a 30 inch O/U is hard to get rid of amongst the SC crowd.
The Beretta 680 series may be the most durable O/U’s ever made. Also the easiest to rebuild.
Dedicated trap and SC guns, may have significant differences, depending on how serious one is for each game. An adjustable comb is you friend. Just saw this thread.. battue, you have me curious.. Why the longer barrels for SC? It seems to me the extra length would be more of a hindrance than a benefit.. I admit I've only shot SC twice.. I just didn't enjoy it and thought the cost just didn't justify the participation.. FWIW.
Ex- USN (SS) '66-'69
Pro-Constitution.
LET'S GO BRANDON!!!
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Redneck
The theory is the longer barrel smoothens out your swing and promotes proper follow through. It doesn't always work though. I have a Benelli Super Sport with a 32" barrel. After I first got it and shot it a few rounds, had a heck of a time hitting with it. Was going to get rid of it but decided to try the weighted fore end cap that came with it (bought it used). That made a world of difference. Wasn't whippy anymore and followed through nicely.
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Campfire Kahuna
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OK... I just wondered about those shorter shots (rabbit etc) and thought it would hinder the chances of a hit.. Funny - but right offhand I can't recall if my SKB TSS trap combo is 32/34 or 30/34..  Guess I'll have to open up the case and look. Haven't shot it for about 8 years.. 
Ex- USN (SS) '66-'69
Pro-Constitution.
LET'S GO BRANDON!!!
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Campfire Kahuna
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Which also reminds me.. Anybody interested in a like-new Ithaca/SKB Century II SBT?
Ex- USN (SS) '66-'69
Pro-Constitution.
LET'S GO BRANDON!!!
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I think the length of the barrels should complement how you move the gun and shoot. I have a friend of considerable size who shoots longer barrels better, they seem to smooth him out. He jerks around more with shorter shotguns. I see smaller stature people who can't seem to get the longer barrels moving as easily. A young woman at the gun range I shoot at comes to mind. Her husband set her up with an auto and 30" barrels and she can't seem to get it going. Gets to be a lot of gun out there to get moving and keep moving. Some cases that helps. others it hurts. YMMV.
Last edited by BKinSD; 04/17/19.
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Longer barrels closer sight picture. Length doesn't smooth your swing, weight does. Of course longer barrels tend to weight more apples to apples. Longer barrels doesn't hurt any with up close presentations. 32" barrels are a good place to be in SC, I personally love 34" barrels.
Eat Fish, Wear Grundens, Drink Alaskan.
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Picked up the new one today, very nice.
I went with the 32 inch, All I do know is my 24 inch Benelli was usually my worst average,
I believe the short light barrel was too fast,
Or,
I just suck.
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The barrel length is determined to a great extent by the barrel weight. Not all barrels weigh the same so one could easily end up with 30" barrels in one gun weighing as much or more than a set of 34" barrels in a different brand or line.
I made my first run through the ranks of sporting clays with a 30" Browning Citori 3.5" chamber Hunter model with Invector+ chokes. After adding a mercury recoil reducer and a thick Kick-Eez recoil pad, the gun was pretty lively, even though it weighed 10+ pounds. I stepped out of competition for a bit but when I returned I tried out a 34" B. Rizzini that I loved. I was offered any gun by Browning so started shooting a 32" Browning 525 Sporting model. That was a mistake as the gun was very muzzle heavy, even with the recoil reducer, as much lead shot as would fit in the remainder of the stock bolt hole, titanium choke tubes and a Kick-Eez pad was added. The weight was an ounce or two shy of my old gun but the weight was just too far forward. The longer Browning barrels were too heavy to easily counter balance to my liking and probably would still have still been so with the heavier receiver of my old gun.
The significant difference was the Rizzini barrel were of standard 12 ga inside diameter and had thinner barrel walls than the Browning making the Rizzini's lighter. No added weight was needed to balance out the gun which made the works very responsive. The Browning is over bored and uses rather thick walls so they are pretty heavy. When the Invector+ barrels came out! many opted for the older Invector or fixed choke guns as the barrels were lighter due to being of standard internal diameter. I shoot the gun well but I have to put a bit more effort and concentration into it ad it is not as effortless as my old gun or that Rizzini so it would behoove a person to handle, if not try, a gun before buying.
I hear the 725 seems to have lighter barrels but have not shot one to know for sure. My 525 felt pretty good in the showroom but not so much after a bit of use. As the OP has already bought his gun my experiences won't help him but it is something to consider for others.
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The barrel length is determined to a great extent by the barrel weight. Not all barrels weigh the same so one could easily end up with 30" barrels in one gun weighing as much or more than a set of 34" barrels in a different brand or line.
I made my first run through the ranks of sporting clays with a 30" Browning Citori 3.5" chamber Hunter model with Invector+ chokes. After adding a mercury recoil reducer and a thick Kick-Eez recoil pad, the gun was pretty lively, even though it weighed 10+ pounds. I stepped out of competition for a bit but when I returned I tried out a 34" B. Rizzini that I loved. I was offered any gun by Browning so started shooting a 32" Browning 525 Sporting model. That was a mistake as the gun was very muzzle heavy, even with the recoil reducer, as much lead shot as would fit in the remainder of the stock bolt hole, titanium choke tubes and a Kick-Eez pad was added. The weight was an ounce or two shy of my old gun but the weight was just too far forward. The longer Browning barrels were too heavy to easily counter balance to my liking and probably would still have still been so with the heavier receiver of my old gun.
The significant difference was the Rizzini barrel were of standard 12 ga inside diameter and had thinner barrel walls than the Browning making the Rizzini's lighter. No added weight was needed to balance out the gun which made the works very responsive. The Browning is over bored and uses rather thick walls so they are pretty heavy. When the Invector+ barrels came out! many opted for the older Invector or fixed choke guns as the barrels were lighter due to being of standard internal diameter. I shoot the gun well but I have to put a bit more effort and concentration into it ad it is not as effortless as my old gun or that Rizzini so it would behoove a person to handle, if not try, a gun before buying.
I hear the 725 seems to have lighter barrels but have not shot one to know for sure. My 525 felt pretty good in the showroom but not so much after a bit of use. As the OP has already bought his gun my experiences won't help him but it is something to consider for others. Correct I should have explained it and not just said comparing apples to apples. I like the the weight between my hands for the most part.
Eat Fish, Wear Grundens, Drink Alaskan.
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The barrel length is determined to a great extent by the barrel weight. Not all barrels weigh the same so one could easily end up with 30" barrels in one gun weighing as much or more than a set of 34" barrels in a different brand or line.
I made my first run through the ranks of sporting clays with a 30" Browning Citori 3.5" chamber Hunter model with Invector+ chokes. After adding a mercury recoil reducer and a thick Kick-Eez recoil pad, the gun was pretty lively, even though it weighed 10+ pounds. I stepped out of competition for a bit but when I returned I tried out a 34" B. Rizzini that I loved. I was offered any gun by Browning so started shooting a 32" Browning 525 Sporting model. That was a mistake as the gun was very muzzle heavy, even with the recoil reducer, as much lead shot as would fit in the remainder of the stock bolt hole, titanium choke tubes and a Kick-Eez pad was added. The weight was an ounce or two shy of my old gun but the weight was just too far forward. The longer Browning barrels were too heavy to easily counter balance to my liking and probably would still have still been so with the heavier receiver of my old gun.
The significant difference was the Rizzini barrel were of standard 12 ga inside diameter and had thinner barrel walls than the Browning making the Rizzini's lighter. No added weight was needed to balance out the gun which made the works very responsive. The Browning is over bored and uses rather thick walls so they are pretty heavy. When the Invector+ barrels came out! many opted for the older Invector or fixed choke guns as the barrels were lighter due to being of standard internal diameter. I shoot the gun well but I have to put a bit more effort and concentration into it ad it is not as effortless as my old gun or that Rizzini so it would behoove a person to handle, if not try, a gun before buying.
I hear the 725 seems to have lighter barrels but have not shot one to know for sure. My 525 felt pretty good in the showroom but not so much after a bit of use. As the OP has already bought his gun my experiences won't help him but it is something to consider for others. Correct I should have explained it and not just said comparing apples to apples. I like the the weight between my hands for the most part. I find the Browning 735 barrels a slimmer profile and importantly lighter than previous Browning *25 series guns.
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Picked up the new one today, very nice.
I went with the 32 inch, All I do know is my 24 inch Benelli was usually my worst average,
I believe the short light barrel was too fast,
Or,
I just suck. Well, far as I'm concerned 24" barrels suck and 21" sucks even worse. They swing to fast. Had a 21" M870 Special Field 20 ga shot in front of everything. Then I picked a super clean 12 ga. Montefeltro Benelli with a 24" barrel. Couldn't get it to slow down either after 4 flats+ on low gun skeet ,I was still only shooting 85-90% with it. Stopped in at the gunshop after skeet one day and they had the first M1 Super 90 in the state with wood stocks. The one with the 26" barrel just felt perfect and I traded on the spot, that was 25 years ago it still fits perfect for me. In 91 I won the state class "B" SC event at Willow Ck SC west of Pierre, SD with a 28" barreled Red Label with the side ribs removed, there was a lot of guys there with lots nicer guns than I had. But gun fit and your ability to shoot it all ways trumps a more expensive gun every time. Was I to buy a newer O/U today I'd look no farther that a Browning CXS, unported with the 3" chambers and that wide rib for no other reason than it fits and comes up right every time I shoulder one. best of luck with your new gun. MB
" Cheapest velocity in the world comes from a long barrel and I sure do like them. MB "
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Got out finally last night for 100 rounds, Gun was un-fired by me up to that point,
Broke the first 5 straight and closed with a 20, really happy with that to be honest,
shot another round of trap and hit just slightly less,
then over to sporting clays on a course I never shot before,
26 of 50. I was happy with that......
Like this Gun a lot.
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Got out finally last night for 100 rounds, Gun was un-fired by me up to that point,
Broke the first 5 straight and closed with a 20, really happy with that to be honest,
shot another round of trap and hit just slightly less,
then over to sporting clays on a course I never shot before,
26 of 50. I was happy with that......
Like this Gun a lot.
You were shooting your new Browning 725 I assume?
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