Good reasonably priced O/U
New to the forum. Just wondering if anyone has some thoughts on a reasonably priced O/U shotgun. Typically I shoot rifles, however, in order to be social in the local shooting community, I'm getting into the shotgun scene. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually finding it's way more fun then expected. But why are these so expensive? For $3000 I can get a brilliant rifle that shoots sub-MOA all day long, but that's hardly entry level for shotguns, why? I'd like to find a solid, accurate O/U to get into the game with, without dropping a fortune. I'm good with a grand, but what's up with the $10k plus guns? Are they really better? How???
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Look at SKB, made in Japan. I've shot an Ithaca/SKB for many years now, it is a nice shotgun, function and fit are very good. The SKB I have is a trap gun, does not have screw in chokes. I have a 20 gauge o/u with chokes for shooting Sporting Clays and skeet.
Shop, look at some of the older Browning's, with due diligence I'm sure you will find a nice looking, very serviceable o/u in your price range.
I have found that my ol' SKB will break as many birds as a Ljutic, if I do my part.
W.D.0 -
As far as name brands go you can get a good field grade Browning Citori for not much more than $1K. It's not that shotguns are so expensive, it's that rifles are so cheap. 0 -
Might help if we knew what your goal was. What are you going to be doing, hunting, trap, skeet, sporting clays, or? 0 -
I never really liked double barrels. I did as a kid get to shoot a prototype 3200 Remington, very fast lock time. Gramp's Browning Citori was nice and a buddies SKB seemed nice too. 0 -
Ruger Red Label is a value shotgun 0 -
Ditto the Citori. Japanese with xlnt quality fit & finish, durability, and accuracy. If SKB is near that, check 'em both out. And yes, Ruger also.
Any type firearm can be cheap or mega-bucks, right? How about a Holland & Holland rifle for over $100,000?
Scatter gunnin'? As Jonk asked, there are many different uses that will determine things as type of stock shape, weight, barrel length, chokes, etc. And importantly, just how much you want to get into all of it for just one discipline, specially so for serious competition?
Otherwise, for week-end fun blastin' clays with friends say, and for multiple use without breaking the bank on a custom fit job, find one one that fits you, and preferably that has screw-in chokes, and learn the basics first.
You may be amazed, least I was with a bare bones Citori Hunter model. And this is an older one without the screw-in chokes which came years later, and is still my favorite shotgun.
45er0 -
Part of the reason O/U shotguns cost more is that fewer are made (less economy of scale) and simple production cost is higher. IE regulating the two barrels to hit the same spot requires some work.
I second Ruger Red label as decent O/U at reasonable price. You should be able to find a good-to-excellent used one at the $1000 price point.
Unfortunately, I don't remember the brand (might have been Huglu...not sure) but I've shot a "budget" Turkish made O/U as a loaner that I found surprisingly easy to hit with. Didn't have the smoothest action, but the gun itself looked OK, I don't think the broken clays noticed. IMO, this was probably more a function of how this particular gun fit my particular anatomy than anything else. Anyway, you probably pick one of these up for well under $1000, maybe under $800.
I also happen to like O/Us, but you don't *have* to have one. They only give you one choke (at a time), but semis will break the clays just as well, cost less, *AND* (most important) will save extra wear and tear on your shoulder from reduced recoil.
Beretta Urika is a great semi, and you can find these for under $1000, too.0 -
IF you are going to be clay bird shooting, it is hard to be a Browning Cirori. If you plan on doing a lot of it, make sure you get one that is factory back bored and ported. THat takes a lot of the recoil sensation out of it, and makes them more pleasurable to shoot.
You can get into their game specific models for around $2K+/-. By game specific, I mean the XT for trap, XS for skeet, and the Sporting clays model is a hybrid between the two. Just like rifles, it does not hurt to have more than 1. YMMV
Best0 -
I bought a Ruger Red Label sporting used for $775, probably the best handling o/u I've bought so far. 30 in. barrels and 8 Briley tubes. Works great for skeet and sporting clays. 0 -
this is your gun.....
http://www.GunBroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=4578338560 -
Another vote for Beretta the 686 is a very good ITEM but so are the older used O/U/ they run anywhere fro $600.00 to big bucks like a SO4 side lock model . But my Favorite O/U/ is the Valmet model I have one receiver with 6 Barrel sets 20 Ga O/U 12 Ga O/U and 4 rifle combo 12Ga 3inch over rifles from 222- 9.3X74 R My 243 12 ga & 30/06 /12 ga.shoot sub MOA groups
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The other 2 receivers I sold all six barrel set will fit the one receiver with Double triggers I like double triggers note the scope mounts on the combo barrel sets . My Beretta's are also double trigger Model 57E one 20 Ga one 12 Ga0 -
I bought a CZ Canvasback 28" barrels, with extractors for trap shooting
at the time because the fine ones are expensive. Back than they were
$5-600 and now they're $850.
My preference would have been the CZ RedHead O/U with 26" barrels, with
auto-ejectors...which are now around $900.
Lots of preferences which way you want to go, auto ejectors or
extractors(I reload my hulls and didn't want to chase empties).
I'd prefer the 26" barrels but chose the gun on sale as that's what
I could afford at the time.
good luck and do research on your pick, Thor0
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