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leftnose

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  1. NSCA (sporting clays) shoot lookup: http://www.nssa-nsca.org/index.php/nsca-sporting-clays-shooting/find-a-shoot/shoot-search/ NSSA (skeet) shoot lookup: http://www.nssa-nsca.org/index.php/nssa-skeet-shooting/find-a-shoot/shoot-search/ Pretty good resource for clays club scouting: http://www.claytargetsonline.com/list.php/ID AFAIK, the ATA (trap) doesn't have a shoot lookup by state.
  2. I don't intend at all to be mean-spirited but this makes me laugh. In a good way. It's great to see enthusiasm right off the bat! The farthest box (in ATA regulation Trap) is the 27 yard line. And the "little building" is called the house. Check out trapshooters.com it's the best trap shooting forum on the web.
  3. Oh, my friend. You've got a way to go! Next, you've got to try sub-gauge clays. And, of course, you're going to need someway to shoot that. Maybe a tube set? A barrel set? A gun in each gauge? Maybe all of the above! But then you're going to need a backup gun for when you start shooting tournaments. And then a rain gun! Next, you're going to take days off work to shoot tournaments out of state. Then you're going to start taking lessons from the pros. Get out now while you can! It's a never ending process! /joking! In all seriousness, it's great fun. I shoot a ton of clays, though I have slowed down a bit in the last couple of years. There was a time when I was taking 10 days vacation a year to shoot tournaments. I made master class and I can't compete there on a national level so I don't have much to accomplish anymore. Now it's gotten back to be all about the fun! Don't lose sight of that! We're in this for the fun.
  4. Shell pouch: http://mpcsports.com/dividedpouchwbelt419t.aspx Spending more than that will only get you fancy materials, not additional utility. A pump gun is just fine for skeet and, once you get used to it, is no handicap at all for doubles. Wayne Mayes, one of the greatest Skeet shooters of all time, started his career with a Winchester 1200 pump. That gun is now in the NSSA hall of fame because he shot so many 100-straights with it. FWIW, all recent 870s are "Magnums." The only difference is the location of the ejector. The magnum ejector is in a different place so that the 3" shells won't get kicked out too early. BUT! You have to pay attention to the barrel. It has to have a 3" chamber to be able to shoot them (a 3" gun is good for 2-3/4" as well). There are Super Magnums as well. They're chambered for 3.5" shells. That's a different gun. For shells, get the lightest most powder puff shells you can get your hands on. No reason to break your shoulder and develop a flinch for close range Skeet targets. 2-3/4" 2-3/4" dram/1200 FPS 1 oz (or 1-1/8 oz. if you can't get 1 oz). 7.5, 8, 8.5, or 9 shot.
  5. Don't buy a 'cheap' O/U. You'll have problems. Guaranteed. More than just paying for the name, there's a reason why Berettas and Brownings are more than twice the price of even a CZ. Either buy a used Beretta or Browning for ~$1,000 or go for a Beretta auto. Don't go for a Benelli auto for clays. They're great guns for hunting and practical shooting but they're not right for clays despite what Benelli's marketing department might want you to believe.
  6. Get a 28" Beretta A300 and call it a day. The A300 is basically the same as the now discontinued 391. The 391 is still the semi auto to use for targets even though it has been replaced by the A400. For whatever reason, probably aesthetic, the A400 has not proven to be as popular as the 391. There are a lot of truly top flight shooters who use 391s. It, and the 300, are great guns that can take you to the top levels of the game. if you're shooting trap, though, get a shell catcher so you're not ejecting empties on the shooter next to you.
  7. Most basically, trap guns shoot a high POI and skeet guns shoot flatter. Think 6 o'clock hold instead of "through the dots." This is because trap targets are always rising when shot whereas skeet targets aren't. The high POI builds in some of the lead and allows the shooter to "float" the target over the gun and keep it in sight. With a flat shooting gun, one has to sweep up and through the target and cover it before pulling the trigger. It's not ideal but it can be done. It just brings an element of timing into the game. In practice though, there are more differences. Trap guns tend to have higher stocks (which is what causes the high shooting) and higher ribs. The high ribs lets the shooter see the target come out of the house sooner as the barrel is lower in the line of sight and not causing an obstruction. Skeet guns tend to have stock dimensions that are a bit lower to keep them shooting flat but high ribs are starting to become the rage in that game as well for the same reason of visibility. Almost without exception, a "serious" trap or skeet gun will be break action. Since trap has a few different games, singles, handicap, and doubles, the "best" trap guns tend to be combo sets with a long single barrel that's used for singles and handicap, and an O/U barrel used for doubles. The single barrel, again, allows for better visibility and quicker acquisition of the target. A 34" single barrel with 32" O/U barrels are probably the most common combo. Skeet guns tend to be a bit shorter with 30" probably the most common length now. Serious shooters all use O/Us with fitted subgauge sets that allow all the events to be shot with one gun. It's even very common to shoot the 12ga and doubles events with the 20ga tubes installed so that the gun always feels the same. So, trap guns: long barrels, shoots high, break action, two barrel sets. skeet guns: shorter barrels, shoots flat, break action, subgauge tubes. At the end of the day, though, you can shoot any gun at any game and still have a blast. It's only if you want to be very truly serious that you need to take a closer look at the equipment used.
  8. Meh, that's a bit high for a used standard grade depending on date of manufacture and barrel config. A flat rib standard grade with a 10-6 rib and Ti chokes should go for about $8K max. Pro sporter a bit more and the Parcours is too new yet to have an established value on the used market.
  9. I'm a bit late to this party but all the powder companies have their reloading data online. Going straight to the horse's mouth is always better than relying on third party information. All the 7/8 oz. e3 data, straight from Alliant: http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/powderlist.aspx?type=2&powderid=20&gauge=12 Just filter by primer and then look at the different loads combinations published for 7/8oz
  10. The Golden Clays is exactly the same as the base model 625 in terms of mechanical durability. It's just got some stuff on the receiver and nicer wood. In no particular order: Browning, Beretta, Blaser, Guerini, Perazzi, Krieghoff, Kolar Those are the brands to stick to and you won't go wrong. Pick the one that fits you best, fits your budget and you like. Don't be afraid to look at a used gun. Or better yet, take the money you would spend and buy targets and ammo instead. That'll do more to improve your shooting than a new gun.
  11. The 3901 has been replaced by the 300. The 3901 is basically the same as a 390 but made in the US instead of Italy. The 300 is basically the same as a 391 but made in the US instead of Italy. They "retire" the old model when replaced and bring the tooling here to build "budget" guns,. Either a 3901 or 300 would be a great choice.
  12. Well, if you have fitted subgauge tubes, you'll have to get two tubes that are the same as what are in the gun now as the tubes won't fit if the chokes are different. Assuming the gun is choked SK/SK now, you'll have to get two SK chokes. Why do you want a full choke? Are you planning on shooting 25+ yard handicap trap? I don't honestly see a need for a full choke for clays for any other reason. I get the steel-proof chokes "just in case." I only shoot lead through those guns but "you never know." The only difference is the tube itself so you can always buy steel-proof choke tubes later. I also prefer extended chokes for ease of use but, again, I just think Briley's standard extended thinwalls look dumb because the extended portion is so long. This may not bother you. I just ask for the "short" extension.
  13. I've had Briley thread two guns for me. There's no one else in the US that I would use for this but PUT YOUR ORDER TO THEM IN WRITING. Both times the gun came back with tubes different than what I ordered. It all got straightened out in the end but I'm glad I had the written order to fall back on. The work they do is great and they do things that no one else does (steel proof thinwalls). Again, I wouldn't send a gun to anyone else for this service. As for choke choice, it really depends on what you want to do with the gun. I shoot mainly sporting clays and I'm a proponent of the close/middle/far school of choking so I generally go with .005/.015/.025 (SK/LM/IM) but it really comes down to a matter of personal preference. Beware that the standard extended thinwalls have a very long extended section which looks kind of stupid to me. They have an optional "short" extended which is what I would go with. Talk to them about it if you want to go extended and choose the one you prefer. Just be aware that there are choices. I tend to go with Black Oxide as well, again, for aesthetics. Any other questions?
  14. No, barrel length has no effect on pattern.
  15. This. I have a set of Teague thinwalls in a Perazzi that I gray market imported from the UK. The tapered wrench works very well. Do your chokes come loose if you only finger-tighten them? No real need for a wrench as long as you can get the chokes in tight enough to stay tight.
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