Going to shoot trap/skeet for fun .. did I get the right gun?

[Nimitz]

I've decided to get involved in 3-gun competitions but I also have an interest in shooting trap & skeet (maybe sporting clays & 5 stand) for fun. After a bunch of research I decided to go with the Benelli M2 Field w/21" barrel for 3-gun. Since I'm not going to buy 2 shotguns I decided to also buy a 28" barrel for skeet/trap, etc. So, am I ok or have I screwed up?

[Sarge]

It's been 20 years since I was a registered trap shooter but we never used anything less than 30" for even fun shoots. I used a 34 unsingle. Kind of like shooting USPSA with a Glock 19. Not the best option but it will generally work OK if it's all you got.

I think Skeet was a 26". Not easy to get one gun that will work well in both games.

[JD45]

If your trap and skeet shooting will just be for fun you'll do fine with a 28". But if you want to win in competition, forget buying a barrel. You'll want a dedicated gun for trap, and another for skeet(and tubes for the other 3 gauges).

Edited August 26, 2011 by JD45

[Chills1994]

How does the gun fit (regardless of barrel length)?

[Bill_J]

How does the gun fit (regardless of barrel length)?

How the gun fits you is very important. The rest is going to be technique (stance follow through sight alignment) and then the ability of the gun itself.

Go to the local trap/skeet place and ask their "pro shop" about how the gun fits. Getting the correct offset plate, and the correct length of pull will help out a bunch. Comb height would probably involve a new stock if that had to be changed drastically.

I don't know how much experience you have with clay sports, but I would recommend starting off with trap shooting, getting a good grounding in the fundamentals of how to shoot a shotgun at moving targets. Then moving on to the more challenging things like Skeet.

If you are in it for fun, and to learn ,the gun will work and be competitive against the majority of other people. If you are in it to become a national champ, its going to take much more specialized equipment.

Edited August 26, 2011 by Bill_J

[mildot1]

Face on the stock, eyes on the rock. That is the first thing that will tell you if the gun fits, if you do this and have a perfect swing and timing and still can't break birds the gun don't fit!

I'm not trying to be sarcastic but do you really think that posting on here to get an answer is feasible? We cant see you so we don't know how your built, your stance, how you hold the weapon or anything else.

The best advice I can give you is this.

Go to a gun club. Watch them shoot, find the guy that is breaking a very high average. When he is not busy, sidle over and level with him about your skill level and see if he will help you out. If he is a jack wagon and a lot of them are move on to the next shooter.

Good Luck

[59Bassman]

Just my HO as a former Sporting Clays, 5-stand, and Skeet shooter (who occasionally dabbled in Trap). A semi-auto 12 gauge shotgun set up to shoot where you look will work just fine for Sporting Clays, 5-Stand, and Skeet. It will also work for trap if set up to shoot a bit high. Typically with semiautos, folks select a 30" barrel. A 28" will work, but 30" is a bit easier.

For a while, the Benelli will be a great gun for shooting any of the clay target games. However, if you get serious about it, you may find the recoil gets to be a problem. Most folks end up with over/under target guns (heavy to soak up recoil) or gas-operated autos (lighter but longer recoil pulse).

Your gun will work fine for quite a while, though. Slap in an IC Choke and have a good time.

[Nimitz]

thanks all. That was what I was looking for. Not looking to do any skeet/trap competitons ... my competition focus will be on 3-gun. I had the opportunity to shoot trap a long time ago and it was fun so since I was getting a 3-gun shotgun anyway I wanted to be able to play around in the other areas and figured an M2 with pistol grip stock & 21" barrel was probably not the answer .... I understand that if for some reason I got hooked on competing I'd be looking at special guns for each ...exactly what I'm in the process of doing for 3-gun.

[warpspeed]

Gun is fine. Try shooting some sporting clays or skeet with your 3 gun set up. It is very good practice since you will occasionally have flying clays in 3gun.

[Nimitz]

thx. I was wondering what kind of shotgun scenarios I could expect and it will be fun to show up at the skeet range with a pistol gripped 21" M2 ... should get lots of 'questions' ...

[warpspeed]

This is a gun used to shoot trap at registered ATA shoots:

I think you will be OK.

[Nimitz]

Very nice!

[chefcs5]

I shoot a bit of trap but a lot of sporting clays and 5 stand. i used to get a lot of flack cuz I bring my 1187 that I use for 3 gun. I have a short barrel for 3 gun and a 28 with extended skeet tube for clays and 5 stand. I said I used to but I beat a lot of the guys with gurinies and other 10k guns. am I the best..no but I have fun and I am never in the bottom of the field

[Nimitz]

yeah, not really concerned what others think, just wanted to be sure what I had planned was feasible - don't need it to be perfect ... for those of you who are a bit older you may remember a gentleman by the name of Bobby Riggs - he was an old gtime tennis pro who used to do exibition matches where he'd beat very talented pros with a broom vice a racket ... equipment is all well and good but in the end it's the skill behind it that usually wins the day ...

[Agusta]

You might just call your range as some won't let you shoot skeet with pistol grip. Otherwise your gun is fine.

[EkuJustice]

never seen one that would not allow a full stock with pistol grip. Pistol grip only maby. 30 inch is fine. For skeet a 26inch hasnt been the "norm" for probibally 20 years. Most now use a 30, with occasional 32 or 28. A 26(or shorter) and a 34is pretty rare

[cali shot doc]

i've been shooting trap with a 1930s Ward's Western Field 12g that i just inherited. i've shot 4 rds with it so far and have gotten 18,20,22,21. I'd say your gun is good lol. I know a lot of 3gun shooters the use the M2.

[SMSI]

I am in the same situation as Nimitz as far as putting a 28" barrel on my 3-gun Benelli M2 for clays. Do most of you agree with using the IC choke for sporting clays? I am likewise a casual and infrequent clay shooter.

[59Bassman]

Depending on where you shoot, IC should be just fine. In my experience, the majority of the shots you see will be breakable with an IC choke. Understand that choke selection is a very hotly discussed thing in sporting clays - for a while in the 90's it was in vogue to have a full set of every choke as well as a battery-operated choke changing tool if you wanted to be well-dressed at a clays range.

My "standard" choke has always been a Light Mod, which patterns just a bit tighter than an IC. My wife just leaves her IC chokes in unless it's a 10 yard rabbit or a 50 yard crosser. Your IC choke will be just fine.

[Charles Bond]

You will have a great time with your Benelli shooting trap and skeet and sporting clays. You might want to buy something else later but your gun will do fine for all 3 sports and you will not have a problem with function unlike shooters who drop a heck of a lot more money. If there is one mod I can recommend it would be adding a high rib to your longer barrel. Like any other mod you can spend a lot or a lttle. Enjoy.

[Rudolfo]

I've been shooting clay target games since 1990. I've been an NSCA- certified instructor since 1996, and shoot in A-class for Sporting Clays these days.

I think an IC choke will generally be OK for sporting clays, 5-Stand, Skeet, and Trap singles.

What choke you shoot/need depends on what you want out of your sporting clays/clay target shooting.

If strictly for fun, use the IC and any shells you have, and have fun. Here is what you can expect for reliable hits using an IC choke, with 1 oz 12 ga #7½ shot:

-Most any target presentation - out to 35 yds. Maybe subtract 5 yds from that distance when shooting #8 shot.

-Face or belly presentations (chondelle, teal, and crow-type targets, and battue targets) - 40-45 yds using #8 shot

Each 3000' of elevation increase above sea level - add 5 yds to those distances.

That will likely cover over 90% of sporting targets you will see. For sporting clays and 5-Stand, optimal choke selection and need for multiple chokes sort of depends on how the sporting targets are usually set where you shoot. Smart sporting range managers/target setters do not usually set long targets (more than one or two anyway) on their "recreational" courses. Keeping the customers hitting targets keeps them coming back.

If you are leaning towards being little more serious about skill improvement or what score you shoot, I'd be getting at least one more choke, and probably 2 or 3 more.

For one more, I'd probably pick a Mod (0.020" in 12 ga) or Light ImpMod (0.025").

If you can swing 2 more, I'd choose a Light Mod (0.015") and something around LIMod or IMod (0.025-0.030").

For a 3rd one, it never hurts to have a Full in case you get into an Annie Oakley shoot or some other "long target" game.

Final comment - Extended chokes make changing them easier. I have seen no evidence (and I've shot hundreds of patterns with different choke types, brands, and in many different guns) that extended chokes statistically improve patterning performance in general.The less-costly chokes generally seem to be just as good as the spendy ones. Do not waste your money on ported chokes, or titanium chokes. The key is looking at the internal finish of the choke bore, and the fit where the transition from the barrel bore into the choke tube occurs. Better fit and more polished = less plastic build-up and easier to clean. You can hand-polish your choke bores if they are not real smooth. The Carlsons chokes seem to be pretty good and fairly inexpensive. Briley's regular and plain extended chokes are good but $$. Don't pay for all the color bands, ports, or titanium models - not necessary. I'd avoid the really long, ported, extended chokes made by various companies that are generally quite expensive (unless you are trying to impress your friends with the appearance of you shotgun).

My $6 worth. Of course, YMMV.

Rudolfo

[Tangram]

On the sporting choke part of the question, I shoot IC or Light Mod most of the time. There are times that looser or tighter chokes will have the advantage, but I'm not worried about theoretic perfection. I have broken targets into lots of pieces at 60 yards with an IC. The trick is to get the clay in the center of your pattern. That said. Most of the time a light mod is my choice.

However, you need to buy chokes from skeet to full and find out for yourself. My distraction factor is less, and centering factor is higher when I just study the flight of the target, step into the box and shoot. Others may do better when they feel confident they have the "best" choke(s) for the presentation.

[Round_Gun_Shooter]

This has been very enlightening for me as a very new to clays shooter. So I will ask a question.

One club I am a member of shoots steel shot only. They supply ammo if you want. Will steel pattern different from lead? I need to buy my own steel loads because their Kent shells leave unburned powder in my gun that fowls it.

Thanks again for the posts so far and to the OP for starting this

[Modoc]

Roundgun,

Yes, Steel will pattern differently. It is harder and will not compress down like lead does. My waterfowl shotgun (which doubles for 3-gun) came with a Modified choke that is labeled Mod./Steel-Full.

[Round_Gun_Shooter]

Roundgun,

Yes, Steel will pattern differently. It is harder and will not compress down like lead does. My waterfowl shotgun (which doubles for 3-gun) came with a Modified choke that is labeled Mod./Steel-Full.

Thanks, guess I need to buy my own steel loads and pattern them.