sandrooney Posted November 28, 2018 Author Share Posted November 28, 2018 Thanks practical_ man. I have been looking at the Beretta A 400 Xcel Parallel Target, 12 gauge, 30 " semi auto. A gun fitter I was talking with highly recommended it as an all around SG. Any thought or experience on this gun would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandrooney Posted November 28, 2018 Author Share Posted November 28, 2018 Maybe I am over thinking all this. I just don't want to spend good money after bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perttime Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 I don't think Beretta makes any bad shotguns. Do you have a specific thing for what you want to do with a shotgun? Beretta calls the A400 Xcel Parallel Target a Trap and Sporting Clays gun. My impression is that people tend to like shorter and faster handling guns for Skeet. For clays, I'd go for an O/U shotgun - but that could be just because it is the usual thing in my part of the world. Anyway, just about any reliable shotgun will do the job, until you are good enough to appreciate the finer details. Some have a great time at clays ranges, using their 3-Gun shotguns.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandrooney Posted November 28, 2018 Author Share Posted November 28, 2018 Thanks. I have narrowed it to the A 400 or the Silver Pigeon Sporting. 12 gauge 30 inch for either. The only thing that is keeping me from pulling the trigger on the Silver Pigeon is I am a little concerned about the recoil with 12 gauge on the O/U. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
practical_man Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 On 11/28/2018 at 8:04 AM, sandrooney said: Thanks. I have narrowed it to the A 400 or the Silver Pigeon Sporting. 12 gauge 30 inch for either. The only thing that is keeping me from pulling the trigger on the Silver Pigeon is I am a little concerned about the recoil with 12 gauge on the O/U. Thanks again I owned a Beretta 391 for a while. That was before the A400 came out. Mine had a 26” barrel which worked well enough across the course. I just hated picking up hulls. Sold the gun for what I paid for it. A 30” barrel on a gas gun will be hard to get moving. The upside is that the longer barrel will help with follow through. I prefer shorter barrels on autoloaders and pump guns. The longer receiver in them makes a difference in how they handle. Recoil in a fixed breech is shotgun stout but not bad. A recoil reducer in the stock can help a lot, and balance out the barrels a bit. I have one and like it. Hard to go wrong with a Beretta shotgun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perttime Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 (edited) That's right. A semi-auto with the same barrel length will have a longer total length than an O/U. Shotgun loads designed for clays are pretty soft. At least compared with heavy hunting loads. Edited November 30, 2018 by perttime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankly Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 For American Trap, a semi-Auto will spit casings at your neighboring shooter standing 4-5 feet away. It can be annoying. There are gimmicky wire traps or the rubber band trick to prevent this but any serious shooter moves to an O/U. In Skeet and SC it's not a problem. Last SC competition I was at, every male competitor used an O/U shotgun. Less maintenance, more reliable. If the gun fits then the recoil is minimal, if it doesn't fit you get beat up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandrooney Posted November 30, 2018 Author Share Posted November 30, 2018 Thanks for all the help. I am going into brain overload trying to figure all this out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perttime Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 Don't think too much. Go and see those shotguns. Try how easily they shoulder, point and swing. Buy the one you like better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandrooney Posted November 30, 2018 Author Share Posted November 30, 2018 6 hours ago, perttime said: Don't think too much. Go and see those shotguns. Try how easily they shoulder, point and swing. Buy the one you like better. I just got back from handling the A400 Xcell Sporting 30" with out the Kick Off. I had already handled the SP 1 but today got to handle them Side by Side. I really liked the A400. I have an opportunity to shoot a 391 and a Browning O/U next week to compare. Should give me kind of an idea. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supermoto Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 (edited) I had a A400 with kick off. I really did not care for the kick off. Made for a weird slow recoil impulse, it was soft, but it felt like the gun was recoiling for too long. I have a Silver pigeon too. recoil is more, but very quick, sharper, but it feels much better. I would also look at the Benelli super sport, very reliable and shoots soft enough that it is the gun my wife prefers to shoot. It has a ramped rib, so I find it fits a little better for heads up shooting, compared to the berettas that I need to really keep my head down on. I rented a browning citori field and was crushing clays with it. It was an old beat up rental gun with who knows how many rounds, big dent in the rib. It shot awesome for me. When its raining, I bring a remington Tac 4 with a 22" barrel, it also shoot great, doesn't like to lock back with light loads, but it hit where I am looking, although the sub 24" barrel is generally frowned upon on sporting clay course and skeet fields It is really going to come down to fit and if the gun shoots where you expect it too. So try as many as you can Edited December 4, 2018 by Supermoto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandrooney Posted December 4, 2018 Author Share Posted December 4, 2018 Supermoto, I will be trying some different ones on Thursday. I had just about decided on the A400 but still have that SP1 on my mind. I like the idea of 2 different chokes for sporting clays and not chasing hulls. Is the recoil manageable with the SP, that is my main concern along with fit? I shot my friends SP 20 ga. and really liked it but I am wanting a 12 ga. Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supermoto Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 If the gun fits correctly and the comb isn't whacking you in the cheek every shot, then the recoil is very manageable. When I first started shooting clays, I used a friends older browning. It was fit for him, but terrible for me. It put me off o/u because I thought they all shot like this and I would need a semi to be comfortable. I later learned it was the gun beating me up not the recoil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandrooney Posted December 4, 2018 Author Share Posted December 4, 2018 Thanks. I shot a browning O/U the other day and it did the same thing on my cheek and figured it was fit. It had a recoil reducer on the stock so not really a fair test. I have a decision to make. I need to make it soon before my brain explodes. The person that has the guns for me to shoot is an instructor so I will get a lesson in as well. He had me pick up 2- 100 packs so I should get to shoot plenty. Will be a good test on the shoulder. I have shot a total of about 30 Clays in my life, so brand new at it. Thanks again, SR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 I didn't read the whole thread but here are my thoughts on shotguns for shooting at clay targets 12 ga - there is no reason to shoot anything else. ammo is cheaper, more bb's, less recoil, better patterns Over / Under - It's all about balance and swing smoothness. The O/U excels in this area. There isn't a single top competitor that shoots an autoloader. Try ( or at least shoulder ) as many as you can. They all feel different in your hand and unless you are going to the expense of a custom stock, find the one that you like. It's not like a pistol where you can just change out the grips for a couple of bucks. Make sure your finger reaches the trigger correctly. Get it fit - The way you interface with the gun is so important. Remember, your eye is the rear sight so you have to put it in the same place every time you mount the gun. A gun that fits will enable you to do that. Also, a gun that sits makes recoil a non-existent thing. Finally, you get what you pay for. A low cost gun will usually wear out faster. It isn't like hunting where you shoot a couple of boxes a year, clean it and put it away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandrooney Posted December 9, 2018 Author Share Posted December 9, 2018 I have an A400 Xcel Sporting on the way. Thanks for all the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supermoto Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 Awesome. Did you get the kick off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeti Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 2 hours ago, sandrooney said: I have an A400 Xcel Sporting on the way. Thanks for all the help. Excellent choice. Pattern it when you do get it and if needed adjust the shims. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeti Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 (edited) Double tap, sorry Edited December 9, 2018 by Yeti lagging internet double post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandrooney Posted December 9, 2018 Author Share Posted December 9, 2018 That's the plan. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 the a400 is an excellent gun. i have 1 with the KO for my backup trap gun. the KO works, but im not a huge fan of it. if i were to do it again id go without it, or even step up to the multi target without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandrooney Posted December 10, 2018 Author Share Posted December 10, 2018 No, I did not get the Kick Off. From what I read these guns don't have an uncomfortable amount of recoil as is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandrooney Posted December 18, 2018 Author Share Posted December 18, 2018 I brought home my A400 last night. I am glad my lesson kept getting pushed back due to weather, so now I will be using my own gun. Weather looks good for this Thursday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandrooney Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 I have had chance to shoot my A400 and love it, but I still couldn't get the Silver Pigeon out of my head. I found a 686 SP1, 12 gauge, 30" sporting on sale and Beretta was giving a $150.00 rebate on top of that, so now I have both. Just need to learn how to shoot them and all will be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elguapo Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 On 12/10/2018 at 5:18 AM, sandrooney said: No, I did not get the Kick Off. From what I read these guns don't have an uncomfortable amount of recoil as is. What you've heard is correct. You made a great choice. Agree with Supermoto on KO. I've shot an A400 with it and it was just weird and unnecessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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