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O/U or semi auto


washerboy
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My son had just started showing an interest in clay shooting, he had a lesson yesterday and then shot my a/u today, it's not a perfect fit for him but he did manage to small a few clays.

My question is would he find it easier to continue with a over and under that fits him or a semi auto that fits?

I have no idea regarding clay shooting with a semi auto.

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Given your lad is 5ft 4 I would imagine there would be no reason why he couldn't manage a 12, try him with 21 gramme loads and a lot of recoil will be absorbed through the gun. People make the mistake of a light gun but the felt recoil is a lot more than through a heavier gun. Good luck and plenty of encouragement.

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I would look for a cheap auto with a wood stock which can be easily shortened and then lengthened as required, at a later date. IGNORE all of the comments regarding auto's being more dangerous than an over and under, trust me they are NOT. Buy a plastic breech clip and get the lad to fit that into the open breech BEFORE leaving the stand. Carry the gun around the ground in a gunslip, remove from slip at each stand, remove the plug when INSIDE the stand. After shooting, replace the plug, leave stand, return gun to slip. What could be easier ? As he progresses, you may wish to consider an over and under. Rather than looking for a 'youth' gun, by then he will probably need a full length stock anyway. 1 lesson with a decent Instructor AFTER you have bought the gun, should teach him all about the safe handling, loading and unloading and even the required stock length. In all of the years that I was involved with running a shooting ground, the few incidents that we had, ALL involved over and unders and NOT an auto. The auto will probably be lighter in weight and will absorb recoil a lot better. With use, his upper arms and chest muscles will develop, which should make the gun easier to handle

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Semi autos aren't unsafe by any means and I've ran one for pigeon shooting for years, but apart from the lower recoil (which was never an issue for me when I was 15 with my first 12 bore) I just don't see the advantage of a semi auto over an o/u for clay shooting only and especially not for a beginner.

You only have one choke for a start so can't choose between the two, there's generally more to go wrong and they spray the empty shells everywhere.

As well as that no matter what you say it's not as easy to keep an eye on how many shells are loaded/check the barrels and grounds just seem to frown on them as a rule whether that's right or wrong!

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Semi autos aren't unsafe by any means and I've ran one for pigeon shooting for years, but apart from the lower recoil (which was never an issue for me when I was 15 with my first 12 bore) I just don't see the advantage of a semi auto over an o/u for clay shooting only and especially not for a beginner.

You only have one choke for a start so can't choose between the two, there's generally more to go wrong and they spray the empty shells everywhere.

As well as that no matter what you say it's not as easy to keep an eye on how many shells are loaded/check the barrels and grounds just seem to frown on them as a rule whether that's right or wrong!

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What I find more concerning are the idiots with O/U and S x S guns that remove them CLOSED from a gunslip and then wave them around while they find somewhere to put the slip, THEN they may open them. Have a look around any clay ground, there are more empty cases in and at the rear of the stand, these are from the opening gun brigade who just eject them anywhere, except the bin. A lot of people use an auto because of recoil issues and shoulder injuries and they are usually far safer than most shooters, due to the unfair prejudice of other shooters. I use an O/U, but I have the same choke in each barrel, I therefore do not need to choose between the two. I also use an auto for pigeon shooting, but was forced to use an auto for clays too, after a shoulder op.

Edited by Westley
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That does throw a different light on things then. Just a bit !!!! :lol:

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I still maintain that auto's are no more dangerous than any other type of gun. ALL guns are perfectly safe, until........................someone picks them up !

Very very true as many a moron carry a SBS as an auto..... just easier to tell with a SBS

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Will go down the road of finding him a shorter o/u 12 bore... I'm not having the messing about of buying him 20 bore and me 12

At 18 he does NOT require a 20 bore, apart from the cost of feeding it, for use on clays. Just get him a 12 bore and get the stock length double checked before having it made shorter. Most of the older guns will probably be in the region of a 14 1/2" length stock anyway.

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Β 

What I find more concerning are the idiots with O/U and S x S guns that remove them CLOSED from a gunslip and then wave them around while they find somewhere to put the slip, THEN they may open them. Have a look around any clay ground, there are more empty cases in and at the rear of the stand, these are from the opening gun brigade who just eject them anywhere, except the bin. A lot of people use an auto because of recoil issues and shoulder injuries and they are usually far safer than most shooters, due to the unfair prejudice of other shooters. I use an O/U, but I have the same choke in each barrel, I therefore do not need to choose between the two. I also use an auto for pigeon shooting, but was forced to use an auto for clays too, after a shoulder op.

Sadly I don't think the idiots you're talking about would be any safer with a semi auto!

Same goes for the shells being left behind, they'd be the ones not picking up the auto sprayed shells!

There's nothing wrong with either used correctly, I love autos and how they shoot but I guess I've just never thought about using one for clays specifically as apart from the recoil see no advantage.

I've often thought I'd love to try my auto on driven pheasant (with two shots) as I shoot very well with it, but that's another argument over people frowning on them there too!

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