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Recommend me a clay gun


Old farrier
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18 minutes ago, DUNKS said:

Hi. We obviously approach clay shooting with different attitudes. We shoot for fun and because we love the different guns. Yes there are the dedicated competition shooters at our clay ground going about their serious business in there £500 Gilets and their competition guns. Good luck to them, most are nice guys. I notice you use the word "competitors" We don't compete we just have fun and shoot with un suitable guns.

BUT we don't half shoot well!

Good luck with your search.

Thanks for the reply maybe when I go more I’ll feel less self conscious about it 

I definitely wouldn’t be wearing a tie again 

Having fun and enjoying it with my unsuitable gun just trying to get a idea of what and why the dedicated clay gun works better 

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I am a game, turned clay shooter. I always used a S x S 12 bore weighing in at 6lbs 3 ozs. for my game shooting, a 12 bore Beretta 303 auto for pigeon and some clays, and a Browning 725 for most of my clay shooting. I quickly realized that the S x S was not really suitable for the clay game, not many 65mm clay cartridges around and at 6lb 3oz a bit er.... lively !  I find that the 8 1/4 lbs 725 with 24 gram cartridges shoots very smoothly and a 100 bird shoot is far less tiring. Try as many different guns as you can, before making any decisions though, clay shooters will always let you try their guns if you ask. All that I would add,  regarding the attitude of other shooters towards you, is, be VERY aware of gun safety and where the muzzles are pointing. In my experience, game shooters can sometimes show a total lack of 'muzzle awareness'. Having experienced a few examples of just that,  earlier today. 

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19 minutes ago, Westley said:

I am a game, turned clay shooter. I always used a S x S 12 bore weighing in at 6lbs 3 ozs. for my game shooting, a 12 bore Beretta 303 auto for pigeon and some clays, and a Browning 725 for most of my clay shooting. I quickly realized that the S x S was not really suitable for the clay game, not many 65mm clay cartridges around and at 6lb 3oz a bit er.... lively !  I find that the 8 1/4 lbs 725 with 24 gram cartridges shoots very smoothly and a 100 bird shoot is far less tiring. Try as many different guns as you can, before making any decisions though, clay shooters will always let you try their guns if you ask. All that I would add,  regarding the attitude of other shooters towards you, is, be VERY aware of gun safety and where the muzzles are pointing. In my experience, game shooters can sometimes show a total lack of 'muzzle awareness'. Having experienced a few examples of just that,  earlier today. 

Thanks for the reply and I’ll certainly try the 725 

As for muzzle awareness it’s formost in my mind and was surprised at the number of people who pulled there gun out of the slip without breaking it when it was out far to do so safely 

 

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O regularly shoot clays with a sxs or ou game gun, just because I enjoy shooting them now and again.

My main clay gun is a Benelli supersport. 

The new yildiz Prosport looks very nice as a clay gun and could be used in the field without raising eyebrows. 

Seeing as you like the odd high grade Beretta a DT11 or SO5

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Browning or miroku, my advice, not necessarily brand new even a old 3800 miroku or browning 425xs or xs ultra will do your job, its all about finding a gun that as done very little. Dont discount berettas although i do not feel they are as well made as they used to be, and i do favour the brownings mirokus  for handling, but that is my opinion yomv.

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8 hours ago, figgy said:

O regularly shoot clays with a sxs or ou game gun, just because I enjoy shooting them now and again.

My main clay gun is a Benelli supersport. 

The new yildiz Prosport looks very nice as a clay gun and could be used in the field without raising eyebrows. 

Seeing as you like the odd high grade Beretta a DT11 or SO5

Thanks for the reply found the SO5 had a uncomfortable palm swell and Didn’t suit me very well 👍

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14 hours ago, DUNKS said:

Hi. We obviously approach clay shooting with different attitudes. We shoot for fun and because we love the different guns. Yes there are the dedicated competition shooters at our clay ground going about their serious business in there £500 Gilets and their competition guns. Good luck to them, most are nice guys. I notice you use the word "competitors" We don't compete we just have fun and shoot with un suitable guns.

I am completely with you on this; I use everything from a Darne, through hammer guns, side by sides to modern(ish) o/us.  It's the way I enjoy shooting.

14 hours ago, DUNKS said:

BUT we don't half shoot well!

Still working on this bit!

Seriously though and on topic - I think the advice to try as many as you can.  I have always found that on any clays ground there are many who are very helpful and willing to let you try their pride and joy.  You will find that some don't feel quite right for you, but you will probably find one that does.  Get the type and measurements ...... and off you go.

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I have no idea what your budget is, but there are oodles and oodles of good quality new and secondhand dedicated clay guns out there ( as you’ll know ) to choose from.

My advice would be to take your time and not rush into a purchase. Try as many as possible before you spend your money. 
The thing is, many people just choose a gun they like the look of and learn to shoot it. Even good shots who know they shoot well with a particular model will sell it some time thinking they prefer another or would shoot better with it.

I know of one bloke who shot exceedingly well with a very plain entry grade 325 Browning, but eventually sold it for a very nice G5 525 Browning and his averages dropped and stayed dropped. He now has a very nice high grade Mk 38 Miroku with which he does well, but still struggles to maintain the averages he did with the plain Jane. 
Your average shooter is a weird creature; all it takes is a couple of bad performances and the seed is planted which sees him not only swapping cartridges but looking for a new gun!  I know cos I’ve done it! In my defence  I’m a gun nut, and if I had the money I’d have even more than I currently have. 🙂

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18 hours ago, Old farrier said:

Not knocking the scores 

just seems to me that if I can do that with a game gun I could probably do better with a proper clay gun 

 

My post was supposed to reflect my attitude to clay shooting - light-hearted fun.

As a regular shooter - unless it's raining on the chosen day, I go regularly every two years -  I cannot in good faith really offer any advice on a suitable choice of gun although sometimes I think that this limited experience doesn't prevent some from doing so from what I've seen on my 'regular' outings. If I were to do so, based on what I saw the last time I was at Lakeside, my suggestion would be a bolt action 410 as the owner of the one in question was smashing everything that got airborne.

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3 hours ago, cardigun said:

Percy Stanbury won practically everything with a side by side.  I remember seeing it covered in silver medals in -letted into the stock. I think it was a 30" barrelled Webley , with full choke in both.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have seen that gun and he did incredible well with it 😊

times have moved on in all sports and the over and under now takes most of the prizes 🙂

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4 hours ago, wymberley said:

My post was supposed to reflect my attitude to clay shooting - light-hearted fun.

As a regular shooter - unless it's raining on the chosen day, I go regularly every two years -  I cannot in good faith really offer any advice on a suitable choice of gun although sometimes I think that this limited experience doesn't prevent some from doing so from what I've seen on my 'regular' outings. If I were to do so, based on what I saw the last time I was at Lakeside, my suggestion would be a bolt action 410 as the owner of the one in question was smashing everything that got airborne.

4.10 wasn’t on my list 😂

I like yourself have been a occasional clay shooter and shoot any gun I fancied I did it for fun the club however is running a series of competitions throughout the year and if you’re in it I feel you should do your best 

it’s just time to move on and get the tool for the job 

absolutely no point in hammering a nice ss with 2 or 3 hundred cartridges a week 

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1 minute ago, London Best said:

In Edwardian times very many of the side by sides fired twenty thousand cartridges per season, in five months.

I’m sure they did but you forgot to mention that they were in pairs or trios so 7 to 10 thousand each and there’s not many of them left 

As said by other members the traditional English game gun is a bit lively and not best suited to sporting clays Albeit fun to shoot 

thanks for your reply 

any recommendations for a clay gun? 

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