gdunc Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 Hello everyone - my first post and seeking some advice / recommendations..... Just taken up shooting (had a few days on skeet) and have at my disposal (through work) rough shooting over a few acres for wood pigeon and some pheasant. The rough shooting will be my priority but i'd also like to think I cold obtain a gun which would be suitable for some skeet / sporting clays too. Have so far used a Silver Pigeon and a mates Diamond Pigeon and quite like the Beretta O/U - however I am tempted by the idea of a semi-auto where the only setback would be my left handedness! So, your opinions appreciated on a compromise for game with some clays, first ever gun (prefer under £900), kack handed user who likes the idea of a s/a. Thanks Dunc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 if you're going to shoot game as well stick to an O/U IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffs-Shooter Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 Be careful with a semi. I bought one a few years back for pigeon shooting & was surprised how light they are in comparision to my normal o/u. i understand the older models are heavier though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdunc Posted August 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 The specs I've looked at suggest that the Berreta autos are at least as heavy as the Pigeon O/U in overall mass - do you mean that they feel lighter to swing? Thanks for the replies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSA Shaun Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 Get a Hatsan Escort semi and you'll get about £600 change out of that and they are a great buy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 Hello everyone - my first post and seeking some advice / recommendations..... Just taken up shooting (had a few days on skeet) and have at my disposal (through work) rough shooting over a few acres for wood pigeon and some pheasant. The rough shooting will be my priority but i'd also like to think I cold obtain a gun which would be suitable for some skeet / sporting clays too. Have so far used a Silver Pigeon and a mates Diamond Pigeon and quite like the Beretta O/U - however I am tempted by the idea of a semi-auto where the only setback would be my left handedness! So, your opinions appreciated on a compromise for game with some clays, first ever gun (prefer under £900), kack handed user who likes the idea of a s/a. Thanks Dunc Dunc, Go to a gun shop that sells a bunch of them and see what fits you. Find one gun that works for you and use it for everything. Different guns feel different in fit and swing weight. A double with long barrels has more weight in front of your hands than a semi with a short barrel. A short gun 'points' better, a longer front heavy gun swings better. If you like a semi, check out the new remington CTi. It is a bottom feed bottom eject with (I believe) a straight stock (no cast). It is about as ambidextrous as you can get in a semi. Thanks, Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oly Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 If your including game with the one gun do NOT buy a semi, they are frowned upon in the game shooting world and you won't be asked back! (I don't know why and I personally love my semi too!). A good OU will be all you require to start. Like the man says, go down to your local gun shop and see what fits, don't feel obliged to buy though and then when you have found something that you like & shoot well with shop around for it, new or secondhand. Even see if your local will price match on new stuff. Makes to ask about & try: Berratta Miroku Browning Lanber Macnab Blaser Franchi Good place to gauge a good idea of a fair price - www.guntrader.co.uk Remember, try different models of the same make, you should be really going for a 12 bore, ideally you want 3" chambers (although 2 3/4" would suffice), and a multichoke (esp for going from game to skeet!) and then also try a variety of barrel lengths depending on your height and how they feel/shoot. Happy hunting/shopping Oh & Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardy Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 The beretta semi's used to be a lot lighter than other makes as they used an alloy action - I don't know how the current specs compare as I'm not keen on semi's myself. I bought one years ago for the then Mrs to use (beretta 301) as it was about the only thing she felt comfortable using. She's long gone but the gun is still in my cabinet. Some shoots can be a bit funny about semi's too so you might like to consider an o/u. The best option is to get along to a clay shooting ground a few times & try out as many different guns as possible (they feel completely different shooting them to swinging them around in the confines of a gun shop). Most grounds have several 'club' guns you can try & most folks are happy to let you have a go with thiers. Once you find one you like spend a few quid getting it fitted properly - that makes all the difference. A couple of lessons with a decent instructor is worthwhile too. At the end of the day if your pellets arnt going where you are looking you kill rate will be somewhat lower! My preference is for brownings as they appear (to me at least) barrel heavy which improves my swing - my current weapon of choice is a 30" cynergy black ice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tikkamark Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 If your rough shooting id imagine it wouldnt make a whole lot of difference if you had a semi or an o.u as there wouldnt be many people there to frown upon it Its all down to your preference really if you want to have a go at a few ducks the semis are great also there very good in a pigeon hide very handy to load finding a left-handed one should not be a problem if your going for a semi-auto beretta or browning are the best imho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wookie Posted August 23, 2007 Report Share Posted August 23, 2007 I've got both a semi and an O/U and I can see the differences in their uses... OU for clays, semi for rough. If you want to go old school though, have you considered a pump? Quite a bit cheaper than a semi (apart from a hatsan) and classic styling. (oh yes, the noise as well...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdunc Posted August 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 I've got both a semi and an O/U and I can see the differences in their uses... OU for clays, semi for rough. If you want to go old school though, have you considered a pump? Quite a bit cheaper than a semi (apart from a hatsan) and classic styling. (oh yes, the noise as well...) I've been looking on the Benelli web site and was actually intrigued by the pump's - surely worth it for the noise alone?! It is rough shooting over ground owned by my employer so no probs with being frowned upon. I wont be doing any driven shoots or the like any time soon. There is also a pond which does attract ducks from time to time so would be looking at equipment to cover that as well. Thanks for the advice - i'll get myself along to a gun shop and get a look over some Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatingisbest Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 I would get a double barrel, they are fine for clays and game/vermin a great all rounder. If you took a semi to a gameshoot they would send you home before you got it out of your gunslip! The reason is that it is capable of holding 3 shots which is an advantage to you over the other guns, difficult to see if its loaded or not, even with a breech flag and the fact it is not a traditional shotgun, its more of a modern technology gun, which the game shooting world frown very heavily against. Semis are fine for clays and vermin, but not game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdunc Posted August 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 I would get a double barrel, they are fine for clays and game/vermin a great all rounder. If you took a semi to a gameshoot they would send you home before you got it out of your gunslip! The reason is that it is capable of holding 3 shots which is an advantage to you over the other guns, difficult to see if its loaded or not, even with a breech flag and the fact it is not a traditional shotgun, its more of a modern technology gun, which the game shooting world frown very heavily against. Semis are fine for clays and vermin, but not game. Beatingisbest - The shooting I'll be doing is over company rough ground with workmates so no one to frown upon my equipment as such. The ground is mostly occupied by Pigeon with some Pheasant roosting and occasional duck and i'm not looking at any organised game shoots at this stage - just the rough shooting and some clays for practice. I don't feel motivated to take the clay shooting too seriously either so i'm thinking that a semi could be for me. I like the look (and l/h availability) of the Benelli M2 field so i'll try and find one somewhere nearby to have a look at. Failing that I can always go for a Silver Pigeon as an all rounder but I prefer the technology and looks of a semi to the old school style of most o/u guns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squodged Posted August 26, 2007 Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 Just make sure you get to try it before buying. As a gun mounted in a shop can be a diiferent animal when you fire a few. Also remember that what fits a mate might feel totally wrong. If you're going to fire a lot of carts get a heavier gun as the extra weight can soak up the recoil. Also a heavier gun can give you a smoother swing as a light one can be too fast. Good luck, and take your time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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